Twenty years ago UK musician and composer Nitin Sawhney strode onto the international stage with his seminal album Beyond Skin, scoring a Mercury Prize nomination and international acclaim along the way.

On the anniversary of its release, this bold fusion of jazz, electronica and provocative sampling proves as urgent in its politics and original in its composition as ever before.

Beyond Skin was Sawhney’s fourth album but represented a stellar leap, weaving together deft electronica, compelling vocal arrangements, lush orchestration and the distinct rhythms of his parents’ native India. More than a collection of songs, it is a coherent artistic statement that cuts through the chaos to resonate with listeners the world over.

Two decades on—and with an illustrious career that covers all creative mediums—Sawhney returns to the work with a live performance that reminds us how a staggering range of voice and instruments can give birth to moving harmonies that rise as one.

PHOTO | Sølve Sundsbø