Anokha – Soundz of the Asian Underground
1997 compilation album by Talvin Singh
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Anokha – Soundz of the Asian Underground is a compilation album.
| Anokha – Soundz of the Asian Underground | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 17 June 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genres | Electronica, Indian music[1] | |||
| Length | 71:49 | |||
| Label | Polygram | |||
| Producer | Talvin Singh | |||
| Talvin Singh chronology | ||||
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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 | ||
