One of the UK's most innovative and exciting club nights gears up to mark another ring on the giant oak of clubland - as the Award Winning Shaanti turns eight.

With the success of their first night back in 1999, come February, Shaanti will be celebrating a mighty 8 years at the top! In the 8 years of its running, it has become one of the UK’s undisputed leaders, and cemented both the Shaanti name and record label in the international Fusion industry. So this year, they owe it to all their clubbers to bring you a line up that couldn't get any better, so here it is.

Shaanti’s Birthday Weekend kicks off on Friday 23 February at The Factory in Birmingham. Following on from that, the next day they head down South, on Saturday 24 February, as Shaanti presents the London leg of the birthday party celebration at Cargo, London. Joining the residents Manga from Galaxy, Rich Reason and Ravaliya plus guests, will be Asian Dub Foundation Soundsystem, who will be playing their first London date this year. The night also marks the announcement of their new album ‘Shaanti Present’s…’ a pre-launch party that celebrates their forthcoming release, out on Monday 2 April 2007 via Absolute/Universal featuring exclusive tracks from Swami, Tigerstyle, UK Apache, The Kalyan, Specialist n Tru Skool, Soundtheory, RDB, PNOX, and many more.

In '99, in the backstreets of Birmingham, a club night exploded and Shaanti was born. Spearheaded by Manga, Shaanti has developed from a small underground movement to a mainstream commotion and has grown into an international, pioneering, innovative brand. Within the last 8 years, Shaanti has expanded and managed with significant success to rise above musical and cultural obstruction and most importantly of all, represented and championed the toughest sounds of Eastern and Fusion Breaks and Beats across the globe. This crew are for real! Whist other collectives have faded into oblivion with short-lived success, Shaanti have remained constantly strong.

Manga, Founder of Shaanti and Radio presenter for Galaxy says: “It’s such a great achievement to get just one gig right, but to have that same vision succeed after eight years just blows me away. I never thought I’d look forward to Shaanti turning 8. To say I’m honoured is definitely an understatement.”

This award winning club night and now record label has gone from strength to strength establishing themselves as the leaders in Asian and Global club sounds! In the last eight years they have showcased the world’s superstars like Nitin Sawhney, Talvin Singh, Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Ease (Nightmares on Wax), Tigerstyle, The Cornershop, Pressure Drop, Gaudi, Transglobal Underground, PMC, Future World Funk, Midival Punditz and many more, as well introducing fresh new faces time and time again. As well as breaking their own attendance figures - the night attracts club enthusiasts back in their droves. The secret of their success is to promote originality, while challenging musical perceptions by uniting innovative musical forms of dance sounds as one. February also marks Shaanti as being the longest running Eastern Fusion Break Beat club night in Europe.

Farook from Joi, Real World Records says: “Congratulations and Happy Birthday to Shaanti for running the longest Asian-Global Fusion Break-Beat club in this country. My experiences at Shaanti are always strong, because of the power of the crown and the multiplicity of its beats. It's an honour for me to be a guest for Shaanti’s birthday and I can't wait to play an exclusive soundsystem set and drop some tracks from my new album ‘Without Zero’ on the night. Keep up the good work as the movement moves on.”

While UK Apache says, “Shaanti influence on the music of western society is hard to overstate, Shaanti’s a legend all over the world.”

"The sheer energy of the people and collective musical output of Shaanti always puts a smile on my face. Respect to Shaanti and all that sail in her!! Happy 8 Birthday to U." SUNJ from Asian Dub Foundation adds.

Shaanti’s Cargo bash on Saturday 24 February in London will headline the Award Winning Asian Dub Foundation Soundsystem. Asian Dub Foundation are 21st century MIDI warriors. Their distinctive sound is a combination of hard ragga-jungle rhythms, indo-dub basslines, searing sitar- inspired guitars and 'traditional' sounds gleaned from their parents' record collections, shot through with fast-chat conscious lyrics. ADF's forceful presence has helped to demolish many stereotypes of Asian musicians and by extension, Asian people. An acknowledgement of this came in the form of the BBC Asian Award for Music in December 1998. Their higher profile enabled ADF to attract funding from the London Arts Board to establish ADF Education (ADFED) to promote and practice the teaching of music and technology to young people. ADFED now functions as an independent organisation running various workshops in London.

Having been at the forefront of Eastern dance beats, Manga, Founder of Shaanti and co-Partner of Shaanti Play Records has become one of the most well known faces when it comes to the world of electronic desi music and Brit-Asian culture. Always championing the very best in Brit-Asian and global club sounds, 'Manga from Shaanti presents...' on Galaxy has been addicting legions of listeners since his launch into national syndication in Oct 2004. His weekly show quickly became an Eastern dance-beat Mecca for all things eclectic, Fusion and Eastern dance.

Manchester based, Rich Reason was part of the original nu-skool breakbeat movement that advocated the rapid velocity of breaks of drum'n'bass and Asian Underground. This Shaanti resident is renowned for his work with Roni Size, Full Cycle, Adam F, Goldie, Q-Bert, Public Enemy and Jazzy B to name but a few. His phenomenal technical skills, eclectic flair, enthusiasm, dedication and character took the world by storm many years ago; now years later he continues to have the same whirlwind effect on dance floors as he did when he first arrived. Reason's sets are designed in mind for sound systems - bass fuelled electro-fused breaks that demand to be played at high volumes to unleash their lethal potential.

London boy, Ravaliya has pushed the envelope of dance music from a tender age. After years of parties and inspiration from other DJ's and producers, he decided it was time to try his hands behind the decks, and since then has never looked back. With his diverse variety of genre-splicing house, DJ Buj has become one of the most popular DJs in the UK music scene. His sets are invincible as he keeps his audience spellbound with a heady mix of melody, intricate percussion and trippy Asian effects, evolving his sound each month.

Other DJ’s on the night also include Faraz Osman, Dj Dulz (Bazna) and special guests.

A truly jaw dropping line-up that is the only fitting celebration for Shaanti’s 8th birthday of the UK home of Eastern Electronica and Fusion Break-Beat Dance Music.