"Sounds of the Underground (feat. Talvin Singh)"
by Vishal Oberoi

Sitar Funkadelia. Organic House, Tabla-Driven Drum ‘n’ Bass. Happy Hardcore Garage. To many, this may seem like an obscure muddle of musical terms. But, to the Asian Underground aficionado, they are the familiar titles of coherent schools of music, each with their own definitive style and ‘devotees’. But with names, labels and titles as nauseating as “Spitmarks on the Mirror”, its hard to tell whether these fans are “addicted” or perhaps, “afflicted”. (Note: At this point, the writer runs for cover from the potential onslaught of the cohorts of the “Mad about Trance Music Forum” (MTMF)).

The Underground. A sticky tag attributed to music mixed and mastered (at times, composed) by numerous DJs from around the globe. Progressive music genres like Underground and its derivatives have found a sizeable sect of supporters amongst GenerationNext-ers, especially with the evolution of techno, trance, drum ‘n’ bass and electronica, which are collectively termed as ‘dance music’ in a needless over-generalization (much to the repugnance of the MTMF, mind you). Several DJs, particularly those from Europe, the birthplace of modern underground, have carved their niche in modern-day club culture, with night-clubbers grinding to their dance grooves in discotheques from Ibiza to Illinois. Ministry of Sound and other DJs like Moby, Paul Oakenfold, BT, Tiesto and Delerium have cults to call their own, and their mixes of hit songs have become all the rage, at times even more popular than the original tracks themselves.

The Asian Underground, chiefly originating from Great Britain, is another revolution, altogether. The followers of Psychadelic Trance (yet another variant of the virus .. oops, I did it again) recognize “Goa” as one of its principal categories. Asian DJs like Nitin Sawhney, Shri, Badmarsh (yes, you read it right) and Karunesh have been mixing ethnic Indian sounds with electronica for ages, but have come in to their own only off late. Perhaps the recent surfacing of the Underground (ironic, I know) could be attributed to the humongous success of the “Buddha Bar” series, which brought out the sound of the Underground, for all the world to see .. umm .. hear . whatever.

One of the prime exponents of the form is DJ-cum-percussionist Talvin Singh, who stirred up a storm back in 1999 with his British Mercury Music Prize-winning album, modestly titled, OK. When asked “Why O.K.?”, Talvin claimed that ‘its something that the whole world understands’, which illuminates the eclectic and spectral nature of his music. Talvin, founder of the mega-popular East End London nightclub, Anokha, transfigured the Asian underground with his invention, the Tablatronic (the name says it all). The 31-year old fusion prodigy from England draws inspiration from the domain of Indian classical music, and has gone on to produce several groundbreaking albums featuring guest artists like Shankar Mahadevan, Rakesh Chaurasia, Illayaraja and Ustad Sultan Khan. These albums (including Ha, Back to Mine and ‘Anokha’: Soundz Of The Asian Underground”) have been ‘instrumental’ (pun intended) in bringing ethnic Indian sounds into the international music scene.

He has toured and worked with David Bowie, Bjork, Neneh Cherry & Massive Attack, remixed Madonna and featured on the soundtracks of movies like “The Replacement Killers”. Talvin’s music has been described in a variety of different ways from drum ‘n’ bass to mood music to ambient. But in essence, each album of his is really ‘groovy’ with a fresh, new sound each time.

Talvin Singh’s forthcoming concert, due to be held at the Del Mar Bar, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai on Thursday, May 30^th, 2002, will be an absolute “trip” for fans of the ‘experimental’ genre of music, and will, undoubtedly, satiate many an avid Asian Underground fan(atic), who usually rely on nightclubs or the Internet to get their kind of music.

Talvin is a chockfull of the essential ingredient of every DJ’s constitution – attitude. When asked if there was a touch of A.R. Rehman on his tracks, Singh is known to have said, "Perhaps there's a little touch of Talvin Singh in his music”. But among the several questions that his fans out here would want to ask him, I’m sure the one that’s on most lips is “Talvin, what’s with the hair, dude ?”. Just kidding. Talvin’s music comes from a world of seemingly suspended reality ; music that captures the current-day transitions between identities, cultures, destinations, and languages in a unique other-worldly blend of beats, pads, synth leads, chants and other sounds from his multi-ethnic paraphernalia – truly symbolizing the globalism of the 21^st century. “The best part of a Talvin Singh performance is that you never know what to expect. Its almost an organic musical experience”, claims a die-hard fan, who like most elements of the Underground, prefers to remain … anonymous.