Reviews (page 2 of 7)
A striking blend of styles. Lovely and poignant. This is one I wouldn't have ever sought out but I'm so glad to have heard it.
A Hindu-tinged album about nuclear war that ends with Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita? Go on… I’m listening. Glad to have heard this before I died. Utterly riveting - so much so I’ve listened to it three times.
Such a well thought out, unique album. Reminds me of massive attack (created a new trip hopish playlist because of it)
The first song is really cool - low fi hiphop kind of vibe Really cool mix of Indian music, hip hop and other instrumentals. The songs do sort of blend together I think my favorite so far is the Broken Skin. Immigrant is also cool, I like the female vocals
Not my usual style, yet great sounds.
4.5/5
Really unique and interesting and beautiful listening experience
I had such a great time listening to this album! The production is soooo clean and powerful
crazy impressive album! it’s wild that something like this gets to exist what a rich blend of world music! — 9/10
Loved this English-Indian music!
A timely appearance. I saw Oppenheimer last week, and it’s really good. It’s Christopher Nolan at his Christopher Nolanest, so there's absolutely no hope of it passing the Bechdel test, but it should delight you if you recognise the name Leo Szilard. Anyway, this is an album that begins and ends nuclear weapon announcements: the first track, Broken Skin, samples a news report on the possibility of nuclear war between India and Pakistan, whilst the last track quotes Oppenheimer’s recollection that, when the first nuclear test proved successful, he thought of a line from the Bhagavad Gita, “Now I am become Death, destroyer of worlds.” That Oppenheimer cited the Bhagavad Gita, a central text in Hinduism, chimes with another thematic element of the album: Indian identity, particularly seen through the prisms of strife between Hindus and Muslims in India, and the experience of the Indian diaspora in modern Britain. I am in no way informed enough to attempt to speak with any authority on those issues. What I can say is that in the late nineties, Indian influence on mainstream British culture expanded, as was inevitable. Nitin Sawhney has been a significant figure in that evolution, not only in musical spheres, but also as one of the writers and performers of the British Asian sketch show Goodness Gracious Me. However, he is far better known as a musician and composer. His musical palate has proven vast, with this album alone ranging from Indian classical music to flamenco and drum n bass. This of course ties in with the album’s message that identity is beyond skin colour, and that one should embrace the world, not aim nukes at it. And as such, I feel a little daunted trying to write a review. There are so many ingredients to this that I’m not especially familiar with, so one effect specifically on me is minor apprehension. This is both my fault and not my fault: anyone unaccustomed to a music tradition will initially feel a little adrift at first listen. Still, I want to have an increased appreciation of a wider range of music, hence why I’m undertaking this challenge. And there are passages of real beauty on this album: the female vocals on Immigrant are notably shiver-inducing (I’ve tried looking, but I’ve not been able to find out the name of the singer). But the album has such a wide musical buffet that I feared a touch of aural indigestion. That said, I will say that this album does deserve 5 stars. Just because it’s not my standard fare doesn’t mean I don’t find it delicious. The United States has lost 6 nuclear weapons. All of these are at the bottom of the sea (well, suspected but never confirmed in two cases). It is not known how many nuclear weapons Russia has lost, but some experts estimate that the number of missing Russian nukes could be dozens. Sleep well, my pukka sahibs and memsahibs! NoRadio, signing off.
BEST SONGS: -Letting Go -Pilgrim
I absolutely loved this. The blend of styles, the concept, the sounds and variety, it all hit the spot just right.
Miscelanea de estilos musicales. Muy melódico. Vinilo.
Beyond beautiful
I really enjoyed this. Totally unlike anything I've heard so far on the list. It was a chilled out electronic world music journey, while also having a very important and terrifying subject matter at its core. A few of these songs are definitely going into my library. Favourite: Nadia
Miscelanea de estilos musicales. Muy melódico. Vinilo.
A gem!
Veldig kult!
I do love this album.
A delightful surprise!
Amazing
interesting to say the least I had no idea there was such a big British Indian techno scene but I fuck with it
Loved loved loved this
Cool
V strange
An instant fave. I've always been curious about Nitin, an artist that has popped up on a couple of compilation albums that I own. Incredible subject, heart warming vocals. Faves: All of them
Love this. Feel daft for missing it originally. I think jo whiley put me off. This is ace. I feel smarter listening to it. Layered multilingual vocals. Beats. Reverb. Class.
First album to actually blow me away. I was not ready for this album to be so good. Great themes addressing important real world issues, and still being good music. Actually making every song vary from eachother and not just making a 50 min. song. I'm looking at you Rage Against The Machine. Starting off, or should I say, ending with a chill hip-hoppy, silent, broken future of a radioactive fallout or something. Just fucking builds up from there, cause "Homelands" really is a fucking masterpiece, and that caught me off-guard. "Serpents" is the only song that kinda sucks and gets tiring to listen to. "The Conference" was really fucking silly, but I heard it for the first time while getting my room ready for control in the military in like 2 minutes, stressing so much while two dudes yell "didkdkydduddjudjdududkdidudkidkdid" in my ears because I wouldn't take out my earbuds because I couldn't find my headphonecase. Crazy shit. But it really had an effect to say the least. 5/5
A remarkable work of art with something to say and many layers to appreciate. Was new to me.
Brilliant! Really like this! Don’t know how. Haven’t heard it before. I’ll get it on vinyl
Beyond it all
loved it
super different. one of my favs so far, nadia, letting go, pilgrim, broken skin, homelands, nostalgia so fire
indian jazz/electronica. Might be too distracting for work but i hope not. I love it! not all his stuff but a great surprise and my first 5 star album <3
No entendí el disco (?), tampoco me esforcé esta vez en buscar más sobre él o el artista, pero la verdad es que lo disfruté y es un soundrtrack chill como para hacer otras cosas en la computadora o demás. Muy estraño, pero muy interesante. Favs: "Homelands", "Nadia", "The Conference" y "Beyond Skin". 9/10
Beautifully composed. A spiritual journey.
5/5 - Cool! Adding this to my library.
Incredible.
New age feeling
First 5 baybay. that first track tho
lo-fi hip-hop w/ Indian music
Really interesting album. Should listen to again to pay more attention.
Pretty cool
Got this one when I was having a rough day with all sorts of bad thoughts winding around inside my head. It helped calm and ground me.
Tender, contemplative electronica; pre-dawn yearning and prescient pre-millennium tension (little did we know how much tension the new millennium would bring!) and a constant Indian counterpoint that often becomes "point," a tradition of which I know so little, and memories of a skinny, curious, elaborately hoodied former self I don't often enough spend time with.
Soul, mysigt! Också typ jungle och trip-hop? fantastiskt!
Pretty pretty pretty good
really dig this brand of late 90s / early 00s electronic music. Very cool concept and execution
This is a great album. I especially loved the track Homelands. A beautiful blend of Indian influence and electronica!
7.5/10
This was actually quite good. I enjoyed it and would allow it to play again. 👍
Меланхоличный поп.
A mix of genres with a heavy Indian flair. Pretty good.
have never heard of this album before, did not know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised! i enjoyed the diversity of sounds, was captivated the whole time
4 stars✊ mochte den sound kinda
Very interesting.
Genre-bending banger of an album
Did not expect to like this album as much as I did. Peaceful and thoughtful listen. Exactly why I started the project because this is an album that I would not have found otherwise.
definitely worth repeat listening. Lovely combination of trip hop beats with Indian culture.
Didn't care much for "Pilgrims", but otherwise I really enjoyed this. 4
I actually liked it. The Indian elements hardly bothered me, and in some places I even enjoyed them. The overall atmosphere of the album is quite cohesive, with a certain sense of concept. If they had trimmed the runtime and removed a few obvious fillers, it would be a perfectly fine album
Ambient triphop ontmoet de Indiase cultuur, en vervolgens neemt men er de tijd voor. Ik vind dit soort culturele overbruggingen meestal wel leuk, en deze keer is geen uitzondering. Geen idee wat ik heb zitten luisteren en waarom er atoomproeven bij genomen moeten worden, en het takketakketak in het nummer Conference zorgde bijna voor een punt aftrek, maar verder kan dit ermee door.
This was way better than I was expecting - cool, moody, atmospheric stuff; really enjoyed it.
Beyond Skin was an album that i had a really good time with. In a lot of ways, this album reminds me a fair bit of Talvin Singh's OK mainly because both albums are by British guys using styles from Asian music. I think i like this more due to it being more concise than that album which i felt dragged for longer than it should have. A lot of the songs had some pretty interesting ideas, some of which i never expected like Pilgrim which had some rapping in it and i thought it really worked. The vocals in a lot of the other songs were enjoyable too. There were a few songs which i didn't feel like they worked very well with their elements and some of them did drag but overall, it's a really good album. Best Song: Pilgrim Worst Song: Serpents
Nunca pensei que eu ouviria trip hop indiano. Ja ouvi trip hop árabe, americano e britânico. Também já ouvi Roberto Carlos, que tá longe de ser a mesma coisa, mas pode ser que seja parecido.
Não é um álbum pra escutar no dia a dia. Mas, como conceito ele funciona muito né
a prova de que o pessoal desse site é um bando de elitista e idoso, baita álbum, meio longo tho.
I liked this a lot - much more than I expected to.
un album raro, pero bueno, me gusta todo el tipo de musica a la que uno no está acostumbrada,
I thought this was a very interesting album. I know about as much about Indian pop music as I do theoretical physics, so I have no idea if this is considered good. I did rather enjoy this though.
chill
j'ai kiffé plein de sons, d'autres un peu moins, le style oriental mélangé à des rythmiques rap et tech ça fait un bon mélange
A prime example of the value of the exercise! I really enjoyed this and feel like its something that may well enter the rotation. How interesting!
I knew nothing about this and had never never of Nitin before, and made sure to not even look at the genre until it started playing. It was pretty cool! I loved the breakbeats throughout and the collage kind of aesthetics with all of the found sound audio extracts and some of that gorgeous piano (especially on Tides)
This is great. It seamlessly melds Indian music with as many different genres as possible while sounding unmistakably British as well. The weird Disney music ballad was awful and almost ruined it for me but the rest is lots of fun.
Loved this one
I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is pretty interesting. It's a sort of downtempo, electronica almost trip hop sort of sound, with Indian elements. There is good variety in tone and instrumentation of the tracks across the album. The sound of this album is unique across the 1001 albums list. I enjoyed this and would listen again.
a sort of neo-r&B it chills out to into a pretty interesing vibey lil albumn, i'm a sucker for indian rhythms so i had fun with some of the more folk infused tracks
I liked how varied it was.
Interesting concept with outstanding execution.
sensational!
Wow. That first track had me believing this was not gonna be worth the time. My mind was quickly changed thereafter. Lots of cool stuff goin on in this one.
Nice. An unexpected mix of traditional and new (at the time) sounds. thoroughly enjoyed this one.
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would! Extra star for 'The Conference' alone!
À réécouter 3,8/5
Fantastic album!
7/10 Best songs: Homelands, Immigrant A musician I've heard of but never listened to before. Interesting, vibey trip hop with an Indian flair. It is a very good album that kind of oscillates between trip hop and a more experimental singer-songwriter kind of sound (but not really). Its stated objectives are to discuss nuclear atomic weapons and identity, but I think the album is a bit more successful at examining the latter than the former.
79/100. Honestly this record is just amazing. There is such a wild mix of interesting sounds and high quality production packed into every corner of the album. It feels like a massive melting pot of different genres and deep emotions that somehow all work together perfectly.
really interesting album with the theme being about nuclear weapons and the album starting with the mention on India testing bombs. Definitely an album you need to really focus and pick up all of the subtle hints. Shoutout the band during Tides. I like the down tempo of the album and the imagery. 8/10
This album is beautiful! I love how it's a combination of a lot of different things.
More like modern art than just music. Not the easiest to listen to, but I'm really impressed. Definitely a journey.
Really interesting album. A clever mash-up of trip-hop, electronic, jazz, Indian folk with a poignant theme. It doesn’t always completely work for me, but mostly does. I especially loved the middle three of Tides, Nadia, and Immigrant. 4/5
I liked the vibes and it felt like a journey. Giving it a 4 on merit because I was definitely impressed, but I don’t see myself feeling the motivation to revisit this.
FINALLY something cool. this was really interesting i love the indian influence, indian music is so underrated due to racism and this really has a nice way of blending these two cultures. LOVED!
4.5 super interesting
Didn't know what to expect but wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. Interesting vocals, rhythms, and lyrics.
jazz. vocal. different. chill. real music.
An interesting album with mostly good tracks. Many Indian in style which was good to hear. There was a rap track which sounded very out of place compared to the other tracks. There were a couple of other 'strange' tracks (Serpents was one and I think Nostalgia. Not awful but again seemed a bit out of place compared to the other tracks. Overall a pretty good album and another artist that I'll look for other albums from.
Reminds me of thievery corporation
Das Cover ist schon mal der Hammer. Die Musim ist stimmig und gut.
This is AMAZING. Why is there so much hate. There's so much variety, so much depth. I think there was something for me in every single track on this album. I felt it even without understanding the language. AND it was written in the 90s! It was ahead of its time!
Pretty good actually but also Oppenheimer
Incredible actually. Wasn't a fan of everything, but overall very cool. Stand-outs - Broken Skine - Pilgrim - Tides
Based on the cover, I was expecting something completely different than what was delivered. A genre-bending journey that is part hip-hop, traditional Indian, flamenco, and Disney soundtrackesque… I don’t know what to think but can’t say I minded the trip.
Took me a couple listens to really appreciate this one. Never has an album been so far off from what I expected it to be. The cover art makes you think noise-rock or nu metal - turns out it's Asian pop with flavors of classical and jazz and trip-hop. I think this is absolutely a worthy addition to this list - a pretty fascinating meeting point of Eastern and Western music, and Sawhney is one of the few uniquely positioned enough to make that happen. Now, I'm not going to be putting this album on just for kicks very often, but it was an interesting listen, and musically solid. Fave tracks: - Broken Skin - Letting Go - Tides - Nostalgia - The Conference
Chill desi-infused trip-hop r&b. I dig it.
Interesting. Other reviews dogged the whiplash genre changing but I enjoyed it. Almost like the album was transmissions from a lost radio station post-apocalyptic disaster. Knowing the album background made it a more contemplative listen.
A bit apprehensive when I saw this because I have heard it before, not long after it came out. A friend lent it to me and I duly listened. I found it a bit of a slog to be honest. I'll take this as a sign of my personal growth because I really rather enjoyed it. The nuclear weapons theme is perhaps a bit obvious but otherwise, full of interesting stuff.
Never heard before, very cool mix to ethnic lo-fi beats slash trip-hop, would definitely seek a physical copy ⭐⭐⭐⭐
people lowk made it sound like this was shit based off the reviews but I quite enjoyed it for the most part and found the sound unique in some aspects
I didnt know this and was blown away. There was so much to enjoy here. I loved the Portishead sounding stuff, the drum n bass and the world music. It engaged me from the first second to last and i managed 2 listens. A couple of filler tracks brings it down a notch, but a great find.
Actually thought this was really cool and enjoyable! Very interesting.
Album Review 043 Beyond Skin by Nitin Sawhney (1999) Rating 4/5 In the late 90’s, it seemed that every other complication album released in the UK was of “Ibiza Chill” and on face value Beyond Skin sounds like typical, generic music that you’d hear on one of these records. However, listen a little more closely and you’ll hear something with a lot more depth and complexity. On Beyond Skin, Sawhney fuses something I’ll lazily call down-tempo electronic chill-out with elements of classical, jazz, drum & bass, and Indian influences to create something special. Beyond Skin speaks of the need for global peace and racial inclusivity and is one of the best “new-to-me” albums I’ve heard in a long time.
This was fun! I enjoyed "Broken Skin" and "Letting Go." I enjoyed how they referenced Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita — "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds".
Pretty good
Un sonido nuevo para mí.
Interesting sounds, global atmosphere, and engaged lyrics that made me go back for a second listen.
I have never heard this befor today. This is dope. Different. I didn’t know what to expect from song to song. A must listen for music connoisseurs.
Experimentellt, emotionellt, riktigt bra!
This was an interesting one. There were parts that were really cool and atmospheric, and genuinely could’ve pushed a 5, then there were songs that were really dated and dragged it down. I appreciated the blend of trip hop and Indian music though, so I am feeling generous and not marking it down too harshly.
enjoyed this way more than I thought I would
Another album everyone hates? This is gonna be fun... It might just be due to the fact that I'm more in tune with music from other cultures, but I really enjoyed this one. The odd pair of Hindustani vocal traditions and downtempo "drum and bass music" is strangely captivating and creates an interesting atmosphere. The album does go on for a bit too long, as most 90's albums tend to do, and I don't think this style of music fully captures the grand ambitions that Sawhney had for this project. Nevertheless, I still appreciate it for going for an understated and intimate mood rather than an overblown one. Standout Tracks: Broken Skin, Pilgrim, Serpents, Anthem Without Nation, Beyond Skin Score: B-
irgendwie tolle soundscapes. und beats.
It was good. I love the Indian vibe
This was super interesting. I read that it was Jazz mixed with Indian and I thought for sure I wouldn't like it, however once I got into it I thought it was pretty cool. I wouldn't have guessed that I'd like it. I probably won't listen again, but Nitin did an amazing job fusing the genres and made something that was really compelling.
Really, really liked this. Fascinating man - take a look at his bio and the artists with whom he's worked.
I thought this was really interesting!
I liked this way more than I thought I was going to. If you need a vibe record this is a good one.
Some sounds are very much of the time, but overall a strange and different-sounding album, I liked it
Some beautiful sounds here. Love the theming. There’s a couple of weird tracks but overall liked it.
It’s not that I think the criticism of this album is invalid - it does sound at times like weird coffee shop music, it is overly disparate - but I guess I just liked the overall effect. Every time I thought I knew what it was it went a different way. I felt stoned af and had absolutely the best nap of my life after listening to this. No idea why it’s here.
Excellent album. Had never heard of Sawhney before and definitely never heard this music. Really, really good stuff.
Quite an experimental mix of electronica and trip hop
Loved it
The most surprising thing to me is that this album came out in 1999. I listened and still listen to a lot of electronic music from the late 90's and early 00's, but this one has a production and style that feels like it is more recent. I liked the laid back feel of it and a lot of what it is doing. The style of the Indian music mixed in is not my thing, but I do like the overall vibe and production enough to give it a 3.5 or 4 on this scale.
I don't know what all the nuke stuff was about but I liked this way more than I should have
Dang
Good
Never heard this album before or of this artist. Really like a lot of this album. Really creative, really interesting.
Not sure how much I'd listen to it day-to-day but interesting and well-executed.
Beyond Skin is a one-of-a-kind album on this list when you factor in the Indian influence, the nuclear war topic, and the electronic genre. Each song is unique, like the classic jazz in "Tides," the hip hop in "The Pilgrim," or the Indian drums and backing violin in "Homelands." Using so many genres allows Nitin Sawhney to bring the east and the west together, and the topic of nuclear war is quite the choice to bind the album together. Now that the world is connected, the fear of a nuclear war remains. This album is undoubtedly a concept album; the English narrative drives the story while Sawhney honors his heritage by incorporating Indian aspects into his exploration of other genres. Perhaps no song does this better than the title song, which happens to be the last song on the album. Hip hop melds into classical Indian singing with a western orchestra. Musically and thematically, "Beyond Skin" is a great wrap up for this album as we hear Oppenheimer say his famous line taken from the Bhagavad Gita, "Now I am become death." Good music can transcend language. Singing in Hindi is so beautiful, and with the spoken-word narrative pieces driving the story, we don't require a translation. With descriptive titles like "Anthem Without Nation" and emotive singing, the listener understands. In fact, I was almost annoyed when the English vocals began in "Immigrant"! "The Conference" contains fast, ever-increasing Indian vocals that depict a world conference in which world leaders don't listen to one another. Sawhney uses samples, and his guest vocalists are talented. The guest vocals of Swati Natekar on "Nadia" are stunning. The backing, harmonizing Indian vocals in "Immigrant" are almost hymn-like. "Serpents" sounds very much like it's meant for Bharatanatyam, a classical dance from Tamil Nadu, though this could be projection. Truly, I want to give Beyond Skin a 5, but the English singing was too frequent and too unappealing to me. Yes, I understand English, but at what cost to the album's integrity? The music was way more beautiful in the Indian languages. 4.5
Unexpectedly amazing
Is that a dude's voice?
I really liked this. I recently learned about Indian Konnakol, the tongue-twisting scatting in some of the later verses. Hindi language sounds naturally musical to me.
This was really good!!! The sounds were so interesting and deep and I could see myself listening more. Wonderful music to work to too.
a 3.5 rounded up to a 4 for me - super different and interesting! i agree with the reviewer that mentioned FKA twigs. this is genre-bending avant pop. it's not always my favorite sound, but it's certainly a breath of fresh air on this list.
Haven’t listened to anything quite like this, although it pulls from other genres and sounds that I guess I’m familiar with. It’s lovely and emotional. It’s also aged really well; I was surprised when I checked the date and saw 1999. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. It really engrossed me.
Interesting world album, marrying traditional Indian singing with some western musical ideas. The tonguong speed for 'The Conference' is off the charts fast!
Amazing album. Soul and East Indian together. So great 4.5/5
Nice variety. Not sure what this category is... "atmospheric jazz"? Somewhat contrasting tone to the seriousness of the underlying subject, but I found I enjoyed this.
Two beautiful tracks in, and I'm genuinely shocked that there are *any* one star reviews of this album, let alone, apparently, lots. I shall rise above my indignation, and resume writing this when I've heard the rest... So, I really enjoyed the whole thing. Measured and thoughtful chill-out vibes; hypnotically beautiful at times. Several stand-out tracks. Homelands, Immigrant. Tides is a beautiful jazzy instrumental that reminded me a bit of some of David Sylvian's post-Japan stuff. I can't claim to have got very far exploring the subject-matter, as this was my first listen. But it brought cohesion. So, a cohesive album and also coherent (well - apart from The Conference) despite the mixture of styles (described by the artist as "a mixture of Indian classical music, flamenco, acoustic drum and bass, hip-hop, jazz and soul"). I'll be listening again, for sure.
Nice although a bit too much of its time
very progressive for the year it was released
Conocí este artista por un recopilatoria de Café del Mar o algo de eso. Y aunque no encaja con mis gustos más generales si es algo que disfruto en dosis recomendadas. Me guardo: Broken skin, Homelands, Pilgrim, Nadia y The conference.
Some pretty chill triphop, like most triphop is I guess. A lot of these tracks sound like something you'd hear on a Buddha Bar or Cafe del Mar compilation. I like the ongoing theme as well, brings cohesion to the album. Nice integration of eastern and western sounds throughout. Points for a Dream Warriors feature. I'll go back to this one. 4/5.
Quite lovely
Love the Indian fusion. Really y cool beats. Enjoyed
There were moments where I thought this would land at a 5, but toward the end of the album the atmospheric aspects (Homelands, Tides) that I enjoyed seemed to fade away. This album paired nicely with a chilly overcast day.
Best leuk!
I didn't really know what to expect from this since the cover looked like a Sleep paralysis demon and I had never heard of this artist, but I was super impressed. It sounded like there was a lot of influence from Asian and African musical styles which was really intriguing. It was super unique and I really enjoyed the listen.
Concepts of the immigrant experience, nuclear proliferation, and globalist humanism wrapped in an Indian, trip hop, electronica package. Very, very, interesting. Evocative of some Massive Attack and Portishead. The sampling of Oppenheimer quoting The Bhagavad Gita helps marry the stylistic and thematic elements perfectly. The feminine vocalisation employed thoughout is compelling and at times chilling and helps set the tone for the album and songs beautifully. Then the sections in Hindi amplifying both the trance-like quality of the electronica base and rhythm of the music was excellent. Overall a fascinating approach to anti-nuclear advocacy and pacifism while emphasizing common humanity "Beyond Skin." Strong 4/5.
Might not be every person's cup of tea, but I dug this one regardless. 4.5 bumped down to 4.
Good album
This is exactly the sort of culturally important, something-I've-not-listened-to-befpre content that I was hopeful of. Unique in delivery and range, some really beautiful, moving pieces and some significant history captured from a perspective other than the mainstream white western world
First listen to a very good album.
This was one of those end of night albums we’d put on after that o many beers. Nice and chilled
Lovely sounds very worried about Nuclear fallout!
Delightful surprise. I started off thinking I was just being treated to some standard 90s trip hop but the more I listened the more I was rewarded. The more Indian influenced tracks really got my attention. Nadia and Imigrant are both really excellent. Then after reading a little about the concept I'm sold. I'm going to be coming back to this.
To me it sounded like Royksopp and Moby had had love child. Saved this into my library to listen again
Spennende album. En musikalsk reise som ofte treffer. Svak firer.
This album is such a nice eclectic album, with a lot of different sounds, which is something that, even if I appreciate it a lot, at some point has taken me back. Some songs are great, but others feel bland, repetitive. Luckily, there are more good songs than bad ones.
Quite a journey on this album. Holds together well despite the wide variety of styles and even languages.
Hey man, I’ve really shit on a lot of the electronica on here, so when I say I liked this? I dunno what to tell you. I dunno why. It sounded nice. It had a semblance of a message and a point t which is pretty fucking ground breaking for the genre. Idk I liked it.
Liked it alot
An absolute revelation. A rare album of sounds that are so expertly arranged, recorded and massaged into a beautiful organic whole. This is an album that you experience, not just listen to. Starts out with a couple of seemingly quite typical modern R&B tunes with subtly exotic touches that set them apart from the usual fare. And the vocals...uncommonly ethereal, particularly on Letting Go. Homelands is a gorgeous world music workout with latin rhythms, tasteful acoustic guitar and a vocal workout that defies any description. The string arrangement give at a feeling of the ethereal. ‘ve never heard such a deft mix of different seemingly incompatible styles. Pilgrim is a rap song for anyone with a distaste for the style, it draws you in and seduces you with rhymes that are subtle quiet and yet powerful. I could go describing each song but that would become redundant with words like beautiful, gorgeous and unique written ove and over again. Suffice to say – go, seek out this unique album and thank me after. 4.5 stars
Love Nitin Sawhney and I'm happy to be prompted to listen to more of his stuff.
7/10, nice 90ies triphop-ish vibe
This one was quite a ride. I found it basically impossible to predict what the next track would sound like based on the previous. That made the whole thing not super cohesive - and yet in a strange way it also provided some cohesion in a way. I don't know if I will every return to this, but it did keep my attention and it was an experience Standouts Homelands Serpents The Conference 4/5
Cool vibe
Favorite Track: Homelands
Man album is super cool! I've favorited a couple tracks already. Nadia and Serpents.
This goes many different places. I enjoyed it
Pretty good concept album
I judged the album by it's cover and was mistaken. This was quite diverse throughout, some of it I really liked. In fact I had some other music by this artist in my library and had forgotten all about it. But the later half of the album was a bit much for me.
I actually weirdly enjoyed this, its kinda trippy and pretty chill but has some really profound stuff tucked away...not sure why it gets so much hate
I was incredibly skeptical when I first put this on. I’m not the biggest downtempo fan, and ‘90s electronica that ✨blends traditional regional music with western dance music✨ tends to always sound….pretty fucking lame, even for the time, even when it’s made by someone from said cultural background. Those assumptions made me walk into Beyond Skin with my guard up, and while it took a little bit, I’m digging this record overall. The biggest hurdle here is that Beyond Skin is a backloaded record. If you want something with a beat, it’s on the back half. The first half is DOWNtempo, and extremely slow. That’s not to say that it’s bad, and I think a song like “Homelands” does an excellent job blending Indian music with downtempo elements, while “Tides” brings in a strong jazz element. On the other hand, “Broken Skin” sounds like second-rate trip-hop, and “Letting Go” doesn’t bring enough of those South Asian musical elements to make it intriguing. The real sore spot, though, is “Pilgrim,” which features some god-awful rapping (????), if I can even call it that, and really took me out right as I was warming up to what Sawhney is doing here. Thankfully, the second half of Beyond Skin is a flawless execution of Sawhney’s stated vision. Yes, from “Nadia” to “Beyond Skin,” this record is largely upbeat, which is more my style/preference, but that isn’t what makes it engaging. To me, these songs not only incorporate elements from Indian music, but they spotlight them, and it gives these songs actual weight as a result. I feel like I’m listening to something fresh, something that has been thought-through intellectually. Not that Sawhney is bad at making downtempo music, but while good on Side A, it lacks purpose. Here, even the downtempo feels pointed, like on “Immigrant,” or the back half of “Beyond Skin” after a barrage of breakbeats over Oppenheimer’s well-known speech. The more time I sit with Beyond Skin, the more it touches me. The flaws are flaws that could be strengthened, but I also think they’re elements I generally have a hard time enjoying in electronic music, and I wouldn’t say they’re done poorly here. On the other hand, the good here is really, really, really good, with a clear vision and message that makes listening to it worthwhile. I think this balances out to a record that is overall interesting and could be right for any fan of electronic music. That said, I also think it’s a record that will be hard to sit through for anyone not already into electronic music in general. It’s not a starting point, even for downtempo, but it is interesting. With a few improvements, it could be amazing, but as it stands now, it’s still pretty great overall.
I thought the middle section was the strongest (Tides, Nadia, and Immigrant were my favorite tracks), but I quite liked all of it! Loved the variety of the genres and the complexity of the lyrics. I'm guessing there's a lot more to discover with repeat listens.
Some great, others not so good.
low 4 high 3 Oppenheimer what are you doing here?
Bet some of you don’t even have a favourite album about nuclear weapons?! This is good but it’s not my favourite. Houmous & Chutney’s Rock Opera ‘Havana, H-Bombs & Lead Lined Hearts’ is a different level! Len wrote it about a love affair when we were touring Cuba in ‘62/63. 3.7
Pretty. A bit lounge jazzy in places (some of the vocals). Generally a smooth, eclectic listen. Nice to listen to a multilingual album.
This is a really good album. Trip-hop and sampling aren’t usually part of my listening diet, but here, it’s mixed seamlessly with middle-eastern and Indian music. The combination is more than the some of its parts. The artist is very talented and i look forward to exploring more of their discography. A four (which might become a 5 with more familiarity).
Nitin Sawhney’s “Beyond Skin” begins with what may seem like an unappealing proposition, but as the album progresses, it reveals itself to be a surprising and engaging musical journey. With fascinating versatility, Sawhney amalgamates elements of electronic music, world music and classical influences, creating a rich and diverse listening experience. Each track takes the listener on a journey through different soundscapes, proving that, despite its modest beginnings, the work is capable of captivating and surprising with its depth and creativity.
4 - What an album! I've never heard of this artist before listening to this album. Immediately I was blown away with the downtempo and D&B. The theme of the album was poignant, especially within the context of politics in 2025. Definitely plan to listen to this again plus more from Nitin Sawhney
Wow, totally different than anything I’ve heard before. Pretty eclectic and cool. Not my favorite sound but appreciate the listen
Now this is what I came for. Good shit that I've never run across.
Good album. Interesting sound, sounded like Indian influences. A little like sade
Very interesting. And partly very nice. Liked the Indian pieces. The other ones were not quite as interesting but ok.
Oha! Actually really cool. Very varied, had to check that Spotify didn't decide to play something else from my cue a few times. Love the chill tribal/Arabic vibes 🙏
A new experience of sound, and a mix of electronic with music and lyrics from different parts of the world. Great listen.
good, nothing to catch my ear
Contemp British Indian musak.
Very interesting theme with cool instrumentals and great vocals throughout.
Lots of cool sounds. Very seamless and excellent vibe creation. Variety with cohesion.
Anglo-Indian Nuclear Pop RnB was not on my bingo card. Really enjoyable overall. The theme is a little lost on me except for when they explicitly tell me. Might need more than one listen at work tho. Pilgrim was a bit draining.
Way to get an extra star out of me: have an album cover that makes me expect screaming post-punk, and then don’t be that. Against all expectations I enjoyed most of this one. I guess it might be called jazz? But then there are tracks that are trance. At its low-point,for me, it approaches easy-listening. It’s very varied, and there are a couple of clunkers, but one consistency is that most of the melodies seem middle-eastern inspired. I’m not even sure how to explain any of this. I just know that it was unexpected, and unpredictable and very much kept my interest.
3.5 very interesting
This is definitely a prime example of the setting maketh the score. Lovely smooth British-Asian R&B with just a hint of mumblecore to it. I think on another day I could have given this a 0.2, but right now, there's Nitin wrong with this.
Never heard of this group. Great find and very chill!
electronic
I dig this. Not overdone in any direction.
I didn’t except to like this much, but it actually really worked. A mix of genres that flow really well
Very cool and unique multicultural and beautiful music with a mix of flamenco, hip-hop, African, Indian, languages/singers
I could imagine hearing a few of these tracks at The Bronze... and that pleases me...
Makes me want to take x and walk around Burning Man circa 2000 again.
Very skillfully done fusion. You can pick out the different elements and their origins in each song, but they sound cohesive together; each song is a singular whole not a collection of disparate parts. Was dubious after the opening track, the lead English vocal delivery is rather forced and I was bracing for an entire album of that, but thankfully that's not the case. Unfortunately the slightly hamfisted lyrics do make a return, but they're easy enough to ignore.
I didn't really like anything except "Homelands," but I appreciate the creativity
Love a bit of D'n'b, this was fantastic. Nadia the standout for me.
Not a fan of Pilgrim. I love Tides. This is one of the more interesting drum & bass albums I've heard so far.
Interesting voices in the samples, very different culturally from what I'm used to. It also stops them from seeming too repetitive, since I don't actually understand any of the words.
Really beautiful. Only one track around the middle of the album didn't connect (I won't say which one) but otherwise it is fantastic. So many ideas and strands of music woven into a rich tapestry that I felt enriched just listening. A solid solid 4*
Had a couple of shifting vibes but overall a nice steady rhythm and mellow sounds. Pretty solid.
that was fun. i like how weird it is, even if it's not really to my taste
Best Song: Homelands Worst Song: Pilgrim Homelands is an incredible song
Y’know I kinda dig some of this. Reminds me of that album Sting did around that time.
As far as somewhat random 90's electronic albums go, this one is up there with the best of them. Very cool mix of genres from around the world, very well written and quite catchy more often than you'd think. Perfect for an afternoon chillout. Key tracks: Broken Skin Letting Go Homelands Nadia
interesting
very interesting
Not quite sure how I felt about this one. At points I loved the fusion of genres, and at other times I felt it was just putting too much Western sheen on world music. It has elements of that late 90s/early 2000s new age fusion that to me is way overrepresented on this list. But despite those qualms I thought this was a pretty engaging listen with lots of interesting timbres. Fave Tracks: Pilgrim, Nadia 3.6/5
LOVE THIS ALBUM 😍😍😍
I’m surprised that I enjoyed this one. It’s very different but if nothing else, it’s nice background noise while focusing on something else.
I haven't heard this album before. It was pretty good.
An interesting album with the backdrop of Indian nuclear proliferation. I liked it more than I expected.
The mix of Indian and electronic was an interesting change of pace. Outside of a few tracks, it was consistently good overall.
Stunning, a classical approach to electronic music composition with breathtaking scope in concept and themes. Will return to this.
Weird
it felt quite unusual, it is not something id listen to on the regular but it was quite interesting
I don't know what this was, how to categorize it, or what I expected. But it was ridiculously more enjoyable than I thought it could be.
Very interesting
8/10. I'm going to be honest here: Prior to listening to this album, I surfed through its negative reviews. I was expecting myself to really hate it. I honestly really enjoyed listening to this album. Perhaps I would have liked it less if I had higher expectations. There was a lot of nice variety in here. It was cool. :)
Really unusual combination of different beats, melodies and arrangements. Clearly influenced by non-western music. I am not able to put it in any category of music. but I guess that was the intention of the artist. Its not an album for the background. It's something to sit down and listen too. Favourite song: Pilgrim
Classic trip hop.
Very interesting. I like the instrumentation and the vocals are pleasant.
Culturally, political beats to impend doom to. 8/10
i dont really understand the hate i was seeing from other reviewers. i wouldnt listen to this every day but i found this to be really awesome and very interesting
That’s was actually really fun
This was a completely new one to me! The album starts with the series of nuclear weapons tests carried out by India and explores issues of identity and religion against a backdrop of international tension. Musically, it’s a mix of trip hop electronica and traditional Indian instrumentation and voices, and is an enchanting listen, despite the grim and thought provoking subject matter. It finishes with Oppenheimer’s infamous quote from the Bhagavad Gita.
Gave me some Nostalgia of when I was in India. I was just a Pilgrim riding the Tides of the winds. Letting Go.
A surprise hit for, 3.75
Dilemma. Was all that jazzy electronica triphop stuff just bland and I didn't know and realize? Or is this project serving up the most boring examples of it, that I had every reason to not listen to around that time? Bar the Indian bits, I feel like I've heard it all before and I find nothing that would make it stand out. Rather on the contrary. And no, garnishing your music with some somber samples does not make deep art. I don't hate it, at all (for the most parts), but this is extremely whatever. [...] Next day. Skipped through the tracks again. It's alright. Why not.
Wow, I really wasn't expecting this to be here. I bought this at release, but don't know anyone else in my friend/family circle that had heard of it. The nuclear testing themes and quotes scattered through the album are genuinely unnerving and there were a few points that reminded of a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan track that I love from the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. The frenetic Qawwali style is intense, and the association with NBK that it raises for me serve to deepen the tension. I really enjoyed listening to this again.
3.75-4 tough to say, beautiful blend of international sounds in an extremely creative way, however some tracks personally fell short from me, while others were extremely powerful
A very unique blend of genres for a concept album and I dig it.
Love the variety of musical styles
As a sucker for experimental genre blending this was a really interesting listen, especially for an album that came out in 1999. There's some excellent musicianship here and a unique concept throughout. Not ever track is needed though and a few go on too long, but otherwise this was a good find.
Loved this album! Sick indian samples and the vocal percussion moments made me lose my mind. Can't get enough of pilgrim. Warrants a fat discog dive, thanks for the music nitin
Found this surprisingly enjoyable. I liked the nuclear bomb / Oppenheimer theme and the music was relaxing without being boring
Really enjoyed this, nice chilled album. Not enough for 5 stars but still really good and worth another listen.
I liked this, no idea what to expect but it's good. It feels like what OK by Talvin Singh could have been if it was good.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed listening to this album. The weird cover art and lack of any genre indicators in the Wikipedia passage made me assume it would be too arty for me to find it accessible. The fact that it's about nuclear weapons made me assume it would be a depressing listen. But in the end it was just weird enough to be refreshing. I probably wouldn't listen to it again but it made for nice background music while I got some work done
Mostly electronic, this was interesting and varied throughout. Stand-out: Nostalgia
Very hard album to rate. Each song is from a completely different story, entirely different genre, but at the same time they all are pretty solid. I think it deserves a good note just on the fact how varied this record is. Plus, of course, the meaning behind the lyrics and the story from the tracks. Very solid album.
Some of these songs are just really beautiful, but others do nothing for me. I'll give it a 4 for creativity and these awesome piano parts
Interesting album with lots of variety and some themes that I mulled over a bit. Tides, Pilgrim, and Nostalgia stood out to me
I love it & will check out more of his music. The cat meowing in Nostalgia made me laugh because some people brought a cat to my work location, and it would get into the ceiling space. You could hear it meowing as it wandered around and eventually, management said the cat couldn't be here so the person who brought it, took it home. While listening to the song, I thought they had brought the cat back, so I paused the music to see if I could hear the cat. Nothing, so I restarted the music and later realized THAT's where the meowing was from.
Некоторые песни показались лишними (если бы альбом был покороче, было бы лучше), но все равно хочется поставить выше 3
I thought this album was awesome. It’s like the Asian Fusion of trip-hop. I’ve just never heard anything like this before and some of those songs were incredible and unique. There were a few songs that were a tad annoying, but overall the experiments on the album worked very well. I’m looking forward to returning to this at some point and think it has potential to change my perspective and tastes in music long term
Definitely enjoyed this Indian album, nuclear testing references and beautiful singing and style
Good stuff! Really digging the poly rhythms and vocals.
I really enjoyed this. Honestly, way more than I should’ve or thought I would. There was an insane amount of range, some would say too much, I say, just right. Every song slapped in my opinion. Seems like a hot take, but this fucks. Sue me. 4/5
pretty good though subdued, nice blend of genres
Nice mix of different cultures enjoyed it
I was fully prepared to write a wrecking ball of a review after the first track. But I'm glad I stayed my pen because most of the rest of this album is wildly good. "Homelands" in particular is just fantastic from every angle. I wanted to give this a 5-star review but, unfortunately, every track isn't a winner. "Broken Skin" and "Immigrant" in particular didn't push any buttons for me. They both felt very generic - especially when compared to the tracks around them.
This was surprising and very cool. I don’t always get fusion but this worked really well
I love trip hop. It's a real niche genre (at least in the US where I am), and it's a subtle sound to master. Beyond Skin is a fantastic example of how unique the subgenre is.
7.5/10 Nice album Excellent musicianship and production Lush instrumentation Loads of the songs are 75% of the way to brilliant But the album lacks a top gear that it can shift into and become brilliant The breakbeats stuff was the best So ultimately it is more of a background than foreground album Best: Nadia
Excellent UK trip hop inspired by India and atomic war. Lightly heady, Greta pace, nice rhythm. Music to help get stuff done
Right, know nothing about this! Can't pick the genre from the cover. 1999. Hmmmm. Ambient? Avant jazz? Wow, first track is very affecting, and dark. Didn't expect Indian fusion jazz trip hoppy drum and bass. Love it. Cold and warm at once The whole album is a real journey. Immigrant my least favourite track, sounding a bit like a Disney song.
Couldn’t decide whether I was indifferent or loved it. My head was all over the place but I am loving the variety. It’s probably a 3.5 but I’m boosting it because I listened to it twice and actually want to listen to it again.
I enjoyed this! Would I listen again? I don't know. But the entire time it was playing, there was never a moment when I was wondering when it would end. I thought it was interesting how the album ended around the same place it began. I just was kind of vibing the whole time.
Honestly I dig. It got way better when I put my headphones on. Kinda long I guess but a fun listen… cool stereo effects. The Conference goes crazy. 8/10
Relaxed R&B, but not really my thing. Interesting Indian vibe / instrumentation. Letting Go - half decent Homeland - nice music Pilgrim - shite Nadia - very Indian. Actually liked it Serpents - yeah, gets inside you. A 4 cos it's both different and enjoyi
Indian dub step and yacht rock. I was not expecting that. Wildly diverse album.
a few really nice songs, although there's also some trash
Damn what was this album? A mix of modern and what i think is Indian music came together in a really cohesive experience. Favorite track was tides.
Something I wouldn’t choose myself, but surprisingly enjoyable.
Extremely impressive album. I happened to watch Oppenheimer a few days before listening, which definitely felt uncanny at times. Will be saving for future listenings.
I didn't realize this was from the late 90s and thought it was kind of old school but checked it
A mix of Downtempo (Ambient) plus Drum and Bass, with South Asian overtones. I liked it.
An interesting sound across the different tracks, generally a chill hop vibe with a little soul feel topped with Indian elements on the fringes in some songs, and more prominent in other songs. Lyrics center around the India-Pakistan nuclear controversy of the late 90s. He blends distinctly western elements - strings, jazz, hip hop, classical guitar, with Indian musical and singing elements. Still kind of mixed feelings about it, but I'm going to give this one further listens. It's intriguing. Homelands is probably my favorite, with Serpents being an interesting standout.
3 1/2
Unique. Starts with an R&B micro tonal song with 50s/vinyl overlays, eventually becomes more iconically Idoan. Slightly over produced.
I really enjoyed this.
I had never heard of this artist. But much of this album resembles the type of music I was listening to in 1999 (Morcheeba, Esthero, Chicane, Bjork, etc.). I would have likely owned this album if I had known about it. There are a lot of different styles showing up here - certainly not complaining about that. But the tracks that connected with me most are the ones that resemble the above-mentioned artists. The whole album has an international flair, drawing from a number of different traditions throughout. I enjoyed the album overall and am eager to find more music by this artist.
Favorites: -Broken Skin -Homelands -Tides -The Conference
This had so much rhythm so goood!!
A concept album about the awful power of nuclear weapons and what they have wrought on our planet. Well worth a listen.
Really interesting mix of genres and sound profiles. Surprised track to track, and enjoyed my listen through (3.5/5)
I liked it!