Talvin Singh

Talvin Singh

Talvin Singh is a London-born producer, composer, tabla player, DJ and music theorist associated with Asian Underground, electronica, drum and bass and fusion work that brings Indian classical music into Western pop, dance and jazz contexts. He is born in 1970 and grows up in Leytonstone. As a child he begins learning tabla, and as a teenager he travels to India for study under Acharya Pandit Laxman Singh, also referred to as Pandit Lashman Singh, a master of the Punjab school. He later returns to the UK, although his classical playing is not initially accepted by British promoters because of the strength of his Western influences.

Early career and collaborations

By the late 1980s, Singh turns towards musical fusion. He comes to wider attention in 1991 through his tabla playing and singing on Siouxsie and the Banshees’ single Kiss Them for Me, after which he becomes the group’s sixth member and takes part in their run as second headliners on the first Lollapalooza tour. In 1993 Björk recruits him as percussionist and musical director for her album Debut. He also works with Sun Ra and Courtney in experimental collaborations that help popularise the Asian underground scene.

Anokha and production work

In late 1995 Singh founds the Anokha club night with promoter Sweety Kapoor at East London’s Blue Note. The night brings together drum’n’bass DJs, South Asian punk bands, and Singh’s tabla and percussion performances, with guest appearances from figures including LTJ Bukem. He signs to Island for an Anokha compilation that includes several of his own productions. He also remixes Blondie’s Maria and later works with David Sylvian, Madonna on Music, Massive Attack and others.

Ok and later recognition

Singh releases his solo debut album Ok in 1998. The album is recorded in Mumbai, Madras, Okinawa, New York and London and features contributions from Bill Laswell, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ustad Sultan Khan and the Madras Philharmonic Orchestra among others. It receives the Mercury Music Prize in 1999 and also wins the South Bank Prize. Singh is later recognised at the UK Asian Music Awards for Commitment to Scene in 2010, and receives an OBE in the 2014 Birthday Honours.

Instruments, projects and other work

Singh develops the Tablatronic in 1990, a hybrid electronic and analogue tabla with a rare internal microphone system. His collaborations with Indian classical musicians include Ustad Sultan Khan, Rakesh Churasia, Ustad Imrat Khan and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. He also performs at the Tate Gallery in London, creates a sound installation at Frith Street Gallery in London, and composes for experimental dance, theatre and film projects. He is also linked with Tabla Beat Science and releases work on Omni Records.