Beyond Skin

Had to chew on this one for a few days. It's a little bit of a spotty album, with some areas being very lush and invigorating and other moments being relatively uninteresting trip-hop. The spoken word bits are OK. I like the chanting. All around an interesting experience. 3/5

3/5

Blend of electronic and Indian music. Didn’t really work for me. A little too disjointed. 2/5 Won’t listen again

Though I don’t really go out of my way to listen to Indian classical music, I always enjoy it when I do. So I really liked this album and thought it was a nice refreshing change to most of the albums on this list. I think labelling it as pretentious just because it’s “world music” is.. tacky, to put lightly. I thought the album was cool! I also appreciated the overlying theme of nuclear weapons- not in the sense of yay nuclear weapons, but i thought the storytelling was effective. Especially in the last song, Beyond Skin.

Beyond listenable. It sounds like the generic sample music that comes with digital recording software.

Wow this was fucking weird, but honestly I thought it was pretty effective and thoroughly interesting despite some songs being way too freaking long.

Beyond Skin was just… weird. I went in not knowing much and came out kind of confused. It jumps between so many styles and sounds that it’s hard to get a feel for what the album is even trying to be. There are moments that almost click, but then it veers off into something totally different and loses me again.

Meh

Pretty but boring. The piano instrumentals were pretty good but too long. I think it’s a good album though. Its inclusion on the list is worthy, I think, if it’s more “you should hear this” instead of “this is one of the best 1001 albums ever”

It was hard to find an identity for this album. The production was clean and clearly intentional; however, I couldn't find myself getting absorbed in the album. Definitely a lot of pretty parts, but not really for me as a whole. Nadia is a good DnB song. Strong 2

This was okay, didn’t need to hear it but some of it was pretty interesting. Dimery, including this doesn’t absolve you of ignoring almost the entirety of non-western music. Strong 2/5

Felt more like a compilation of songs from different bands - some of which I like, some pissed me off.

Cool vibe

The opening song really interested me with it's R&B flare and electronic elements. As the album progressed, I became more and more disinterested. I can't quite pinpoint what it was, but it fell flat for me. I don't think it was cohesive and don't believe that the experimentation was done well -- it just felt weird.

Broken Skin, Distant Fears 1001 Albums Generator 35 (05/21/2025) Smiling Buddha was the ironic name of India's first successful nuclear test, which was conducted in May 1974 and which the Indian government assured was only meant to test peaceful nuclear explosions. The Pakistani government disagreed and a Pakistani nuclear physicist later stated that this test was what drove Pakistan into developing their own nuclear armament. Beyond Skin is an album by British artist Nitin Sawhney that was inspired by the ongoing conflict at the time between India and Pakistan and revolves around nuclear weapons throughout time. As of the time I am writing this, we are less than two weeks removed from a ceasefire between these two countries after they "effectively" went to war in a completely different, but related, conflict to the Kargil War that was happening during Sawhney's time. This conflict is the first time in my life that two nuclear armed countries have engaged in hot conflict and is the first time that I personally have really felt the pressure of mutually assured destruction. Luckily, this conflict was resolved swiftly, but who is to say we will be so lucky next time? So the ideas in this album are clearly still relevant. Unfortunately, humanity has not yet achieved nuclear disarmament, and once the nuclear genie is out of the bottle, I really don't think we ever will. Every great world power will believe (with some good reason to) that their enemies will not disarm alongside them. However, this doesn't mean that we can't dream of such a world, and this is precisely what Nitin Sawhney did in his third album, Beyond Skin. The sound of this album is strange, as it combines multiple styles of electronica with vocals that are at times soulful in a Sade-esque way and instrumentals that incorporate elements of Hindustani music. This certainly leads to a unique sound, but does the experiment work? In my opinion, no. This is my least favorite album thus far. While this album is eclectic, it somehow manages to have songs that are bad and uninteresting in completely new ways. The rapping on songs like Homelands and Pilgrim are absolutely cringey, with the chorus of Homelands featuring one of the least cool attempts at a triplet flow that I have ever heard and Pilgrim featuring verses in a whispered tone that just annoys me. The chorus features the line "Life is like a puzzle not pieced yet", which doesn't make any sense, but at least it's repeated like 200 times throughout the song. In the words of a great philosopher of our time: repetition legitimizes. Serpents features production that borders on interesting with its snake-charmer flute and glitchy vocal samples but my god, 6 minutes is so fucking long. Anthem Without Nation is a dreadful 6 minutes which features precisely nothing for its runtime. It could have been cut down to a 60 second interlude and it would still be one of my least favorite songs here. The two best songs here are Broken Skin and Tides. The former is the intro song and does a good job of introducing the theme of the album with a vocal sample of the Prime Minister of India after their successful nuclear test in 1998, the first such test since the previously mentioned Smiling Buddha. I also love the R&B vocals here. Tides is an interesting piece of jazz fusion in a non-traditional way. It features a piano part that sounds straight out of a cool jazz song (for all I know, it could be a sample) and electronic DnB-style drums. This is a cool combination, even if 5 minutes is a bit extensive. Nostalgia is a slower song with some trip-hop energy and good vocals in the chorus, and the title track that closes the album is split into two distinct sections, with the first half featuring an electronic 5/8 beat and the second half featuring a slow arpeggiated acoustic guitar and female vocals. Nitin Sawhney's Beyond Skin does not deserve a place on this list. The fusion of inspirations does not work and it is not a good representation of world music, which has much more interesting albums than this. 1.5/5 rounded down to a 1/5. Favs: Broken Skin Tides Beyond Skin Least Fav: Anthem Without Nation

This is so over-hated (maybe I’m sensitive because India and Pakistan recently spent 4 days at war with one another)

Esch crazy wie vel Musigrrchtige I eim albom (and z. T. I eim Lied) chönd sie. So rächt indisch aber au jazzig met schön Klavier ond so, möngisch aber au weder sehr harmonisch oder de weder Rap. S meischte esch halt eifach okay, aber ned bsonders guet.

Was going for a 1 but I liked the Gran Turismo menu music one. This chillout kind of music doesn't seem to exist anymore.

The reviews made me think this would be a very artsy album but it's just background music with some world influences. nothing more nothing less.

This album had some highs and lows for me. I liked many of the individual tracks that featured vocals, tabla and other percussion, and one of the piano tracks was really good. As a whole it was a little all over the place though, and it was just ok for me. 3/5

Thought this was fine, but not really my thing. I wouldn't go back to it. 2.25/5

Favorite Track: Homelands

Man album is super cool! I've favorited a couple tracks already. Nadia and Serpents.

Also like nothing I've ever listened to. Very eastern. Very experimental. Some R&B and psychedelia mixed in. Altogether enjoyable though. Definitely wouldn't listen to it again though

4/10…trip hop / worldmusic

Bom! Agora eu não entendo americano vir criticar um disco desses e adorar rap/hip hop que é bosta de cachorro!Good! I don't understand americans criticizing an album like that and loving rap/hip hop that is dog shit!

Didn’t like this

Really enjoyed MOST of this - when it was fast and pumping noise! Some lore experimental areas not my bag

I did not dislike all of this but most.

Long album without any highlights

Can't comment on most of the lyrical content but, despite the gravity of the album content, I did like the general rhythms and melodies of its presentation.

Soulful and varied. One time listen for me, but not a bad album. There were some themes that seemed to repeat that I perhaps couldn't quite understand on first listen. I got the sense they were unique to the cultural milieu, but I'd have to listen again.

Did I listen to this album in a past life? I recognize a good handful of these songs, but this isn't something I would typically seek out. There are some interesting rhythms and melodies here. Decent!

Sounds really repetitive and mostly uninteresting.

Expected something exciting from this album cover but this was an incredibly boring trip hop album.

was hoping for more here. had some interesting things going on, nothing that totally Grabbed me though. tracks without singing were superior imo

Pretty horrible

We listened on the way to Chicago for the Shakespeare theater. It improved after the first two tracks, it went on a journey from beginning to end. It was very interesting and a wide variety of musical experience. But somewhat boring at times and probably won’t put it on again.

Beautiful, ethereal, deep world music with surprises at every turn. Really enjoyed this listen!

It's a great album to try out headphones with. It's atmospheric and the instruments sound great. It feels more like a playlist tho. I guess Nitin is more of a composer or producer. I really liked the 4 songs Tides- Serpents and wished there was more of that. I dont know what language the woman was "rapping" in, but I liked it. I did not like the English language songs as much and did not get the nuclear war theme.

No

This was confusing

This goes many different places. I enjoyed it

It plays like a random assortment of film scores. Lush, beautiful sounds meant to be heard but not listened to; presented with no (musical) coherence. This is of a piece with Easy Listening, Musak, New Age, etc. Only it's worse because now we program computers to perform the parts. The only things I feel from this are boredom and frustration.

On one hand not on the level of Massive Attack or similar Electronic 90s ppl, but also not Call of The Valley. Not my favorite, but an interesting listen.

If nothing else, it had quite a bit variety for Electronica. It just didn't vibe with me, and I became bored quickly. Favorite Track: "The Conference".

É um álbum com algumas músicas interessantes, mas na sua maioria muito medianas.

Successfully melting together all of the worst genres of music with some childish whining over the top. Risible. Good grief I’ve got to ‘The Conference’ which is basically the Ying Tong song. This can’t finish soon enough for me.

Pretty good concept album

Llegando a fin de abril, vamos con un artista que me es completamente desconocido. Suena muy chill, tranca, ideal para un viaje en ruta en bici o en un auto un día nublado. Hasta mañana, gentes.

Nitin Sawhney obviously has talent, and the musicianship is laudible, but most of this album is just too polished, too polite for my tastes. It makes Zero 7 sound like death metal. The concept of the album also seems a little half-baked with the vocal sample snippets coming across like an afterthought rather than essential parts of the tracks.

Okay listen. Didn’t really care for most of it, but some of it was intriguing to hear. “The Conference” was an interesting one because I found it unpleasant to listen to but I liked the idea of it with this back and forth nonsense between the vocalists. I think there was a lot that’s special in the tracks, but overall I didn’t enjoy it that much.

I genuinely do not understand how this can be on the list... 1.5⭐️

This album started out with a couple really good songs, then as the album went on, it was like a rollercoaster. It would go from really good songs and quickly drift in to boring, then would repeat through the end of the album. It's another one of those albums I'm satisfied with having listened to it once, but won't ever come back to it.

I don’t know, this definitely sounded better through the headphones. I get what his aim is here it just doesn’t quite hit the mark for me though. The spoken samples are a highlight, particularly ‘destroyer of worlds’ which is chilling. 2.5

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.

Not for me

Very nice

Paar nummers wel oke maar voor de rest was t beetje all over the place

This started out OK but after a few songs got into annoying territory. I made it through, but can say I'll be happy to never listen to this again. 2/5

Interesting. Not my standard fair, but I didn't hate it.

Maar kort geluisterd, maar klonk niet heel interessant

Meeaaahhh

A quick scan of Sawhney's Wikipedia page indicates that he is prolific in the UK as a composer, producer, collaborator *and* performer. Too many milestones to list here. The concept of mixing downtempo with Nitin's influences from Asian culture is an interesting concept on paper. Back in 1999, this would be a revelation for listeners. Stevie Chick of NME wrote "It's movingly anti-sentimental, political without being polemical. It's beyond stereotype, and careening close to sublime." Political without being polemical I get. Beyond stereotype, maybe at the time? It's not now. Unfortunately it doesn't sound as fresh in 2025 as it was in 1999. Overall: 4/10

Before: Not even a little bit familiar. The cover art is crazy lmao Standout tracks: Broken Skin Homeland Weakest tracks: Nadia Anthem Without Nation During/after: Starting with Broken Skin, my mind is blown. This is fucking great. The vocals are very reminiscent of Sade and the strings and lo-fi sounding synths are the perfect backdrop. There's a hint of Indian influence that goes so hard in conjunction with the vocal sample at the beginning. Great social commentary as well. Letting Go was amazing as well. There's even more Indian influence here with the vocals and sitar(?) throughout. Homelands is SUPER interesting. There's the Indian portion at the beginning with a switch to Portuguese halfway through and English backing throughout. I'm identifying a really diverse range of world music in this track that I don't think I've ever really heard anything similar to. Pilgrim is a great rap track. I'm a fan of the mellow, spoken-word sounding rap like this. I don't love the lyrics though. I'm not sure if I was missing a message within them but they were just kind of lame. Happy to see the vocal samples about the nukes making a return in Tides. This one is a chaotic instrumental with interesting percussion and the sounds of waves in the background that makes for a great interlude. Nadia is not my favorite. I don't think that the driving percussion backing fits well with the vocal tone or melody - it just doesn't sound right. Maybe the eeriness is the goal, but it doesn't vibe super well with my ear. Immigrant continues with the vocal sample and is a beautiful ode to the plight of the disenfranchised, though it had an almost musical theater sound that I didn't vibe with. The snake charmer sounding flute (I'm an uneducated American don't cancel me if I'm wrong) in Serpents is really cool and lends to the world music vibe of this album. Anthem Without Nation didn't do a whole lot for me relative to the rest of the album. Still wonderful, but didn't click as much. I felt the same about Nostalgia, but I think my gripe here was the high pitched female vocals. The backing instrumentals were just as good as the rest of the record. The Conference is another really interesting Indian-inspired track. I'm a sucker for call and response and anthemic vocal melodies like is in the beginning of this one. I don't know how often I'll return to this track because it's not great morning commute or reading a book music, but God are these folks talented. Beyond Skin was the perfect ending. "Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds" being the very last thing we here gave me absolute chills. The perfect way to wrap up such a melancholic, chaotic criticism of war and its impacts. I had no idea what to expect with this record but I was so pleasantly surprised. I'm interested to know more about who did the vocals on each song and I was surprised Really really cool and innovative record. Each track feels like an ode to Sawhney's Indian heritage and upbringing. He's undeniably very talented and versatile (as demonstrated by the range of artists who he composed and produced for) and deserves the awards he's received. My only real complaint is that I would have loved a more solid and cohesive flow between tracks. The transitions between songs felt very choppy and some points and very smooth at other points. The production is great and, although this was released in 1999, it holds up very well. Need a blunt rotation with Nitin Sawhney and Serj Tankian so we can talk about war and western imperialism. 5/5.

this was pretty weird and not what I wanted to listen to at the time

The jazzier stuff from the album was way more fun. The male voice that sometimes comes in drags also the experience down. This is one of these albums that would work better with less voices and vocals for me. But still an interesting Listen. The Conference was silly asf. (1.5/5.0)

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

Vibe was very main-character energy. Like any late-90s/early-2000s main-character contemplation montages, perhaps under rainy conditions.

Nuclear war concept albums are neat. Not my favorite style wise, but it was a good train listen.

Nadia is a bop

Reminded me of something I'd hear in a new age yoga class. Not terrible, but not memorable.

Um well, I agree with the message but wouldn’t buy the art. Some songs were better than others; disjointed.

i suppose

Reminded me of Enigma, but lacked that strong hook throughout.

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.

Another one I've never heard of before now. I enjoyed the South Asian elements. ‘Tides’ was good. ‘Homelands’ was good. The rap and r&b bits weren’t. This is a big-brain concept album with a pretty long runtime and that's not usually what I go for. As with the other instrumental/electronic albums on here, I’m sure there’s a lot for musicians to enjoy, but it’s not something that sticks with me as much.

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.

I found this one interesting (in a positive way). Definitely a bit different than my usual listening, but I enjoyed the variety it offered. I thought the album worked well as a whole, maybe greater than the sum of its parts. Not sure I'll come back to it with much regularity though. Still, a solid album. Overall: 3/5

הכל נשמע אותו דבר

אלבום מאוד מגוון יש שירים מעולים אבל המון שירים פח בנוסף

I get what he's trying to do but it isn't working. Bludgeoning the listener with the little radio snippets to raise consciousness is pretty heavy-handed. And clichè, like much of this album. For example, the seemingly endless optimistic pep talk on "Pilgrim" or the over-done trip-hop sweet soul of the title track. On the other hand, I wish he had doubled down on the Indian classical stuff, really pushed that to an extreme, instead of burying the most interesting thing about this underneath stupid western pop music tropes. Too long at nearly an hour, I cringed too much at the song "Immigrant" and had to excuse myself from the table.

Some great, others not so good.

low 4 high 3 Oppenheimer what are you doing here?

Pre-listening thoughts: cannot decide if I love or hate this album cover Post/during listening thoughts: well my one revelation while listening to this electronic (?) jazz (?) trip hop (?) ambient (?) music is that it is still freaking everywhere. Especially in corporate settings like hotel lobbies or coffee shops. We haven’t progressed at all past this since 1999. What the hell guys. Anyways this is fine. I would never willingly seek it out but if I heard it in a coffee shop or hotel lobby, I wouldn’t complain. I’ve heard worse in public settings. Thinking of that one time I was in a coffee shop and I heard a really terrible indie ukulele style cover of Pumped Up Kicks. At least this isn’t that. 5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: nope Fav tracks: Broken Skin Least fav tracks: Homelands

I truly loved this. On the site where this project is done this averages at a little over 2.5. I'm convinced the people doing this challenge on the site are some of the most dull people imaginable. Much of the top reviews are yapping about how pretentious and self-serious it is, I was expecting something really inaccessible or out there. So I start playing it and it literally just sounds like DJ Shadow or Thievery Corporation. That's what's polarizing? It's totally listenable and it's good. There's some classical Indian music elements in it. There's some drum and bass. Like '90s trip-hop mixed with classical Indian music. Sure why not. It really honestly works well. At times it does kind of sound like something that would play in an upscale hotel I admit, but fuck it. I will definitely come back to this. One of the rare times I got something from this that only British people know or care about but I think Americans should care too. If you like '90s trip-hop/downtempo/electronica/drum and bass bullshit you will like this.

I was listening to this when it came out - along w Talvin Singh, when Ibiza's Cafe del Mar was trying to take over the world haha - 'ambient music' - couple of cool tracks but I get lost in it - forget it's even on

I really didn’t like this. Kind of annoying actually. I think I could’ve died in peace not having listened to this. Immigrant was ok.

The trance feel, unusual vocals and ethereal sounds kept me tuned in throughout the album. I did know what to expect from song to song. A couple of the more traditional didn’t resonate as much but overall solid.

Idk.  Rhythmically this album is tight. But the voices which seem to range from Lisa Stansfieldish to gypsy kingsis to q-tip lite and then some traditionally - maybe qawwli singers - into the mix - feels a bit of a hodge podge instead of a diverse album.  My favorite track is Tides - an instrumental. And I did really enjoy about half the album. I will return to it...

sì comunque

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

Meh

I like the idea of this album, and it still has parts that I do like. There are moments that sound like Lauryn Hill, moments that sound like Kate Bush, both of which are artists I love. But on the whole it still does meander quite a bit.

Bland. Not at all interesting or challenging.

Har sine moments

easy 5/5. amazing find

I was trying, I honestly was ... and then the dude in the background started chanting, that is where I draw the line!

eh too weird/global for my taste

Pretty. A bit lounge jazzy in places (some of the vocals). Generally a smooth, eclectic listen. Nice to listen to a multilingual album.

Not my kind of mussic

Did not enjoy

Album tries to do a lot but does not do a lot well 2/5

No idea what this is. I sort of liked one of the songs, can’t remember the song, which is why it isn’t a 1.

This one was a bit hit and miss for me. Some of it was hauntingly beautiful, some annoying. It's an intriguing concept for an album, but the execution was a bit off.

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).

Nice tunes but not my thing.

This downtempo triphop with smatterings of world music and glistening production is as late 90s/early 00s as it gets! Ambitious, exotic and well executed but not engaging - is it really an album about humanity's difficult relationship with nuclear weapons and the experience of Indian migrants in the UK (pretty diffuse thematic manifesto....), or does it just have some newsreel samples over the transitions between fairly boring tracks? Favourite tracks: Broken Skin, Nadia, whatever it was I listened to next...

It’s technically interesting and well performed but it feels soulless and lightweight

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

kinda cool sometimes Will I listen to again: 5%

2 days in a row of albums built on minimalist electronic mood music. If the mood is abject boredom. This 1 more on the contemplative side. Intermittent noodling in various genres, from Indian traditional to for fuck sake west end show Disney ballad, all subliminally saying this is all a bit musically, well d,ull so please turn me off, you really don’t need to hear me. I’m sure he is very earnest and really means whatever he is trying to say for this degree art project of a record. But apart from being seen as a pretentious intellectual hipster, as someone else said smart and worldly, why do I need to hear this, why? Get integration of your influencesand backgroun, thats what everyone does, but I just can’t stand the diy minimalism of modern electronic music, with its basic beat rhythms, that’s so damn lifeless. If it hadn’t been for the even worst example yesterday of beep single beat shit, this would have been an easy 1 Star, but compared to that it sounds listenable so 1.5 stars

Immigrant is an immediate save to favorites. Great song

This was an odd ride. Some I was ready to punch out in within about 30 seconds, while it also had some very interesting moments. “The Conference “ was awesome. Strange nuggets like that is what makes this excersize so interesting. 2.5/5

What a strange yet interesting listen. Really liked the world-beat songs especially. And the use of space within the songs really helps deliver the message and is a nice nod to the production. This one left me wanting more only to confirm like one song said: that life is indeed like a puzzle yet to be pieced together.

Man, this eff’d with my head, especially listening through AirPods. Felt like it was moving all around so not sure if that studio engineer was fading back to front and side to side. Kinda cool but not great for a full album. 2.5 but rounding up because it overall didn’t offend me. How’s that for a review?

I’m not sure what I just listened to…but I think I kinda liked it. I preferred the more Indian influenced tunes like Homelands. Doesn’t rise to great level status but enough here for a middle of the road rating. 2.75/5

Interesting. Didn’t hate it but it wasn’t rabe worthy

Decent background music, but not something I'd revisit.

This sounds like what plays endlessly in one of those hotel lobbies that has a water dispenser with cucumbers in it and has a house aroma, like W or some shit.

Another total unknown (to me) for today's selection, and thankfully a much more interesting and engaging mystery than yesterday's Kelela album. In many ways this album plays more like a soundtrack than an album per se (or maybe the soundscape for a museum exhibition on identity and spirituality and politics), but it's still very enjoyable, even when I don't understand the lyrics at all (e.g. "Homelands"). I particularly enjoyed the opening track "Broken skin", "Tides", "Nostalgia" and the title track. I do wish there were fewer (or no) drum-n-bass tracks (like "Nadia"), but given when this came out it's probably not too surprising. Although the Wikipedia entry for this album is unhelpfully brief, the "1001 Albums" entry and the Wikipedia entry for Nitin Sawhney are defintiely worth reading, and fill out a portrait of an intriguing and multi-talented person whose life experiences are all over the map. Funny how this album kind of mirrors his life. I'm really torn between three and four stars for this album, but it feels just a bit too long and a bit too eclectic for four stars.

Nitin Sawhney was new to me, and I liked the theme of this album. Didn't really connect to the music though.

Nitin Sawheny Beyond the Skin Before listening- I have absolutely never heard of this band, so I have no preconceptions Broken Skin- whoa- IMMEDIATELY started tapping my feet- just a few instruments on this track- maybe the most important one is the snare drum keeping time- looked up the lyrics and the topic is crushing Letting Go- forgive my ignorance, but there is a strong North African/Middle East vibe on the backing track Homelands Pilgrim- I am not up on modern hip hop, but this is surprisingly modern for something made nearly 30 years ago Tides Nadia- not sung in English, and I was listening at school, so the websites with translations are blocked Immigrant- beautiful piano ballad about why people immigrate, maybe emigrate? Serpents- repetitive chant- finger cymbals, flute? Recorder? Very cool- haven't listened to anything like this before Anthem without Nation - if the translation that someone provides on YouTube is correct, this is a wonderful poem Nostalgia The Conference - not loving it, but at the very least, I think I am picking up on an artistic version of “a conference” lots of voices speaking quickly, all at one time Beyond Skin After listening- bingo- this is why the list exists- I never heard of this artist, I never would have picked this up, and I thoroughly enjoyed it- the lyrics are moving, the vocals are wonderful 3.5 stars- I thoroughly enjoyed it, but would I buy it?

Not as bad as some of the reviews here would make it seem. But, this album’s not great either.

First couple tracks were ok but lost me on track 3.

1 bosta

nada d+. começou bem daí eu tava implorando pra acabar vsf

Transcendent. Jazzy, cinematic. Mood music.

J'aime pas le trip-hop, j'aime pas la drum and bass, et j'ai pas d'affection particulière pour les sonorités orientales et indiennes. Forcément, tout ça mélangé, c'était pas ouf.

Legalize nuclear weapons

Weird, but was ok to listen to

Wow, totally different than anything I’ve heard before. Pretty eclectic and cool. Not my favorite sound but appreciate the listen

Didn't really click with this one. Not sure why it is on this 1001 albums list... Highlights Include: "Tides"

Now this is what I came for. Good shit that I've never run across.

Nice background music for work

# 421 : Zzzzz. Another one of those albums that make you reconsider whether there are actually as many as 1,001 albums you must listen to before you die…

This one has enough disjointedness to take it down to 3-3.5 range for me. Definitely a handful of really cool songs though, I feel like cutting the vocals from a song or 2 would've gotten this an easy 4.

Not good

In 1999, I ignored this on the basis that it was catnip for the dinner party crowd. In 2025, I can come to the conclusion that I was largely correct. However, this smugness is tempered by the knowledge that if I had been 26 years older in 1999, I would have so into this album. Sigh. Time is a goon.

Great sound

Very cool.

Not great...

This is why I'm sceptical of calling music art because it makes half witted people think this is what great music is, it is not. You shouldn't be trying to make art, you should be making music.

Good album. Interesting sound, sounded like Indian influences. A little like sade

I've come to realize through this list that I just don't enjoy music with Indian influence. This was... Pretty profoundly meh. Very well done, but the Indian influences really took it down several notches.

Second bad imitation album in a week. This time its Temu Portishead. 1/5

Very interesting. And partly very nice. Liked the Indian pieces. The other ones were not quite as interesting but ok.

Wasn't expecting that. Wow. From what I remember I was part of a traveling family that mowed lawns. Other than my sister they weren't really my family. The lawns we did were based on comic book artists an h.r. Geiger. One house asked if I'd run to new york for them and when I told them no they started yelling at me. The other a kid in very 80s prep garb told me he'd give me 40$ and handed me a red bill. Then immediately called someone and started making fun of me for taking a fake $40 bill. I swung something at him hitting him on the side of the head. The group convened and decided to move along. As we started to walk across the street a voice from somewhere started talking about how the kid was friendly with some cops and I imagined it was by his bus stop

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 🙏

not the most boring nor the most creative thing out there, only two tracks i enjoyed. somewhat repetitive at parts. 2.5/5

Kind of atmospheric, beats focused with some interesting instrumentals and middle -eastern vocals

Not for me unfortunately, I did enjoy the piano on Tides. Favourite track: Tides Won't be revisiting. 2/5

2/5. Drum and bass genre does offer great background music but feel like the energy stayed about the same throughout. The vocals seemed to either be samplings or pure 80s-90s ballads, with one hip-hop track on here. It feels like we are listening to an unintentional radio without a clear sense of what it's going for, just samples with drums and bass. And some songs are good but many are just not interesting enough to keep my attention. The vocal trills are crazy impressive though. Best Song: Broken Skin, Beyond Skin, Nadia

I enjoyed some of the songs on here but quite a few had little value to me. 3 stars

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.

Moody Downtempo for testing the limits of boredom.

At times, this sounds like a post-MJ relic, with the vocals to match. It's pretty good. I'm in awe of the reviews that describe this album as boring, because it's anything but that. Complex percussion rhythms, an enormous variety of singing styles, and some wacky chord progression in tracks like Letting Go and (especially) Tides. Really, the only obvious stinker tracks are Pilgrim and Serpents. The former features an annoyingly repetitive monotone vocal line. That song in particular seems to be catering to fans of 90s hip-hop, and I'm not one of them. The latter sounds pretty nifty at the beginning, but the musical ideas aren't developed at all. And the lyrics throughout the album – at least, the English ones – could use some work. As an example, the song Immigrant sounds fantastic, but when you dig deeper into the lyrics, they're pretty clumsy and shallow. But "boring"? Nah, man, nah. Maybe the wide variety of genres mixed into one bubbling, mind-bending pot is a lot to wrap your head around, but once you do (or even before you do), the music is undeniably interesting and engaging. The complex vocal lines on Immigrant, the beautiful and atmospheric instrumental Tides, the use of electronic sound effects. The album does lose a bit of steam in the latter half, but the above elements surely can't be discounted. Beyond Skin sounds fresh and different, and it's gonna be hard to argue otherwise. 3/5 Key tracks: Broken Skin, Homelands, Tides

is this a joke?

Like most drums and bass that I’ve been exposed to, this was fine. It was pretty boring and was perfectly acceptable background music.

Very interesting theme with cool instrumentals and great vocals throughout.

feels like an early version of tv girl, very creative and nice instrumentals but vocals can be annoying sometimes 3/5

This was a pretty disappointing selection for my 1001st album on this list. Just felt very generic and unremarkable.

Haven't heard of this before. A chill, background music-esque album about nuclear weapons doesn't seem appropriate to me. The concept of this album aside, purely musically it isn't interesting either. Actually after a while the sound of the album started to be annoying. Another strange pick from the author of the original book. 1/5

this dragged for so long, literally felt like i was listening to it for hours on end, i respect the style of it but the trip hop esc sound to it was very generic and all the songs sound the same and it didn’t keep me engaged at all

I don’t know if I’m just not in the mood, but the last couple albums here have not done much for me. This one is good, but just not grabbing me. And just like that, the songs have shifted and they are grabbing me more now. I appreciate an artist trying different things. “The Conference” is absolutely wonderful! This took me by surprise and I love it.

I don’t understand enough of anything to quantify how good this album is, but I was hooked line and sinker. How he can put together so many concepts, so many genres so cleanly is remarkable. Big winner here

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.

Quite eclectic, some vocal-driven, some heavy with sampling, some more like beat-centered dance music. And a mix of languages. Wild that this is one album.

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

Nukes are bad

Very interesting record. A mix of r&b, hip hop, and Asian influence. It's a very easy record to listen to and the harmonies are very pleasant throughout. Happy I had the chance to learn of this one.

point5.

This was a very interesting album that I don’t think I’d listen to again. My favorite was “Nadia”. 2.5/5

Started off kind of interesting but couldn’t take a whole album of this.

After listening to this album, I've come realize I don't like Indian music. Traditional Indian music never really pleased my taste buds, I just can't into it and now this modern take with sampling etc, is even worse. Beyond Skin started off pleasant enough with a Sade-ish sounding vocalist and chill mood music, but this eventually took a turn and by the end I was relived it was finally over. Bizarre and strange, it baffles me how this made this "must-hear" list. No thanks!

An interesting concept for an album, but that's where anything interesting about it ends. Not my cup of tea.

Weird R&B

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.

Interesting, but I don't see myself revisiting this album in the future.

Appreciate the effort in genre-fusion and typically enjoy the more worldly entries on the 1001 project. This really wasn’t holding my interest for a deep listen, but was decent background music. Unobtrusive electronica kept this from being overwhelming. 2.5/5

Amazing

It's fine. Chill and calm background music.

A few interesting tracks but also some that aren't really for me. I enjoy the chilled DnB vibes. Not a fan of some of the Indian-style vocals. I might investigate some of Nitin Sawhney tracks, I expect I will like some. But I don't think I will ever want to listen to another album. There is potential for something that I would really enjoy here, like a cross between Four Tet and Etherwood, but it doesn't quite deliver. Now I want to hear a collaboration album between Four Tet and Etherwood.

Enjoyed some of it, but not sure if i'll come to any of it. Tides was a high point, i've often thought there isn't enough overlap of drum and bass, and piano

Interesting mash ups but not my vibe

Brand new for me. Pretty good!

Pseudo-deep spiritually intellectual/symbolic lyrics over painfully bland late 90s/end of the millennium beats with a snippet of Oppenheimer (the guy, not the movie) as the chaser. Blah.

Smooth r&b electronic with heavy middle eastern world music vibes. Surely this has a market but it’s not for me. 2 stars because it’s not unlistenable.

Memories of high school with Chel chaya. LoFi baliwood. Good stuff in general and pretty chill.

Never heard of this group. Great find and very chill!

OK, not my thing, started strong but got a bit boring

I would never put this on a list like this unless it’s what you should not do.

new type of music for me, It was fun

Album #14 0 1/5 Not for me. Seems like there is a great message / theme to the album (lyrics) but the music/sound just isn't for me.

Good diverse ambient album. I know another song by him but was surprised I didn’t hear it on this album

Huge surprise. Never heard of em and this was unique and all over but awesome

не

The album cover is actually me having to listen to this nonsense. 2/10.

Good album overall. Not a rap fan but there was other good stuff and the female vocalist was excellent. Would be better without excessive and repetitive references to atomic testing. Not that it’s a bad thing but it’s just overdone.

The first song is awesome but some exotic sounds are a bit too much for me. The part is portuguese is also very well done and caught me by surprise.

I'd rather be nuked than listen to Homelands again.

Didn’t love it though parts were kinda relaxing

I have questions, but I’m not that mad about it.

Ihan kiinnostava teema, sekä muiltakin osin ihan onnistunut downtempolevy. Jotain olisin kaivannut lisää mutten ihan tiedä mitä. 3/5

Joitain kiinnostavia biisejä mutta pidemmän päälle vähän itseään toistava levy.

Something about 90s trip hop just makes me feel like most albums in the genre are a slog to get through. It's not like any one album is particularly overindulgent or anything, but they feel like work to get through. This one is no exception.

Personal meets political and programming meets percussion in this imperfect but intriguing meditation on identity and annihilation.

A potent and innovative album that blends the popularity of the then-popular downtempo music with hindustani music from Sawhney's heritage. The result is a spiritually-rich protest of nuclear armament. Deeply moving, effortlessly timeless, an impressive display of the power of music.

Ok, mostly enjoyed it.

electronic

This is real weird and bad.

La portada es horrorosa. El disco no está mal. Me esperaba más de Sawhney, es un trabajo que se escucha sin problemas, 12 temas casi una hora, pero esto lo hacen Morcheeba y nadie les hace caso. Boards in Canada ni te cuento. Homelands sobresale (Rizwan Qawwali Group hacen un enorme tranajo). Pilgrim suena a Digable Planets. Tides es un interludio en clave jazz que lleva a Nadia, un buen tema. Inmigrant sigue esa estela. Serpents juega con esa mezcla World Music y electrónica chill, pero se queda demasiado lejos de Dead Can Dance. Ecos de Soul II Soul, Lamb, Zero 7, etc... drum´n´bass de finales de siglo, sonidos de música clásica fusionada con la electrónica... todo encaja y suena bien, pero ha quedado un poco desfasada. Hubo discos mucho mejores en 1999: Summerteeth de Wilco, The soft bulletin de The Flaming Lips, Mule variations de Tom Waits, 69 love songs de The Magnetic Fields!!! Incluso Californication, Surrender, S&M, Come on die young, Play..

I dig this. Not overdone in any direction.

There were a few songs I enjoyed and didn’t hate the rest. Unique fusion of genres I hadn’t heard before Rating: 3.2

Honestly bad ass one of the best themed albums ive ever heard and the content sadly is as relevant as ever, beautiful album

Great journey. Was familiar with one song from an old cafe del mar compilation, was great to hear it and how it fits in the album. Have saved and will listen to again.

3+

Between 2 and 3. Some songs I really like and some I think are terrible. Very inconsistent.

de opener isch etz nöd so i mim gschmack sehr dissonant mit langsamem electrobeat. find etz de zweit letting go au ultra seicht und langwilig. homelands het chli spannenderi perkussion aber macht etz au nüüüt mit mir. alles sehr melancholisch und depri. pilgrim findi au meega scheisse sorry wiso ischs so gloomy? immigrant isch de erst song woni no easy schö find. schöni melodie cooli chords. würkli recht schön. serpents isch defür wieder e rechti tortur gnüssi etz nuuuuuull. abthem without nation isch au wieder cooli perkussivi sache im hindergrund das wüschende findi cool aber es isch so laaahm fuuuck. wenns harmonisch uflöst isch no schön. ich check scho dass mega lang söll riibig sii und denn isch d uflösig no befriedigender aber bruudi. the conference goht blöööd

HAHAHAHAHAH find broken skin rig na cool aber die strings sind ja echt insanely luut, was hend sie sich überleit letting go het so null bass nüt find sie singt na cool aber jo nanig so en fan hahaha fuck de ahfang vo homelands huere funny das wo sie so indisch dezwüsche singed findi sehr schön ja vocal percussion huere lustig aber jz nöd gad gnüssbar pilgrim hani sehr schlecht gfunde tides isch eig na herzig, iwie erinnereds mich au chli ah geziite nadia gaht no dumm mitem indische(?) gsang undem drumnbass mässige beat jo es zieht sich chli immigrant isch ja ultra schnulzig heter das iwie für en disney gilm gschribe??? schrecklich däng dürürüdängdang? und wieder han ichs gfühl, es isch sooo arsch abgmischt?? oder isch das alles extra?? nostalgia hani echt na schön gfunde dagadagadagada chani halt echt nöd so vill demit ahfange he jo will ich broken skin na cool gfunde han und hie und da es paar sache recht kreativ gfunde han, wirds wahrsch es knapps 2 aber ich chegg immernanig was de mitem mix gmacht het

Very unique and interesting album that blends Indian, jazz, electronic, and classical music. This is definitely an album you won't forget about whether you like the album or not. Mid 4.

It wasn't awful. It was fairly boring really. There were a couple of brief moments (The Pilgrim was one) where it briefly got interesting, but generally it was nondescript and boring. I wouldn't bother listening to it again.

Exotic and relevant with depth.

I didn’t except to like this much, but it actually really worked. A mix of genres that flow really well

Some pretty orchestrations and a beautiful voice, but not really my cup of tea.

2.25

Intialaista pop musiikkia..intialaisköyhäläisten irtokynnet kimaltavat ja ydinaseet räpsähtelevät intialaisten maantäyttö budjettiesitys intialaisten kannalta täynnä hyvää ja kaunista...

Me aburrió de nuevo

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...

This was different. While I will never feel the need to revisit this, it was a good change of pace.

It’s ok

The bleak themes and lyrics tie this diverse and exotic LP into a cohesive, meaningful experience. Interesting stuff.

Makes me want to take x and walk around Burning Man circa 2000 again.

I can see what he was trying to do, but this is pretty boring coffee house music. Or rather, the kind of music that a movie thinks would play in a coffee shop.

Musically this is diverse and well made. Lyrically this is an important album. The two do not connect at all though. the music is so bored of the themes of the words being said, and the lyrics are so much more intense than the come down off a hangover music that is being played. I have no idea how to rate that.

Even though I didn't really enjoy about half of what was here, the highlights (Broken Skin, Letting Go, Tides, and Nostalgia) are so good it was worth slogging through the throwaway tracks ten times over

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

Terrible, but +1 for "Tides"

Think 'The Conference' killed a part of me

Very cool. Original blend of jazz, soul, hip hop, groove with Indian flair

Albumi #117, 27.11.2024 Downtempoa soittava brittiläis-intialanen Nitin Sawhey on tuntematon suuruus. Vuosituhannen vaihteessa julkaistu albumi käsittelee teemallisesti ydinaseita. Tulkinnassa on vahvasti itämaisia vivahteita ja yleisvire teemastaankin johtuen hieman melankolinen. Mielenkiintoinen teos vaikka ei ihan saavuttanutkaan minussa suurempaa innostusta.

Love a bit of D'n'b, this was fantastic. Nadia the standout for me.

Shitty indian music infused with jungle. Near the end they go Deng de Deng de Deng deng deng for 2 minutes. It felt like an eternity. Horrible.

I had a really good time with this album. After the first two tracks I thought it would be very similar throughout but it's actually quite varied. The spine of the album is a constant but it branches out into other areas. A little jazz piano in 'Tides', a bit of drum and bass with 'Nadia', some chilled out vibes, some more pop orientated tracks. 'Homelands' is more Indian inspired and 'Pilgrim' is down tempo rap. There is some really weird stuff on here. 'The Conference' is absolutely bizarre and I'm not sure if I like it it's that weird. Some of the pop songs are really beautiful though. 'Nostalgia' and especially 'Immigrant' which I really enjoyed a lot and is easily the best track on the album. I'm not sure who the female vocalist is on it but I need to find out, she's got a beautiful voice. Though there are a couple of duds here, the good stuff far outweighs it. I really enjoyed listening and was looking forward to what genre would be next. It kept my attention and kept me very intrigued and interested.

A warm feeling album sonically with some variety in sounds but honestly nothing about it really captivated me. I was pretty bored listening to it. I don't know why it felt the need to be an hour long and I'm not really sure why it made this list.

This was fun! Really varied sounds. I love how he would switch between jazz, hip hop, traditional Indian music, electronic beats and sounds and then crazy Hindi yodelling?!? This was wild and goes really hard.

It felt at times more classical and Indian influenced then electronic. Overall it didn't get me extreme electronic vibes. It also had a lot of instrument sounds that were pure and not electronic. So it was not what I was expecting (dance/rave vibes), but it was also refreshing to see a different way electronic music could be used. I liked pieces individually, but sometimes they were just so on the nose (Immigrants) that the lyrics didn't have as much depth. I also don't think it was super cohesive as an album. It was really all over the place in terms of the style of song. Each piece alone wasn't bad, but together I didn't always get it.

I thought this would feel darker based on the description, but it's actually super pretty and chill despite its theme.

About as good as electronica plus jazz can be.

Started off alright, but near the end became too much. I’ll pass

Some of Beyond Skin is good. Some of it is awful. Stands to reason for an album that by its own admission is pretentious and deliberately diverse, but it doesn't work for me even though it has an undeniably interesting appeal in the sound and atmosphere it creates. I liked Homelands (has some really cool influences) and Nadia (quite Massive Attack-ey), I hated Serpents, I'll give it another 2.

Real mix of quality here - some interesting experiments, some monumental failures. The more R&B type stuff is pretty bland, it works better when it's more electronic with a bit of pace to it - Nadia the best track. 2/5.

Not a fan of Pilgrim. I love Tides. This is one of the more interesting drum & bass albums I've heard so far.

3.5

Interessant.

it insists upon itself...

Never heard this before. Interesting variety of music while still seeming to follow a theme throughout the album. I guess I'm glad I've heard this, but it doesn't really resonate with me. I did like The Conference. Soft 3 stars.

This is #day86 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... how about music to take a dump to? Long story short, this is not an album you must hear before you die. It's a 1 out of 5, of course. Looking forward to #day87.

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.

Parts Portishead-Massive Attack trip hopness, Parts nice jazzy/classical/electronica/world music. I feel like I should hate this but it's kind of nice. Okay Pilgrim just came on pretty lame. Some interesting mixes of world vocals and breakbeats but I'd say the project is overall uneven with some some weird bobby mcferin meets a 90's club experiments like serpents or how lame pilgrim is but with some okay tracks like homelands, nadia, tides, letting go and anthem without nation

The album cover is terrible. The music is incredibly bland. Some of it sounds like it's trying to be Massive Attack, but nowhere near successfully. Also pretentious.

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*

I could barely get through this. Very boring. I really just don't know who this is for.

The attempt to blend multiple genres of music into the most boring hour of music ever was successful.

I think it took me three tries to listen to this all the way through, and I would forget each song as I listened to it. Not giving this a 1 star because at least it didn't make me actively dislike it.

I'm super into this. The concept is stellar, each track super distinct and yet functions as a clear distinct whole. The jungle beats are interspersed with a very tasteful and well executed indian sound blends and instrumentation. Great record.

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

I must say this album impressed me. I did not know this artist nor the album. I found that the multiple tracks showed a good range of different genres, some better than other but overall, a good listen.

It just sounded too cafe del mar 2003.

Interesting listen. Lots of different sounds. Good background music

The concept is a very interesting one, but the music itself doesn't really inspire me much. There are a couple of bangers here, and a few of the chanting tracks were really mesmerizing. I found a lot of the ambient, atmospheric stuff to be really bland though, especially Nostaliga, which ends up coming across like a bad Bjork pastiche. Best Track: Nadia Worst Track: Nostaliga

Best Song: Homelands Worst Song: Pilgrim Homelands is an incredible song

Quite enjoyed that ...definitely something I wouldn't have heard without this list and life's all the better for the eclectic mix

This is a weird take coming from a guy who has trouble getting into albums without vocals, but I think my favorite track on here was the instrumental one ("Tides"). I'd like to say that I really appreciated the unique sound and the deep meaning behind the lyrics and the musical artistry...but that would be a lie. This album did not work for me. 2.1

Enjoyable, but not my bag.

This was strange. I just don’t think I understood it. Oppenheimer referenced?

Such good ambiance

This album slaps! I really like the variety on display here. Some songs felt like they belong in Persona, 'Letting Go' sounded like it belonged in Nier: Automata or Stellar Blade, while others had a drum-n-bass deal going on. I happen to be a sucker for all three. The first 7 songs, with the exception of 'Pilgrims', were amazing. 'Pilgrims' was a low-point. I don't mind the rap, but the instrumentals suffer, which was a huge part of my enjoyment of the album overall I liked the composition of the album and the arrangement as well. It does fall off a bit at the end for me, but I'd still give it a re-listen as a whole. 'Tides' takes my fave slot. I'm glad to have listened to this album!

Long electronic album with no lasting significant cultural impact? Uh oh. But I was somewhat pleasantly surprised by this Disney-esque, jazzy, Hindi approach. Still way too long though, but at least it's something different.

Hot tip for listening to albums like this: Only listen when traveling alone by night - by car, train or walking through a busy city centre… The mode of transportation doesn’t matter. Just don’t listen in broad daylight.

? My 1000 album

Y’know I kinda dig some of this. Reminds me of that album Sting did around that time.

Alright

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

Intéressant dans son hybridité et ses influences indiennes. Les chansons plus électropop « actuelles » (à l’époque) m’ont semblé moins bien passer l’épreuve du temps, elles se dénoncent elles-mêmes.

interesting

Ei minua varten.

This was an interesting album. I am not sure I could say I liked it, but there were a lot of different types of music that would be hard to categorize. The vocals and music were good, but I'm not sure about how it all came together.

There some interesting stuff, reminiscent of Badmarsh and Shri (and even Ravi Shankar). More western than I’d hoped…

very interesting

3 - This is just a bog standard 3, because I really just don't know how to feel about the album. It kind of annoyed me in parts, where it started really great and then just elements would come in and not really fit. Dunno, just felt off but hard to put my finger on it.

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