Talvin Singh first rose to notoriety running a popular Monday night London club, Anokha. That experience led to the release of the album Anokha: Soundz of the Asian Underground, a highly regarded sampling of Asian-esque sounds from artists who performed at Anokha.
OK is
Singh's debut release, and it was nine months in the making. The title was chosen because of the universality of the word OK, which can be understood almost anywhere. It is mostly a reinterpretation of hypnotic Indian classical music with plenty of flute, sitar, and of course tabla. There's also
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan-like devotional qawwali and traditional Okinawan dance music mixed in to make
OK truly pan-Asian.
Singh's subtle craftsmanship in fitting the old with the modern make this album seductive and one of the best efforts yet at blending Asian sounds with techno. "Light," a truly wondrous fusion of Indian flute and rich atmospherics, encapsulates what
Singh is all about and should convince even the most skeptical. ~ Matthew Hilburn