Adham Shaikh 'Basswalla' Review

Artist: Adham Shaikh

Title: Basswalla

Label: Black Swan 

Sounds

Released: 26^th May

When it comes to global bass Adham is not only a pioneer, but as the title implies he's a basswalla (in other words he's a master of his craft). Although this is his first mostly original material release in the last 5 years he has certainly honed his sound on his re-mixes throughout that period and once again completely satisfied high expectations with the content of this latest release.

The release begins with the title track 'Basswalla' and within 10 seconds of pressing play and for me the blend of eastern flutes and deep bass it's already a winner. The tracks that follow don't disappoint as Adham's 25 years experience of fusing world music with urban electronica blossom into full bloom. Whether it's the low bass, rump shaking Bhangra'esque hip-hop fusion of 'Cultivation' featuring the positive lyrics of Shamik, the haunting gypsy violin, rolling percussion and organ mash-up of the Elders Dance mix of 'Vibe Hunter' or the fusion of flamenco guitar with Armenian dudak (a double reed woodwind instrument not a million miles away from a clarinet) in 'Rumba Dub' it hits the spot.

The album closes with versions of previous tracks. Not wanting to simply re-mix again Adham takes the tracks back to grass roots. In the case of the Deep South mix of 'Crossroads' utilising a performance by Prakesh Sontakke on a mohan veena (a Hawaiian slide guitar modified to include the sympathetic resonance and drones found in Indian music) in it's entirerity and added percussion on the dholak by E Shankar.

It must be hard as an artist to maintain an interest from the fans with each new release. If your style changes some fans may depart and if you stay static others may get bored. For me Adham's at the top of his game and delivers exactly what he labels on the tin. In my opinion his only downfall maybe being saturated in an ever growing market where eventually listeners may begin to look for other styles. 

Reviewed by Woodzee.

Links

adhamshaikh.com

blackswansounds.com

Desert Dwellers - Nomadic Ecstatic 'The Wandering Sadhu Re-Mixes' Vol 2

Artist:

Desert Dwellers

Title:

Nomadic Ecstatic:

The Wandering Re-mixes Vol 2

Label:

Black Swan Sounds

Released:

27^th May 2014

Only a month ago with the release of Nomadic Ecstatic Vol 1 I mentioned that some listeners may construe this release as more of the same re-worked. Re-mix releases can at times never reach the heights of an original you really like and with the song or track firmly ingrained in your mind the bar is set high. This applies more so where there is a length of time between the original and the re-mix for me. In some cases I hear a re-mix first and that becomes the bar to beat as such. As a firm fan of the Desert Dwellers releases I feel myself anticipating a let down with re-mix releases. However, I consistently find myself pleasantly surprised with the overall output and always pluck a few gems out and 'Nomadic Ecstatic 2' proved to be no exception.

From the moment I pressed go and began to listen to Beatfarmer's (a producer I've only recently started to explore) take of 'Kumbh Mela' the dubby string chords of the sitar and tribal murmurs lead into similarly dubby bass notes and sparse tribal percussion, which collectively form an Eastern dub reggae vibe and I began to suspect I'd like this release.

Next up is Suduaya's re-mix of the title track 'A Wandering Sadhu' I've heard a couple of intriguing ambient tracks by Suduaya but on further exploration hit psy-trance and retreated. Obviously some producers have more than one string to their bow and going by this Suduaya is one of those producers. The vocals sit nicely on melodic synth chords which have the feel of a trance breakdown. However, as the bass kicks in we travel into an interesting loop which switches into a lush melodic section and then an ambient drone before circling back to where we started. Highly recommended.

This is followed by Itom Lab's (who yet again I've only really scratched the surface with their output) re-mix of 'The Embrace of Samadhi'. Fusing a marching (but not driving bassline) with a acidic breaks feel evenly balanced with ambient tones and vocals, throw in some Gregorian monk chants and a touch of bamboo flute and this is a pleasant and reasonably refreshing take on the original.

Now I find myself back to the title track and this time the duties fall on Eastern Sun. Who I came across at the same time as the Desert Dwellers on (funnily enough) a re-mix album of the Laya Projects. The intro lays melodic strings over teasing dnb style drum flicks but as the track drops a reggae stance is revealed this continues for a couple of minutes before the low frequency bass is injected and rejoined by the melodic strings and vocal. Overall a suitable alternative and useful tool if you're looking to employ the track in a different set.

Last but not least is a re-work of 'Shiva Naturaj' by someone I'm more familiar with, world music multi-instrumentalist Jeff Stott. I really like what Jeff has done here although he's employed some low frequency bass, along with some beautiful melodic bell tones. He's released it and drawn it back in all the right places. Subtley, allowing the vocal to carry you into a mantra like daydream. I like this version so much, that it could prove to be my favourite version of them all.

To summarise if you're a fan of the Desert Dwellers I advise you not to dismiss these re-mixes and similarly if you're new to their music or you've randomly come across this review. If Eastern spiritual music fused with electronic Western sounds appeals why not press play? If it's not to your taste you can always press stop.

Review by Woodzee.

Links:

http://blackswansounds.bandcamp.com/album/nomadic-ecstatic-the-wandering-remixes-vol-2

http://desertdwellers.org/

Eccodek 'Singing In Tongues' Review

Artist: Eccodek

Title: Singing In Tongues

Label: Black Swan Sounds

Released: 6^th May 2014

Andrew McPherson's releases gel the sounds of Africa, the Middle-East and beyond with dub and electronica. Shying away from digital fusions his Eccodek project utilises hardware and organic instruments, along with a host of guest singers such as Jah Youssouf, Onkar Singh, Meral Mert and MC Yogi. 'Singing in Tongues' is his sixth album release and his tracks have featured on compilations from the likes of Buddha Bar, Six Degrees, Supperclub and Black Swan.

The album kicks off with 'The Village In Me' a funky number where African vocals sit on top of horns, conjuring up a sound reminiscent of the Afro-Beat numbers of the 1970's. We then take a turn towards the Middle-East where the oud slides you into deep bass notes and vocals drift in and out in a dreamy fashion. The title track 'Singing In Tongues' immediately brought Issa Bagayogo to mind with both the strings and the vocals, blended with subtle hypnotic synth sounds creating a chilled vibe to the piece. While Black Swan label mate MC Yogi lays down a laid back rhyme amongst African vocals, chilled synths and strings on 'My Primitive Heart'.

The album continues with the exception of 'The End Begins' a chilled out Balkan groove, in much the same fashion of laid back Afro-Beat'esque numbers. Although there is plenty of tribal drums there's nothing of impact on the album and takes a more chilled stance overall compared to previous releases. This new laid back style appears to have worked well for Andrew, bringing high praise from reviews in the World Music media.

Review by Woodzee

Links

http://eccodek.com/index.php

https://www.facebook.com/eccodek

'Desert Dwellers - Nomadic Ecstatic: The Wandering Re-mixes Vol. 1' Review

Artist:

Desert Dwellers

Release: 
Nomadic Ecstatic:

The Wandering Re-mixes Vol 1

Label: 
Black Swan Sounds

Release Date:
29^th April 2014

The Desert Dwellers have been quite active on the release front this year and this five track re-mix single could be construed by some as more of the same re-jigged. For me personally I think they are going from strength to strength from the laid back bamboo flutes and tablas of the 'Downtemple Dub' series to the bass re-mixes of the 'Re-Calibrated' albums and the psy-filled grooves of their Twisted Records release 'Seeing Things' I'm lapping it up.

On this release I think there's a strong selection of tracks with re-mixes from the U.K.'s veteran of global ambient dub Banco De Gaia and two of America's world fusion aficionados Jeff Stott and Drumspyder* as well as a couple of new names to me Kaleidoscope Jukebox and Chaos Control.

The release begins with Drumspyder's take on 'Wandering Sadhu' which on the whole bounces between the dum tek of the darbuka and low frequency bass. Once the vocals join in it's quite a happy little groove that chugs along nicely enough with a few variable breakdowns on route.

Next up is Kaleidoscope Jukebox's re-mix of 'Saraswati Mata' I usually plump for the Adham Shaikh re-mix but kept an open mind when pressing play. I certainly wasn't disappointed as this version retains the vocals and eastern strings with plenty of dub reggae chords and echo that you can easily delve into.

Banco De Gaia's re-work of 'Shiva Nataraj' provides a lovely elongated synth journey that carries you on a space like under-current beneath the tablas and Nicole Jenson's vocals. Having heard an abundance of re-works of his own material it made a pleasant change to hear his imprint on someone else's building blocks again,

Jeff Stott brings us back to the 'Wandering Sadhu' again this take is lighter in places retaining more of the bamboo flute than Drumspyders. It's still bass music but in more of a teasing manner and also provides some nice percussion of it's own. Although, I generally like both artists this one strikes more of a chord with me.

Last but not least is Chao's Control's re-work of 'Mysterious Presence' which begins with a lovely spacey synth, chimes and vocals and although they inject the odd psy flutter the laid back feel is retained when the percussion and sitar joins in. Perfect temple vibes for the hammock.

Review by Woodzee

Links: http://desertdwellersmusic.bandcamp.com/album/nomadic-ecstatic-the-wandering-remixes-vol-1

* Fans of Drumspyder should keep an eye out for a couple of other new releases 'Mountain Drums' on the Luminosity Projects 'Lumineyez Vol 1' and 'Bayati Violet Dub' on Phantasm Records 'Anti Particle'