I bought this album the week it came out in 1997. I didn't buy it because I heard it and liked it, I just knew by the names and cover art that the cd was something different. Something important.
Club Anokha was founded in 1995, and 1996's Calcutta Cyber Cafe: Drum & Space was Talvin's first cd revealing the new tabla-tronics he was pioneering. One can also hear the same sampling of flight-crew recordings on Calcutta Cyber Cafe that was to be so identified with State of Bengal's "Flight IC408" on Soundz from the Asian Underground, the first volume of the Anokha series featuring the artists showcased at the club.
The first track, "Jaan" is featured on a Phillips CD burner commercial where that freako Indian raver is dancing as if he suffers from some sort of brain imbalance, and then some hottie Indian chick starts to dance with him cuz she recognizes the music (hence, his freako dancing is all good...).
Jump to summer 2001 where life imitates art as the desi clubs of New York City slam with beats of south asian house while the kids dance like freakos. These sounds are no longer in the underground. I was so glad that someone else recognised the parallels between the then bourgeoning drum and bass genre and the structure of Indian classical percussion and did something about it...
