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By Abheeru and Kushad
 Verve
Remixed - Various artists
Reviewed by Abheeru
Now here’s an album that bridges the generation divide! Taking over
three years to create, Verve Remixed is an eclectic collection of
jazz-infused songs that have been electronically tweaked for a new
audience –– jazz purists be warned! Celebrated jazz label Verve
invited some of today’s most prolific remixers to bring a new life
to musical masterpieces featuring Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday
and Sarah Vaughan among others. Note that there are no huge house
anthems here, only a much more contemplative journey into jazz,
with a chill-out, electronica twist. The entire album exudes a feel-good
vibe and is certainly an impeccably tailored downtempo collection
combining la crème de la crème of jazz and electronic dance music.
It’s fresh, it’s innovative, it’s respectful to the original music,
and above all it is a pleasure for the ears. www.vervemusicgroup.com
Rinôçérôse - Music Kills Me
Reviewed by Abheeru
French husband and wife psychologists-turned-mixologists took their
band name from the painting of one of their patients! We are not
in prefab land here. Rinôçérôse’s latest album Music Kills Me comes
off as a spontaneous, mostly instrumental jam session that features
plenty of electric guitars and funky beats. The album combines deep
beats and bass rifts, all mixed in with percussion to create an
energizing mix of house, jazz and latin rhythms. The disc is filled
with deep and subtle grooves, memorably put to use on tracks like
"It’s Time to Go Now," "Lost Love," and "No, We’re Not Experienced".
A couple of tracks lack the duo’s characteristic energy, but as
transition tracks they help the album flow. www.rinocerose.com
Fire Dance - Brian Keane and Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Reviewed by Kushad Watson
This collection was my first real taste of the Middle East and hooked
me for good! Keane, from the U.S., and Faruk, originally from Turkey,
take us on a timeless journey through Turkey, Arabia, Egypt and
North Africa with a masterful blend of traditional songs and their
own contemporary compositions. All are played on ethnic strings,
wind instruments, and drums, exotically and tastefully embellished
by acoustic guitar and synthesizer, making this wonderful collection
appealing to both novice and Middle Eastern buffs. Expect a range
of moods, from soft to intense, as well as the amazing vocals by
Faruk on two tracks. www.harmonies.com
A Wish - Hamza el Din
Reviewed by Kushad Watson
A Wish visits the music of Namibia (Southern Egypt) and calls for
the traditions, culture and way-of-life to flourish in Hamza’s resettled
village on the shores of Lake Nasser (Aswan dam). This collection
is uniform and very simple, but goes deep to the roots with some
of the complex rhythms second nature to those folks who grow up
playing and singing these songs. Interesting CD liner notes add
to this fine album. Hamza first put me under his spell driving with
my Arab friend Adel, sunroof open, on a blistering hot day in the
Okanagan countryside. Need I say more? www.truesounds.com
Whirling - Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Reviewed by Kushad Watson
Faruk’s first solo album relaxes and stimulates with the "ney" flute,
"baflama" lute, Arabian clarinet, Turkish oboe, numerous drums,
other stringed instruments, and even an accordion. Various tempos,
styles and compositions provide welcome treats, even to the western
ear. Perfect for relaxing to, meditating, dancing or lovemaking!
www.harmonies.com
This CD review
column, written by Just Dance DJs Abheeru and Kushad, offers a taste
of some of their favorite grooves that can be experienced at their
bi-weekly non-smoking, non-alcohol dance event. See Just Dance in
Resource Directory, Events section.
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