Talvin Singh – OK

Part of the Asian Underground movement, Talvin Singh is best known for his innovative fusion of Indian classical music with drum’n’bass, jungle, and breakbeat. Singh first appeared on the scene playing tabla and singing on “Kiss Them for Me” by Siouxsie and the Banshees. He would later join the group on their Lollapalooza tour and two years later be recruited by Björk as the percussionist and director on her 1993 album, Debut. OK, Singh’s debut full-length on Island Records, is a masterfully grandiose exploration of futuristic electronic music from the Asian Diaspora filled with spoken meditations, Bollywood strings, numerous Indian classical instruments and rhythms alongside drum & bass and jungle beats. The album is over-the-top in the best way (like a great Bollywood film) and wonderfully sincere in its execution. It would earn the Mercury Music Prize that year in 1999. If you like this album, we’d also recommend listening to Singh’s transcendent chill-out remix of John Martyn’s “Sunshine’s Better.”

Recommended – Full Listen