W: Theo Thompson

Across decades of cultural innovation, Panjabi Hit Squad have stood at the nexus of tradition, community and cutting edge sound. In a year that has seen them travel from sold out tours across North America, India and Europe to festival stages in Ibiza, London, New York and Glastonbury, the duo now return with ‘Dil Le Gaya (Stolen).’ A release that marks not only a musical high point but the dawn of their new label, MELA, designed to reshape the future of South Asian electronic music.

 ‘Dil Le Gaya’ unfolds with a clarity and confidence that could only come from artists who have spent years refining the delicate balance between heritage and modernity. Harleen Akhtar’s opening vocals glow with a light, empowering resonance. An airy yet assured timbre that draws from classical Panjabi cadences while gesturing toward contemporary pop sophistication. As the track evolves, hypnotic garage rhythms slip effortlessly beneath her delivery, locking into a deep classic bassline that roots the track in the dancefloor lineage Panjabi Hit Squad helped define. It is uplifting without being ornamental and bold without abandoning nuance. This is the duos signature: a sonic dialect where tradition speaks through electronic texture.
 
For over two decades, Dee and Rav have cultivated a movement that extends far beyond the studio. Emerging from the cultural vibrancy of Southall, a space where Bhangra, R&B, UK garage and diasporic identity overlap, the pair forged a musical ethos grounded in community. “It’s about creating memories and spaces where people feel connected,” a philosophy visible in everything from their genre defying productions to transformative live events like the iconic Southall Boiler Room. Their history of elevating marginalised voices, especially women from Miss Scandalous to rising talents like Gaia Ahuja (G33) reveals a long standing commitment to broadening who gets to shape the sound of the future.

It is precisely this commitment that gives rise to MELA, Panjabi Hit Squad’s most ambitious step yet. MELA positions itself as an evolving cultural ecosystem. A global platform nurturing progressive South Asian artistry within the electronic landscape. At a moment when South Asian music is experiencing a bold global reimagining, MELA arrives with purpose: to build community, champion innovation and carve out a space where creativity and cultural lineage coexist without compromise. Its mission mirrors the duo’s own evolution; from scene shaping producers to architects of a
sustained, worldwide movement.
 
Launching MELA with ‘Dil Le Gaya’ is symbolic. The track encapsulates the trajectory of Panjabi Hit Squad’s journey: rooted in heritage, propelled by experimentation and committed to amplifying fresh voices. As they close out a career defining year with a headline UK tour, the single stands as both a culmination and a beginning.

Through their decision to adopt the name MELA; a word evoking gathering, celebration and shared experience, Panjabi Hit Squad gesture toward something profound: music not only as sound, but as congregation. And with ‘Dil Le Gaya’ they offer the first invitation to a new kind of MELA, one where hearts are stolen not by chance, but by design.