COLLECTION

This ticket to instant bliss includes the sounds of artists like Tarika, whose afro-pop tune "Madindo" gets funneled through a trip-hop filter by Transglobal Underground. Techno wiz Bill Laswell cooks up a swirling house-edged mix of Gigi's "Zomaye", while Peter Kruder takes latin diva Bebel Gilberto's "Tanto Tempo" deep into the chill-out room for an all out trance-inducing experience. Dance music with an earthy spin - the digital age never sounded so good.

The Basement Shamen (courtesy of the Basement Shamen website)

I'm a 2nd generation Indian, born and raised in the States which legally makes me an American. An American citizen that is. While the color of my skin has traditionally identified me as not being a native of the Mayflower, in India I've usually been regarded as an American because of my speech and dress. Learning to transition between this "dual-citizenship" over the years hasn't always been easy, but it's allowed me to connect at a fundamental level with similiar children of the immigrant experience. One such individual who I don't think we can ever give enough accolades of admiration to for his immense musicality and impact on the scene today is Fabian Alsultany. Of Arab and Latino descent, DJ Sultan32 is the proverbial melting pot...but you ain't never had gumbo this fine! Those of you who have been fortunate to witness his GlobeSonic sessions will testify I'm sure. Digging into his personal archives, Sultan32 presents Earth 'N Bass, a compilation that is the next chapter of where "World Music" is truly headed. As Talvin Singh's "Anokha" was a shout out of things to come from the ethno techno realm, so too does Earth 'N Bass follow, revealing just how much our diaspora has to offer.

Preceded by a short intro, Sultan32 kicks off with "Dias Futuros" - walls of sounds enveloping chanting hordes over a sinoidal bass bounced between spaceball oddities and hypnotic drums...there's simply too much going on to describe. Give it a few whirls. It'll make sense if you give it time.

Yossi Fine's Ex-Centric Sound System segues in next. (And while we're on the topic I should point out that this disc plays just like a DJ's set...no gaps between songs...nice touch!). Yossi's slinky bass pulses smoothly over mesmerizing xylophones.

Manu Chao moves in to show you what REAL Latino music's about...none of the Ricky Martin/Enrique Iglesias dribble here. Bring on da funk! Tarika proves to be a pleasant surprise as it was my first listen to music from Madagascar. The similarities to Africa are there, but listen closer and you might find yourself wandering further West into Indonesia.

Karsh Kale's "Distance" should need no introduction by now. (If you haven't picked up "Redesign" yet, what the hell are you waiting for?) MOMO, ie - Music of Moroccan Origin, is completely genius. Take a white garbed nomad of the desert, slingshot him for a loop of the galaxy, wait a coupla light years and open the door to his black lite-lit club where you find him dancing feverishly, smiling from the wisdom he's encountered that you'll never be lucky enough to learn. It's THAT trippy!

The Kalahari Bushmen provide a REAL safari for you next with "Soul Drummers." Temple of Sound leave the qawwali of Pakistan to investigate all things Afro and we then swing to the Middle East for the flourishes of the iconic Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Bill Laswell's remix of Gigi's "Zomaye" proves just how far this gal's come from Ethiopia. The mistress of Nuevo Bossa Nova, the spritely Bebel Gilberto's "Tanto Tempo" features in and then the volume comes to a close with a fitting bhajan from Krishna Das.

Global...International...Transcontinental...Whatever! Maybe EARTH is the only description that will ever really fit.

biz (courtesy of Ethno Techno website)