Picked it up a couple of days ago, and...
hmm, the first track I like - an electro funk blues groove with indian pads *is* interesting, but a lot of the rest just seems to fade into a grey sludge (or maybe I need better speakers :D ). THe album is tame and lacking in excitement or novelty at the moment. Guess I need to listen to it some more.
Another *indian* flavoured album I picked up recently is Audible by Japanese producer/guru DOI. This also mixes tabla, sitar vocal samples etc - and while a whole lot less slick has more fun and energy than the nitin , it also mixes in that Japanese attraction for pure noise with the odd meatily fractured rhythm. Quite satisfying in places
Revirth (http://www.revirth.com)
I've also enjoyed the Organ Language album on this label.

Joel,

Coincidently I picked up a Nitin CD as the weekend - Beyond Skin.
It's a very political album writen in the aftermath of India testing it's nuclear capability.

Kinda' funky and chilled out I've still to reach a definitive opion on it - but it's growing on me. It reminds me very much of the sentiment behind Ryuichi Sakamoto's 'Life', only Nitin is more mainstream. Both sample Oppenheimer and both can drag if you're in the wrong mood. On other occasions though they can stun.

Nitin was recommeded to be by a helpful shop assisstant. I was originially only going to buy Talvin Singh's OK. This is another British Asian album only with a bit more tempo. Again it's growing on me though I do really like the title track - Ok - which samples some Okinawan music...

Dave

Beyond Skin is excellent.
Prophesy is very good.
Human - I really like the first 4 tracks, after that I don't think it's quite as good, but I need to listen to it some more after I've finished playing all Dave Cattlin's LPs!

I'm probably not in a Nitin mood right now. I have Prophesy and Beyond Skin and ahve enjoyed them very much.
I do think Nitin may have overmined this particular seem: the BBC news samples, Indian vocals, stabs of Flamenco guitar are becoming a bit predictable. But when I'm in the mood I will give it another listen.
Talvin Singh is well worth checking out IMHO. Very different from Nitin, though.

Originally posted by joel
I do think Nitin may have overmined this particular seem: the BBC news samples

Phew - thought it was just me; a bit formulaic after his other two, but I should give it more of a chance really. I will, when I stop wearing out this stupid Jilted John album!

Gave it a spin on the main system last night. And... erm, still the same. I clearly wasn't *mellow* enough or something. Kind of a problem that, as last night I was about as mellow as I'm ever likely to get.
THe more I listen to it, the more this album stinks :confused:
Maybe I should just give it a miss for a week or two. Maybe. More likely, it will be joing the St Germain CD I picked up last week in the racks at my local s/h CD dealer.
Track 3 (I think it was) is the Carpenters on Mogadon. Really atrocious.
grrr... I was looking forward to this.

Joel:

Want to open up your stacks of music rejects for a second-hand sale?? I've blind-bought a fair number of discs at s/h CD stores as it is - a few more probably wouldn't hurt :D.

best, jonathan

Originally posted by jcarr
Joel:

Want to open up your stacks of music rejects for a second-hand sale?? I've blind-bought a fair number of discs at s/h CD stores as it is - a few more probably wouldn't hurt :D.

best, jonathan
Jonathan,
The St Germain is yours. Are you a fan of Edmundo Ross and his Latin Orchestra (on four-channel LPs) ;)
BTW, a stall has just opened in Kichijoji Sun Road that has a bunch of LP at the rear (will have to check if it's still there). Stupidly expensive, but there seem to be a couple of interesting things. Do you know the "Megu Jazz" kissa in Kichi? I still can't figure out where it actually is :rolleyes:

The only Nitin album I like is Displacing the Priest. It's more sprightly and leaner than his other stuff, which is too often stodgy and lumbering.

And I do find that absurdly massive and muscular production verges on audiophile self parody.

Originally posted by Kit Taylor

And I do find that absurdly massive and muscular production verges on audiophile self parody.
You could have a point there.
My suggestion for a cure is to go and find all the Nonesuch Explorer albums you can and enjoy some very fine and surprising music.
I have been listening to the Nonesuch sampler on vinyl from 1971 this morning. Two tracks in particular knocked me sideways: In praise of Oxala and other Gods (79729). The two tracks from this album of black music from Colombia's Pacific coast are a potent West African brew of drums and candomble.
The other tracks are from The Real Bahamas and are very close in style and spirit to the fabulous vocal quartets of the Southern US. The African elements shine even clearer here than in Alabama, though.
Nothing remotely audiophile or processed in this music, but profoundly marvellous all the same.

There's good "Indian and modern stuff" stuff on Nagual Site by Sacred System.

They're a Bill Laswell project, with Zakir Hussain and assorted middle eastern musos plus the usual Laswell hangers on (Jah Wobble, Bernie Worrell, Nicky Skoplettuces etc).

It has the trademark lush, airy Laswell production and space funk tinge, but it's quite stripped down. It sounds driving and focused, the indian classical this music derives from having a certain simple elegance sometimes lost on the beat bashers.