Beyond Skin

Beyond Skin is an album by English musician Nitin Sawhney. It was released on the Outcaste label in 1999. The album focuses largely on the theme of nuclear weapons; Sawhney states in the booklet that the album "has a timespan that runs backwards", beginning at "Broken Skin" with the India-Pakistan nuclear situation and ending at "Beyond Skin" with Robert Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad Gita – "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds".

Beyond Skin
Studio album by Nitin Sawhney
Released	13 September 1999
Genre	Downtempo, drum and bass
Length	58:22
Label	Outcaste
Nitin Sawhney chronology
Displacing the Priest (1996) Beyond Skin (1999) Spirit Dance (1999)

Sawhney also aims to question what constitutes one's identity – he writes in the liner notes for the album: "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."

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Guardian	[2]
The Independent	[3]
Muzik	[4]
NME	8/10[5]

Beyond Skin was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[6]

Track listing

1. "Broken Skin" (Sanchita Farruque, Nitin Sawhney) – 4:05
2. "Letting Go" (C. S. Gray, Sawhney) – 4:49
3. "Homelands" (Nina Miranda, Sawhney) – 6:00
4. "The Pilgrim" (Sawhney, Spek) – 4:29
5. "Tides" (Sawhney) – 5:06
6. "Nadia" (Sawhney) – 5:05
7. "Immigrant" (Sawhney) – 6:21
8. "Serpents" (Sawhney) – 6:17
9. "Anthem Without Nation" (Sawhney) – 5:48
10. "Nostalgia" (Sawhney) – 3:41
11. "The Conference" (Sawhney) – 2:53
12. "Beyond Skin" (Sawhney) – 3:48

Charts

Chart performance for Beyond Skin

Chart (1999)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)[7]	44

References

1. DiGravina, Tim. "Beyond Skin – Nitin Sawhney". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
2. Sullivan, Caroline (17 September 1999). "Nitin Sawhney: Beyond Skin (Outcaste)". The Guardian.
3. Perry, Tim (24 July 1999). "Pop: Album Reviews". The Independent. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
4. Da Bank, Rob (September 1999). "Nitin Sawhney: Beyond Skin (Outcaste)". Muzik. No. 52. p. 81.
5. Chick, Stevie (7 October 1999). "Nitin Sawhney – Beyond Skin". NME. Archived from the original on 9 June 2000. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
6. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
7. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2022.