Untouchable Outcaste Beats

Amazon.com
London's Outcaste Records continues to sate those in the know with some of the most intriguing fusionary sounds on either side of the Atlantic. Untouchable Outcaste Beats, Volume 1 will serve as the label's American calling card--an amalgam of tracks from its roster as well as from other seminal works in the genre. Dance Music Federation's essential "Cybersitar" stands out as a pioneering work, lacing a furious breakbeat with confused sitars and repetitive chant. Artists like Shri, with his serene "Meditations"; Nitin Sawnhey, who takes it to the lounge with "Bengali Song"; and Badmarsh, who abuses the hardsteppers on the dance floor with "Jungle Sitars" all take the music on divergent paths yet still find roots both in traditional Indian sounds and more frenetic U.K. club rhythms. The Outcaste sound fails to be monolithic, and precisely because of that, it paves the roads toward tomorrow. --Jon Caramanica

URB
Much of the material here is drum & bass flavored, with sitars and tablas complementing standard ambient jungle stylistics. Untouchable Outcaste Beats manages to cover territory from downtempo, instrumental hip-hop and even some electro flavors providing a full palate of Asian flavors.

Tracks:

Mathar - The Dave Pike Set
Streets Of Calcutta - Ananda Shankar
Cybersitar - Dance Music Federation
Theme For The Outcaste - Pressure Drop
The Hand Of Contraband - Up Bustle And Out
Meditation - Shri
Bengali Song - Nitin Sawhney
Stay Right Here - Better Daze
Mind Filter - T.J. Rehmi
Take Of Your Clothes To Feel The Setting Sun - Wolfgang Dauner Quintet
Jungle Sitars - Badmarsh
The Firefly - Niraj Chag
Streets - Nitin Sawhney
Trains - Shri

Amazon.com

London's Outcaste Records continues to sate those in the know with some of the most intriguing fusionary sounds on either side of the Atlantic. Untouchable Outcaste Beats, Volume 1 will serve as the label's American calling card--an amalgam of tracks from its roster as well as from other seminal works in the genre. Dance Music Federation's essential "Cybersitar" stands out as a pioneering work, lacing a furious breakbeat with confused sitars and repetitive chant. Artists like Shri, with his serene "Meditations"; Nitin Sawnhey, who takes it to the lounge with "Bengali Song"; and Badmarsh, who abuses the hardsteppers on the dance floor with "Jungle Sitars" all take the music on divergent paths yet still find roots both in traditional Indian sounds and more frenetic U.K. club rhythms. The Outcaste sound fails to be monolithic, and precisely because of that, it paves the roads toward tomorrow. --Jon Caramanica

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic Sample of Asian Underground genre.......2005-03-26

This super CD should wet your appetite for the richness of the so called asian underground music. The only caveat about CD, is you may want just go ahead and buy the cds of the artists, so you won't have extra versions of the tracks once you are hooked on their music. The mixture of eastern and mostly western rhythm is truly refreshing and uplifting. Who had it first? These guys or the theivery corporation?

Great ! a must!!!!.......2004-08-04

Great cd. Tracks are awsome. track #3 cyber sitar - amazing!
outcaste has done it again

CAREFULLY!!!.......2002-08-11

the breaks and rhythms in many tracks are *quite* repetetive, sterile, and boring - lightweight and not mental or cut-up enough (for me), although the other sampling, sounds and intruments are perfect. This maybe a bit wishy washy for hardcore Jungle & dNb heads but the Indian influence is well dealt with and the CD really is a must for anyone interested in the cross over.

Th CD will open your eyes!.......2001-11-10

How good can a various artist Cd get? Is there a limit to a single CD's greatness? Can a Cd be so good that you cannot stop listning to it? Yes there is. This one. This CD is very unusual totally racy and expermental and is a true winner. Excillent tracks by some of the best artists to come out form the Asian Unnderground Movement. It also has some classics from the 60's and 70's flower prower era. Besides jungel standerds by the likes of Nitin Swahny, Shri and Barmarsh there are some excillent break beat hooks by Up, Bustel and Out and Pressur drop. In fact "the theam from outcaste" is probably the best electronic track i have ever heard period. Also T.J. Rehmi and Niraj Chag lend there fantastic expertiese to this already beautiful collection of stars and ofcourse there is the timeless classic Mathar....only song i have ever heard where electric guitar and a sitar actually work. I never review a Cd unless i am gonna give it 5 stars and trust me, I would give this one 20 if i could . Excillent cd.

Exotic.......2001-10-31

This CD, while not nearly as well known, ranks up there with Sounds of the Asian Underground. I woudn't say that about many other indie mixes, except maybe Tabla Beat Science, and some of Badmarsh & Shri's best stuff.

Here's my breakdown:
1) The cover art is cool.
2) The title for the CD is pretty damn bold. I wondered if the music could hold up to a title like that. Happily, it does.
3) About the music: This CD moves in and out of traditional and modern techniques. We are presented with some of the ancient power instruments such as tablas and sitars, mixed with warm deep base, and electronic beats. The producers took care to let us enjoy each aspect fully. The past and the present are combined into something greater than the sum of its parts. In this way, we get a primordial sound that at once doesn't feel dated.