Tabla Beat Science Tala Matrix CD

Tabla Beat Science is a Bill Laswell "Indo-futurist" project combining classical Indian tabla music with electronic beat circuitry.

Get your latte at the Calcutta cyber cafe and sit down for some foursquare Indian junglephonics. This meeting of percussive minds is curated by (who else?) the iconoclastic Bill Laswell, who has corralled some of the finest hands in the land--Trilok Gurtu, Zakir Hussain, Karsh Kale, and Talvin Singh--for an electrifying amalgam of electronica and masterful Indian tradition.

TALA MATRIX just sizzles from the start: witness Hussain's unbelievable tabla patterns setting the air afire throughout the seven-minute beatfest that is "Secret Channel," as Laswell lays a bed of bass and supple electronic cushions. "Palmistry" highlights the talents of Karsh Kale, whose tablas explore a dense web of thumping bass and elastic sitar samples, all of which soar into space on glistening electronic wings. These new beat scientists grab you by the throat and by the ear. In this laboratory, they don't let go until the test tubes boil.

Classical Indian Tabla Rhythms & Harmonics W/Eletronic Beats

Recorded at Orange Music Sound, West Orange, New Jersey; Studio Zerkall, Germany; Calcutta Cyber Studios, London, England. Includes liner notes by Ajay Naidu.

Personnel includes: Ustad Sultan Khan (vocals, sarangi); Talvin Singh (vocals, tabla); Karsh Kale (keyboards, drums, tabla); Bill Laswell (bass); Trilok Gurtu (drums, tabla); Brad Somatik (programming).

Producers include: Bill Laswell, Matt Howe, Talvin Singh, Karsh Kale, Trilok Gurtu.

Personnel: Trilok Gurtu (drums, tabla); Zakir Hussain (tabla).

Recording information: Calcutta Cyber Studio, London, England; Orange Music Sound Studio, West Orange, N.J; Studio Zerkall, DE.Entertainment Weekly (9/15/00, p.79) - "...Freely blending intricate Hindustani-inspired tabla playing, Indo-electro goods from Talvin Singh, and old-fashioned drum-kit playing into savory, energetic ambient music..." - Rating: B+
Q (1/01, p.116) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...These drum'n'bass excursions are classed by fluttering, Steve Reich style progression and Hindustani fusion....striking the perfect balance between ancient and modern."
The Wire (10/00, p.75) - "...An exotic curiosity...it ought to be heard by everyone interested in the possibilities of rhythm."
CMJ (9/25/00, p.28) - "...Intriguing and audacious....wickedly fun..."
Mojo (Publisher) (2/01, p.96) - "...This is real soul music..."