OK - Talvin Singh
Asad Kiyani

The question that most people have is "Who the hell is Talvin Singh?" A fair question - I wasn’t even sure who he was until I read of his new release in a magazine.

So who is he? He’s one of the top DJ’s to come out of the UK, and, according to the people allegedly in the know, this CD was one of the most hotly anticipated ones of the year.

When I picked it up, I was expecting a terrific underground dance disc. Suffice it to say that I did not get what I expected. This is partly because I was so unacquainted with

Singh and partly because the man doesn’t let you pin him down easily.

Trying to describe his style is difficult, especially for such an admittedly ignorant listener as myself. I already have a hard enough time distinguishing between drum-and-bass, jungle and hard house, but thrown in a philharmonic orchestra, an electric violin

and a variety of flutes and gongs plus a number of indescribable classical East Indian instruments and it becomes increasingly difficult to pigeonhole this CD.

The best description is that it is a terrific CD. Singh beautifully melds harmonies and employs a number of artists and instruments to perfectly cross his version of the underground dance scene with the traditional music of his Indian ancestry.

It is refreshing to hear something so Western and modern that has been so beautifully infused with classical Eastern elements. ok is hard to find, but the recording is unlike anything else out there today and well worth the trouble of having your favourite CD store order it for you.