No Reservations (Apache Indian album)

No Reservations is the debut studio album by British Asian musician Apache Indian, released in January 1993 by Island Records and their subsidiary Mango. The musician and singer recorded the album primarily in Jamaica's Tuff Gong studios with producers including Simon and Diamond, Bobby Digital, Phil Chill and Sly Dunbar. It follows, and includes, Apache Indian's 1990–91 singles – "Move Over India", "Chok There" and "Don Raja" – which saw him pioneer a fusion of Jamaican ragga and Indian bhangra later known as bhangramuffin. The album showcases Apache Indian's fusion of ragga and dancehall beats and basslines with bhangra and other forms of Indian music, such as filmi, with songs delivered in a fusion of English, Punjabi and Jamaican patois that the musician called "Indian patois". He sought to write about topics that were traditionally undiscussed in Asian communities, such as alcoholism, AIDS, the caste system and arranged marriages, and the controversial nature of the lyrics drew criticism and protest from castes. The singer named the record with reference to Indian reservations and is depicted on the artwork before a mixture of Jamaican and Indian iconography, reflecting his mix of musical styles. On release, No Reservations drew acclaim from music critics, who saw its fusion of ragga and bhangra modes as innovative, and it reached number 36 on the UK Albums Chart. "Arranged Marriage", issued as the album's official lead single, was the musician's breakthrough success in his home country, reaching number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. Apache Indian was particularly successful in India, where the album sold over 500,000 copies and is certified triple platinum. No Reservations has been credited for helping popularise ragga music and British Asian pop, and was shortlisted for the 1993 Mercury Prize, while Apache Indian received four nominations at the 1994 Brit Awards.

Born Steven Kapur to an Indian migrant family, a multiracial neighbourhood in Birmingham home to reggae bands Steel Pulse and UB40. and interest in reggae grew larger when introduced to sound system culture by a British Caribbean man, Sheldon, who ran the local Siffa sound system. sold over 500,000 copies on the Indian subcontinent and was heavily bootlegged in Canada. Kapur credits the single for helping solidify young Asian aesthetic, combining Asian, white and black fashions. although the singer did not care for the term. Apache Indian explained he initially received criticism from the Indian community, who saw him, as he described it, as a "traitor to the community" for working in reggae, a genre that was seen as "violent and drug related", but that attitudes changed when he expressed his Indian pride. Similarly, he said "the black community felt I was using reggae to make a lot of money" but changed their minds upon discovering his genuine love of the genre. Although described as primarily a bhangra album, critic Ken Hunt argues that the album is not bhangra itself but rather a "bhangra related dance music." J. Poet of Trouser Press similarly felt the record to primarily showcase Kapur as a raggamuffin deejay, while Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian observed that Kapur uses Indian instruments and subject matter to flavour a "macho" ragga style derived from Super Cat. while Eamon Carr of the Evening Herald, who considers the album to fuse "club styles, cultures and funky beats", emphasises the "ear for a commercial hook". The album opens with the sound of a "hail of bullets", a "gangster stance" familiar to reggae and rap which is deflated by Kapur's boast that he is "hotter than vindaloo curry". and percussion breaks. The songs are "relevant to Indian youth identity in Britain," according to Connell, with the singer intending to discuss things "that haven't been talked about before". He commented that religious upbringing in Asian communities left numerous subjects "that need to be discussed among the Asian community – like arranged marriages, and AIDS I'm not saying that we're going to solve the problem, I just want to bring them out in the open for discussion". The singer wrote "Aids Warning" after people with AIDS came to him admitting they "didn't know what to do or how to deal with it". Kapur explained: "Whoever addresses these issues – problems of caste – must take on board the hassle." a tradition known to cause tribulation among British Asian youth.

Described by author Rainer Emig as a punning statement on "segregation and integration", the title No Reservation references Indian reservations. George Lipsitz observed that due to Kapur's stage name and the album title, several listeners speculated that the singer was a Native American himself. Apache Indian recalled that his confluence of British, American and Native American cultures became "a problem" when No Reservations was released, as Native Americans "were fighting for no reservations at the time. But it was good in a kind of way because it helped the album. They idefntified with it in a way." Immi Dread Cally designed the album artwork using photography of Kapur by Kate Garner. The back cover features a collage depicting Indian rupees and Jamaican dollars, and maps of Jamaica and Punjab, India.

quote box|quote="The combination of irresistible beats, volatile, timely messages, and matinee idol looks have made this 26 year old immigrants' son larger than he could have possibly imagined before he got into the bhangra biz three years ago. "|source=—Brooke Wentz, Vibe It became Apache Indian's first hit single, reaching number 33 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1992. To promote the song together, Kapur and Priest undertook a short tour singing live vocals over backing tracks; the first performance was in Peterborough, known for its small Afro Caribbean and South Asian communities. The song was playlisted by BBC Radio 1 and numerous regional radio stations, and the radio support proved crucial to Apache Indian's breakthrough in the UK. and the singer performed it on Top of the Pops with tabla player Pandit Dinesh. According to Sullivan, Kapur became "the first Asian on Top of the Pops in years". The song's impact on the Indian community in the UK was compared to the impact of Khaled's rai song "Didi" (1992) on France's North African community. Although it was speculated that Island would re establish Bob Marley's Tuff Gong label, with Kapur as its first signing, No Reservations instead saw release on Mango Records, an Island subsidiary that was known for its worldbeat releases. However, the album proved to be one of several releases, alongside Chaka Demus & Pliers' Tease Me (1993) and singles by Angelique Kidjo, that saw the label build a reputation "as an essential source for left of centre dance music," according to Larry Flick. The album was released in January 1993, and reached number 36 on the UK Albums Chart, staying on the chart for two weeks and becoming Kapur's only charting album. Within three months, the album had been certified double platinum in India, and by November, it had sold over 200,000 there. and it is certified triple platinum.