Beyond Skin

Stunning, a classical approach to electronic music composition with breathtaking scope in concept and themes. Will return to this.

Weird

it felt quite unusual, it is not something id listen to on the regular but it was quite interesting

I don't know what this was, how to categorize it, or what I expected. But it was ridiculously more enjoyable than I thought it could be.

Solid background music.

Won me over a bit with the scatting. Some of it gave me the heebie jeebies, not sure why!

Ok this is a cool album that I'd expect to see in a list like this. Very interesting, I enjoy the nuclear weapon themes throughout. Musically very cool downtempo with Indian and I'm sure many other influences. Fan of this.

Some interesting stuff but also some stuff that is not what I want to listen to

I'm actually glad we got this, very different and right up my alley. I love Indian/Pakistani music, and some moments in this album I really liked. My issue is that for every great thing on here there was something that made me skip the song. Nadia, for example, had fantastic lyrics that I immediately feel for but then the beats and clicks were way too fast for the music. Others similar to that prevented me from keeping many I would have because I know if they came up in the playlist I'd like them for a bit and then skip. I felt like the guy on the cover, fully absorbing but also turning to stone.

Here's a shot out of left field! Departures are always welcome, especially when it means something not from the US/UK. Oops, wait a minute, it's an English artist. But it's got a world music feel, Indian influence I believe. Apparently it's all about nuclear weapons, and I got that only with the Oppenheimer quote at the end. Aside from that though, a couple neat tracks, especially the hectic vocal performance on "The Conference," that's incredible. Worth the price of admission for sure. Wish I could say there was more that registered with me, but a good bit of it is just wafty jazz-type music, and not the exploratory, challenging jazz that I love. Favorite tracks: THE CONFERENCE, Letting Go, Tides. Album art: Horrifying, haunting. Plaster cast of a guy from the shoulders up, wailing in agony from what it looks like. Immediately distinct and memorable. 3/5

I did struggle with it, yet I remember liking it a lot more when it came out, felt a bit of its time

Weird as fuck. Half of this is cheeks but some is good. Ez 3 for being different.

Interesting concept, often boring but some flashes of greatness in there. A unique addition to this list.

Very interesting

Another one that is better than expected

8/10. I'm going to be honest here: Prior to listening to this album, I surfed through its negative reviews. I was expecting myself to really hate it. I honestly really enjoyed listening to this album. Perhaps I would have liked it less if I had higher expectations. There was a lot of nice variety in here. It was cool. :)

Really unusual combination of different beats, melodies and arrangements. Clearly influenced by non-western music. I am not able to put it in any category of music. but I guess that was the intention of the artist. Its not an album for the background. It's something to sit down and listen too. Favourite song: Pilgrim

Wasn’t for me

Really liked the beginning but it slowed down and became monotonous

Gear: Focal Clear (ZMFed) Artwork: 😱 Mix: 👏 Musik: 🥱 Wertung: ☢️☢️/5

Classic trip hop.

Very interesting. I like the instrumentation and the vocals are pleasant.

It is was weird and interesting, and I'm not really sure why it's on this list.

Pretty piano Chill beats, uplifting presence With spiritual feel

I really liked the Indian music and Hindi themes, but I did not enjoy the singing.

Not bad for background music, but kind of all over the place.

I appreciated how different this felt. Obviously it’s a very intentional work. But I mostly found myself being pushed away rather than drawn in. There’s a part of me that think on a relisten there would be a deeper appreciation. The unfortunate reality is that I have no desire to revisit this. 2.5/5

Some interesting instrumentals but boring and forgettable. 1.5

Culturally, political beats to impend doom to. 8/10

i dont really understand the hate i was seeing from other reviewers. i wouldnt listen to this every day but i found this to be really awesome and very interesting

That’s was actually really fun

This was a completely new one to me! The album starts with the series of nuclear weapons tests carried out by India and explores issues of identity and religion against a backdrop of international tension. Musically, it’s a mix of trip hop electronica and traditional Indian instrumentation and voices, and is an enchanting listen, despite the grim and thought provoking subject matter. It finishes with Oppenheimer’s infamous quote from the Bhagavad Gita.

The trip hop bits are OK, it's nice to hear another language than English, but it lacks some coherence, sometimes it's a bit bloated, and sometimes it sounds too much as cheap R'n'B. Or worst, like Immigrant that sounds like a Disney musical. A bit more of coherence and a bit less of bad bits, it might have got 3 stars.

Gave me some Nostalgia of when I was in India. I was just a Pilgrim riding the Tides of the winds. Letting Go.

A surprise hit for, 3.75

One of the best things this list has done for me is show me things in music I have never seen before. And retroactively, it has made me more open to things I would have never experienced if not for this. I have not had the best track record with world music. Specifically the traditional Hindustani classical variety. I also haven’t had the best track record with electronic music. Now, those two worlds have collided in a manner I didn’t know possible. That form of classical music mixed with down tempo, similar to what you might hear on a Massive Attack or a Portishead album. It seems like this was received decently well from a critical standpoint. But it also doesn’t seem to be that well known. I’ve definitely never heard of this artist. But I fully respect what he did here. A genuinely unique artist with unique fusions of ideas is hard to come by. The subject matter of this album is also important. It centers around the theme of nuclear weapons, and even uses sampled conversations regarding the India-Pakistan nuclear situation. I think this theme is cool. And I appreciated the use of Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita on the last song. Until they used the same sample again at the end of the same song. Kind of spoiled it a bit. The singing on many of these songs is really beautiful. And I love how fleshed out the drums feel with the keys and strings backing them. I’m not sure why he started rapping on Pilgrim, but it sort of made me cringe. Thankfully that’s the only time he does it. This got off to a strong start, but unfortunately fizzled out around the half way point and became far less interesting. Bottom line is, this album is cool. It’s not perfect, but people trying new things is always commendable. Rating: 5/10

Nah.

В отличие от других ревьюверов, я не вижу, каким образом этот альбом - *высокая* музыка для интеллектуалов и крупных специалистов. По большей части это безликая электроника, разбавленная восточным колоритом. Прямо как другой альбом в списке: Talvin Singh - OK. Погодите-ка, выглядит так, будто здесь уже два альбома, схожих тематически, выпущенных приблизительно в одно время, использующих схожие музыкальные идеи и подходы?.. И вот прямо оба НУЖНО слушать в этой жизни? Лучшая песня - Homelands.

Sehr ruhig….

I didn't know what to make of this! Total fusion. I try to remain open minded, particularly of international/non western music that we're all so readily accustomed too.. but this weren't my bag. Didn't love. Soz.

This was quite interesting, a bit all over the place in genre but it was good background music.

Interesting. Diverse influences and types of songs. Sounds so "of the late 90s/early 2000s" - kind of triphop but kind of electronic with some sampling too

Beyond excruciating

Okay

Released in 1999, the album aims to explore identity and culture through a blend of Eastern and Western music. Unfortunately, the album falls short, resulting in a disjointed and unsatisfying experience. The fusion of classical Indian instruments with electronic beats often feels forced and jarring, lacking cohesion. Vocally, the album is inconsistent, with guest performances varying in quality. The spoken word segments, like in "Broken Skin," come across as pretentious rather than profound. The lyrical content strives for depth but ends up heavy-handed and unsubtle. Production is another weak point, with traditional instruments undermined by synthetic electronic elements, resulting in a sterile sound. Few tracks leave a lasting impression, and the ambitious soundscapes meander without direction. Overall, Beyond Skin is a well-intentioned but flawed endeavor, failing to deliver a memorable or cohesive musical experience.

This was very fucking weird, and I dont know if I really liked it, I guess just some songs. Beyond Skin is a very original and particular album, that combines electronic music with alternative and indian music. This weird mix is what you can found in Beyond the skin, and sometimes its good, but other times it sounds like Indian Geometry Dash music. The main flaw of this is its inconsistency, because it has some renarkable moments, and some awful ones. Lets start with the things I liked. The first tracks of the record are great, they have some beautiful vocals, very interesting production and peaceful guitars and even violin. The album haves a very strong message against the India vs Pakistan conflict, and the nuclear tests that were realized during it. It explores loneliness, inmigration, nostalgia and desolation; and I think its very well-explored the theme throughout the album, and the final song "Beyond the Skin" ends with that famous quote by Oppenheimer "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds", and really sums up all of what Sawhney is trying to talk about. Now, let's go with the bad points; first of all, the inconsistency make the album hard to listen as a whole, because some tracks were truly unbearable to me, or at least boring. The downfall starts with "Pilgrim" which sounds like a minecraft villager rapping, "Nadia" sounds like Indian Geonetry Dash music, and Serpent follows the same line, but its more disturbing. "Anthem without a Nation" its an indian guy whimpering for almost 6 minutes, and "The conference" its and indian guy mumbling for 3 minutes. Other tracks were just boring like "The inmigrant" or "Tides" (I liked the waves sound though). Overall, I think its an album which is honestly difficult to listen, but that has some very memorable moments that sadly are just the same number as the bad ones. I think Sawhney develops very good what he's trying to say, which is remarkable considering most songs were 90% mumbling/instrumentals and 10% lyrics.

Nitin Sawnhey rhymes with 'Not for me' An eclectic mix of hip hop beat songs, imams screeching, arabs ululating, indians warboffling, piano pieces. When I say mix, I mean hotch potch ITs a 2

The blend of pop music with South Asian sounds was pretty interesting, but nothing really stuck with me.

W̶a̶s̶h̶e̶d̶-̶u̶p̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶B̶e̶n̶d̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶a̶n̶ ̶a̶l̶t̶e̶r̶n̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶u̶n̶i̶v̶e̶r̶s̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶'̶r̶a̶d̶i̶o̶'̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶ ̶l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ ̶'̶h̶e̶a̶d̶.̶'̶ — Another really weird album; feverish. The genre was meant to be jazz? Allegedly? It sounds like something you'd hear in a shampoo commercial. I couldn't finish the whole thing. The album made me really uncomfortable. The vocalist's vocals were really obnoxious. That makes it thrice I said the word "really."

How to describe the cultural and musical impact that Nitin Sawhney’s “Beyond Skin” has had in the 25 years since it was released? *checks notes* None. Oh, okay. None. In 2001-02 I was home from school studying for exams on my parents’ computer, which had a program like Windows media player or something similar that had around five sample songs that came with the program. I didn’t have any CDs or other music readily accessible and I think I was probably depressed, so I didn’t go to the effort of finding any other way to listen to music and just listened to the five sample songs that came with that program over and over, 5-6 hours a day for around two weeks straight. They were fine songs. Generic, bland trip-hoppy and forgettable. Good to study to because they had almost nothing about them that stood out. This album sounds exactly like those Windows media player (or similar program) sample songs 90% of the time. The other 10% was Indian music.

man i was ready to say it caught me on a good day and give it a three MAYBE EVEN A FOUR but as it kept going it got more and more tiresome. Serpents was the nail in the coffin. nostalgia was cool

Dilemma. Was all that jazzy electronica triphop stuff just bland and I didn't know and realize? Or is this project serving up the most boring examples of it, that I had every reason to not listen to around that time? Bar the Indian bits, I feel like I've heard it all before and I find nothing that would make it stand out. Rather on the contrary. And no, garnishing your music with some somber samples does not make deep art. I don't hate it, at all (for the most parts), but this is extremely whatever. [...] Next day. Skipped through the tracks again. It's alright. Why not.

meh

Interesting

How can you even call this art

Definitely not my music - sorry!

Not for me

I liked Broken skin, letting go tides, nostalgia, but the rest I found very annoying..

probably the most variety of sounds i’ve heard in one album. But the song writing really isn’t up there with the production.

Couldn't wait for that to be over

Wow, I really wasn't expecting this to be here. I bought this at release, but don't know anyone else in my friend/family circle that had heard of it. The nuclear testing themes and quotes scattered through the album are genuinely unnerving and there were a few points that reminded of a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan track that I love from the Natural Born Killers soundtrack. The frenetic Qawwali style is intense, and the association with NBK that it raises for me serve to deepen the tension. I really enjoyed listening to this again.

It's a 3 because it's mid, but the annoying, uninspired insertions of random oriental music brought it down to a 2.

Really relaxing music and interesting Indian vibes

1.5/5. It's different, but that does not make it good. I found this difficult to listen to. I feel like this album is more a collection of sounds and voices than music... Things sound very off at points.

3.75-4 tough to say, beautiful blend of international sounds in an extremely creative way, however some tracks personally fell short from me, while others were extremely powerful

A very unique blend of genres for a concept album and I dig it.

Anti nuclear concept album from the millenium change.

2,5

Definitely an important album. Not really my jam.

A truly unique listen. A bit haunting at times but give the subject matter that’s expected. Fav songs: Homelands, Immigrant, & Beyond Skin.

Love the variety of musical styles

Boa batidas para não passar totalmente despercebido.

This was sort of hit or miss for me. Some of it I kinda of enjoyed, but other tracks really fell flat for me.

Phantastic crossover album. Too heavy for me.

Not for me

Quite interesting, but also distracting while at work

Wtf

It's not bad, but I would never actually want to listen to this again.

As a sucker for experimental genre blending this was a really interesting listen, especially for an album that came out in 1999. There's some excellent musicianship here and a unique concept throughout. Not ever track is needed though and a few go on too long, but otherwise this was a good find.

Loved this album! Sick indian samples and the vocal percussion moments made me lose my mind. Can't get enough of pilgrim. Warrants a fat discog dive, thanks for the music nitin

This has to be near the bottom of albums on this list, like 998.

Not for me

Found this surprisingly enjoyable. I liked the nuclear bomb / Oppenheimer theme and the music was relaxing without being boring

Really enjoyed this, nice chilled album. Not enough for 5 stars but still really good and worth another listen.

Some of the songs were alright, but overall, I wasn't a fan of most it

I liked this, no idea what to expect but it's good. It feels like what OK by Talvin Singh could have been if it was good.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed listening to this album. The weird cover art and lack of any genre indicators in the Wikipedia passage made me assume it would be too arty for me to find it accessible. The fact that it's about nuclear weapons made me assume it would be a depressing listen. But in the end it was just weird enough to be refreshing. I probably wouldn't listen to it again but it made for nice background music while I got some work done

Wikipedia classes Nitin as Asian underground, which upon further research, makes sense.... Asian underground is a term associated with Asian musicians (in this case, British Indian) who fuse traditional Asian music with Western underground dance music, like trip hop or drum and bass styles. Favourite songs: Immigrant, Broken Skin, Nostalgia Least favourite songs: Nadia 3/5

När jag läste alla negativa reviews så var jag beredd på något coolt. Det var dock bara indisk musik blandat med pyttelite electronica och 90-tals pop. Jag blev lite besviken. Ingen låt var superbra, vissa var dock intressanta.

Listened Before? N Nice! An apocalyptic concept album! I am a sucker for things like this and this one is no exception. I wish a bit more of it was in English, but it makes sense not to be. I enjoyed almost all tracks, but Homelands is a standout. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Homelands

who listens to this Like sure, some of the jazzier stuff is fine, but tell me anyone’s favorite song is ‘Nadia’ or ‘Serpents’. None of this is artistically bankrupt or anything, but it seems like the artist put no effort into actually making this something people want to listen to. This made me feel nothing, and unlike other albums I could say that to, I really see no appeal to this. Probably the 1 star album I have the least hatred of, but who is this for?

Best song: Letting Go

Mostly electronic, this was interesting and varied throughout. Stand-out: Nostalgia

It’s ok. Slow, vibing music with an Indian flare.

Very hard album to rate. Each song is from a completely different story, entirely different genre, but at the same time they all are pretty solid. I think it deserves a good note just on the fact how varied this record is. Plus, of course, the meaning behind the lyrics and the story from the tracks. Very solid album.

I appreciate it's something different, but I just didn't really connect

I think we studied this at school. Didn’t like it then either!

you wouldn’t think that mostly middle eastern inspired music mixed with dance music would work, yet here we are. not really my thing normally, but interesting album that i might use for background music.

Some of these songs are just really beautiful, but others do nothing for me. I'll give it a 4 for creativity and these awesome piano parts

Interesting album with lots of variety and some themes that I mulled over a bit. Tides, Pilgrim, and Nostalgia stood out to me

i heard sinead o connor's faith and courage here.. apparently he did not produce on that album but they were flatmates for time (!!). I'm convinced he did some sneaky work on it. Cool to know about this guy even though I didn't love listening that much

Ja det var väl sådär. Lite soft men också trist. Homeland var kanske lite bra. Tides var riktigt usel. The Conference. Skjut mig!

Fuck you! Jag lyssnade på annan musik i högtalarna hemma. När jag satte på denna skrek Kajsa från andra rummet, "stäng av!". Jag kände samma, men sa att vi nu måste kämpa oss igenom. Tillsammans är vi starka! Jag ville verkligen inte lyssna klart. Detta är första gången det tagit emot. Förstår inte skivan. Det är en kaotisk blandning, inget är bra. Blandningen av modernt och "världsmusik" är botten. Känns som ett konstprojekt. Blev däremot påmind om nusrat fateh ali khan, som är bra!

I grova drag så tycker jag att den började ganska bra, lite skön trip hop och Massive Attack-feeling, för att successivt bara bli sämre och sämre i takt med att den blev mer och mer experimentell och pretentiös.

I love it & will check out more of his music. The cat meowing in Nostalgia made me laugh because some people brought a cat to my work location, and it would get into the ceiling space. You could hear it meowing as it wandered around and eventually, management said the cat couldn't be here so the person who brought it, took it home. While listening to the song, I thought they had brought the cat back, so I paused the music to see if I could hear the cat. Nothing, so I restarted the music and later realized THAT's where the meowing was from.

Hmm... I like the idea... I dislike the execution

Hat mich nicht abgeholt, war aber auch nicht unerträglich. Werde es in 2 Tagen vergessen haben.

Will gar nicht zu viel schreiben, fand es insgesamt ziemlich anstrengend. Rating: 2/5

- War ziemlich spannend - Man hört sehr stark einen scorigen bzw, filmusikalischen Charakter in seinen Songs. Außerdem gefällt mir der teils asiatische Einfluss sehr. - Für Hintergrund oder als Material für Kreativarbeit sehr geil. - Bis auf Nadia und Beyond Skin sind jetzt aber keine markanten Stücke hängen geblieben. 2,75/5

This is like new age Indian electro pop, good for a couple of songs then the tedium set in

Interesting.

This is crazy. A bunch of cool electronic beats over some unique vocals and melodies

Некоторые песни показались лишними (если бы альбом был покороче, было бы лучше), но все равно хочется поставить выше 3

Fantastic and not someone who has ever crossed my path. A real gift of this challenge. Beautiful production, big themes, bold choices throughout. It felt current but it was two decades old.

I don’t know why I like The Conference so much. I feel like I need to do some serious introspection.

I thought this album was awesome. It’s like the Asian Fusion of trip-hop. I’ve just never heard anything like this before and some of those songs were incredible and unique. There were a few songs that were a tad annoying, but overall the experiments on the album worked very well. I’m looking forward to returning to this at some point and think it has potential to change my perspective and tastes in music long term

Kind of shit. It’s a melting pot of a bunch of different sounds that just didn’t seem to work too well. For example, Pilgrim was a HORRIBLE song. Some troll songs but not enough to get a spot on this list IMO

Ret specielt elektronisk, fusionsjazz, ok til baggrund

Overall pretty boring. Some interesting parts Standout songs: Tides Nostalgia

This was a strange and enchanting album. The only song I didn't care for was "Pilgrim."

Very technically interesting. Wasn’t exactly what I was in the mood for but I appreciate the artistry

Basically good, I guess. Kinda boring for me

Tides by itself would be enough to make this a five star album. So many beautiful atmospheric songs while still maintaining melodic interest. Masterfully done.

It had an interesting start, but fairly quickly I realized that this was an album that couldn't decide what it wanted to be, as it felt like there were a few different styles of music on there. This can definitely be fine in general, but on this record it didn't work for me. I have to give it some plus points for being different though, and for some very nice vocal landscapes. Still, couldn't really single out a song that I liked in particular.

Was really enjoying it until I realised that for some reason spotify was just repeating the first few tracks which happened to be the strongest in my opinion. Liked the drum'N'base and RnB influences but the tail end of the album moved in a different direction and to one I enjoyed a lot less.

Interesting. Maybe a little too "International" for my taste, but enough good sounds to keep me engaged.

Definitely enjoyed this Indian album, nuclear testing references and beautiful singing and style

3.5 stars. Really pretty and well-produced Indian influenced down tempo drum & bass. "The Conference" really fun speed-singing/chanting. Standout is "Homelands".

Good stuff! Really digging the poly rhythms and vocals.

This album is terrific! I wish I had discovered it when it was released, because I’d have listened to it a ton. It’s a very unique, eclectic mix of sounds redolent of the best Trip Hop of the era - a sound that I was consistently searching for at the time. There’s some R&B flavor, traditional Indian sounds, a healthy amount of ethereal vocals, the requisite undercurrent of electronic beats, and an overall ambiance that, if you’re a fan of Portishead, Sneaker Pumps, Massive Attack, or Morcheeba, you’re sure to enjoy. I knew fairly early that this was a 4-star album, and briefly flirted with whether I should make it a 5 star. Then I realized that I’m scrolling through Apple Music looking for more of his albums. It’s that good. If a 25-year-old album holds up well enough that you're desperate for more music from the artist, that's a nailed on 5 stars. What an album.

Was this list required to provide a westernized Indian album because if this was the best possible option then I guess there is still more learning that needs to be done. The first song was kind of okay. Then emit just went to shit and everything else was pretty much a mess. There were two songs I had to skip, which I usually don’t do. This could’ve been a two star album if it stayed like the first song. 2.0/10

Very distinct middle eastern influence and style. The sound remains dynamic as it incorporates some other wordly genre elements and styles, with the most prominent and forward being R&B and flamenco rhythm. This album is so unique and cool, very much worth listening to for a global music perspective. Big soulquarian vibe on this album.

I really enjoyed this. Honestly, way more than I should’ve or thought I would. There was an insane amount of range, some would say too much, I say, just right. Every song slapped in my opinion. Seems like a hot take, but this fucks. Sue me. 4/5

Proficient in every genre it tackles. Unfortunately, I don't care for enough of the genres to fully love it. I can still respect the hell out of what I heard, but it's missing a lot.

Beyond Dull. A late-to-the-game take on mid-90’s international flavored groove like Moodswings and Transglobal Underground. Nothing to really stand out.

me gustó bastante lo que me sorprendió igual por ahí se iba de mambo paraaaaa. 7,5/10

pretty good though subdued, nice blend of genres

Album cover doesn’t match the type of music that comes to mind. Each song is so different, middle eastern notes, Indian, a few tracks that sound a bit rappish.

Nice mix of different cultures enjoyed it

Such a weird mix of music I really like and music I find completely unlistenable.

interesting but don't know if i'd revisit

You can't put curry on everything. It felt that many of the songs Sawhney forced a lot of things into his songs, and sometimes ... it just doesn't work. "Immigrant" is one of the songs that comes to mind, where the woman is singing and there's the Indian singing along with it. The two just didn't mesh for me. The first two songs felt. like they were the same tempos and drums, I almost thought it was the same song. Sampling Oppenheimer as well? It just felt very much like he was throwing everything possible into some of the music. And putting every spice into a food is just... overwhelming.

Didn't mind it. It felt like a variety of hip-hop, soul, R&B, and electronica - of course with Indian backdrops. I think I liked the non hip-hop songs better (like Letting Go, Nadia, or Anthem without Nation), and the less singing the better (like Homelands, Tides, or Beyond Skin). Serpents and The Conference were both a little strange - wonderful and annoying at the same time. I could see myself letting this play in the background but it didn't quite get me out of my seat.

Excellent

Pour du drumm and bass c'était bien mieux que la majorité des autres albums du genre que j'ai eu. Ça aidait que l'instrumentation ne reposait pas entièrement sur le beat. Le fait que la majorité des pièces avaient des voix intéressantes aidait aussi. Le mélange d'influence était très respectable et généralement bien exécuté. Je n'ai pas été complètement séduit, mais je peux reconnaître l'effort. 6/10

There is something familiar about this album cover, but perhaps I’m thinking of that creepy viral video from a few years back where that was a girl made of ice cream eating her own head. Yeah, I think that’s what I’m thinking of. Let’s listen! Songs I already knew: Broken Skin Favourites: Broken Skin, Homelands, Nadia I’m not sure why I recognised Broken Skin, but it was definitely familiar. This album is such a perfect mishmash of music from around the world. It is music that I wouldn’t expect to work, but it sounds pretty amazing. Obviously, a lot of the non-English lyrics are lost on me, but I enjoyed this album a lot.

I was fully prepared to write a wrecking ball of a review after the first track. But I'm glad I stayed my pen because most of the rest of this album is wildly good. "Homelands" in particular is just fantastic from every angle. I wanted to give this a 5-star review but, unfortunately, every track isn't a winner. "Broken Skin" and "Immigrant" in particular didn't push any buttons for me. They both felt very generic - especially when compared to the tracks around them.

Interesting album will get another listen

Ok, but not for me

Though there were some songs that I found compelling, the high pitched dinging on some pieces goes right through me and hits the annoyance center if my brainstem. Happy to have heard this, but I'm not going to seek it out again.

Hell yeah, lo-fi, trip-hop style beats. Good ethereal singing, good instrumentation. And now he's rapping... and now some drum n bass. I'm really on-board with this first half or so. It definitely falls off in the second half and that brings the score down unfortunately, but I'm still on board overall. I get that people are annoyed by some of these tracks, but slightly bewildered by the barrage of 1 star reviews. 3.5 rounded down

This was a bit of a weird album, definitely for background music in movies and not just for listening for fun. There were a couple of interesting songs, which is why this doesn't get 1 star, but a little bit of a confusing album that has a very niche audience, I guess.

The deeper you get into the list the more you realized how UK-skewed it is. Also the commitment to a diverse array of music can be great but also a big negative at points. I think I need to start viewing this list as just "1001 random albums" and not the best 1001 of all time. "Pilgrim" was brutal to get through with its weak spoken-word. I feel like I've heard most of these songs in a wannabe trendy hotel lobby before. This album is all over the place, and not in a good way, with no cohesiveness from song to song. 3/10 (1.5/5)

Nope

Very interesting album. Genuinely not sure if I liked it or not!

Honestly, when this started, it was a 2 at best. But through the listen, it grew on me. Thematically, there is a lot of interesting material here. Musically, it fluctuates. The diversity helped it from growing stale, though. Still, it sounded a little bit 90's, and not in a nostalgic way. Something about it feels outdated. I think it would grow on me with repeated listens, but, meh.

Happy to get introduced to some new music, but this is taking up a space that should probably belong to Bob Seger.

Better than I thought it would be. Gave it several listens all the way through and it got better each time.

Largely forgettable mid music. Works fine as background music. Shoutout to the last track for the Oppenheimer samples.

Shock-factored me into a 2. I actually really liked the first song, so I was looking forward to this album, but oh boy. This was the wildest, craziest, weirdest shit I have heard in a while, and I can't say I particularly enjoyed it.

1. broken zkin - 1.5 2. letting go - 1.5 3. homelandz - 1 4. pilgrim - 0 5. tidez - 1 6. nadia - 2 7. immigrant - 1 8. zerpentz - 1 9. anthem - 1.5 10. noztalgia - 1.5 11. conference - 0 12. beyond zkin - 2

This reminds me of a middle eastern Massive Attack. I recognize that it’s good but it’s just not my thing

alright this is pretty chill. Not blowing me away but easy to listen to and a fun twist on what I had expected given the little summary. Fair minimal electronic hip hop with a lillllll hint of indian influence. I had a crazy work day so I only got through a few songs and the rest of this week is poised to be the same but I can't imagine this getting anything other than a 3 from me

Well, it’s certainly ambitious. But perhaps the album is not the best format one could choose to expound on nuclear proliferation. There’s some pretty nice sounding stuff in here but it was buried in what almost felt like college reading. The Conference was interesting.

This was surprising and very cool. I don’t always get fusion but this worked really well

Don't really know how to describe this but it was an interesting mix of jazzy sounds with traditional Indian music blended in. Have never heard of this artist and not likely I will listen again, but better than hearing another lame britpop record.

I have absolutely no context for this but I think it was well put together. It seamlessly mixed Indian music with jazz and electronica which is cool, but I don’t think I’d ever need to hear it again.

I love trip hop. It's a real niche genre (at least in the US where I am), and it's a subtle sound to master. Beyond Skin is a fantastic example of how unique the subgenre is.

+1 for sounding incredibly modern. This could have been released in 2024 and I would not have questioned it -1 for it just not being that good. The instrumental tracks were good, just too few of them Top tracks: Tides, Nadia

like i’m sure it’s good but this simply isn’t made for me. actually really liked Tides

7.5/10 Nice album Excellent musicianship and production Lush instrumentation Loads of the songs are 75% of the way to brilliant But the album lacks a top gear that it can shift into and become brilliant The breakbeats stuff was the best So ultimately it is more of a background than foreground album Best: Nadia

Love all the trash reviews of this album. I didn't like the first song but I did enjoy the next two: Letting Go and Homelands, so when I first started taking notes I was inclined to make a case for the album. But every song after Homelands has been a downhill slide and now I'm just waiting for this to end. Pilgrim is too precise in its syllable count, like a child reciting a poem; Tides is elevator music; and another reviewer was spot on when they said Immigrant was a Disney song. My main critique is that a lot of the tracks start out interesting, but they all go on far too long and whatever was interesting about them fades into a repetitive drum beat. This album is a smidge better than a lot of the other boring trip-hop we've gotten here, but only because of the Indian/diaspora musical influence.

Excellent UK trip hop inspired by India and atomic war. Lightly heady, Greta pace, nice rhythm. Music to help get stuff done

Very different fare. Reminiscent of Dead Can't Dance with the mix of rhythms and cultures used. Not bad

Some weird. Some awesome. What genre is this???

I'm really liking this album...granted, I'm working so it's background music at this point. I'll have to sit down and soak up the content at another time.

Couldn't get behind it. Only giving it two because the instrumental portions were actually kind of interesting, but the rest was not something I could get into. I'm curious if this was included mostly for a cultural impact it had that I'm not aware of or don't have context to appreciate?

Right, know nothing about this! Can't pick the genre from the cover. 1999. Hmmmm. Ambient? Avant jazz? Wow, first track is very affecting, and dark. Didn't expect Indian fusion jazz trip hoppy drum and bass. Love it. Cold and warm at once The whole album is a real journey. Immigrant my least favourite track, sounding a bit like a Disney song.

2 this was one weird album. Very repetitive and the songs were way too long

Ugh. This is standard turn of the century stuff that had some guardian reviewer named Tim, or Ben or Miles getting semi hard for on its way to the Mercury Prize and hipster end of year polls. The music drifts between acoustic down tempo pop, Bhangra beats and female vocals that could’ve been Morcheeba, Sneaker Pimps or countless others. Unremarkable

I have gotten slightly weary of some of the downtempo electronic albums that have been offered in this project over 900 albums in. At first I was not excited about this. However, this one got better and better and got my attention as a stand out. It has a strong connecting message along with a great variety of very different sounding tracks. The South Asian sounds woven throughout are only a plus for me.

Just when I thought I was getting the groove of this album, it would throw me something a little different, but still in the flow. I like that, bunches!

A striking blend of styles. Lovely and poignant. This is one I wouldn't have ever sought out but I'm so glad to have heard it.

A Hindu-tinged album about nuclear war that ends with Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita? Go on… I’m listening. Glad to have heard this before I died. Utterly riveting - so much so I’ve listened to it three times.

Didn't listen.

uhhhh really not for me. giving kratom bar vibes. LEAST favorite songs Pilgrim - this is what it feels like when ur on a first date and the dude asks to freestyle for you Did not end up finishing this album

Ok so I don't know how this album has made this list. Frequently bored out of my mind listening to it. GREAT background music but feels like I'm in a white washed movie about colonialism ? Like it's a attempt at fusing electronica-east asian just settles itself in the pit between where it sucks all around// The concept behind this album is supposed to be a time-line running from the India-Pakistan nuclear situation to Oppie quoting "I am become death... yada yada" Cool fucking idea. So so poorly executed. Yeah samples are taken but again just make this sound lazy and as many have said...BORING. Wieners: Homeland...I guess? It is the most popular and the only song I could get through without grimacing Losers: All.

Couldn’t decide whether I was indifferent or loved it. My head was all over the place but I am loving the variety. It’s probably a 3.5 but I’m boosting it because I listened to it twice and actually want to listen to it again.

A bit disjointed. The song Immigrant hurt my ears and The Conference made my question my sanity.

Man... I don't know. The stuff that was good didn't strike me as that interesting, and there were many other moments that were downright unenjoyable. I've heard lots of Arabic music in my lifetime (mom's Lebanese, after all), and there was something forced about that material, along with the other foreign language tracks. I couldn't bear a few of them. So, A for effort, I guess, but this was actively unsettling me enough that it dipped below a 3.

Pretty bizarre album, effortlessly spanning several genres. having said that, i had no idea who this artist was going into this listen and still none afterwards. a pleasant enough listen, but not sure it's one I'll be returning to any time soon.

The 1st song was annoying, a very "standard" R&B/Gospel voice; I just personally don't like that voice, it is just boring/ordinary. "Homelands" and "Nadia" where good.

I really wanted to like this, but, I found it waaaaay too arty for me. It went on a journey but I was not pleased to be on it.

Never heard of this artist. The cover disturbs me. After listening: a couple good songs. Hip hop and rap are not my style 2 Stars

Very diverse, i guess its good music but not my thing 2/5

Tapped out at the scatting

innocuous

All over the place, from chill soundscapes to drum n bass, hip hop, worldbeat and something that could have been in a Disney movie (Immigrant). Letting Go was good as well as the instrumental Tides with lively piano over ocean noises. At other times, was tough to get through.

First track only good track

Extremely dull. I have zero desire to ever listen to this album again.

I would never listen to this ever. I don’t like these weird albums. If you make an album it’s a project and often a description of that artists life. But at the end of the day it’s still suppose to be music. And this is not my kind

An interesting collection of politically charged lyrics. Likely needs a return spin to dive deeper.

Forgettable music.

Interesting. Kind of all over the place. There's some things I dig (middle eastern westernized pop) and things I don't (western pop).

It's interesting, and I appreciate the representation of some non-Western ideas, but... eh.

Interesting and challenging album, glad I listened but not one ill come back to.

Them: Here's 1001 Albums you should listen to before you die. Me: (praying for death so I don't have to listen to another electronic British album)

Buen disco

The wikipedia page for this album promised me drum and bass. I did not get any drum and bass. It's not the album's fault that someone somewhere mislabeled it. But. I don't go to electronic music for vocal performances and I wish that this album had about 50% of the *words* as it did. It was a good downtempo album to listen to, and the concept was strong.

I enjoyed this! Would I listen again? I don't know. But the entire time it was playing, there was never a moment when I was wondering when it would end. I thought it was interesting how the album ended around the same place it began. I just was kind of vibing the whole time.

the only way i think i can describe this is music for a modern dance performance you would stumble into at a museum

I don't think I had enough attention to devote to this today. It sounds fresher and more futuristic than 1999.

I've never heard of this artist, looking forward to something new. Really interesting trip-hop/rock... hard to pin this down in a genre. Apparently Nitin Sawhney is also a composer and producer. I will have to try and check out more of his work. A lot of this is really good, especially for background music while working, but it's not my favorite. 3/5

cohesive album ig but was bored the whole listen and not really any stand outs to me 3/10

Definitely interesting, Certainly some very cool parts, but wasn't particularly enjoyable - 6/10

Some interesting moments but kinda weird. Like the nuclear test voiceover and the female singing seemed kind of random. Also my 200th review.

Shits ass 3/10

Honestly I dig. It got way better when I put my headphones on. Kinda long I guess but a fun listen… cool stereo effects. The Conference goes crazy. 8/10

3/10 - I liked Tides but the rest were not enjoyable in my opinion.

I expected it to be terrible with the name beyond skin but it wasnt too bad. It started pretty good but the last couple songs were kinda annoying 5/10

Not good enough to be an hour long 3.5/10

A good listen, I've never heard of them, but i didn't feel like skipping. I don't think I'd normally seek them out though, so that's why i went with a 3

Relaxed R&B, but not really my thing. Interesting Indian vibe / instrumentation. Letting Go - half decent Homeland - nice music Pilgrim - shite Nadia - very Indian. Actually liked it Serpents - yeah, gets inside you. A 4 cos it's both different and enjoyi

Good eclectic mix of sounds there all arranged around some unnecessary political intros but good none the same.

Indian dub step and yacht rock. I was not expecting that. Wildly diverse album.

a few really nice songs, although there's also some trash

Album #666 2nd 90s British electronic album with a grey, screaming face on the cover this month. Unlike the Prodigy… well it’s pretty much nothing like the Prodigy. A bold celebration of disparate music styles, AND a meditation on nuclear weapons. Hard to believe the piano jazz of “Immigrant” and the scatting in “The Conference” are part of the same project. Though I didn’t enjoy every track, there’s something to be said about an album that resists comparison so strongly. HL: “Tides”, “Nadia”, “Anthem Without Nation”, “Homelands”

This album needs to make up its damn mind. Is it a house album? Jungle? Hindi? Neo-Soul? Spoken word? Too many flavors that don’t mix well.

Damn what was this album? A mix of modern and what i think is Indian music came together in a really cohesive experience. Favorite track was tides.

Such a well thought out, unique album. Reminds me of massive attack (created a new trip hopish playlist because of it)

Cool stuff with good soundscape. Certainly feels like it's from the 90s but I thought it was well done and provocative.

I've never heard of this album or artist before, but I tend to enjoy electronica, so I had decently high hopes for it. The album's overall theme of nuclear proliferation was interesting, and I liked how the songs started with the present day (well, 1999, but present day for the album's release), and then worked backwards. It worked well, in that it had a sense of "well, this is where we are, but how did we exactly arrive here?" The songs that dealt with Indian diaspora felt a tad out of place, but I did like that they tied back to the first song, and how India was now in a new phase as a nation, having developed nuclear weaponry. I really loved "Tides" and the way it used water sounds while discussing the French island nuclear tests. "Immigrant" was great too, and had the best melodies and vocals of the whole album. Conversely, "Pilgrim" was my least favorite track to listen to; its song-spoken chorus was just really grating and annoying, and it felt like it made up about 75% of the song. Overall, this album does just enough to distinguish itself from its peers. Sometimes that's a good thing, other times, it's not such a good thing. There was so much electronica music coming out at the time, and what this album did thematically and lyrically makes it stand out, but musically, it really doesn't set itself apart. Sure, the arrangements are pleasant to listen to, but I feel like I can say that about a lot of this album's peers. I would be down to listen to this album when I just want something nice to listen to, but there are so many other albums that I'd rather throw on.

Boring background music, I could list hundreds of albums that could be in its place and probably aren’t on this list. [0123/1001]

Interessant

Wank

Beautifully produced, expansive electronica, enriched and lifted by its South East Asian influences.

A collective mix. Tends to drift into different directions and makes it hard listen.

The first half was some pretty cool trip hop but the second half was pretty dull

Something I wouldn’t choose myself, but surprisingly enjoyable.

Extremely impressive album. I happened to watch Oppenheimer a few days before listening, which definitely felt uncanny at times. Will be saving for future listenings.

(3) I like what this album was going for conceptually more than I like the execution. I think the synthesis of trip-hop, jazz piano, and Indian music is really interesting at times, and overall the production is very polished, but I found some of the songs to be hit or miss. Last track went hard, though.

Not for me

I really enjoyed the first 2 songs. Went downhill from there.

Did not listen. Album cover turned me off immediately! 0⭐

I agree first two songs were good, but then wow wtf happened.

interesting, havent listened to anything like this before

Good background music. Glad I heard it.

Really weird but not my music

Boring. Not influential. Lyrics have a superiority complex.

Can't quite think what to say about this. Blew my mind a wee bit. Nice one

Soothing and interesting. Very different than what I normally listen to.

This is relaxing to listen to (even if the subject matter might not have been so light) and very interesting. I've never listened to an album in this language mixed with electronic. However I'd likely never listen to it again.

I didn't realize this was from the late 90s and thought it was kind of old school but checked it

I’m getting very tired of all of these dnb albums. I’m only 82 albums in, though, so I’ll try to endure. At least this one is somewhat interesting. The south Asian influence is a nice touch. It’s not nearly as repetitive as, say, Roni Size. It is, however, still drum n bass, which I think I can definitively say is not a genre I’m a fan of. I’ll tell you who does successfully combine south Asian sounds with electronic music: Four Tet. This is almost as chill, but instead of wanting to hang out or clean the house, I feel like I’m stuck in the waiting room of a bougie hair salon while my girlfriend spends an inordinate amount of money on a haircut.

Really sick Jazz/Trip Hop fusion album. Will keep an eye for it on vinyl.

Did not like it 25 years ago and one cannot argue it is not well made, but it still has that typical muzak feeling.

At first it's easy listening but after a while it becomes annoying.

A mix of Downtempo (Ambient) plus Drum and Bass, with South Asian overtones. I liked it.

An interesting sound across the different tracks, generally a chill hop vibe with a little soul feel topped with Indian elements on the fringes in some songs, and more prominent in other songs. Lyrics center around the India-Pakistan nuclear controversy of the late 90s. He blends distinctly western elements - strings, jazz, hip hop, classical guitar, with Indian musical and singing elements. Still kind of mixed feelings about it, but I'm going to give this one further listens. It's intriguing. Homelands is probably my favorite, with Serpents being an interesting standout.

Eksperimentalni padzit, neke nisu lose, atmosfericne

life is like a jigsaw

Interesting and cinematic and worldly (obviously). One prefers the instrumental and more abstract pieces (e.g., "Tides,"Serpents"). Loungier cuts are also good (e.g., the opener). "Nadia" is best of the vocal cuts. A little too self-consciously complex and a bit too long for its own good, but clearly NS offers a lot as a composer and one is inclined to seek out more. Not sure how much the audio clips and anti-nuclear preachifying adds. "Homelands" was a bit overexposed all those years ago and hasn't got any less annoying. "Beyond Skin" is a strong closer.

Beautiful music about some of the ugliest things humans are capable of

3 1/2

Zzzzzzzz

The first song is really cool - low fi hiphop kind of vibe Really cool mix of Indian music, hip hop and other instrumentals. The songs do sort of blend together I think my favorite so far is the Broken Skin. Immigrant is also cool, I like the female vocals

01) Broken Skin - 8,0 02) Letting Go - 7,5 03) Homelands - 8,0 04) The Pilgrim - 7,5 05) Tides - 7,5 06) Nadia - 8,5 07) Immigrant -6,5 08) Serpents - 6,0 09) Anthem Without Nation - 6,5 10) Nostalgia - 7,0 11) The Conference - 5,0 12) Beyond Skin - 6,0 TOTAL: 7,00 (70/100) I read the reviews before listening and expected very little of this one. But it started quite well, let's see how it will go. Half way through, the songs are starting to sound a bit repetitive, but still very pleasant listening. It reminds me of Deep Forest or Enigma, and I like that kind of music. "The Conference" sounds just like that, a bunch of people mumbling rubbish at the same time. At the end, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. "Nadia" is my favorite track.

Música étnica, árabe, flamenco, house, no sé, un popurrí.

Musically it is interesting, but it's not so nice to listen to it.

Interesting stuff, I like the blend of Indian Classical and RnB. Really makes me want to listen to more Indian classical, most of all. 3 stars

Unique. Starts with an R&B micro tonal song with 50s/vinyl overlays, eventually becomes more iconically Idoan. Slightly over produced.

Interesting New sounds. Liked the political take and messaging

I tried to like it

Very interesting and unexpected but not fave

Quite a bit of hate for this album in the reviews ha but I didn't mind it! Occasionally gave Tricky or Portishead vibes

25/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 When the album started, I couldn't understand why this album was so poorly reviewed. By the time I got to the song "Tides", I was ready to give it a score that would have given it a strong three stars. Then, the whole rest of the album happened. That was a weak one star. So, two stars it is. There was enough that was good about the album to keep it there, but there was too many outright annoying bits to justify going any higher.

sgu heller ikke liiige noget for mig. Noget af det var sådan godt nok 90'er triphop men ja, synes faktisk "prætentiøst" er den helt rigtige beskrivelse! Grinern at have Oppenheimer med i slutningen

Ikke lige mig det her. Meget new age, lidt kedeligt. Pænt obskurt eller hvad?

Virkelig prætentiøst og en træls blanding af mange genrer...

Meh, it's ok.

I am about as indifferent as I possibly could be to this music. It's fine, it doesn't do anything to me. But totally inoffensive and fine to listen to.

As Homer Simpson would say “boring”

Enjoyed listening to it. Huge variety from track to track. A few very much had the intangible late 90s sound to it that spans multiple genres, but you can still hear when it was released .

Nicely late 1990s electronic dance, but the Asian fusion twist doesn't appeal to me. I didn't really take in the talky bits about immigration, but did get the nuclear references. Smacks of trying too hard and being too obviously Asian British and defiantly not just British.

This was not what I was expecting. I never heard of this artist. I thought it would be some electronica. It's mostly a blend of genres throughout the record which did help to keep my attention. However, it's too artsy for me honestly. The transitions from songs/genres was a bit jarring too. Some good tunes, but too many "meh" ones to justify giving this a higher rating.

I really enjoyed this.

Some parts of this I found interesting, others annoying. 2 stars.

If it's not being cringe world music, it's just generic late 90's pop. This is lame, do better.

Good album, gets pretty world musicky

I had never heard of this artist. But much of this album resembles the type of music I was listening to in 1999 (Morcheeba, Esthero, Chicane, Bjork, etc.). I would have likely owned this album if I had known about it. There are a lot of different styles showing up here - certainly not complaining about that. But the tracks that connected with me most are the ones that resemble the above-mentioned artists. The whole album has an international flair, drawing from a number of different traditions throughout. I enjoyed the album overall and am eager to find more music by this artist.

Favorites: -Broken Skin -Homelands -Tides -The Conference

#50. This album is all over the place. And not really in a good way? It sounds more like a compilation of assorted random shit than and kind of cohesive whole. None of it's terrible, but there is no standout great song either. 2/5: meh Song added to playlist: Broken Skin I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

When it hits its fire, but there is also some filler here as well

Not my usual style, yet great sounds.

Standout: Immigrant 3.5

What was that ?

Brutal.

Some of the songs are pretty not my taste, but still good music. Tides is some actually amazing piano trio music. The beats have been pretty good, and the singing is decent, although the middle eastern type singing isn't something I prefer. There's some weird stereo stuff going on, it's kinda neat, but also disorienting. "The Conference" is both absolutely amazing and kinda horrible. It's this beat box-esche tongue mouth noises, like they're sounding out rhythms in band class and it is cool, but also annoying.

I don't remember it after one day...

Definitely not my preferred style of music at all.