Talvin Singh

British musician and producer (born 1970) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Talvin Singh (born in 1970) is a British tabla player, musician, producer, and composer. Singh is associated with the Asian Underground movement. His debut album, OK (1998), won the Mercury Music Prize in 1999.[6] He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to music[7] and received the Ivor Novello Award for Innovation at the 2022 Ivor Composer Awards.[8]

Born
Talvinder Singh Matharoo[1]

1970 (age 55–56)[2]
London, England[2]
Genres
[2][3]
Occupations
[1]
InstrumentTabla[1]
Quick facts Background information, Born ...
Talvin Singh
OBE
Singh performing live in 2012
Singh performing in 2012
Background information
Born
Talvinder Singh Matharoo[1]

1970 (age 55–56)[2]
London, England[2]
Genres
[2][3]
Occupations
[1]
InstrumentTabla[1]
Years active1991–present
LabelIsland[3]
AwardsMercury Prize (1999)[4]
OBE (2014)[1]
Ivor Novello Award for Innovation (2022)[5]
Websitetalvinsingh.com
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Early life and career

Singh was born in Leytonstone, East London. He began playing tabla as a child and went to India at 16 to study for two years.[9] Upon returning to London, he worked with artists including Björk, Sun Ra, Massive Attack, Courtney Pine, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.[9] Between 1996 and 1999, Singh, along with creative producer Sweety Kapoor, and DJ/music producer Sam Zaman (aka State of Bengal), hosted the Anokha nights at the Blue Note club in Hoxton Square, London,[10] showcasing a new fusion sound from predominantly South Asian-origin artists. In 1997, Singh released the compilation album Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground.[10] In 1998, he released his debut studio album, OK, which went on to win the Mercury Prize in 1999.[6] In 2000, he collaborated with Madonna on her album Music.[10]

Style and influences

Singh's music incorporates elements of Indian classical music, electronic music, and drum and bass music.[9][11] Singh has stated that his early practice involved using electronic beats in place of a metronome, which influenced his later integration of traditional and electronic rhythms.[12]

In a 2017 interview with The Times of India, he contested the term 'fusion music', stating that integrating Indian and Western musical traditions requires a formal understanding of both systems.[11] In a 2022 interview with M Magazine, Singh said that he was "not a conventional composer" from a Western musical perspective, and described his work as rooted in Indian classical and oral traditions rather than manuscript-based composition.[13][14] In a 2023 interview with Mixmag, he stated that the Anokha club nights featured a combination of ambient music, trip-hop, Indian classical music, and jungle.[15]

Awards

Singh received the Mercury Prize in 1999 for the album OK. He was appointed OBE in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to music and received the Ivor Novello Award for Innovation in 2022.[6][7][8]

Discography

Albums

  • Drum + Space (as Calcutta Cyber Café) (1996)
  • OK (1998)
  • Ha (2001)
  • Vira (2001)
  • Sweet Box (2008)
  • OK (Expanded Edition) (2009)

Compilations

Collaborations and original contributions

Remixes

References

External links

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