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Travels |  |
The Travels series brings together tracks from different parts of the
world that have been influenced by dance, electronic and dub music.
LATIN TRAVELS & LATIN TRAVELS 2
Latin Travels
is the sound of the past harmonizing with the future. It's the sound of
the drum song in the digital era - the fusion of 21st century global
dance culture with ancient traditions and deep roots. The artists and
remixers found on both of these collections incorporate the best of
sampler and computer-added technology with live instrumentation and
traditional studio musicians. Additionally, Latin Travels
are both a representation of the entire Afro-Latin Diaspora (the sounds
of Africa, Cuba, the Caribbean and Brazil) in a modern context, as well
as the dance music community's contribution to the "third wave" of
Latin music in the US, Europe and beyond. The first wave arrived in the
United States with the mambo craze of the 1950's propelled by artists
such as Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez, continuing through the 1960's
with the Latin jazz and boogaloo sound from the likes of Eddie
Palmieri, Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo. The second wave came in the
mid-and-late-1970's and saw the first fusion of Latin funk, rock, disco
and salsa from artists like Mandrill, War and El Chicano. AFRICAN TRAVELS
On African Travels
Six Degrees visits the continent that gave rhythm to the world. Africa
has not stood still in the intervening years; on the Mother Continent,
music is constantly being re-invented and now, as we shall witness,
remixed. It's only logical that the current strains of electronica
should map neatly onto the planet's original dance music. We could have
taken the easy route, merely compiling Afro-house tracks, but instead
have sought out well-considered fusions of African music and the latest
developments in global dance culture. The spirit of the
musical firebrand Fela Anikulapo-Kuti hovers over the proceedings. In
the years since his death, the influence of this musician and activist
has only grown; several of the tracks collected here, if not outright
homages to his Afrobeat sound, certainly share Fela's commitment to
consciousness raising, as fortified with funk. ARABIAN TRAVELS & ARABIAN TRAVELS 2
Both Arabian Travels
collections document the extraordinary power and far-reaching influence
of music from the Near and Middle East and North Africa, the music of
the Islamic Diaspora. A host of different ethnic groups inhabit the
Arab world, whose shared musical culture is earmarked by several easily
recognized characteristics. The flowing, highly ornamented melody lines
based on skilled improvisation, the linking of smaller melodic kernels
to form a larger arrangement like the patterned tiles decorating the
wall of a mosque, the use of sound to effect spiritual transport and an
atmosphere of immanence. These are some of the distinguishing features
of Arabian music, along with the distinctive sounds of instruments such
as the oud (the Arab mandolin) and the spiky report of the taut-skinned
darbuka drum. As these two collections show, the allure of
this mysterious music radiates beyond the borders of Arabic nations.
Musicians in the West, especially those involved with various forms of
electronic and dance music, have noted the close association between
music and trance states in Arabian culture. Conversely, artists from
the Arab world - who have always been adept at assimilating outside
influences - have begun to integrate contemporary technology within
their own music, blending electronic timbres with centuries-old
melodies and instruments. Regardless of the point of origin though, the
sounds you will discover on these two discs are at once eclectic and
distinctively Arabian.
ASIAN TRAVELS & ASIAN TRAVELS 2
In
1995 Talvin Singh founded a club night in London called Anokha in which
Asian DJs and live bands mixed bhangra, techno, house, drum 'n' bass
and tabla breakbeats. Anokha brought to light a thriving subculture few
people outside of London even knew existed. The club's core following
consisted of young Indian and Pakistani kids that had grown up in a
community with no boundaries between the ancient music of their parents
and the modern sounds of breakbeat culture. The Anokha CD, released in
1997, documented this phenomenon and coined the term "Asian
Underground" as a banner under which a new generation of innovative
musicians could work.
While the "Asian Underground" has
brought well deserved attention to Singh and his co-conspirators (many
of whom are represented on these two compilations), it is important to
remember that westerners from the Beatles to the Dave Pike Set have
been plundering these Asian vibes with equally fascinating results for
years. There seems to be something about this music which lends itself
beautifully to assimilation.
Both Asian Travels
collections document the fertile results of this cross-pollination of
sounds. The first compilation features South Asian trailblazers like
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Shankar and Najma as well as next generation
upstarts like Talvin Singh, State of Bengal and Kingsuk Biswas. It also
presents the work of innovative westerners like Fila Brazillia, Banco
de Gaia and Euphoria whose tracks have been inspired and touched by the
beautiful sounds of India and Pakistan.
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