Scotland

Rich pickings for Mela festival

A BHANGRA and hip hop star who has worked with Madonna, Britney Spears and Craig David is to top the bill at the Capital's multicultural festival.

Organisers of the Edinburgh Mela revealed today that Rishi Rich, the renowned Punjabi producer and performer, will be the main attraction at the annual extravaganza in Pilrig Park.

London-born Rich, who has had a string of chart hits since bursting on to the music scene aged just 15, will perform at an all-ticket event at the Mela.

He has worked with some of the UK's best-known Asian artists, including Jassi Sidhu, Apache Indian, Stereo Nation and Sagar Malik.

But he is renowned for his crossover work with a host of big-name artists, who also include Mis-Teeq, Ricky Martin, Liberty X and Westlife.

Among Rich's most famous projects was a remix of Britney Spears' Me Against the Music, which also featured queen of pop Madonna.

Rich will follow in the footsteps of major headliners at the Mela, which is staged over the first weekend in September to coincide with the end of the Edinburgh International Festival.

The Niazi Brothers, Raghav, the Angel Dancers and Hunterz are among those to grace the three-day event in recent years.

The Mela, a spectacular celebration of music, dance, arts, crafts and performance, is to remain at Pilrig Park this year despite concerns over crowd congestion at last year's festival, which enjoyed glorious sunshine over both of the main days.

Crowd numbers leapt up from an estimated 40,000 in 2004 to 60,000 last year, with even more people expected at the event this year.

Festivities will again kick off with an all-women celebration on September 1, with the open-air festival to be held on September 2 and 3.

Arts organisation Out of the Blue, which is transforming the nearby former drill hall on Dalmeny Street into a multi-purpose arts venue, will be producing the Mela for the second year in a row.

Dana MacLeod, project manager for Out of the Blue, said: "The Edinburgh Mela is a must-attend event and its carnival atmosphere is fast becoming recognised as one of the UK's best multicultural festivals."

Mela director Shaheen Unis, the spicy foods entrepreneur and a key figure in the growth of the event over the years, said: "At the moment we are in the process of selecting a great line-up of performers and I feel this year will be an even bigger success than last year.

"I'm also looking forward to attending the ladies' night again as it is a great night for women of all ages and backgrounds.

"Last year was a huge success with around 300 women attending, I hope this year is just as successful."

Naren Sood, chair of the Mela board, said: "When the festival was started 12 years ago, we never imagined that its reputation and popularity would reach as far afield as Africa, Eastern Europe and the rest of the world.

"It's very gratifying to be approached by people from all walks of life who want to participate in the Edinburgh Mela and celebrate Scotland's cultural diversity."

Full details of this year's Mela programme are expected to be unveiled next month.

Related topic

• Edinburgh Mela
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Last updated: 07-Jul-06 09:05 BST