Talvin Singh – Indo-electronica pioneer
Talvin Singh is a British born musician who has always had one foot firmly in India. Singh grew up in Leytonstone, East London, and although he became a fan of both break-dancing and punk rock at different stages of his childhood, he was also a keen player of the tabla – an Indian percussion instrument used predominantly in Hindustani classical music. At 15 years old, Singh relocated to India to study the tabla, but returned shortly afterwards. Although his enthusiasm for the instrument hadn’t dimmed, his western-influenced style of playing was not completely accepted by his tutors – an attitude that he continued to experience back in the UK, mostly from promoters of classical Indian music.
It became clear to Singh that he had no future as a classical tabla musician unless he conformed to traditional conventions, which was something he wasn’t prepared to do. Instead, the young musician turned his attention toward a new style of tabla that fused classical Hindustani with western rhythmical structures. Having found his musical path, Singh made rapid progress, and in 1991, aged just 21, he appeared on the Siouxsie and the Banshees single, ‘Kiss Them for Me’. In the years that followed, Singh’s career really took off, and he worked with stars like Madonna, Massive Attack, Björk and Future Sound of London.
In 1995, Singh teamed up with promoter Sweety Kapoor to found the Anokha night at East London’s Blue Note club. The night was an eclectic mix of UK drum n’ bass and South Asian punk fused with the sounds of Singh’s tabla and percussion, and attracted drum n’ bass luminaries such as LTJ Bukem to appear in guest spots. Anokha quickly became an extremely popular night with clubbers of various persuasions, and propelled Singh to greater fame. Not long after Anokha’s founding, Singh signed to Island records to produce a compilation of Anokha collaborations, including a selection of his own original material. After working as a remix artist for a short period, Singh finally released his solo debut album ‘Ok’ in 1999, which landed him the coveted Mercury Music Prize in the same year.
Since the success of ‘Ok’, Singh has only released a further two solo albums – ‘Ha’ in 2001, and ‘Drum + Space’ in 2009, the latter under the name of Calcutta Cyber Café. However, during the first decade of the new millennium, Singh produced a lot of music in collaboration with other artists, working with Rakesh Chaurasia in 2002 and Sangat in 2004. Singh also maintains a busy schedule of live performance, as well as working as a record producer for upcoming young British Asian artists.
Credited as the father of modern Asian electronic music, Talvin Singh is the first name on the list whenever anyone is looking to put together something experimental, but with a distinct Eastern flavour. As such, over the years his work has included such varied projects as a sound installation at London’s Frith Street Gallery, a live performance at the Tate Gallery, and compositions for various experimental dance and theatre groups. Recognised for his commitment to Asian music with a 2010 UK Asian Music Award, Singh remains an inspiration to Asian musicians, both in the UK and abroad.
