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THURSDAY

Americans have had little chance to hear Nitin Sawhney—his most recent albums, 2003’s Human and 1999’s Beyond Skin, each run about $30 apiece as imports. Perhaps the tastemakers see no point in forcing Sawhney’s thoughtful British-Asian fusion grooves on America, but there are millions of Moby fans who’d probably love to give them a try. One of Sawhney’s latest missions has been to stamp out the idea that record-store racks should have a “world music” ghetto. The sometimes delicate Human was an attempt to communicate that argument: The disc smoothly combines his love of soul singers, his talent for electronic production, his Indian heritage, and his globalized view of society. As a DJ, Sawhney gestures toward an even more universal sound, with solid club beats serving as a backbone for Asian percussion and quasi-exotic samples. Sawhney and Indian-American DJ Karsh Kale headline the “Sikh Heritage Weekend: Art Meets Beats” show, with Aref Duresh and Jonathan Maron, J. Garcia and Taal, Thunderball with Mustafa Akbar and Rex Riddem, and See-I featuring Roots & Z at 8:30 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $20. (202) 397-7328. (Joe Warminsky)