OK

Ew. I couldn’t eat to this.

Interesting story, boring music

Didn't like it

Conceptually, I appreciate the direction this album was aiming for, but I felt the execution and production fell short. The most disappointing aspect, in particular, was the tabla playing and/or the way it was recorded. Which given the artist is a tabla player makes it puzzling.

Another electronic album. At least one had some interesting influences. 2.5/5 Won’t listen again

Meh...maybe I would have enjoyed back in my techno years but this was just mediocracy in audio form. 2/5

I'd say focus music at the most.

I like the idea but there could be so many more ways of getting this to work out on album length. Some songs are way too long and when i thought i like it theres one part of the song that destroys the whole build up. At least weve tried i guess...

EDM is not my thing, but this was not that bad.

Favorite Track: Butterfly

“What should we add to our super-generic electronic music?” “Uh, super-generic Indian music?” “You’ve done it again at Talvin Singh!” Or possibly for the first time because I have no idea who you are and will almost assuredly never think of you again after today. This album sold 60,000 copies and has been all but forgotten for decades. This is the absolute polar opposite of an album you must hear before you die. Was it terrible? No. Did it add to my life in any way to have listened to it? Also no.

Not my style - some of the songs were enjoyable but it became a bit repetitive for me.

I'm happy for all the people out there who enjoy this.

This just faded into background noise. Definitely not an album anyone really needs to listen to before they die. 2/5

I get the idea but could've been executed a lot better

Don’t like this blend of (Indian?) instruments with electronic music.

Like taking an electronic journey to the middle east. Decent cooking supper music.

01) Traveller - 5,5 02) Butterfly - 5,5 03) Sutrix - 5,5 04) Mombasstic - 5,0 05) Decca - 5,0 06) Eclipse - 5,0 07) OK - 5,5 08) Light - 5,5 09) Disser/Point.Mento.B - 4,5 10) Soni - 4,5 11) Vikram the Vampire - 5,0 TOTAL: 5,14 (51/100) Current ranking: 313/335

When you blend indian musicality with electronic music, I expect much more to come out of it. This was nothing that interesting. Way more cool stufd could have been done with this.

As background music ok, I guess. Still kind of boring.

Voilà, on y est, encore un de ces albums qui, sur le papier, a tout pour lui. Un de ces disques que le livre te présente comme une pierre angulaire, un jalon incontournable, une révolution copernicienne à lui tout seul. 1997, l'année de "OK Computer", d'"Urban Hymns", de "Homogenic". Une sacrée bonne année pour la musique, si vous voulez mon avis. Et au milieu de tout ça, débarque Talvin Singh avec son "OK". Un album qui, à l'époque, dans la boutique de disques où je passais mes journées, a immédiatement été catapulté dans le bac "World Music", ce fourre-tout infâme où l'on rangeait tout ce qui n'était ni du rock anglo-saxon, ni de la pop pour midinettes, ni du rap U.S. Un bac que je regardais avec un mélange de curiosité et de méfiance, moi qui venais de passer cinq ans à user mes esgourdes sur les ondes d'une radio indépendante où la fusion était reine, mais une fusion plus brutale, plus crade. Talvin Singh est un joueur de tabla virtuose, producteur visionnaire, il est présenté comme le pionnier du genre "Asian Underground" ou "tabla-tronics". Le concept ? Marier la richesse millénaire de la musique classique indienne avec la froideur et la rythmique des musiques électroniques qui explosaient à l'époque, de la techno à la drum'n'bass. Un projet d'une ambition folle, qui aurait pu se casser la gueule de façon spectaculaire et finir en bouillie sonore indigeste, bonne pour sonoriser un restaurant faussement branché du Marais. Et c'est là que le respect s'impose. Car, objectivement, "OK" est une pure démonstration de maîtrise. La production est absolument phénoménale, c'est léché, c'est propre, c'est ample. On sent le travail d'orfèvre derrière chaque son, chaque nappe de synthé, chaque écho. Les instruments traditionnels – sitars langoureux, flûtes éthérées et, bien sûr, ces putains de tablas qui semblent avoir une vie propre – ne sont pas juste samplés à l'arrache. Ils dialoguent, ils respirent avec les beats électroniques, les rythmiques bhangra qui viennent donner un coup de fouet à l'ensemble. On est loin du simple collage ; c'est une véritable conversation entre deux mondes, deux époques. Le voyage est indéniable. On ferme les yeux et on se retrouve instantanément transporté ailleurs, dans un bazar futuriste de New Delhi ou une rave party mystique au bord du Gange. Le dépaysement est total, la promesse est tenue. Oui, mais voilà, le respect, c'est une chose. L'amour, c'en est une autre. Et autant je peux saluer la performance technique et l'audace du projet, autant je dois avouer que je me suis fait chier. Royalement car passée la première demi-heure de découverte, où l'on est fasciné par cette architecture sonore inédite, une étrange sensation s'installe. Celle d'écouter, encore et encore, le même morceau. Un long, très long fleuve musical, certes majestueux, mais terriblement monocorde. L'album tourne en rond, les structures se ressemblent, les atmosphères se répètent, et l'absence de véritables chansons, de refrains auxquels se raccrocher, finit par lasser. C'est une musique d'ambiance, une tapisserie sonore incroyablement riche, mais qui manque cruellement de points d'accroche, de ces aspérités qui font qu'un disque vous marque au fer rouge. C'est peut-être une question de paroisse. Je suis né en 1970, j'ai grandi avec le post-punk, l'indie rock, le métal industriel. Pour moi, la fusion, c'est la rage d'Asian Dub Foundation qui mélange le dub et le punk avec un message politique en pleine gueule. C'est l'intelligence pop de Cornershop qui marie la culture indienne et l'héritage de T-Rex. C'est même le groove plus accessible d'un Badmarsh & Shri. Des groupes qui utilisent le métissage pour créer des chansons, des hymnes, des moments de pure énergie ou d'émotion brute. Avec Talvin Singh, je reste à la porte du temple. J'admire l'édifice, je reconnais sa beauté, mais je n'arrive pas à y entrer. C'est trop propre, trop cérébral. Trop... "OK", justement. Le titre est finalement parfait, c'est "OK", sans plus. Un disque qui impressionne l'intellect mais qui laisse le coeur et les tripes sur le bas-côté. Alors, est-ce que cet album mérite sa place dans les "1001 que vous devez écouter avant de mourir" ? Oui, sans aucun doute. Pour ce qu'il représente, pour son influence sur toute une scène et pour la simple beauté de sa production, il faut lui jeter une oreille au moins une fois. C'est une pièce importante du puzzle musical des années 90. Mais est-ce que je vais le réécouter de sitôt ? Un petit 2 sur 5, donc. Pour la forme, plus que pour le fond. C'est déjà pas si mal pour un album qui m'a donné l'impression de faire du surplace pendant plus d'une heure.

I wouldn’t listen to this again but I will give it some credit for its originality. Doesn’t save it from being kind of a snore unfortunately. Best song: Ok

OK - Talvin Singh (1998) World Music O disco em questão é um grande emaranhado de estilos musicais, que no começo te chama a atenção, mas depois de um certo tempo esse efeito se perde e as músicas ficam desinteressantes. Melhores músicas: N/A Piores músicas: N/A 2/5

These 90s house albums need to go. 2/5

It’s a two. I just don’t like most ambient albums, unless I catch an inclination of the themes being expressed to draw me in. This one didn’t 🤷🏾‍♂️

D+

2/5

What da fuq

First listen. Ok.

Ok, this one is a little too much for me. A lot of the electronica albums seem to pair well with banging on a computer in the office. As background music, they are often perfect to keep a rhythm to the day. Unfortunately, this one has too many elements that were a bit too distracting for me. If we were in a limbo competition, this album would lose, but it would advance far enough to have the crowd chanting, “how low can you go, how low can you go!”

Better than most of the electronic music I’ve gotten, but that’s not saying much.

Idc 1.5

Like an upbeat version of spa music. Also a really good one for background music. But not necessarily something I would put on as anything other than background music while working.

Fine as background music, but not something I’m going to actively listen to for an extended period of time.

??? not for my ears

Hm. Really trying to appreciate this album for what it is. I love Tabla drumming, I love artists.and albums that respectfully showcase world music diversities, I appreciate musical fusions and experimentations.....and although this album has all of that, it isn't landing right in my ears..... Maybe more accurately, not all of it is landing right. There are some beautiful and breathtaking musical moments here. I think what kills it for me though, is the dated dance beats and the Kitaro-like self-aggrandisement and a confidence that hyperbolically and unintentionally takes things into goofy teritory... instrument solos that sound like a playful Disney movie chase scene mixed with Joe Satriani-like musical masturbations. And omigod, let's not linger on those lyrics from the first track...like an Enigma fuelled nightmare without gregorian chants... Here's the thing....Indian music doesn't need to be colonized by other sounds to be cool. "Mombasstic" was an interesting jazz experiment, but I've heard this done better, elsewhere. And maybe this album was the inspiration for those other, better sounds....so this deserves some pioneering respect I guess... But how pioneering is this? Maybe I've been spoiled by time and other music...in 1989, Peter Gabriel released the soundtrack "Passion" for the movie "The Last Temptation of Christ"....*that* is a wold music masterpiece. A symphony of sound that moves me emotionally... Sone positivity to finish: Sutrix was my favourite track....and I couldn't help but dance a little to "Eclipse"

I really wanted to like this album as it theoretically has all of the elements I love. I did love ‘eclipse’ and wish the rest of the album was as interesting. I found most of the vocals to be almost farcical and off putting (flight of the conchordsish). I appreciate that this probably paved the way for artists like Nitin Sawhney who I love and for that reason alone I can show this album some love.

Boring, only kinda liked 1 track

I love the Indian instruments, but I just didn't like the sound of this. It was a little too chaotic

It’s Ok. 1.9

Well, this is different... The blending of Indian music with jungle and drum and bass from the 90's. While this isn't immediate 'hatable' music, I can understand how it may rub some some ears to 'skip, skip, skip' to the end. Though it's new and different, it's simultaneously weary, old and tired. I attribute that feeling to its age and near obsolete genre and also to its uniqueness.

Doesn't really do anything for me. Cool beats, I guess?

There was a time when I would have enjoyed Indian instrumentation over western beats more than I do now.

Feels like a soundtrack to watching one of those 45 minute videos of the international space station circling the earth. I can't think of a situation where I'm ever listening to this without it accompanying something/anything else and even then I might mute the sound after 20 minutes. An hour-long dull palette of sound I lost interest in quickly. 3/10 2 stars.

The opener doesn't sound good, feels like it's two different songs playing at the same time. It gets better with the 3rd song, I can hear the synergy now The title song is ok. It's ok, could see myself listening to it in case I needed some fun brain afk music

As if an indian weeb had joined the taliban. Gives me those vibes for some reason

Not really my thing, so I won't be listening to it again.

Did not enjoy this...not my cup of tea.

songs are a tad bit too long, weird transitions throughout the album, not my cup of tea but if it was, it would probably be higher?

Don't get it

there’s way too much mid electronica on this list

Lush ambient soundscapes, drum n bass and traditional Indian music. I'm trying not to make an "OK" joke. I actually kind of like this, but struggling to see how this is more consequential than any of the other electronic albums I listened to from the 90s or 2000s.

It was nice background music but repetitive

Cool fusion of traditional south Asian instruments and electronic music but not quite for me. While it was done very well, it wasn’t until Viktor The Vampire that I felt excited for a track.

Hard to get into this somewhat jangly sound.

Kind of tedious.

Electronic middle eastern/ Indian music. Very annoying at times

That's not my taste in musik.

I wasn't a fan of 90s electronica in the 90s, and nothing has changed in the years since. There were a couple tracks I liked, but too much of the album reminded me of the soundtrack to some bad performance art.

I respect it but its not my thing. 2/5

OK is an apt name for this, because it is exactly that. OK. Before listening I was interested in the concept - merging traditional Indian folk music and techno, but it just never got going for me.

I guess I got used to it because I found the back half of the album a lot better than the first. The title track was a banger and I would put it on a playlist any day. Still a bit of a chore to get through.

Felt like I was listening to background music at a spa. Nope.

At first it reminded me of house music (which i HATE) and then I heard the Indian influence. I like Bollywood music. But the mixture is not good. It’s like putting a candy cane in a pickle. But it’s super unique. He should be proud of himself.

If the world is sound, please god let it not be these sounds.

Not for me.

This album wasn't ok. it was worse

OK is probably the right name for the album. I get what he was doing and it's interesting to blend traditional Indian music with D&B but I just didn't massively enjoy it. I'm glad it exists but it's not for me.

Enough already.

nah.. tried. Couldn't

A fun perspective of what I (believe?) is the early years of this type of electric music. My favorite 2 songs on this project were Disser/point.b.mento and Sutrix. Point B Mento gives me 80’s vibes in a whole new light, Idek how to explain it, just absolute ear po** Being that I have no interest in this genre, I was pleasantly surprised, adding a different cultures range of instruments and ideas is such a fun spin on the normally dull and basic American electro I usually hear.

Interesting Indian electronic club music. Can't say I've listened purposefully to anything like it before!

Not my kind of vibe. Found it distracting. Appreciate the artistry.

По большей части скучная и не очень хорошо сохранившаяся электроника. К сожалению, вот эта вся традиция видится только как способ разбавить пустоватый электронный альбом. Или наоборот: вот эта вся электронщина видится только как способ растянуть вот эти традиционные вещи, упростить их восприятие. Меркури Прайзы и сейчас дают не самым очевидным альбомам из списка, и двадцать лет назад, видимо, было то же самое. Лучшая песня - Mombasstic.

And so it goes, another world album that I'd be more than okay listening to a few tracks of. But being subject to over an HOURS worth of what's basically a mashup of electronic & indian music, just so this list can cross off a diversity quota - is nothing other than incredibly annoying. That's what this record is after the one hour mark - annoying.

Well, it was easy enough to listen to and I concede for its genre it seems pretty good. Not sure I needed to hear that before I died. Maybe it could play after I'm dead, at my funeral?

Interesting, but not my jam. Sounded like a 90s-00s video game soundtrack at times.

Wasn’t even good chill out music.

Repetitive

I hate that crap

It has it's moments, but it feels very much a late 90s classy coffee table album to show off your tastes. When you think that there was an explosion in Bhangra at this time in the UK, and exciting artists like Metz and Tricks, or Punjabi MC were making great music, that this was chosen to represent the South Asian diaspora in the UK at the time is a bit meh.

Oon kuullut aiemmin talvin singhin toiselta levyltä biisin river, joka on todella kova. Paukuttaa se tässäkin tabloja todella kunniakkaasti, mutta ei ehkä kokonaisuutena kuitenkaan mun juttu

Not as bad as I was expecting but still not good.

not really my thing

It's a heady mix of sounds from all around the world. Ultimately it falls flat though - the songwriting isn't great and it just tries to fit too many disparate parts into an electronica format.

ok

Not my jam

Guess I just don’t like Indian techno very much. Best track: Sutrix

Enjoyed some parts but ultimately repetitive

"The artist manages effortlessly to blend classical Indian music and electronic synth melodies together" said nobody ever after listening to this album. it sounds like some sixteen year old made a mash up by just layering songs on top of each other. Unsurprisingly that sounds ass. Shoutout to the title track thou that one was listenable.

3.5/10

OK

Hmmmm… the first album I could not appreciate at all. It did make me want to try something more conventional.

Just as it says on the label, OK. Also my first exposure to the quick tempo percussion and sitar(?) was whenever riding Yoshi in Mario Sunshine. Now every time I hear that similar rhythm that’s all I can think about (2.5/5)

Weird

not for me

Never heard of this artist or album. Not my favorite electronica/trip-hop but it's definitely interesting and different. I'm not sure if this influenced electronic artists I like (Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, DJ Shadow) or if they influenced this, but there are definitely some shared aspects in here. 2/5

Ew.. Cool But ew 1 2

Well this was shit. Mediocre 90s British electronica? Sounds like the soundtrack to a bad video game. At least it attempted to try something new in mixing in Indian music. That doesn't make it good, but it attempted.

This record starts off on a great note with its two first tracks, "Traveller" and "Butterfly". They're an enticing and flavored mix of Indian classical music and drum'n'bass displaying a lot of killer moments, with impressive and evocative performances from the sitar and flute players (not to mention Singh himself on tablas). The orchestral conclusion of "Traveller" is particularly worthy of note for anyone interested in said Indian music. Because said conclusion is tight, moving and cinematic in a way that transcends the somewhat "dated" electronic flourishes found elsewhere in this LP. A few years before the release of *OK*, Björk famously used Singh's stellar skills for orchestration on *Venus As A Boy*. Seems like Singh could still pull off something marvelous years later, at least when he had something clear to say, as "Traveller" and "Butterfly" can prove. Too bad he rarely knew what to say *under his own name* towards the end of the nineties. Because, yes, as great as those first two cuts are, I feel like the Anglo-Indian producer makes a bunch of weird choices when he attempts to apply the same formula during the rest of this record. In terms of relatively "striking" cuts "Monbastic" displays as a lead instrument the sort of muted trumpet that made Miles Davis famous. And "Eclipse" uses Qawwali vocals, which the rest of the world discovered thanks to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The problem is that the conflation of those "noble" elements with EDM arrangements and production doesn't work so well, especially decades later. Some of the bleeps / bloops sounds even come off as a little grating on "Eclipse", distracting so much from the stellar vocal performance on this track. If really you want to discover Qawwali, start with the *real* thing, please. Another striking (and quite lively and charming) cut is the title-track, "OK", indebted to Bollywood-inspired vocal chants this time, and fortunately this *fun* track gels a bit better as it mixes said chants to bouncing jungle beats. But everything else (which means two thirds of this album at least) is clearly secondary, with attemtps that go from borderline-muzak-sounding, "illustrative" works ("Light") to ambient soundscapes ("Soni") and hard-electro meanderings ("Decca" and "Vikram The Vampire")--*all of them* leading to nowhere in particular. Closer "Vikram The Empire" is quite a symptomatic instance of this problem: Singh displays admirable production skills there (as elsewhere) but those skills are betrayed by a blatant lack of direction. And as a consequence, the instrumental comes off as a sort of bonus track instead of a proper all-encompassing capper for such an album--aiming at mixing sounds from very different parts of the world, but never in a fashion convincing enough to make you sense *why* it should be so vital to do so. To put it mildly, *OK* doesn't tell a cohesive story. It just throws disparate elements on the wall and hopes they will stick the landing. I can relate to the intents Singh had for this LP. But clearly, and minus two or three nice cuts here and there, I don't care for the actual results. "Global" sounds, even performed with a lot of talents in the room, shouldn't prevent you from conveying something truly personal and enlightning form start to finish. It's probably easier to say this than to pull it off for real. Yet one can't help feeling this record could have been far more than "OK" with a few different choices in mind. 2/5 for the purposes of this list of supposedly "essential" albums. Which translates to a 7/10 grade for more general purposes (5+2). I feel like I have *already* reviewed this album by the way. Hope I'm wrong and the 1001 albums generator isn't stuck on a loop for me--just like Talvin Singh sometimes is, lol. Because I intend to *end* this project. Number of albums left to review: 317 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 306 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 167 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 222 (including this one)

A lot of hippie fippy people loved this shit and thought they were people of the world.

2/5 is it ok though?

Very experimental. Sonically interesting, but some of the sounds get a little repetitive over time. I preferred the breakbeat/intelligent DnB parts, but didn't love the particular instruments used over top.

Production was actually pretty good, but the spoken word really subtracted from the good of this album.

Ok, ништа специјално.

Man, it’s so easy to mess up electronic music. It’s really easy for something like “atmospheric drum and bass” to be really fucking boring. And my intuition is sometimes unnaturally good. I’ve looked at album covers before, and been able to tell I’m not gonna like it. I’m aware that judging a book by its cover is bad, but I really don’t care when I’m right. Really, this album has no right to feel as gray and lifeless as it does. I’m not really sure why this is even on the list. It’s probably the lowest rated album I’ve listened to so far, and doesn’t have any big hits, or is really popular, in any way. The mix of drum and bass and this really unique South Asian percussive style, among other interesting ideas, should be the recipe for a delightfully experimental record. This is simply anything but. It falls flat on its face from the beginning. The opening track is a good example. Don’t make an 11 minute long song if it’s mostly 11 minutes of nothing interesting. Sutrix is the only mildly interesting song. Actually it’s a pretty good song. The drums hit the hardest, and it sounds way heavier and intense than the rest of the album. It’s what I thought the whole album was going to sound like. Why doesn’t the whole album sound like this? It’s disappointing. But I wasn’t expecting much from this anyway. Rating: 4/10

One of the most uninteresting albums on this list. I mean it is OK (he titled it correctly), but nothing noteworthy on this album. There is not one song that I would add to any playlist at all. 2.5

Typical electronic album that was made at the time. This reminds me of a better version of these annoying Buddha Bar compilations that you would find everywhere.

An album really stuck in its time and a quite boring one at that.

The few interesting moments were very nice and I love that Talvin Singh tried many unique things on this record. However, it should never had last 1h long and it's mostly not engaging at all. Also, didn't aged very well.

The production was satisfyingly well done and most of the beats were pretty catchy, but after an hour, it starts to get tedious. In addition, starting your hour long album off with an eleven minute track is like starting off a marathon in peanut butter. Overall, not my cup of tea. 2/5

There are elements here that are interesting and it makes me wonder if Talvin was part of a larger group could his contribution be honed to make something that really grabs you. But the repetition here grates.

This album is great because you can merely look at the artwork and know exactly how it's going to sound. Incredible to learn that this dreck won the Mercury Prize. Without any exaggeration, I genuinely feel one must be on some kind of powerful, reality-bending stimulant to find this kind of music engrossing. To the rest of us, it's sonic wallpaper found in the kind of cafe that charges the thick end of a tenner for a chai latte.

Is this the week I catch up on everything? We'll see! Depends on if you believe in Christmas miracles. Anyway, this is one of those albums that makes it easy to not want to catch up. It's there, it has music, it has some interesting moments, but ultimately it just makes me wonder who on earth thinks that there aren't 1000 other albums better than this.

Not for me ta

cool sounding noises but not what i'd call music

Ok chill out music that's just ok

OK is an album that blends Indian and electronic music, but it failed to impress me. I found the fusion of genres a bit dull, and the tracks lacked coherence and melody. I don’t think I will ever listen to this album again, as I am not a fan of either Indian or electronic music. This album might appeal to some listeners who enjoy experimental and eclectic sounds, but it was not my cup of tea. 2 stars.

Traveller- 6/10 Butterfly- 6.5/10 Sutrix - 7/10 Mombasstic - 6/10 Decca - 6/10 Eclipse - 6/10 OK - 8/10 Light - 7/10 Disser - 7/10 Soni - 6/10 Vikram The Vampire - 5/10 TOTAL - 70.5/110

There is not much to emotionally grab onto, the techno trip beats can be pummeling and when slower it’s not that interesting. OK is worth a second listen but I found this to be more like background music than something I want to listen to again.

Ok

Ok for some background music

this was interesting, Indian inspired electronica type stuff

Den dyre fusion af traditionel indisk og elektronisk musik, til tider afslappende, men måske lige spist nok

Hard to get into, mostly boring. Some interesting ideas in there.

Pretty cool but mostly just weird

Meh

OK

Meh.

Однажды, в каком-то индийском ресторане Питера я попробовал самый вкусный карри в своей жизни А потом послушал этот альбом И чет нихуя не вкусно 4/10

What in the.....maybe? I need another listen another time.....but probably not.

How is this on the list, and A. R. Rahman not? As for the album, it's not bad, but it's not good, I'd say it's just...

Flute step 2.5

I really don't know what to make of this. It's mostly just ambient noise which sounded fine but it was impossible to stay focused on this album for the entire length and its a fairly long album as it is. Nothing here grabbed me it was just background music as I drove sound the road. I'll recommend this to my friend who likes to put on music for her dogs while she's out of the house because she believes it helps with seperation anxiety. Probably the best use case for it.

D&B, oosters of indiaase vibes. Hindi Trippy/psychedelisch

Music to admire technically but doesn't charm - too many long sequences pass by, fail to grab your attention and are, well, boring. Some of the dancier numbers perk things up and there's a beautiful fusion between dance music and Indian classical at times but it doesn't scream repeat...

A bit too abstract for my tastes. Okay for background listening, but definitely not anything I would choose to listen to on my own.

Sphärisches Indie. Weder allein noch im Club wirklich gut.

"The world is sound." So begins this album, which is far better in theory than in execution. By blending musical elements and performances by musicians across the globe, Singh is attempting to create a musical melting pot. However, the contents of the pot come off tasting a little bland, and at an hour in length, blandness is a death sentence. Electronica and drum & bass are generally not my vibe though, so your mileage may vary.

Not ok. Indian electro ಠ_ಠ

I appreciated the use of voicing and instrumentation from so many different cultures used on this record but there was never a wow moment for me on this record. Honestly, go back to the 90’s and Loop Guru’s “Amrita” record is a much better record that was also doing this. For some reason, cannot be found on streaming services which is criminal because it should be heard. This is the first record I listened to that I would not have included in the 1001 records.

It was OK

Again don't understand it's place on this but a nice enough listen. 2.5/5 Fav track: eclipse

Fairly average album. Production fine if not a bit dated, and the inclusion of some beats or instruments seemed inorganic. Got into some tracks more than others, and probably won’t put it on again anytime soon. Two and a half. Fave track: Eclipse

Not a fan. Sounded like a "modern" version of Indian music.

Reasonable in places, a bit random in others.

I don't know about this.

2/11, 18%

I like the concept, but I’m just not that into the execution

It was kind of meh. I tolerated it. It is just electronic music no words. Felt like I was New Tetris or Tetris Sphere for the Nintendo 64.

Interesting ambition, not quite realised

I thought Butterfly was an interesting track, but wasn't enough to carry an otherwise tenuous album - am I missing something?

Boring. Muzak

It was ok.

Hyviä biittejä ja kiinnostava konsepti. Vähän silti liian päälleliimatuksi jää intiahommat välillä. Sellainen nepsuraflassa istuminen kun kadulla blockparty fiilis.

Different, but didn't vibe with me

Not my jive, but good to work to

Sorry - I’m not a dance music kinda gal.

This album is trying to do too much at once. It can't decide if it is an electronica or new age record. Having said that, there are some really interesting moments and I'm a big fan of the fusion of Indian Classical with electronic music. Overall, it is just a slog punctuated by some really interesting moments.

Ok is ok, but it's also nothing special. While the ambient electronica is decent to listen to, it is generic, and maybe through no fault of it's own, but the Indian sub-continent sounds have been overused by the genre so much that it kind of makes it background 'buddha bar' music that is hard to remember it as it's own thing.

La portada es muy noventera

Pointless Electronica noodling. Nope.

kinda similar to "Music Has The Right To Children" but with some more Indian influence

I like the concept but, a little too experimental for my taste. The first track should honestly be two different tracks because the sound changes so much. I actually liked the second half of it. There is some good stuff on this album, but there's also bad too.

Nope

1998 - "the bridge between Indian music and electronica." This is either going to be a banger, or will be sleepy Enya/massage/spa music. It's ok. It's Enya/massage/spa music.

Dull launge music

meh

Less flute and less 2000s production and I might have got on with this. Sadly it was a chore.

This one was quite interesting in places, had never heard of the artist or album before. I enjoyed the first few songs, but after a while it just faded to the background a bit. A lot of the sounds are a bit dated however. I can see why it's on the list, but not one I'd come back to again.

It doesn’t start that bad but damn does it drag

Pretty anaemic nineties electronic music that’s spiced with Indian influences but isn’t going anywhere and definitely failed to age well.

Electrònica barrejada amb música hindu, amb un resultat curiós però poc engrescador. Tot i que, sincerament, m'ho esperava pitjor. Cal reconèixer la perícia a l'hora d'integrar les diferents influències i el resultat sona bastant sòlid. Simplement, no és per mi

Electrónica. Bastante aburrido.

Indian Electronica. Not done super well

ok

Started off surprisingly good thought. I enjoyed the intro tack and 'Sutrix' but it didn't keep up the same level for me. Out of all drum and bass/electronic music out there, this does not really do much for me.

I fell asleep about 20 minutes in. From what I heard I at least appreciated the Indian influences. That being said, this is not something I need to listen to again. 4/10

Sometimes interesting, sometimes melodic/hypnotic, sometimes a meandering, rat-crap crazy mess. But, for the most part, it wasn't bad as background noise. Would I listen to it again? Probably not. Does that mean anything? Not really.

I liked this album pretty well. I'm going to look into them further.

eastern sounds + electronica

“The world is sound” Huh, that was weird

OK is...okay. I liked the style, what if house but South Asian? It's just that there's not much more to it once you get past that moment. Scratches an itch but then it's gone, 2.

This is a fusion of electro/dance music with world (mostly Far Eastern I think?) influences, and it doesn't really work. Not unpleasant, but not as interesting as the collision of two very different genres should be, 2/5 for trying though.

I loved the concept but just could not stand how it sounded. The concept was a album that covered all the sounds all over the world. Unfortunately the result was not pleasant sounding at all.

Rating: 5/10 Best songs: OK

OK.

Can’t put my finger on it, either it’s ending credits from an N64 game or a weird movie soundtrack from the 90s. Either way it wasn’t terrible and it kinda put me in that time. I’ll slide it though with a 2, no playlist adds.

As far as instrumental records go, this one is definitely.... interesting. SO many different sounds and styles happening Not really my vibe but I can appreciate how challenging it must have been to record and produce the record 2/5

Put me in a trance

A little obscure. Has a slight Indian twang to it that reminded me of that style but more ethereal and out there. It was fine for background listening. 2.5

Not my thing, hard to rate.

A fascinating story of travel recorded in a busy, heavily Asian influenced album. The synthesized drum beats in contrast with recordings of native choirs are a bit jarring at time but was an interesting journey

OK

Talvin, are you OK? So, Talvin, are you OK? Are you OK, Talvin? This album is exactly what it advertises itself to be: OK.

This was a whole big steaming bowl of nope for me.

I feel like this is on the list so that british publishers can feel like theyre "multicultural" and "not colonizers". Well, heres the thing - the albums not great, and the british are fucking awful. 2/5

I've heard this exact thing done better by multiple other artists.

A fusion experiment that sounds very dated now.

Meh

Okay conceptually cool. Musically good, just not for me

Wow. I've never heard this record. Now that I'm listening to it, I don't really think there's all that much special about it for me. The music is fine, but it feels like it all falls along traditional Indian music lines. It's in a standard Raga, it heavily samples commonly known Indian artists, and the electronic bass just follows the Tabla line for the most part. That said, I would probably prefer to listen to those original artists like Zakir Hussain or Rakesh Chaurasia over this. The main thing for me is that the actual Indian music this is quoting from is amazing drum and bass music in and of itself. I'm not sure the electronic drums and DnB treatment really change the tone or feel of the music much for me. It's always such rhythmic tumble through 4's and 3's anyway and the bass is held down by the Tabla, which is really as close to a dub bass sound as an acoustic drum can make. So it doesn't feel like this is that much of a departure musically. I like it, but I think there are some other amazing records in this vein that I would prefer. Meh.

This was too much.

Reading the Wikipedia page, I got Singh's influence, but his songs are just another fancy electronic music that is not for me. I'll rate it with 2 because the song "OK" reminds me of some good anime openings, and "Soni" gave me some "Blade runner" vibes that I enjoyed a bit.

Nah, this wasnt a good album

Nitin Sawney & Talvin Sing within a couple of days! I’m wondering if drum and bass got its inspiration from tabla. There are some nice textures, flute solos etc. and if you listen to snippets here and there it sounds good. Overall for me, the music lacks structure and melody, like freeform jazz over top of tablas.

super weird, not my favorite

A melding of styles that didn't work for me. Even as a background it didn't disturb.

Pretty trippy fusion of electronica beats and traditional indian instruments. I liked it. I can imagine standing in a basement club in london covered in neon with everyone around me spaced out to something talking about the 'vibes'. however - it started to get pretty disjointed at points.

I struggled with how to rate this one. There's some stuff here that I clearly don't understand and isn't for me. That doesn't mean it's bad, but I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it. Best track: Sutrix

OK

The concept is very cool, but that's about it. I'm glad it's on the list, and don't actively dislike it, but the failed potential here is really disappointing. Takes a long time to get going, and yet never feels like it gets to the final destination. Butterfly is sick, cool 90s beats with classical Indian melodies- v good

Background music for the fluorescent jellyfish exhibit at the aquarium in a Stanley Kubrick meets Ravi Shankar kind of way? In the end, I can say that I listened to it. And if this is a way to reach total consciousness, I got that going for me. Which is nice.

Indian electronica.

I was definitely not high enough to listen to this album and even worse I was drunk on Husker game day which is like the worst mindset for listening to music like this. It was pretty calming I suppose but I just could not get into it and have no interest in ever listening to this again

It’s super unique and is probably one of the album’s that most deserves to be in the generator/book but do I like it? No And here’s why (note i’am not going to talk about all tracks just the ones that really popped out as odd). First off traveller goes against one of my preferences which is that i’am not really a fan of having any very long songs open an album (especially an album that’s quite long and has a decent amount of tracks). Butterfly is a mess of a track that I again wouldn’t have put in this position on the album but I liked the Radiohead like drumming here. Mombastic is wired especially with the approach to the vocals. Decca was only short but him saying “NA-STY” gave me a little chuckle. The album is full of pointless instrumentals that are just there really to waste the listeners time. Actually the whole second half is a waste of the listeners time to be 100% honest with you. Also a bit of an off note but in my time away from the generator I tend to try go through all the mercury prize albums so hearing this is a nice edition and seeing that I would give a good few mercury prize albums a 5 ( primal scream, suede, Portishead, pulp, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic monkeys, elbow) and even ones that aren’t 5’s like the xx or badly drawn boy I still had some enjoyment for. But this album it’s just not fun like all of those mentioned above like the albums good but un-enjoyable I would give it a 1 but the only time I give 1’s is if I would actually remove it from the book so I guess its a 2. A Very Very VERY Low 2 Out Of Five

meh

This is like going to a video exhibit in a museum. It starts quite interesting, but then it quickly turns into a mindfuck and you leave full of confusion about what you witnessed.

Indian fusion jazz - OK, as the title says, for minimally intrusive background music. Perhaps a little to fast rhythmically for this though. Pleasant enough, but not something I would go looking for more of.

Not 100% my jam, but I appreciate it!

I don't care for this. Not sure what it is. World Music, Electronica? Not for me

If a stinking trustifarian's "What I did on my gap year" could be summed up in music form - this is it. The album title is your answer to them before you turn your back and walk away. Best Tracks: Butterfly; OK; Light

70s classic rock still rings true.

Interesting listen

Not familiar with the artist, so I had no idea what I'd be listening to. After a listen, I still don't know what I was listening to. So much going on, some good, some...not so easy to listen to. An interesting mix, but not enough to hold my interest throughout the whole album, but overall, could be worse, I suppose.

"OK' is just that, OK. I didn't get anything from this one. I've heard it before and it didn't get any better this time around. 2/5.

Kinda a strange vibe to this. I liked it but not sure if I would listen to it again.

Not much here of interest to me. Certainly unique, just not very compelling. 2.5 🌟

This mix of indian classical music with electronica has its moments and interesting collaborations (like Ryuichi Sakamoto on the flute), but its also very dated and kind of all over the place. Some dub rhythms and jazz moments are worth the listening and the beats are not bad at all, but it lacks cohesion.

No es que me moleste la música del mundo, pero mezclada con lounge se vuelve pesada. Encima la cantadera en hindi y Vikram el Vampiro… no, no me gusta. Hay un pequeño momento que me pudo gustar porque se asemeja a Yoshida Brothers, pero se va rápido y vuelve al lounge.

When the yoga teacher puts on cooldown music that isn’t as peaceful as they think.

It's grand and cinematic, but for most listeners it's nothing more than a fusion of late 90s electronica with classical Indian music. Too long, no standout tracks, dated in the sense that it sounds too much like similar music of its time, relying on the Indian music gimmick as an identity. But it's atmospheric and cohesive (kinda), with nothing sounding bad. There are some rough cuts, like "Decca" to "Eclipse" where I'm not sure what to feel, but again nothing that bothers me too much.

Très monotone. Le mélange de son est intéressant, mais ça sonne très fade overall

Not very interested in instrumental music

While Indian influences proved to be a fresh take on electronic music, the album is too long and the new idea also gets old fast

Can't help but notice it's just common Indian compositions (and not very profound) on common EDM stuff (and not very exceptional structure). It got a lot better for the final few tracks. Still there's a great recipe here, so it gets some credit assuming it led that principle a bit. (I think the Prodigy may have played with this a bit earlier, tho.) It was explored more, and better, by Tabla Beat Science's "Tala Matrix" so check that out if you liked this.

Meh. I want music to listen to. Dance music does nothing for me at all, it's just pointless if you don't dance.

I really didn’t feel this one. I will note that appreciate the attempt to do electronic music with an international influence, particularly with the use of Indian music. I also think the flute work of Sakamoto and Chaurasia was very nice, as well as Suchitra Pillai’s vocals. But overall, the album ends up being a bit of a hodgepodge mess. A little goes a long way when you do fusion in music, and Singh struggles to have a cohesive sound here. Additionally, the frenetic pace of some of these songs makes them a rather unpleasant listen, like I felt agitated and impatient for the album to just be over. Fave Songs: OK, Disser/Point.Mento.B, Sutrix

Not for me. Kind of an "Enya" style electronica. Might be nice stuff to play in the background when I'm working or something.

Fine I guess. Nothing interesting about it though. Good background music.

Ok, describes it well. 2/5

Mediocre. Nothing amazing, most probably good at the time but hasn't aged well.

not for me

OK by Talvin Singh (1998) It only takes one listen to India tabla playing to recognize its potential for fusion with techno/pop, and OK by Talvin Singh almost shows how it can be done. But first, a correction: The world is not sound, contrary to the theme-establishing lyrics on this album (in the opening track, “Traveller”). The singer (Singh?) sings “The world is sound. . . Leave the troubles behind”. This is a clumsy ode to the musician’s conceit. Of course “the world” is much more and much other than “sound”. The opening eleven-minute track insufficiently introduces what is clearly important about the album. By relying on the saucy background provided by the Madras Philharmonic Orchestra, it points the listener in the wrong direction. The album really takes off with the second track “Butterfly” and picks up speed with track three, “Sutrix”, adding vocalizations, techno flourishes, and standard western trap drum accompaniment, with a modified backbeat. The female choir on “Soni” has some serious pitch problems (although the spoken poetic conclusion of this track is interesting). And the rather manic and obscene Kama Sutra-‘inspired’ “Decca” fails musically on the erotic level. But the highlight of the record is “Light”, which capably provides the flavor of the project—heavy on tabla and flute. I recommend listening to this track first and then starting at the beginning if it meets your taste. Hearing the album twenty three years after its release, one gets a sense that it could have been better if it had incorporated influences of hip hop. It seems to be pulling in that direction, but it doesn’t even really leave the station. It sounds more like a suitable soundtrack to a Bollywood sci-fi epic, if there even is such a thing. The album is suitably titled. It’s OK (barely). 2/5

Ok, never heard of this before. Looking at the cover I'm gonna say scungy 90s UK techno - my guess is by the name, UK but son of Indian migrants. Potential Indian sounds. Baseline 3/5 but liable to drop. I also get the feeling this is gonna be an hour-long jobbie, not sure why but even without loading it yet I just get vibes of outstaying its welcome (like all scungy 90s UK electronica). HA! exactly one hour according to Spotify. Fuckin nailed it. Ok you might as well call me Nostradamus: UK but Indian background, scungy 90s UK techno. Has a bit of an Indian flavour along with the scungy beats. It sounds like the soundtrack to a snowboarding game on the ps1 lol. Honestly, I kinda like the exotic bits but as expected it just goes far too long. Even by halfway I was bored and completely lost interest. Would have gotten higher if it had the sense to be a bit shorter. 2/5.

27th July 2021 Listened throughout the day on my phone while working before going on a huge bike ride round Richmond Park with Sam. Interesting listen, reminded me of when I was a kid and my mum bought this on cd.

"Bella l'hindi, bella l'elettronica, bello il tabla! Bello, bello, bello tutto! Bravo, grazie! Adesso te ne poi pure annà!" Semi-cit. Io e Talvin non abbiamo legato. Non c'è stata alchimia. Al primo ascolto mi son detto: "E mo che voto gli do?" Ho provato un secondo ascolto per capirlo meglio, ma ho lasciato perdere. Voto: 2 perché non mi ha fatto schifo/vomitare

idk dude what even

Everything sort of blends together. This is pretty avant garde with electronica and experimental music, which I don't particularly enjoy, but I understand the concept behind it.

`utter madness

Talvin Singh's OK is a very creative and atmospheric effort, full of uncoventional jazzy and dubby sounds, though it's a bit too weird for me. I am not particular fond of Indian culture or of music that has more focus on instrumentals than vocals, so I am not a big fan. 2/5.

че-то вощще полумузыка какая-то. ну наверн можно зачиллить под этот абстракт как-то, но слушать на серьёзке желания никакого 3/10

As the title states; the album is OK🤷🏻‍♂️

It was ok, not really my thing but I can appreciate the thought gone into the arrangements 2*

No thanks. Didn't listen to much

Ik houd van drum 'n bass maar dat Aziatische gezang en die steeds terugkomende sitar trek ik minder.

Not the kind of music I like. Too repetitive and spacey.

4

Having links to Indian music is pretty cool. I like it, but don’t love it... not quite an album for this list

It starts better than it finishes. I like the atmospheric electronic world music as it ebbs and flows, but by the time we get to O.K., they've let Yoko Ono loose on this album and the squeeling and high energy makes it interesting but not entertaining.

Ehkä sienien kanssa voisi olla nerokasta ja lumoavaa menoa. Nyt jätti genreen suuremmin vihkiytymättömälle lähinnä kiusallisen kokemuksen.

shit ruined my day

Yikes

An awful combination of pretentiousness and sheer boredom. Maybe it’s my Eurocentric ignorance but I didn’t feel the non western elements worked at all with the electronica. Flour, eggs and sugar can make a cake, but that doesn’t mean every random combination of flour, eggs and sugar makes a cake, or even anything palatable. This album was just chucking random elements together and cajoling the critics into professing their admiration of it because it’s different. I wager very few listened to it more than twice, they might have admired it but no one truly loves music like this.

Mix of Indian music and electronica / drum and bass. On the plus side, it was very different from most of the other albums on this list. On the negative side, I found it extremely boring and difficult to get through. The slow, relaxing flute clashes with the fast tempo, polyrhythmic drums and I'm left wondering what situation I could be in where I'd want to listen to this.

Sounds like something Derek Zoolander would be super into

Bajo

I think this is really bad. One star...

actually genuinely put me to sleep

I rate this according to the number of songs I made it through.

Not it for me, just very weird, but not in a good way.

The music seems to always be in a rush to get to the next thing, which makes it doubly surprising that it's all so boring.

Not okay

no thanks

Não gosto de eletronica

Most definitely not for me.

Nah

It wasn't absolutely awful all the time but this feels like what one stars should be used for

Electronica at its worst.

Turns out I’m not a fan of electronica in any culture. At least it’s consistent.

Deeply boring and I hate electronica

There has been some bad stuff on here. Then there is this. A whole new category of bad. Beyond the ygtbfkm and into WTFITTTSBR?? 0.000

i wish i had a copy of the book to see the reasoning behind some album inclusions. i enjoy the "world" music inclusions on the list, if only for exposure - some are flat out incredible (fela kuti), but this seems to be an odd inclusion. world music + techno beats does not an interesting album make.

This is way too instrumental for me. Couldn’t get past track 1.

this was proper dead

Interesting combination of Indian and electronic but the delivery is kinda just boring 90s ambient stuff.

What a waste of time.

Not sure how much respect I had for the Mercury Prize when this endeavor started but it's not getting larger. This was long and boopy. The only thing elevating it from one star is that at least parts of it are interesting and it's clear that there's a vision being implemented (although it's not for me).

Definitely not for me, whilst it wasn't an earbleeder, ot's one i'd happily bever encounter again

Niet vet

Oh my God I'm so sick of this pointless meandering bullshit. Like does every song *need* to be that long and repetitive? And I want to be able to say I admire the attempt to incorporate a more diverse range of influences with the very Indian inspired sound, but it only ends up making it worse. Taking a very traditional and organic style of music and trying to mix it with this type of electronica just makes it sound so cheesy and really quite weird. I'm all for trying to use non western influences in music like this, but Jesus Christ this is just so far from how to do it well.

Not my thing

Did not enjoy this whatsoever

This is why colonialism is wrong.

Heb echt geprobeerd om het leuk te vinden

I feel like there is a shit ton of better Indian music that you can choose to add to this list. I'm not that into electronica, this whole album feels atmospheric for a lack of a better description. Interesting sounds, but it's just something you would hear in the background of a local cafe or tea place that's trying to go for that oriental vibe. That whole trippy, out of this world, let's take some LSD vibe if that makes sense. It's not for me at all. It's interesting, enjoy it if you want, but I just can't get through this. It's not the worst thing ever. It bores me so fast though. Some of these songs I would barely call songs. This is the type of music they would play in American movies about India. Action movies to be specific. It's just giving me nothing. Growing up, my grandma used to be obsessed with Indian dramas(I feel like each Eastern European and Balkan get this one) and the soundtrack on those was MAGNIFICENT. Even the background extra sounds were better than this album. I'm not even gonna mention Bollywood songs. Those absolutely SLAP. Do I understand a single thing? No. Do I get up to do the Saki Saki and Sheila Ki Jawani dance each time I hear those songs? Hell yeah. And there are many more incredible bangers that India put out. OK is the best song on this album. Soni is pretty good too. I'm actually vibing a tad bit. It's not enough to get this album out of the trash bin though. I just can't enjoy this. Just beacause you are using some traditional elements doesn't make this a masterpiece. If you wanna act so cool and different because you like music outside the English sphere, at least pick something interesting. If I hear a single person say this is their favourite Indian album I swear to god I'm gonna pull some Indian dramas type stunts on them.

Highlights: Butterfly, Mombasstic, OK This feels like music made for shitposts, while also being a giant shitpost of various sounds on its own. It had its moments of beauty, but most of the time I couldn't take it seriously. I don't have a lot to comment here... The traditional music is beautiful but it was spoiled by stupid noises.

Would be fire if I WAS geometry dash

Very pretentious

This was terrible. Indian electronica wasn’t on my bingo card.