mainstream Indian pop music. Asian underground music has also influenced mainstream American hip hop, R&B and urban music in the 2000s, including artists such as Timbaland, Truth Hurts, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott and Britney Spears. According to DJ Green Lantern, "Indian beats have now become a fixture on the R&B scene". Music produced by the Asian Dub Foundation has also been featured on the soundtracks for popular video games such as Need For Speed Underground. Several former Asian underground artists such as M.I.A. and Jay Sean have gone on to achieve mainstream success in the North American music industry, where they produced mainstream songs such as "Paper Planes" and "Down" that have charted highly on (and in the latter case, topped) the Billboard Hot 100. Primary instruments Asian underground uses many traditional and relatively new instruments. Its primary ones are sitar and tabla, and almost all artists use an electronic or acoustic drum kit and/or synthesizer. Some groups like Tabla Beat Science use an electric bass. Various other instruments, including the dholak, sarangi, and bansuri are also sometimes used. Vocals can be found as an instrument of emotional expression on many Asian underground recordings. Notable artists Kelli Ali Anik Khan Suzana Ansar Apache Indian Asian Dub Foundation Badmarsh & Shri Bandish Projekt Bat for Lashes Biddu Black Star Liner Niraj Chag Dhol Foundation Bobby Friction Fun-Da-Mental Heems Joi Karsh Kale Loop Guru M.I.A. MIDIval Punditz Anuj Rastogi Veronica Mehta Cheb i Sabbah Gurdeep Samra Iraj Weeraratne Pragathi Guruprasad Nitin Sawhney Talvin Singh State of Bengal Suphala Tabla Beat Science Transglobal Underground Trilok Gurtu jai uttal Vraja Daniel Masson Amar (singer) Aki Nawaz DCS Notable labels Axiom Records Nation Records Shiva Soundsystem Six Degrees Records Notable compilations Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground Eastern Uprising - Music from the Asian Underground, compiled by Earthtribe, released on Sony/Higherground Indian Electronica volume 001, compiled by Qasim Virjee a.k.a. Abdul Smooth See also World fusion music References External links Guide to Asian Underground Documentary film about Asian Underground and Bhangra 20th-century music genres Electronic dance music genres British Pakistani history South Asian music Asian Underground