Tala Matrix

Tabla Beat Science

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 2000)
• Original Release Date: September 12, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Palm Pictures (Audio
• ASIN: B00004XT0D
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #42,645 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #26 in	Music > Dance & Electronic > Drum & Bass
  #81 in	Music > World Music > India & Pakistan > India

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Call it an aggregation of some of the best contemporary percussionists: Trilok Gurtu, Zakir Hussain, and Asian Underground star Talvin Singh combine under the sonic washes of producer Bill Laswell to show the possibilities of Indian percussion. It's definitely a beatfest, but one of subtlety, where what is being said isn't as important as the way it's being stated, and the dialogue between hands includes a lot of silences. Gurtu comes from a more jazz tradition, Hussein a classical background, and Singh represents the brash young things of the dance floor. Mostly Laswell leaves it to them to provide the sonic entertainment, which is as it should be with delicate swathes of sound barely intruding, just coloring the proceedings. While it's not for everyone, those who love Indian percussion in all its forms will find this album a complete joy. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gret way to unwind, June 1, 2001

By	3rdeadly3rd (Brisbane, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews

Feel free to tell me that I'm using this CD in the wrong way - but I find it particularly good to come home from a tough day and relax with this in the background.

As well as being very easy to do, it is the sort of album where you don't really feel ashamed saying that you fell asleep to it. After all, in traditional ceremonies tablas were meant to inspire trances - and what is a sleep if not a big trance?

As far as the music here is concerned, it is great. The collective of tabla virtuosi (or Ustads - as far as I can work out) blend together almost seamlessly. I know that there are some tracks on which more than one performer is playing but I can't tell which ones these are without cheating on the liner notes. It is also very interesting to see the use of technology by each player.

This ranges from Talvin Singh's sampled voice saying "Don't Worry Dot Com" on the track of the same name, right through to the strange computerised reverb on "Audiomaze". Along the way we pass vague dub basslines (provided by producer de jour Bill Laswell) and various chants from what sound like whirling dervishes. While none of these uses of technology actually detract from anything (track or album) they do somewhat interrupt the continuity of the album - although this is a minor cosmetic problem.

Apart from this, the album flows beautifully, with each track having various intensity levels throughout which don't seem to change with any great deal of speed - again contributing to the trance factor.

Of particular note is the final performance "Alla". This is an 11 minute solo done without benefit of technology by one of the performers in memory of his late father - also a tabla master. The intricacy with which it is played and the surprising resurfacing of motifs make this a truly awe-inspiring piece of music. In my opinion, "Alla" alone justifies the purchase of the album.

In short, buy this album. As well as appreciating the cultural side of it and the Asian Underground side of it, also experience the sleep-inducing side of it.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ecstasy., September 10, 2002

By	Tapan Karwa (Sunnyvale, CA) - See all my reviews

This is a great CD. Although the music is fusion, percussions dominate. Completely. Tracks 2, 7 and 11 are just superb. The others are great. TBS proves there are no limits.

If you like "live at stern grove", you should like this one too. The difference is that this is a studio album and so the music has been mixed (well) in comparison to "live at stern grove" where you get to listen to the music as is. Also, this one is percussion-dominated.

The tabla sequences are long and amazing. Its a complete delight. Nothing less. Your will see your fingers tapping.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars And the Tabla thumped on!, September 18, 2000

By	O. Quraishi "Zoobee" (San Francisco, Ca) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Zakir Hussein and Talvin Singh have given us the DnB crazy but tired of typical three layerd cheesy DnB loops a great album. This album is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! (For those who love the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!) Music is the bread, electonica/techno/DnB is jelly and Indian Tabla the peanut butter. Listening to the album is like enjoying peanut butter sandwich with a cold glass of milk! Having disaapointed by Talvin Singhs recent offerings I was not much optimistic about this particular collaboration. However, I was rather pleasantly surprised right from the beginning of the first track (Secret Channel) till the very last track of the album. Surprisingly, I did not feel the urge of skipping a single track. This album can indeed be listened all the way through. No filler tracks what so ever. My current favorites are track #4 titled "Don't Worry.Com", a wicked mix of Tabla along the thumping DnB lines, and track #6 titled "Devotional" a nice mix of traditional Indian and the techno sounds. I was glad to have bought the album.