ArtistInfo

Nitin Sawhney
Beyond Skin

Album UK 1999 on Outcaste Records label
Dance (Downtempo, Drum’n’Bass)

Liner Notes: "I am Indian. To be accurate, I was raised in England, but my parents came from India - land, people, government or self - 'Indian' - what does that mean? At this time, the government of India is testing nuclear weapons - Am I less Indian if I don't defend their actions? ... Less Indian for being born and raised in Britain? - For not speaking Hindi? Am I not English because of my cultural heritage? - Or the colour of my skin? Who decides? - 'History' tells me my heritage came from the 'Sub' continent - a 'third world' country, a 'developing' nation, a 'colonised' land - So what is history? - For me, just another arrogant Eurocentric term... I learned only about Russian, European and American history in my school syllabus - India, Pakistan, Africa - these places were full of people whose history did not matter - the enslaved, the inferior. This is an album with a time span that runs backwards - it begins with the Indian Prime Minister - Vajpayee - proudly announcing the testing of 3 nuclear bombs on Indian soil. Vajpayee is the leader of the BJP - The 'Hindu fundamentalist' party. These tests first took place in 1998. In 1945, two years before the Independence of India, Oppenheimer, creator of the atomic bomb, witnessed the first test of his creation. Afterwards he quoted from the 'Bhagavad Gita' - the Hindu 'Bible' - in condemnation of his own creation. His quote ends the album. He quotes Vishnu saying 'Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds' as he breaks down in tears. [...] The BJP in India. The BNP in England. The first would define me by my religious heritage, the latter by the colour of my skin. I believe in Hindu philosophy. I am not religious. I am a pacifist. I am a British Asian. My identity and my history are defined only by myself - beyond politics, beyond nationality, beyond religion and Beyond Skin." ~ Nitin Sawhney 1999

Musicians

	Nitin Sawhney key, *1964 GB mixed by, engineer, producer, arranged by, composed by, liner notes, album by, guitar, drum programming, arranged by, strings, piano, wurlitzer, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, drum programming, arranged by, string, noises, white noise production, piano, wurlitzer, written by
	Toni Economides bvoc, GB computer, pro tools, mixed by, engineer, programmed by
	Shri tab, GB electric upright bass
	Aref Durvesh tab, voc, tabla
	Jayanta Bose voc, *1956 vocals
	Sanchita Farruque bvoc, vocals
	Atal Bihari Vajpayee , *1924 GB vocals, vocal sample
	Tina Grace voc, BR vocals
	Joe Claussell perc, *1961 US featuring
	Nina Miranda voc, *1970 GB vocals
	Spek , CA vocals
	Swati Natekar voc, vocals
	Devinder Vikyat Singh , vocals
	Sushmita Ghosh , vocals

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