Beyond Skin

It's always interesting when the artist isn't the one singing as is the case here with Nitin Sawhney. It mixes a really nice blend of South Asian music and modern jazz and pop elements. I appreciate what the album is trying to accomplish and tells a beautiful story about India.

Kind of mystical, I liked it

Great downtempo album. Very reminiscent of the time for me. Some tracks don't progress very much but the theme behind the album might be the reason.

I was completely on board after the first track. Unfortunately, as the album drew on, it whittled away the great start it had. Some of the vocalists on here bring it down, especially the repetitive "Pilgrim", but any time there's an instrumental it's killer. Cool fusions of jazz, electronica, and what my limited knowledge will refer to as Indian music. Call it a 3.5. Favorite tracks: "Broken Skin", "Tides", "The Conference"

Wasn’t sure at first but I really felt this took me on some kind of journey… Feel somewhat reflective and a little sad now. Great music though for the most part

The eastern rhythms in this were really enjoyable. There was a lot of hate in the reviews. Oppenheimer's quote at the end ties the theme together nicely. A great album for mine.

This was never not interesting. Some really great Indian fusion stuff going on. And even an Oppenheimer quote (well, a Bhagavad Gita one). An extra point for pure effort.

I’m convinced none of you have listened to anything other than indie rock sometimes. This album’s great

Kind of sounds like early lofi, with some world/r&b/hip hop elements. Lyrical content. Probably super innovative when it came out in '99, still so to an extent. Focuses on themes of nuclear war - running backward through historical events. Composer is super accomplished. 3.8

Eclectic and interesting and beautiful

The Conference -- офигенная прикольная песня. Прбрдабрдабрдабрдабрдабрдададада. И там еще был прикольный трек. В остальном ок. Четверочку заслужил альбом.

Fairly interesting

Eery

Super interesting. Not at all what I was expecting, based on the album cover, the album title, the artist name. I saw that it was tagged with the genre Drum & Bass but this wasn't what I was expecting. Precisely the sort of thing I was hoping to run across when starting this journey. Cool!

3.5, rounded up. Some tracks are slower and/or worse, but the ones that work really do. The concept is interesting, and I liked this more than the other "world" albums I've had before. BT - Broken Skin - Letting Go - Homelands - Tides - Nadia - The Conference - Nostalgia - Broken Skin

This album has to be a plant because there's no way I'm getting it the day after Oppenheimer's opening weekend as a coincidence. Regardless, I'm glad I got it now because nuclear weapons have been on my mind and this did a great job of conveying the emotions that come with thinking about nuclear war and WMDs. It also conveyed those emotions about nukes from a totally different perspective than any other media I've seen from Japan to America. Unfortunately, I got a bit tired of it and was wishing it was over 2/3 of the way through but the vibes all the way through were heavy and the news clips were thought-provoking, even the now-tired Oppenheimer bit at the end felt recontextualized coming from an artist with a Hindu background.

It's very pretty but this kind of music rarely grabs me. The imposition of quotes for the upcoming nuclear apocalypse and the juxtaposition against beauty and slick production are jarring, however, and it certainly had an effect. I found myself morose for most of the day after listening. So four stars for really meaning something, and for getting a rise out of me, and for several songs I get to add to the rotation.

A really strong soundscape and concept for an album, maybe just a hair of bloat.

Definitely one of the better electronic albums we've had. Homelands is a bop

This is a fantastic album of many textures, styles, and moods. I really enjoyed it. It was a really wonderful journey, and I'm really glad to have heard it.

A very interesting mix of different styles, electronica, trip-hop, pop with Indian influences. It's different. Listening to it was like a religious experience, something I've never listened before. Strong 4+.

Carl didn’t like, I was into it

I don’t understand how people can hate this album so much.I expected it to be really abrasive and loud from the album cover but it’s mainly just vocal harmonies and beats.The only parts I didn’t like was his weird terrible rapping part but the rest of the album was mainly good.

For what the album is trying to be, it is really pretty good. Never gets stale since it's constantly switching between genres and sounds with quality guest vocals. The 'commentary' on nuclear arms is a little disappointing since it kind of just presents current events but doesn't critique or present any arguments for improving the situation. 7/10

kul musikk

The singer on the first three songs has an amazing voice. I was definitely not expecting the style change of “Pilgrim”, although it was a pleasant change. Overall I really appreciated the uniqueness of this album. I’m interested in checking out more.

I had no idea what to expect going into this and every time I thought I’d figured out where the album was going it swerved to something left field. Electronic music with hip-hop influences, some Indian classical music, and one song that sounds like musical theatre? Yeah sure. There were a couple of mid songs but the highs far outweighed the lows, and I especially enjoyed Pilgrim and Serpents

вау... очень странный альбом

this album was sick, liked every part im on listen 4 in a row, both having listened to it standalone and whilst doing other stuff and man... its so good some stagnant moments in songs such as Nadia and Anthem without Nation but songs like Nostalgia and Tides more than make up for it hoooooly, Tides is such a beautiful song will need to relisten to this tomorrow again before rating just to be sure, preliminary rating is 5 despite the few less interesting tracks just because the rest carries it to those heights but this might change to a 4 after the honey moon phase has passed its a 4, Nadia and AwN take up too much of the runtime unfortunately but still a great album

I liked this album. Sick beats and well recorded. 4/5

I didn’t have this albumin my radar at all, but I pretty much liked it. That combination of jazz and electronic is on its point. Loved also most of the thematic of the album. Thanks you for this recommendation!

Incredible! Didn't know about the artist, many songs went to my liked music!

Dope

Cool! Pleasantly suprised by this find

Scale: 1: Dissapointing 2: Didn't enjoy 3: Decent 4: Enjoyed 5: Would listen again (My first impression if not mentioned otherwise in a comment) Broken Skin: 4/5, like it Letting Go: 3/5 not as good as the last one Homelands: 3.5/5 fine The Pilgrim: 4/5, cool Tides: 3/5, ok Nadia: 4/5, dnb goes brr Immigrant: 3.5/5, fine Serpents: 4/5, cool Anthem Without Nation: 4/5, like it Nostalgia: 4.5/5 best one so far imo The Conference: 3/5, yeah idk Beyond Skin: 4/5, really good end Overall: 3.7/5, I really like the album overall even though I wouldn't listen to a song by itself again, but definitely to the whole album if I'm in the mood. That's why I'll add 0.5 to the overall score because I liked the whole experience. 4.2/5

Neat album. A lot of variety.

I don't love the singers voice on track 1 and I feel bad saying it but it just sounds kind of cringey with the super serious lyrics. It sounds almost like over-acted? I hate being harsh on music that speaks on world issues though. The guitar part on Track 2, "Letting Go" is really nice. I love the dynamics in the accented notes. The mix engineer lets those pop out pretty loudly even at the same time as vocal melodies and it's a cool balance. Usually things like that are diligently caught and hidden under vocal parts in pop music. Track 2 overall I liked way more than the first one. Beautiful strings in the intro to "Homelands". Wow and that vocal part around :28 seconds is a VERY cool sound. This whole track was fantastic actually. It's ambitious going from that cinematic track (Homelands) to a rap song immediately following with some interesting synth choices. I don't know if it pays off. Contrasting the first track, I actually kind of like the vocal performance here but on this one I don't really like the music behind, as it feels kind of empty. Maybe it's because this was from 1999 and I'm hearing it after hearing super produced modern records with modern technology like a meticulously engineered Kendrick Lamar album? I could see an argument that the sound explored here set the table for an artist like Kendrick to further explore. "Immigrant" is like a piece from a Linn Manuel-Miranda musical. Awesome tabla raga on track 11. I had a professor in school who specialized in this and would always show me how complex this music form is so I appreciate it every time I hear it. This album is literally back and forth with me and it is messing with my head but maybe in a good way? This album made me think a lot and the on-and-off sea-saw dynamism didn't let me just sit back and listen while I was doing the dishes. It really grabbed my attention. I really appreciate that it is on this list and I think a lot of my critiques are more geared towards the age of the album which is a little unfair but also a reality of the evolution of music production and songwriting. Normally I would give this album a 3/5 because it had several tracks that I flat out didn't enjoy, but the songs that I did enjoy I really did and that is making me think of this as a 4.4/5 rounded to a 4. At the end I really appreciated this album being on the list and I will definitely listen to it more.

Most interesting musically. One wishes perhaps there were fewer vocals because one finds the beats and orchestral/instrumental bits considerably more compelling. "The Conference" has too much cowbell, which in this case is Indian percussion. The spoken word passages (even the Gita) don't feel additive (this was a common issue fin-de-siecle and first years of the aughts). Definitely a more expansive dramatic take on the globalization of world music, and a good bit ahead of its time for 1999. One likes the flamenco touches, but confesses to preferring the chiller, earlier efforts, for their subtlety and easier beats.

Wow. This is a beautiful and powerful album. I don't have any views regarding how other people should approach art, including music, so I'm speaking only for myself when I say I happen to get a lot of out the fuller context and background. When I read the impetus behind the artist's creation of the album, I was really moved by it, then I listened to it and found myself drawn in fully by the music. What an interesting mix of styles and influences; there are some intriguing and beautiful harmonies, melodies, and rhythms at play here. One example of many: the piano work on "Tides" is gorgeous. Even the name of the album's record company, Outcaste, is spot on. I need to explore this artist more fully. Great work.

Amazing first side of the album, piano is extremely soothing, liked the drum and bass element to it, fit well with the vibe.

The topic of this album was timely given the shit show the US and Russia are causing in Ukraine. I didn’t known much about Oppenheimer but I concurred with Bob Dylan’s view in Desolation Row that Einstein was the good smart guy and Oppenheimer, aka the “jealous monk”, was the bad smart guy. Kinda interesting that the WW2 analysis led me to conclude the German dude was good and the American dude was bad. This album made me read more about Oppenheimer. The things he said around the time of the Trinity detonation and things he said in the years following make me see a different side of the Jealous Monk. The last song contains Oppenheimer’s powerful recital of the passage from the Bhagavad Gita. Wow.

My co-judge and I owned this CD back in the day. I remember songs like Homeland and Nadia being our favourites. Much of the album is quite understated. The more soulful downtempo numbers at first sound like a lot of the stuff that was coming out of London at the time, but the difference here is that the music behind it has cellos and violins and tablas. Sawhney is competent guitar player, pianist and composer. It’s interesting that nuclear destruction was top of mind for him at that time.

One of the more unique albums I’ve ever listened to. The varying genres throughout, the storytelling. Immigrant might be one of the prettiest songs I’ve ever listened to?

OK, liked the opening songs, then went very obscure with Indian music plus a style of rapping. Liked the music and extra points for being interesting and different.

Thought this was exceptional

Had never heard of this and the description wasn't much in Wikipedia but I liked it a lot. Would be good in the background or sitting around in headphones. Lots of good sound play and reverb play.

para poner de fondo, chill

Interesting Indian chillout album.

Unlike much else I have listened to, a mix of instrumental tracks, samples (or recreations) of news reports, and songs about both of the above. Like a concept album about nuclear weapons, but cheerier than that sounds! Also, it was really interesting to hear his music, as I know him better as a radio and TV presenter

A bit random, but the sound is relaxing, and the message is good.

Interesting!

This was pretty damn good honestly. It goes in every direction at once. Trip-Hop? Tired of that, this is an electronic album now. Actually, this is a Hindi classical album now. Just kidding, back to trip-hop. Actually let's do a lo-fi song. Okay, back to Hindi classical... with a tinge of jazz. The second half drags on a bit, despite still having some great songs. "The Conference" is so silly, I love it. It's like two Animal Crossing characters arguing. Can't choose one favorite track. Either "Broken Skin", "Homelands", "Pilgrim" or "Nostalgia".

The use of of Oppenheimer in the final track in his quote of the Bhagavad Gita, ‘Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds’ to bookend an album that opens with voiceovers from the India/Pakistan nuclear situation was chilling and really underscored Nitin Sawhney’s exploration of British/Asian identity and its inherent tensions. The music itself is really engaging downtempo drum and bass that incorporates elements of Indian music throughout in various degrees. Sawhney is incredibly musically literate and this translates to an album full of various motifs across genre contextualized together over the hypnotic beat. Several songs lose the eat completely and play out within more of a jazz format, but those tracks work well to break up the more electronically driven elements.

Best Song: Homelands. The mix of traditional songs and instruments comes together beautifully here. Worst Song: Pilgrim. Not a bad song, per se, but it definitely doesn't fit with the vibe of the rest of the album. Overall: This artist was totally new to me, and I found myself really enjoying this album. A great mix of samples and chill instrumental beats. Perfect for working or cooking, but also interesting enough to listen to outright (i.e., not just in the background).

Surprisingly very good, I really enjoyed it

A real mixed bag. A lot of beauty, the occasional thorn. Nadia is one of my new favourite songs.

Such a cool mix of influences. I love the Indian elements combined with the chill downtempo vibes.

This album is pretty cool. I didn't love every part of it, but it certainly sounds advanced for its time. Some parts could be repetitive (Pilgrim is a pretty dull song), but the songs flow together well. The underlying theme of the atomic bomb is very interesting, especially since the fear of nuclear war was pretty low in 1999. The music has a diverse set of influences 4/5

I enjoyed this a lot. A really diverse sounding album, borrowing from so many different styles.

This album truly had a couple of great tracks during which I thought "wow, I'm loving this, might be a five star album". The music is interesting and frequently beautiful. But in the end it doesn't quite get there. There aren't any positive standout tracks and a couple bad apples (wtf was The Conference?). Still a very nice listen .

Pilgrim is a good song I really like the composition of this album.

Interesante.

No idea what to expect here. The artist's name sounds Asian and the track listing seems somewhat political. Rolling and ... still not what I expected. How pretty! First two songs are just lovely and a bit sad. Nadia is a little inaccessible to me as I'm not that versed in Indian music, Immigrant is a nice mix of styles that really works well, towards the end it makes me think of Christina Aguilera (whereas Nostalgia maybe goes a little Bjork). Serpents is fascinating. All in all a really interesting album that I enjoyed listening too. A bit long, both the individual songs and the album in total. But super ambitious in theme. I'm impressed. And once again glad to have embarked on this project.

Interesting album this. Lots of really old influences, merged with what was really up to date trip-hop sounds, it crams a lot into its runtime.

Very relevant in this age of imminent nuclear catastrophe . A great undertow of protest through audio landscape . Beautiful samples and rhythms . A real electro art album ; impressed .

Really liked this. Interesting and melodic and thoughtful and thought provoking. I will listen again and seek out more

A super clever fusion album. Sawhney collaborates with a number of artists to meld several disaparate styles. Some of these songs weren't my bag, but the format of the album is such that if you don't like something, all you have to do is wait a bit and something better is on the horizon. Really well constructed. Best track: Broken Skin

Very mellow, like Anita Baker. One reviewer says it melds Spanish flamenco with Indian ragas, but i don't hear either on the first track

I had never heard of this album before. It was a wild trip to listen to it slide through triphop, jazz, and back around again.

I really liked this! Pretty much echoed my thoughts for the album OK by Talvin Singh. It's a different sound for electronic music to have. Very enjoyable listen

Really enjoyed it - i guess I'm getting used to Indian music, but the overall vibe was of a chic curry house - one I'd like to eat at!

Really surprising mix of east and west. Liked this one a lot.

really interesting blend of world and trance beats; The Conference has some crazy-impressive tongue work

Score might change on a second listen but was surprised how much i enjoyed it. Very unique

Jednostavno fantastičan album od početka do kraja. 👏

This was an interesting listen. I enjoyed the originality of the album, and how they tried to weave a story with songs. I liked the overall vibes, even if a few songs are bit over the top.

Wonderful, visionary work. Everything about this feels so neatly stitched together – a seamless patchwork of lovingly curated influences and perfectly executed ideas. To have harmonised so many disparate impulses – let alone to often breathtaking effect – is something, but to have made it feel so immanent (as in: necessary, essential, teleological) is another. There’s a blueprint for a better world inside here, I wish we lived in it.

It's very pretty but this kind of music rarely grabs me. The imposition of quotes for the upcoming nuclear apocalypse and the juxtaposition against beauty and slick production are jarring, however, and it certainly had an effect. I found myself morose for most of the day after listening. So four stars for really meaning something, and for getting a rise out of me, and for several songs I get to add to the rotation.

Interesting, different, needs a few more listens to really get to grips with it

Heel verrassende muziek. Begon een beetje vreemd maar werd al snel een beetje RnB-achtig. Daarna kwam er toch iets meer India naar boven. Aangename zangstem. Muziek is wel een beetje voor de nacht, maar heel goed te luisteren. Mijn favoriet is "Nostalgia". ****

This was quite interesting. Enjoyed it.

Sí me gustó, por lo general todo intento de combinar y experimentar que salga decente tiene mi aprovacion. Fav: nostalgia, suena muy pop noventero.

Creative, and different album. Enjoyed it

Beyond Skin emerged at the tail end of the 90's to audiences that were looking for something outside of the dwindling grunge and rave scenes. Though not popular here in the states, there were some faint echos of this scene. Infused with drum and bass and an electronic Middle Eastern slant, this was playing in smart coffee houses and chic retail stores in LA. It created a relaxing yet inspired environment for shoppers and coffee drinkers. I was one of those people and really enjoyed walking through the air-conditioned stores off of the Santa Monica Promenade on a hot summer day with this playing in the background. What this does is creates the feeling that you're smarter than you are and only after buying overpriced Espadrilles while slinking back into your Honda CRX does reality set back in... "what the fuck did I just buy...?" Eventually, people caught on to this magic melody's power and nipped it in the bud... Fuckin' Espadrilles.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Broken skin, Homelands, Nadia, The conference

Wtf was this beaty???

triphopy and good !

Grata sorpresa

Viel besser als gedacht. Teilweise richtig kluger Pop aber auch darüber hinaus

pretty strange but interesting! I wish the concept had been stronger and I didn’t love the English lyrics 7/10

7/10. Tricky one to rate, but had an interesting concept, and was refreshingly different from a lot of the stuff on this list.

Very interesting, but many songs don’t really hold up for their full lengths. The sound and production are amazing though. Overall, around a 7

Fascinating music with an occasional side swipe of intense 90s pop.

Actually really liked the mix of styles in this, was great work music too

This is an old fave of mine - and you couldn't really ask for bigger subject matter for an album, could you!? Lovely vocals and melodies, gorgeous beats, and sobering samples. Fantastic stuff. Fave track - "Nadia" perhaps? "Homelands" is amazing though, as is "The Conference".

This morning I'm finishing up listening to Nitin Sawhney's album called "Beyond Skin" from 1999. This feels fresh to me, and it was a great thing to hear last night as I was getting ready for bed. It's very close to some of the lounge/chill/instrumental playlists I often listen to on Spotify. I'm also a fan of world music and rhythms and this had some really fantastic parts related to Indian culture. The title of the album makes sense, it's like music that transcends culture and skin color and connects you with these beats and rhythms that feel elemental. You connect with it, even though it feels worlds away from my point of view. Surprising and very enjoyable.

Actually created a groove in my brain

This is one of those albums that I NEVER would've come across without this site. Thankfully, I did. What a weird, wonderful, eclectic collection of songs.

Really interesting album. Probably will listen more

Beautiful music but belies the pain that is supposed to be communicated through the music. I love the fusion of the Indian these and stylings of the music with electronica, and the samples included are interesting and thought provoking. I don't know if this is one of those I NEEDED to hear, but I'm glad I heard it. My Rating: 3/5

6/10

I really liked the instrumentals on this album. It’s hard to explain how they make me feel but they really resonated with me. That being said there were many parts of the album that were a slog to get through. Overall an ok listening experience

Loved the nuclear weapon scenery, goes well with the album cover. Sonically pleasing as well

Lots of interesting sounds on this album that seems to take a look at nuclear history backwards from the (then) present day toward the atom bomb. The varied music from track to track kept me from getting bored early on, but I have to say that crept in partway through. I did think the mouth sounds in The Conference were pretty impressive. I appreciate getting something that feels unique rather than "another rap record... another rock record..." so an extra star for originality, even though I doubt I'll be listening to this again.

3.5

Interesting fusion album. A little weird/boring but better than I expected based on previous reviews.

The female vocal sections are great, the trip hop sections are not. This is an interesting fusion overall, even if the cover is truly awful. 3/5

It was an interesting listen, but I doubt I’ll ever come back to it.

Sonically was a bit all over the place. Looking into it - it was about nuclear bombs! I need to listen again with this insight - the final Oppenheimer quotes of ‘that book I can’t remember the name of’ were chilling.

The negative reviews for this album are so fucking funny, half y'all are just making strawmen because you think it sounds like music a hipster would listen to??? When will we have mercy on the millennials lmao? To me this album is at it's best when it leans into its Indian influences, especially when they pull out the tabla drum, its such a good percussion instrument. Elsewise it's a pretty standard 90's electronic album that prioritizes ethereal soundscapes and hip-hop/jazz instrumentals. I imagine if I understood all the various languages across the album the general anti-nuclear message would be a lil more potent. Without the understanding the news report openings sounds like the memes where people try their hardest to put something emotional before a Midwest emo song. Shoutout to "The Conference" for sounding like a katamari damacy song. Every artist who doesn't feature scatting at least once on their album is a coward. 3/5

Instantly reminded me of the late-90s lo-fi Bristol wave. A genre I've generally enjoyed although the theme & subject matter here don't exactly scream "hipster dinner party" or "trying to impress a girl I've invited round to my house" vibes either

I don't understand where some of the reviews for this album have come from. This is a really nice downtempo electronic album with some great soundscapes, vocals and elements of classical, jazz, soul and hip-hop. I genuinely feel like had this album had someone else's name on it who is more prominent, the reception in here would have been very different. It's all in the first half though, second half is pretty unremarkable, but first half is good, Tides especially is some top tier stuff. Reminded me of Talvin Singh - OK which i got a couple of days ago and won the mercury prize, but i really didn't rate that album, this is miles better. 3/5 Top Tracks: Letting go, Tides, Pilgrim

I enjoyed listening to something that I would never have found and listen to otherwise. It was interesting to hear sounds that are from another culture and different from the typical USA music styles and archetypes. It was relaxing and fun to have on as background music that was still mentally stimulating, but not something I think I'd seek out to listen to again.

Just read about this guy. How come I’d never heard of him before? Apparently extremely accomplished. It’s smooth and cool. Very polished soundscapes. Super mesmerizing. Chill. World music + electronica. Letting Go sounds a little like Portishead. Towards the end, began to get a little bored. Overall, this is pretty good.

really weird and i am not sure whether i like it or not so it gets the three of indecision

i dunno i'm skeptical. music with a clear sociopolitical program? never before. first two tracks are fine. i enjoy the indian influences much more than the hip hop. homelands--now we're talking. not a single word in english. it sounds like ... the gypsy kings? are on this song? oh turns out he's trained in classical and flamenco guitar pilgrims--ok yah back to hip hop. not a fan again. tides--decent. the second half stretches long nadia--enjoyed this. immigrants-- i can't focus while listening to this i will have to come back later. look. my favorite parts are all the sanskrit and my least favorite parts are the english rapping. is it an interesting album? certainly. are there songs i enjoyed and wouldn't mind hearing again? certainly. would i probably listen to the whole album again... no.

This album starts off pretty strong, where it sounds like an Indian-tinted version of Nujabes, with some Portishead and Moby mixed in. The first half of the album is 4/5, but during the second half it drifts into songs that feel aimless Indian hymns (but perhaps it's just too far afield from music I'm used to).

This album had a lot of interesting ideas but none of those ideas amounted to "songs that sound good and I want to listen to again." The Oppenheimer audio on the last track kinda hit, though.

Rarisimo el electro hinduismo, lo escucharía de nuevo, pero tiene muchas reminiscencias de portishead y massive attack, bandas que aún no logran conectar conmigo pese a la buena opinión general. 5/10

Sérstakt

Aðeins of ethereal fyrir mig, en góðir sprettir inn á milli.

I found this tricky to judge. There are parts of it where the atomic age fear of the concept and the melting pot of influences comes together really well. Indian percussion and vocals, drum & bass, acoustic guitar all blended well. However, other times it sounds like the reception music in a 4 star hotel with pretensions. 2.6 out of 5 in all reality

Meh. For every song that I enjoyed, there was another that sounded like a Disney soundtrack reject. Worth listening to, but not something I will revisit

Overall kind of bland

Not a bad soundtrack for some guided meditation or a trip to the day spa. But since I usually don’t do either of those things, I am going to round down from a 3.5.

3.5*

Interesting concept, but I didn’t love it.

Pre Listen: Never heard of this fella. I read the Wikipedia article as I couldn't gleam anything at all from the guy's name or the album cover, sounds like an interesting concept album. I dislike the cover art though, so slightly lower expectations than usual going in to this one. Notable Tracks: Tides - My favorite song by a pretty large margin. I'm a sucker for piano jazz, and this song was both smooth and soothing as hell. Felt like I was in a Jacuzzi. Nostalgia - Least favorite song, but by a thin margin against "Pilgrim". Pilgrim just got annoyingly repetitive (yes I know what a mantra is), but Nostalgia's vocal work was horrible. I have a deep personal distaste for breathy, whispery vocalists, and this woman wouldn't cut that shit out. Beyond Skin - This sounds like it was taken straight out of Metal Gear Solid 4 or something. Nitin should play that series if he hasn't yet, I bet he'd enjoy it. Post Listen: This thing was somehow exactly what I expected and not what I expected at the same time. Should've been called something like "Beyond Genre" instead, because each song was kind of it's own thing, tied together by a somewhat shared theme? I liked the start of each song being something about nukes. I didn't understand half of the lyrics for obvious reasons, but I think I got their vibes. I honestly preferred the non-english songs, as every song with english vocals fell flat for me. As a more political album than anything I've seen on here yet, it was cool. The vocals were solid, the instrumentation was solid, everything about this album from a musical structure perspective was solid overall. I can appreciate it for what it is, it's just not my style? I won't be coming back to anything other than Tides, and I wouldn't say anything outside of that song is especially amazing. It's a bit more political art than music I feel, which is fine, but left me feeling sort of 3/5.

Organs, blood, veins.

Pretty nice. Tina Grace's vocals are very beautiful

Some good, some bad, but all in all, an album full of mid

It was ok. Definitely different, but not something I have an overwhelming desire to revisit.

Almost the platonic ideal of a good work album - spacey, driving, varied enough to keep it interesting, repetitive enough that it fades back and focuses your attention. Trip Hop ambience, downtempo breakbeats, ecclectic world music melodic leads and instrumentation, some annoying RnB stuff.

Eksistensiell dread 10/10

Good

Interesting.

Ik dacht even verrast te worden met een eeuwwisseling-pop-zangeres die toch wel geinig klinkt. Tot het derde nummer de illusie genadeloos doorbreekt. Het album wordt een mix tussen Aziatische en Westerse klanken. Als de culturen echt samensmelten, zoals bij de Aziatische zang op drum&bass muziek (met een fijne diepe bassdrum) van Nadia werkt het eigenlijk best goed. Maar vaak is het meer een afwisseling, waardoor het album meer een geluids-wip-wap wordt.

Stunning and unusual album with some diverse sounds

Muy cool! Buenas rolas. Mucha atmósfera, y rolas nice.

Better than I thought it would be. Some of it odd and interesting, but glad I gave it a chance.

Not my thing, but starts off pretty. The nuclear weapon theme is made very clear in first and last songs. “Letting Go” is repetitive but in a soothing way. The mix of South Asian sound adds some variation. “Beyond Sound” drums jolted me. The Conference was odd sound to me but in a way I found enjoyable. In the end I liked it. Not something I’d put on a heavy rotation list.

= the Beatles Perfectly fine, if you're in the mood

Weird and really good in some places, boring in others. Definitely worth a listen and a bit of begrudging respect.

A little too over the place for me, but has its moments.

Stylé La fameuse phrase d'Oppenheimer donne une touche cohérente à la fin de l'album, même si j'aurais bien fait sans les 4 musiques qui précèdent Beyond Skin L'album a une partie 4* et une partie 2* donc je vais faire entre les deux

Hyper intéressant car c'est très différent de ce qu'on a l'habitude d'entendre. Des sonorités qui font pas mal penser au dernier album de Gorillaz par moment. Juste je suis vraiment perplexe y'a des trucs que j'ai vraiment aimé et d'autres qui m'ont bien fait chier, parfois au sein même d'un morceau donc ça va en milieu de tableau.

Electronic music meticulously stripped of fun. It’s safe adult contemporary-electronica. Got an interesting theme though, and I enjoyed most of it, especially the jazzier tracks (I am a bore).

A bit all over the place, but the beats, the sitars, the nuclear lyrics are all interesting

Conceptually, this album gets big ups from me. Unfortunately, the execution fell a bit flat (a lot of it sounded like phone hold music??). The best part of this album is far and away Sawhney’s ability to meld genre and seamlessly incorporate distinctly Indian sounds throughout. Standouts for me were Homelands and Nadia, and the title track really was something. I’m glad to have listened to it but I won’t be coming back anytime soon.

Bit of an odd mix of ideas. 2.5/5

Местами невообразимо сложно слушать, не находясь в подходящем настроении. Немного сбивают с толку арабские мотивы, но в целом, звук хороший, хоть и правда походит на стоковую музыку. Piligrim очень хорош.

Found this to be interesting throughout. It is such an out there record with the mix of fusion it delves into without disregarding its message. 8/10 [KEEP]

Just not my style of music (heavily produced and mixed).

Love the theme and variety of sounds while still coming all together nicely.

3⭐️/5 [04.08.2026] 05.19.2026

Very interesting album that bounces between r&b, traditional sounding hindi(?), and jazz. While I might not revisit, I’m not disappointed that I gave it a listen.

War ein Album was man sich anhören konnte,

Eigentlich ganz chillige Beats und eintauchen in verschiedene Genres, aber das indische Gedudel ist dann nicht mehr so mein Fall. Trotzdem 3*

Enjoyed this, new music for me, new genre. A couple of hits, some misses but overall enjoyed it.

Not threatening but not really out there either

I didn’t know this. But it’s dreamy, a bit weird, smart, interesting. 3.5?

Very… interesting..

Raro

Yes!

Not bad. Other reviewers are really too harsh. As always, I'll take this any day over another folk acoustic indie bullshit.

Would've been a beautiful album if they didn't record the vocals

I want more of that weird stuff.

“Indian lo-fi electronic jazz-fusion concept album based on the theme of the proliferation of nuclear weapons in our society” is the simplest way I can describe this album, even though it sounds like the title of a dissertation. Some cool elements in here, and it was more easy listening music than anything, so it wasn’t an unpleasant listen like most electronic albums are. This isn’t anything I’d come back to, but it was interesting and an OK listen. 3/5

3- Stars (7/15)

Heard Before? Woohoo! Something entirely new to me. Notes: - clearly a producer album, and sure enough the production is mostly stellar. - the 1999 standard issue trip hop drums are lame but forgiveable once the other, cooler, percussion comes in on "homelands". - the samples and use of multiple languages really bring the whole album to life. - plenty of stylistic variety from song to song, although individual tracks usually have only one idea. - only "Immigrant" is a true clunker, sounding like a direct-to-video Disney ballad. Verdict: Never truly thrilling, but always intriguing. Like a survey of late-90s production styles. Listen Again? Most likely. Or at least I'll investigate their other work.

This was a super chill and relaxing album. I could see myself coming back and listening to it while being productive. The back half wasn't as great though.

I like the idea of this album and at times it’s really good and engaging, the blending of pop and rap with Indian instrumentals was very inspired and it does it quite well. It’s just so long it’s almost an hour and some songs didn’t need to be that long.

1990s smooth hip hop from across the globe? I liked the fast delivery of “the conference”.

En ole artistista koskaan kuullutkaan. Ekaa kertaa tällä listalla sellaista musaa, mitä olin toivonut; jotain muuta, kuin perusamerikka- tai -brittimeininkiä. En väitä tästä paljoakaan ymmärtäväni mutta ihan oikeaa musaa ja vaatii sävellys- ja soittotaitoa. Ilman muuta positiivinen kokemus. 3/5

Man I gotta get the lyrics to The Conference.

Ernstes Thema, schwere Musik

9 - Nitin Sawhney - Beyond Skin - Rating = 3 Not at all familiar with this album/artist - Broken Skin… woah, this is nice. Cool soulful female vocal with a nice groove behind it, some Indian influence here. Letting Go… higher female vocal, mellow… okay, a little samey on the way out. Homelands… the Indian babbling is not good… the groove is cool enough, but the babble interludes… no… but then it settles into this nice bongos led groove which is nice. Don’t love the vocal mumble rap on the way in.. sitar… hmmm… maybe. Pilgrim is another spoken rap under a someone interesting groove, not remarkable but not offensive. Tides is a nice piano interlude that just floats for five minutes. Nadia… a non-offensive female Indian warble with some beats coming in… but no. Immigrant… high pitched female soft vocal with piano, mellow but sorta nice. Serpents, a bit more drama building on the opening, female Indian tease… builds with some beats… not offensive, but too long like the last song. Anthem Without Nation has a vocal chanting build that’s sorta nice with the building drums… doesn’t really go anywhere. Nostalgia is another female vocal but it has a nicer sultry quality to it, like it. The Conference has a 20 second silent intro that develops into some really annoying Indian beat-boxing or something… no… I mean really, no. Title track. Busts into a much more upbeat groove than we’ve been having… the vocal samples in the middle are mood interrupters, don’t like it.. but allows for a serious tempo change into string-lead airy which goes into Indian female warbling… soft guitar outro with more talk vocal samples. Overall this is an album that would be nice in the background or at a cocktail party. Some cool grooves and vibes but some annoying moments of chanting and some of the songs go on for too long a couple deserve to be skipped. I’d give it a 2.5 if I could but I’ll be positive and round up.

not entirely my thing bit i loved some propositions! defo a lot of different inspirations that was cool

Downtempo, electronica, and trip hop are all genres that I really like. So despite the rather cautious reviews in this forum, I was excited about the album. I liked most of it, but I wasn't blown away. The Indian/Asian influences are too foreign to me for me to feel comfortable with them. I probably won't listen to the album again. 3/5

mal was anders. Paar en riiiise vibe, und paar anderi aber viel z ahstrengend zum lose. git mal wider klassischi 3 puontos

today we're listening to some downtempo music. funny, this is another album in the collection that's a interesting little fusion of electronic, cinematic, and indian-folk songs. the concept for this album is centered around nuclear weapons. the album as it goes on enters a little downward spiral, becoming desolate and haunting as the runtime continues. it's interesting i guess, but it doesn't hold my interest for that long... another entry where i struggle to think of what i want to say about it. only so much i can say when past two days now was just ambient beats and occasional hindi hymns. give me something new, please.

Varied and interesting enough. It's nothing that I'm going to get too excited about, but it's solid and makes for good background music.

I have listened to a lot of Downtempo albums in my time, but I have to say even for this not being one of the most amazing projects out there it is still one of the more interesting albums I’ve talked about in the genre. This album borders on Ambient at times but mostly falls under the Downtempo umbrella for the entirety of the runtime. What sets this album apart from most other albums in this genre is its very original blends of other genres. There is a lot of Jazz, Classical, and Orchestral influences all around the 58 minutes of runtime, hell there is even a good bit of Indian culture and musical influences as well that really shocked me. This album isn't very engaging but does a good job in relaxing myself while also showing me new fields of sound I had never imagined to be blended together before. It is a refreshingly new sounding project to my ears that maybe I am glazing too hard, but I think it is more on the underrated side of things. Really happy I took the dive into this niche project and I think more of you should as well!

banco la idea y la temática del disco, pero musicalmente no me terminó de enganchar. interesante para conocer igual.

Had a few moments

Interesting! I can’t say I necessarily liked it but I respect the combination of styles and influences. I liked the more traditional Indian sounding parts best, I think (whereas some of the more ‘western’ female vocal parts sound a bit dated). The messaging about nuclear warfare feels more relevant than ever too.

This was interesting for sure, but it did not feel cohesive enough to be compelling. The Conference was a whole vibe though, I could have listened to those tikki takka talkers the whole day.

This was better than initially expected. I appreciated the opportunity to listen.

The opening tracks here are very much like Soul II Soul, as channelled through Massive Attack. They’re familiar-sounding, and nicely done, though without offering anything particularly new to my ears. Things get more interesting from the third track, Homestead, where the musical content has a much more “eastern” flavour. To a listener coming from a more traditional blues and rock music perspective it’s therefore harder to access these sounds instantly, but this is clearly a serious piece of music from a serious artist, with a commensurately heavy theme of the nuclear threat and its impact on individuals and societies. I’m glad I’ve heard it.

Not my jam

Different and actually enjoyable. 3 stars because I wouldnt listen to it again personally but it was actually pretty good🗣

Couldn't quite get into it

Not bad

This one deserves to be on the list its very different. I got excited that its a concept album but didn't seem to match with the theme

Very much bjork vibes going on here

Weird, but fascinating

i am loving this. i love a direct and clear artist's message and such a strong vision behind the album. definitely feels like performance art and less like a typical "album"

Honestly shocked at the lower rating of this album. Thought it was really dynamic and experimental. Starts off weak with a four minute introduction track titled “Broken Skin”. The opening track should have been the albums second (and strongest track) “Letting Go”. First minute and a half reminds of me of PJ Harvey with gamakas and sitar. The third track, “Homelands” was a banger. Although I cannot comprehend the lyrics, the continuous drums and hypnotic violin entrance you throughout the entire six minute track. “Pilgrim” was a very interesting vibe switch mid album. Giving a Tribe Called Quest over a Tyler the Creator ass beat. Lyrically weak but I like the flow and the beat is super interesting, went on a little too long for my taste. “Tides” the fifth track, switches right back into what Sawhney is known for, — beautiful jazz ballads. No lyrics (thank god after being force fed a constant stream of words in the previous track). The sixth track, “Nadia” is my personal favorite. An electronic, Aphex twin ass, brain fuck of emotional gamakas for five minutes. Something Id drive or bike to and just zone out since I cant understand anything she’s saying. I’ll save my review of the rest of the album but man… From jazz to rap to soul to electrica… This album covers it all in under an hour.

A real mixed bag. Tracks like Pilgrim really turn me off, but the track right afterwards, Tides, is my kind of soft, jazzy nonsense. I think this album is at it's best when it's providing a solid soundscape and conveying feeling through music. Too many peaks and valleys for me to really recommend it just to listen to, but it's a decent album. I'm wondering how transgressive it was in 1999 to be anti nuclear weapons.

This is a *journey*. These thoughts are mostly scattered because this is an extremely ambitious album. Some of that ambition really pays off, some doesn't. "Homelands" is eerily beautiful. Could be used in some dramatic movie montage. When we suddenly get into hip hip on "Pilgrim" it seems totally out of left field. The MC has a decent flow, but I'm not terribly moved by the vaguely spiritual/political lyrics. The use of Indian instrumentation as a beat hits though. Not sure if "Tides" is jazz, which I'm usually anti-, but I thought it was great. Similarly, I somewhat enjoyed "Nadia" for the lovely singing, in spite of it being a drum-and-bass track, which I generally loathe. "Immigrant", on the other hand, a sort of straight-up soul song, just didn't work for me. As for the Hindi language patter, especially "The Conference" it was certainly interesting but I have no means of comparing it to anything else having never really heard music like that, nor getting its meaning. On one listen I must admit I don't follow exactly the significance of the through-line about nuclear tests beyond it being a horrible thing that India had come to embrace. Tied together with the Oppenheimer/Shiva bit at the end over the eerie music was pretty dope. I also imagine the album art (cool) is related.

Очень странная хуйня

Weird, but liked quite a few of the songs as a cohesive album. Very Buffy-core.

This album felt like a fairly successful experiment in cross-cultural fusion. I’m not completely sure I grasped the artist’s message about nuclear weapons, but overall it came across as a laid-back electronica record with clear Indian influences. It was a little boring at times, but I pushed through it.

Went into this blind and it was and interesting listen. It's not something I would listen to on purpose, but it was just fine.

Liked it more than most people on here. Didn't love it but I did appreciate the downtempo beats and rhythms. This one might grow on me.

Reading that this artist was known for electronic and fusion I didn’t think I’d like this but I was pleasantly surprised. Some different songs that were a bit out there were mixed with some surprisingly good vocss as ls and music.

Such an odd album. Every song is good, but every single one overstays its welcome by about a minute. Would be a strong 4 to light 5 if every song was shorter

it's fine. it's more 90's-00's groove. I don't dislike stuff like this but I'm not reaching for it, either

This is a very interesting album, but it is just a "good" listen. Nitin Sawhney is also a very interesting artist. He seems to kind of operate as a composer in a contemporary classical tradition, but with a distinctly electronic slant. He also makes a lot of music about his cultural identity, colonialism, and here, nuclear weapons. Beyond Skin is in kind of a trip hop/down tempo/drum n bass space. And it wears these genres well. Beyond Skin doesn't take the genre core anywhere completely unexplored (as far as I know), but the consistent usage of Indian music across this album does give it a distinct, and unique flavor. And, every once in a while, a song is built around a truly *fascinating* sample. For example, choosing to build The Conference around *that* vocal sample is an unbelievably brave move. Additionally, the compositions here skew towards the minimalist end of their genres. It makes these songs feel very intentionally constructed and nocturnal. I also want to award points for ambition. This is a concept album about nuclear weapons, told backwards, in a genre that is very minimally focused on lyrics. This is another very brave move. Nitin Sawhney doesn't cheat a whole bunch either. A few samples of speeches get you into the right place, but a lot of the concept here is told through mood, and pure composition. In short, the mechanisms going on here are extremely interesting. However, as a listening experience, I think it's the sort of thing that I appreciate most as just something I can put on in the background of another activity. Which isn't to say this is boring, I do think the songs here are good, but they don't end up really enrapturing me the way some other stuff in this genre space does. Overall, this is a well-executed, interesting concept, and a pretty decent listening experience.

I do like a concept album, but I'd have to study this more closely to appreciate that aspect of it, mostly because of the language barrier. It feels cosmopolitan in the sense that it never stays too long in one place or adopts a single POV, or at least it's anti-colonialist in that it doesn't privilege a Western POV. There were some notable tracks here ("Nadia," "Serpents," "Anthem without a Country") but also some that sounded almost poppy and others that, again, I'd have to spend more time with to appreciate what's going on.

I enjoyed playing this but could on a regular basis.

Boy, does that guy look like he's having a good time, am I right? I'm sorry, I just really wanted to make a juvenile joke because the album cover is kinda funny. I think the album cover is actually more interesting to me than the album itself, because this thing is just kind of okay. I don't particularly care much for this album. It's another one of those late 90s/early 2000s obscure British albums whose only claims to fame are being nominated for the Mercury Prize and being on this list. I don't think it's a must-listen, but I'll give it this. It's not the least interesting album on the list. It does have features that aren't commonplace on other albums. Granted, they're not entirely exclusive to this album. There are other albums in existence that blend UK electronic styles with Indian influences from artists like Cornershop, but I do actually prefer this over the Cornershop album, so there's that. I think the Indian influences could be executed a bit better on this album, but I'm not Indian so my opinion is actually irrelevant. The production here is alright, I guess. The album has its moments, though its does kinda blend together a bit and, as is often the case with these sorts of albums, it goes on a for a little too long. The vocals aren't my favorite, though, again, there are some good moments. I will say that there are some neat thematic ideas behind the album in regards to things like cultural identity and even nuclear warfare, though this is one of those albums where I like the ideas of the music more than the music itself. Overall, Beyond Skin is one of the albums of all time. It's got some neat ideas, but I don't personally care much for the music itself. Light 3/5.

Reading a little bit about this album and the artist was interesting, he really promotes music from across the world from his town in England, where there was and still is lots of anti-immigration sentiment, so it’s cool that even in 1999 when this album came out this artist was eclectic in his sampling of music from around the world and how collectively we are one world, the album gave me Buddha bar vibes with lots of cool Indian vocalizations and percussion. I even heard some Brazilian Portuguese at the end of one of the songs which was cool, overall though there was a bit of a somber message as he ties in samples of news reports of nuclear testing, which is eerily timely as just today the doomsday clock was moved closer to midnight. Hoping more messages of peace unity continue to emerge to bring together the human race as ONE, so we may transcend our current limitations and live as the Gods we all—in peace, harmony and abundance ❤️

new -agey, I liked it. the tone was a little bit everywhere (indian chants, nuclear tests, spoken word), but that's what gives it that groovy 90's coffeeshop feel.

It was okay, I'm a pretty big trip hop fan and I really appriciated the Indian aspects to this, I found them really interesting and refreshing. I dont feel this does anything necissarily wrong, it just doesnt high the heights for me.

Ekki alveg mín tónlist, en þó frekar áheyrileg og conceptið er alveg töff. Þristur simpatico.

This album deserves a closer listen than I was able to give it this time. Really interesting and quite diverse musically.

wish it was more dnb. Interesting listen though. Meditative vibes

Some interesting fusion ideas. Didn't love it, didn't hate it. I won't listen to it again.

An intriguing listen. Something very different to what has been presented so far on this list. Some great tunes, some others forgettable, but nice to hear some cultural diversity.

I enjoyed it, can see the inspiration from middle eastern music heavily throughout the second half of the album

Fine. An additional installment in the continuing series of music played in a clothing store I don’t shop at. Wait, the theme of this album is nuclear weapons?

This one surprised me. I thought it might be more techno electronic stuff, and maybe a little, but this wasn’t bad. A little long in places but interesting.

It was fine.

Enjoyed this way more than any other I've heard in the genre. Felt like it had a story.

3.5 Pretty good, loved a couple songs, skipped a couple

I should listen to more of his work

Pretty cool stuff. Listenable and interesting blend of sounds. This feels like a direct precursor to some of the stuff Four Tet blends into his electronic compositions and I love Four Tet. I’m not sure about some of the vocals. And it feels like it’s meant to be about something important but that’s not really layered into the songs much, so it’s a little half-hearted. Still, interesting stuff, I’m glad this is on here even if it probably wouldn’t be on my personal list.

so interesting, this album was a vibe

A lot of people really don’t like this album from the reviews. Honestly, it wasn’t my favorite but I found it a lot more interesting to listen to than other stuff on this list. Not really for me but I actually did like it and found the fusion to be fun to listen to.

3.

I was not familiar with this artist at all. Kinda why we do this right? It was an interesting listen, maybe a little too all over the place?

Chill-out vibes with rich Indian samples and smooth electronic textures. Relaxing and culturally layered—easy to enjoy without demanding attention.

Not bad

3.5/5

Some good songs, some kinda annoying skips. I enjoyed the first half of this, but found myself losing interest towards the end

That was Jazzy and funky and rappy.

Somehow when I saw the album cover I "knew" the top rating on the ratings page would be a 1 star. I actually thought it was pretty cool, this album. Only song I found questionable was the one with rap early on. I'm incredibly hungover

More electronic dance and this was globally influenced it sounds like. It was fine not my thing and remember nothing.

Nothing special but a fun listen, covers were good. Can see how this went on to influence the pop punk to come including the childishness of it.

eerste nummers vond ik wel goed, maar later zaten er echt een aantal die ik niet mooi vond.

This was an interesting little album! Honestly one of the better British electronica albums I’ve been forced to listen to for this project (and there’s been like 20 of them). A nice variety here, from trip hop to rap to instrumentals (Tides is an absolutely beautiful composition), to more experimental ambient pieces. Not my favorite thing I’ve ever heard, but I dug a lot of it! Cool!

2.8 First listen I thought this might be interesting, second listen I realised it just not interesting to me. Obviously some sort of concept going on here that I'm missing, particularly when I'm on airplane mode mid-flight. There's nothing particularly bad here, it seems to flit around various different types of music without being too annoying in the process, it just really doesn't achieve anything or show me anything that I enjoy in the process.

очень в сторону от того к чему я привыкла (особенно эта реп-интерлюдия с така-така-тааак), много такое слушать не смогу

This was ok, but didn't leave big marks.

3 out of 5. Some good songs here like Tides and Immigrant but otherwise ok music.

Nothing really stood out but I appreciated it for the fact it wasn’t more guitar music and it brought a range of influences to the table.

I do think Nitin Sawhney is an underrated artist, but being completely objective, this particular album is a bit too safe and MOR to really excite. Some tracks are more interesting (‘nadia’, ‘homelands’) but some are very bland indeed. Appears to be aiming for a fusion of Indian and (at the time) modern British genres but the genre fluidity could have been better served by being a bit more focussed as we seem to move from trip hop to drum and bass to chillout all in the sis e of a few tracks. I also think the album concept, of the existential threat of an indo-Pakistani war and nuclear proliferation simultaneously is a bit too on the nose at times and lacking in others.

Some interesting songs and sounds, but not enough replay value

Good but forgettable.

It’s good but not for me

Surprising how contemporary this feels. The eastern influence has become far more prominent in music since this was released.

It seems this is another album where it's only real accomplishment is that it's on this list. I wasn't expecting much, but thankfully it is not bad. Some strong chill-wave vibes. Things did start to sound the same after about the 3rd or 4th song but not annoyingly so. If you're looking for some decent background music, look no further.

Not sure what to make of this album but I'm carefully intrigued

I feel like the first half of the album was really good, but from Nadia to Nostalgia it took a nosedive in quality. A really interesting and unique album, similar to the Talvin Singh one I had a while ago, although a bit more trip-hop like.

This was well done and a very interesting fusion

Interesting record. Probably not one I will listen to a lot, but I’m glad I’ve heard it.

I actually thought this was pretty good. It is a bit of a background style, but I enjoyed the south asian influence in the songs combined with the late 90's early aughts euro dance influences. It's pleasant, easy to listen to and unobtrusive. I don't think it's terribly standout but I liked it.

Nuclear war themed, quiet india Broken skin Letting go

Beaucoup de choses dans cet album, il ne laisse pas indifférent ! Je ne sais pas si j'aime ou pas. Peut être quelque part entre les deux !

Favorite Track: Letting Go

A 3, since as a whole the sum was a little better than the parts. Not always a great listen, tho. But a more unique entry on the list anyway. 3/5

3.5 I’d say, but not enough to round up. A couple fun vibes, overall kind of forgettable.

I thought it was fine. But I can't figure out why it's on this list. Did someone have dirt on the author or something?!

Whos this knock of Q-tip on the 4th song?? Quite interesting, its quite a lot like some massive attack stuff, namely the blue lines album. I like the jungle (perhaps) influences, and some of the slower drum breaks are great. The guest singers are quite good, and very varied, which I suppose helps keep things interesting. Some songs are a bit too long especially ones where there's just a repeating vocal thing, and not too much else happening. The themes of Indian heritage are cool and the nuclear weapons theme is also interesting, pretty sure its related to the India/Pakistan border conflict. The Oppenheimer quote is cool as well. Not too much else to say, functions quite well as background music. Favourite songs: broken skin, letting go, homelands, tides, Nadia, immigrant, serpents, probably some more I missed. Overall around 6/10 (feels close to 7)

Interesting at least

Music for the lobby toilets of upscale Montreal hotels.

There's some really cool trip hop here, but the album's too inconsistent to make a lasting impact on me. Some of it is great. Sitar was already played out when this record was released, but the Indian instruments and singing feel much more authentic here than in most songs that use them. I didn't read anything about this album, but I assume artist is a Brit of Indian origin, and that would make sense for the successful blending of styles. I think I like the use of piano in some tracks even more. Still, much of this record sounds dated, especially the Massive Attack style coffee-shop rapping that is taken too seriously here as if it were the highlight of a track instead of texture added to a track, which is why I think Massive Attack's use of it holds up, but it doesn't hold up here. There are some gems on this record that I'd like to hear again, but I'm not into the album as a whole. My OAD project is about celebrating the full album format, and this record just doesn't do it for me. It's not bad by any means. I just don't care. Three stars.

Gostei do álbum apesar de não ser meu estilo. Muita canção em língua não inglesa (incluindo português) o que achei muito positivo. Celest x Versekeys Ultra-Sense Planet.

Ok listen.

Absolutely in love with some of the songs but, songs like "Anthem Without a Nation", while impactful just made me so bored i felt like stopping listening. I just think as an album it sort of lost steam at some points but overall really ethereal. "Broken Skin" and "Beyond skin" are impeccable.

Interesting and the topic is important but not something I want to listen to more than once.

A concept album about nuclear weapons. Begins with India's nuclear testing and ends with Robert Oppenheimer. Tracks rotate through several genres: orchestral, jazz, electronic dance, rap, MOR soft rock, scat. Arrangements featuring both western and Indian instruments and styles. Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable listen. I could hear this being played in a coffeehouse or spa. Favorites: "Homelands" and "Tides"

Ten times out of ten I’d rather have lo-fi electronica than repetitive techno beats. That being said, it works as background beats but not as much as an album. Its a little disjointed in that regard.

Love them or hate them, albums like this are exactly what this list should have more of. Something likely completely different to what you're used to listening to. They won't always be great, and this album is far from reaching that, but I always appreciate having my musical tastes challenged by something a little bit different.

I really liked some Indian/south Asian elements. It gave me some zen moment.. Just checked the background of the album. I believe the intention/motifs were way bigger than what the album actually delivered. My type of music is about everyday life, happiness, sorrow/emotion reliefs, helping me to focus, etc. all about positivities. Nuclear weapons.. global warming etc won’t fall into any of the categories. Music wise it’s just ok. South Asian music is good but it is not AR Rahman level good. 3.5 for me.

i enjoyed this one! I loved the combo of western Asia sounds mixed with new school techno sounds. not sure how many opportunites i would take to listen to this in the future, so i probably wouldn't give it a four, but i definitely appreciated it!

I listened to this a few days ago and just realized I hadn’t rated it. I listened to it while working and had no complaints, and the mix of different cultures was interesting, I just don’t remember much else about it.

I am all over the place with this album. I absolutely love some songs, and others I hate. Overall, it's a positive experience, and definitely had me engaged and interested the whole time. This probably would have been a 4 if it wasn't almost an hour long.

This was an interesting one, though a little disjointed across tracks. I appreciated the pull from various styles, especially on “The Conference.”

Some cool moments, I like the mix of eastern and western music. Much prefer the instrumental tracks and Indian music to the 90s British “trip hop” thing that I’ve already said in other reviews i find really annoying. Glad i listened tho

This was a unique listen! It takes typical jazz and infuses it with Eastern (particularly Indian) sounds to make something pretty distinctive! The combination works really well and has a very meditative quality about it. It is apparent that world events were on Sawhney's mind when creating this album, as it is bookended by the track "Broken Skin" and the title track, "Beyond Skin", both of which allude to nuclear conflict and destruction.

A long and weird mix of jazz, downbeat electronica, and world(?) music, tied together by the impending doom of nuclear war. Certainly has some low moments (tikitikitatikitikita for one), but still a creative and fascinating album.

Pues parecía música de Inditex, pero luego mejora bastante. Me ha gustado.

I somehow like the fusion of british pop and Indian / SE asian music. Most of the time it actually works quite good. This mix also comes with a downside as repetition, like a kind of mantra, is excessively present. You will also find this in the albums of M.I.A. And this gets boring after some time. Nonetheless, this album is still quite listenable.

Bollywood theme

I thought this was an interesting blend of European electronic and SE Asian sounds/themes. Overall, it was fairly enjoyable but not exactly what I would call exciting.

Not into really vanity products. But this was very enjoyable, although not sure will listen to it again.

I liked the subtle strings and vocals in this one, but the whisper singing at times takes me out. I feel like Erykah Badhu could've knocked this out of the park. The whole music with a message thing, adding in different aspects of World Music is a nice effort but it feels tacked on. Not sure if this really needed to be on this list.

Don't understand all the hate this is getting..really nice vibes all around

3,5

This is the most confusing album I've ever heard. It doesn't seem to have a specific genre. Some of the songs are pretty good and some are pretty bad. I think I have to give it a 3/5 because I just can't tell if it's good or not.

Es interesante el escuchar un poco de música india con unas buenas producciones y arreglos originales.

already listened to it. good album, lots of interesting themes. not rly my thing but can respect the artistry

Not a bad album to work to.

A worthy listen, but a 1 timer. Seems very of its era. 2.5/5

This is one of those albums that is sometimes a two-star, sometimes a four star, depending upon my state of mind. Sometimes, an exploration of other cultures within mainstream music. Sometimes an over-indulgence of ethnic noodling. And with a vague nuclear weapon theme. On average - 3-star.

Back in 1999 this did NOT sound like background music. It's hardly the artists fault that basically everything in the girl-studies-with-background-music youtube channel sounds like this. Not that this is the inspiration for an entire genre, at all. It's just that now that finally I get a respite from all this British and North American rock and pop artists I go and read the reviews for this album, from a severely underrepresented country, and I get to read some serious nonsense.

Down tempo, a mix of styles. A few standout songs like Homeland. And some that had unexpected vocal rhythms like Serpents and The Conference. If I hadn't read the Wikipedia page, would have not guessed at the theme of the album - until the last song, maybe.

at best it's indian sade. at worst it just boring and little cringe. very interesting concept (?) but the execution is really messy overall