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Sangeet’s last album Fragile Noize, on Transient, was so bad that psyreviews didn’t even review it. And given that this was 2006, the same year as Total Anarchy and The Next Generation (our lowest-ever scoring review at -1,000,000 out of ten), not reviewing something because it’s bad is really saying something. 

It would be great to say that Sangeet’s latest offering is his best, and while this might be true Cosmic Joy is still exquisitely lacklustre.

As has often been the case with his output, Sangeet produces music that appears to be completely unaware of its musical and cultural context. Hence, we get exceedingly formulaic, single-cell tracks with daft names such as Acid Base Cluster, Biophysical Structure and Distorted Dreams.

Bereft of irony, we are subjected to prehistoric breakdowns, clumsy filters, 2001-era scifi samples, and changes that you can see coming from a mile away.

Sangeet’s production is above adequate, as one might expect from somebody involved in music for the best part of a quarter-century. Its Achilles heal is twofold; the above mentioned absence of crisp originality, and an almost complete lack of soul.

There are some promising moments. The acid swirl of Peaceful Warrior and the elastic midline of Escobar make you sit up and take notice; unfortunately through prepetition, their impact dwindles as you realise you’re listening to something on loop.

The music is pushed, almost crammed, into a melody-driven cacophony. He seems to be pursuing some sort of spiritual enlightenment, yet doing so on an express train and with little regard for the journey itself.

This is perhaps best evidenced on the regulation ambient closing track, 1000 Light Years Away. I remember the days when a producer would showcase that last track slot as an opportunity to say, “hey look, I can write music for the mind as well as for the dancefloor.” Sangeet can’t – it’s a hackneyed, clichéd piece of cod-spiritual bubblegum that’s downright offensive.

One has to ask the question – does Sangeet really consider this to be his best work? Is he performing, and has he recorded, at his absolute best? I’m not sure which side of the fence I occupy on this. Either Sangeet isn’t putting his heart and soul into his music, or we’re looking at a situation where the absolute best he can do falls far short of what people were doing five years ago. I’m not sure which is worse.