Anokha – Soundz of the Asian Underground
| Anokha – Soundz of the Asian Underground | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 17 June 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Electronica, Indian music[1] | |||
| Length | 71:49 | |||
| Label | Polygram | |||
| Producer | Talvin Singh | |||
| Talvin Singh chronology | ||||
| ||||
Anokha – Soundz of the Asian Underground is a compilation album.
Background
This 1997 album arose from the Anokha music club night, formed by its host Talvin Singh and Sweety Kapoor, with music producer/DJ State of Bengal a.k.a. Sam Zaman.[2] Anokha held weekly sessions at the legendary Blue Note venue at Hoxton Square in London's East End.[3] The album was marketed by Mango Records, a division of Island Records. Those music sessions and this compilation helped to promote the rise of the Asian Underground movement.[4][5]
The compilation was signed via Anokha's imprint label Omni Records to Island Records and led to major label deals for Talvin Singh, State of Bengal and Amar.[6]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[8] |
| The Guardian | [9] |
| Muzik | 9/10[10] |
| Rolling Stone |  [11] |
| Spin | 8/10[12] |
| The Village Voice | C+[13] |
Reviewing for The Village Voice in December 1997, Robert Christgau appraised the album negatively: [14]"With zip to do with bhangra, and no commitment to drum 'n' bass, here's a travelogue designed to remind us that tabla players (presenter Talvin Singh, for instance!) have been hand-producing something like breakbeats for years. Not exactly like breakbeats, though. Anyway, who buys records solely for breakbeats? (Wait, I don't want to know.)"[13] AllMusic's John Bush was more enthusiastic, deeming it "a startlingly natural-sounding fusion of Indian music and instruments with drum'n'bass, breakbeats and electronics, unlike other worldbeat-influenced electronic recordings which feature an abundance of styles but rarely approach true fusion." Bush highlighted Singh and State of Bengal's songs, as well as "K-Ascendant" by Kingsuk Biswas.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jaan[15]" | Talvin Singh | 6:02 |
| 2. | "Flight IC408" | State of Bengal | 7:21 |
| 3. | "Kizmet" | Lelonek | 5:16 |
| 4. | "Shang High" | Future Soundz of India | 5:52 |
| 5. | "Chittagong Chill" | State of Bengal | 8:25 |
| 6. | "Mumbai Theme Tune" | A. R. Rahman | 5:15 |
| 7. | "Distant God" | Talvin Singh | 6:17 |
| 8. | "Heavy Intro" | Amar | 3:08 |
| 9. | "Equation" | Equal I | 5:59 |
| 10. | "Spiritual Masterkey" | Osmani Soundz | 5:14 |
| 11. | "Accepting Trankuility" | Milky Bar Kid | 8:39 |
| 12. | "K-Ascendant" | Kingsuk Biswas | 4:32 |
| Total length: | 71:49 | ||
References
- ^ Ford, Richard T. (2009). Racial Culture: A Critique. Princeton University Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-1400826308.
In the 1990s London's 'electronica' style met traditional Indian musical styles in, for example, Talvin Singh's aptly titled Soundz of the Asian Underground (the spelling of 'soundz' itself a nod to African-American hip-hop slang).
- ^ "Anokha". Discogs. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ "Anokha :: Sounds from the Asian Underground". ethnotechno.com. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Anokha: Soundz of the Asian Underground - Talv... | AllMusic, retrieved 4 January 2025
- ^ "Anokha :: Sounds from the Asian Underground". www.ethnotechno.com. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ "Omni Records Discography". Discogs. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ a b Bush, John. "Anokha: Soundz of the Asian Underground – Talvin Singh". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ Woodard, Josef (27 June 1997). "Anokha: Soundz of the Asian Underground". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ Hoyland, Luke (28 February 1997). "Talvin Singh Presents: Anokha: Soundz of the Asian Underground". The Guardian.
- ^ Howe, Rupert (March 1997). "Various Artists: Anokha – Soundz of the Asian Underground (Mango)" (PDF). Muzik. No. 22. p. 104.
- ^ Fletcher, Tony (26 June 1997). "Talvin Singh Presents: Anokha: Soundz of the Asian Underground" (PDF). Rolling Stone. p. 57. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ Hermes, Will (July 1997). "Talvin Singh Presents: Anokha: Soundz of the Asian Underground". Spin. Vol. 13, no. 4. pp. 114–16. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (2 December 1997). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: The Village Voice (1955-2018)". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
- ^ Various - Talvin Singh Presents: Anokha (Soundz Of The Asian Underground), 1997, retrieved 4 January 2025
External links
- Anokha – Soundz of the Asian Underground at Discogs (list of releases)