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VulgarGrad arose in Melbourne in late 2004 out of a collaboration between some of Australia's best musicians in underground ethnic styles and the incredible vocal talents of one Australia's most formidable stage and screen actors, Jacek Koman (Children of Men, Moulin Rouge, Romulus My Father, Australia). Their new CD, King of Crooks, is ou now. Music samples online now also. |
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Minna Raskinen, Finland's leading interpreter of the national instrument, the kantele, collaborates in her ensemble Siivet with kora player Sechou Keita, guitarist Jukka Tolonen, vocalist Anna Kaisa Liedes, and double bassist Heikki Virtanen. "There is space, energy and intrigue here, and you are kept in thrall as it progresses.
You can enjoy this CD at many levels. It works well as background ambient music. But it also withstands close and critical listening. I can recommend it highly. Mike Raine |
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Australian multi-instrumentalist and purveyor of contemporary world music Kim Sanders has once again gathered together some of his equally gifted musical friends for this exquisitely rendered collaboration. This collection draws on traditions of Turkish Sufi and folk music, Balkan Gypsy, West African grooves, Indian Classical music and world jazz-fusion, and weaves these flavours together seamlessly. The textures are smooth and often sultry, the rhythms are hypnotic, the melodies rich and the moods mostly mellow.
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Recorded in Varanasi, this album of classical Indian music is from Indian bansuri player Vinod Prasanna, currently based in Melbourne. He is accompanied on tabla by noted percussionist Parvez Hussein. Two evening ragas, Raga Jog and Raga Kirwani, feature on the CD. The third and final composition is a Bhagan, Om Jayjegadish Hare. Vinod's style takes the listener on a musical and spiritual journey, and on listening to his emotive Ragas audiences are often deeply moved by his authenticity and the stirring beauty of such music. |
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Putra Punji Asmara are a 10-piece gamelan ensemble based in Melbourne, who focus on the highly specialised gamelan tradition of Cirebon in West Java, under the direction of dancer & percussionist Michael Ewing. Gamelan music makes use of an astonishing array of tuned bells, brass pot-gongs, suspended gongs and metallophones (xylophone-like instruments), supported by several varieties of drums. On the surface the effect seems a little repetitive musically, but a closer listen reveals highly structured and complex patterns...this is, after all, “traditional classical” music. ... This recording is warm & bright, simultaneously soothing and lively, masterfully played and beautifully produced.
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Phil Gunter is a Melbourne-based musician who specialises in Turkish and Arabic oud music, as well as medieval and renaissance music for lute. Philip was a founding member of the medieval group Cantigas, and has also contributed to the Al Jadida and Yalla! ensembles. On this album he presents a captivating collection of solo pieces for oud (Arabic lute), with occasional self-accompaniment on various Arabic and Indian percussion. This is a very intimate recording, capturing the oud at its purest, unadorned by other instrumentation and laid bare to the ear in all its beauty. |
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VulgarGrad - Popular Street Songs of the Russian Underclass. VulgarGrad bring you a highly alcoholic and volatile blend of the old songs of the Russian thieves (called blatnie pesny or blatnyak), along with punk classics of the Perestroika era and a strong dose of contemporary St. Petersburg swearing ska. The band delivers this music with style, raucous menace, stripy shirts and a smattering of grim smiles (very important).
" ...this is a great slab of music – energetic & fun, well-played and imminently danceable, although possibly even better to get very drunk and hurtle to. 10/10 " |
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The latest project from Australian musician Pin Rada features a number of musicians from Melbourne together with a several based in Istanbul. The material is mostly new music written by Rada, whose previous band credits include most notably Zarafa, the Melbourne gypsy fusion band. Pin also has several international collaborations which are ongoing and some are featured in this CD. On this new album, Rada's depth of research and learning on a number of different instruments is apparent, including the north Indian saranghi, the Turkish ney, and Cretan lyra. This is far from being a one-man show though, and a line up of a dozen or so other musicians from Melbourne and Istanbul are also an integral part of this music. CD available now. "This is a world class production, with precision-calibre musicianship, a resounding testimony to Melbourne?s deep appreciation of the many global roots that flourish in that city?s (and Istanbul?s) rich garden."
- Bradfield Dumpleton 2007 |
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Carl Cleves, songwriter and guitarist with The Hottentots, ethnomusicologist and author, winner of the Australian Songwriters Association Award for best lyrics 2007, has released his first album of story songs, called All Alone. The album is populated by refugees, addicts, a child beggar, a drunk driver, the smell of money, the tears of broken hearts, the rage of obsession and the joys of solitude & travel. A fine array of musicians support the songs, amongst them: Cleis Pearce on viola, John Hoffman on flugelhorn, oud player Yuval Askar, Carl's partner in The Hottentots Parissa Bouas, Leigh Ivin on pedal steel, Steve Russell on piano, drummer Rik Cole and bass player Kamal Engels.
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Rebetiki are based in Melbourne and this is their second CD, released in 2006. The band has been active as foremost exponents of the Greek 'blues' - Rembetika - since 1986. This album from the Greek-Australian quartet (with special guests) is an all-acoustic, bouzouki and baglama-filled delight of songs from the book of Rembetica, originally the music of the Greek underworld, now Greece's foremost 'back to reality' urban roots music. " If you have a taste for Greek with a lean to the flourishes of the Orient, or just love exotic acoustic music, this album has depth, passion, and dark beauty of an international standard." - BD 2007 |
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Huun Huur Tu are a Tuvan band who are now known around the globe for their amazing performances of xoomei or throat-singing at the WOMAD festivals. This remarkable overtone singing is one facet of music that is also rare these days for being the living voice of a tradition of nomadic peoples that stretches back many hundreds of years. Indie-cds.com now has both "Live" CDs (Best of Huun Huur Tu Live Vols 1 & 2) in stock. |
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Tuvan throat singers Huun Huur Tu excel in live concert settings and this CD is the second in a pair of live CDs in which the best of their live concert recording from 2001 is presented on CD. |
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Altai Sayan Tandy-Uula is the 2004 studio album from Tuvan throat-singing ensemble Huun Huur Tu. "I've bought this CD after Huun-Huur Tu's performance in Prague last spring. Although I had all previous releases of this tuvan group, this was something absolutely outstanding, much more complex in music and arrangements than previous ones. Hats off. This is a masterpiece. The same can be said about Yat-Kha, Sainkho Namtchylak or Kongar-ool Ondar. Truly a sound of steppe. Mysterious, beautiful and inspiring."
Michal Richter/Slovakia
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Asa Di Var is the latest in the "Dya Singalong" series of Sikh devotional music. In a deluxe edition, this two CD set includes a beautifully printed 112 page book. This accompanying Sunder Gutka or prayer book has all the five prayers in Gurmukhi script as well as Romanized script in order to help in proper pronunciation. Furthermore, a brief translation in English is provided for every Pauri or stanza for all the five prayers so that readers can also enjoy the meanings of these prayers.A Rumala or fine embroidered cloth is also provided in this set to neatly wrap the prayer book when not in use. This is enclosed in a two CD box. |
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Ria Soemardjo has established herself in Australia as a skilled and sensitive performer of songs in the highly refined and soulful Javanese classical tradition. Ria draws on a deep respect for this tradition in her song writing and collaborative projects. Ria performs traditional and original repertoire with various ensembles around Australia as well as occasional solo acappella appearances. 'Sift' is her first solo full length CD recording and it features a mixture of traditional songs and original compositions and improvisations inspired by the modes and textures of Javanese gamelan music. Ria received funding from Arts Victoria to assist with recording this album. |
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This CD released in 1998 by Melbourne-based Camel Magic is a fascinating and evocative audio journey into exotic territories. Crossing genres and mixing instrumentation to provide a diverse sound palette, the end result is a fine recording of original compositions. Instrumentation includes saz, flute, trumpet, canhok, hammered dulcimer, flugelhorn, djembe, ocarina, didgeridoo. |
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In 1992 the Dya Singh Music Group recorded its debut album Australian Sikh Rhythm & Soul at the Lion Arts Centre in Adelaide, Australia This latest album, funded by The Australia Council for The Arts, was recorded at the Nexus Cabaret on 12/13 November 2005, next door to the original Lion Theatre, but still part of the Lion Arts Centre Complex.
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Yours musically with marimbas is the second solo album from Melbourne musician John Francis, performing as HWYL (which can be a solo act or band with a variety of members). This double album featuring the marimba was released in late 2005 & is a very contemporary set of pieces, some purely instrumental, and some songs, with one studio album plus the bonus of a live performance CD. The mood of the pieces varies from fairly mellow and laid back groove based numbers Hiraeth (I will wait for you) for example, to the Afro-beat style Over the river which sounds very Zimbabwean in feel. |
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Ian Blake's Spirit of Place CD, released in 1996 by ABC music, has just become available again through indie-cds.com. Following our policy of bringing you interesting, diverse and unusual music from around the world and in many musical spheres, this album fits neatly into our "no convenient genre or category" pigeon-hole. As Nick Beale said in a 1996 review of this album in fRoots this is '... multi-faceted and highly inventive music...' . It's hard to pin down with labels, but the consistent threads that run through it are the variety of musical ideas on offer, and the creativity with which those are manipulated. |
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Soft rockin' island roots reggae and sunshine grooves make this debut release from Thai dwelling Hawaiian, Shadawmon, the saviour of rainy days. Rarely in ones life will thoughts dart so joyfully between supermarket aisles, memories of Baywatch and Miami Vice, and clouds bursting with glitter, than with a collection of vibes such as these. Jeff Donne
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This deluxe 2 CD box set of Sikh devotional music, with prayer book and rumala, is now available. The irrepressible Sikh musician Dya Singh from Australia has reached another landmark with his latest offering in Gurbani kirtan - NITNAM. He gives the prayers a fresh new 'world music' feel. Ably supported by the vocals of his daughters Harsel, Parvyn and Jamel and musicians Dheeraj Shrestha (percussion/tabla), Keith Preston and Quentin Eyers, Dya Singh has certainly caused a revolution through evolution with this double CD of the morning and evening prayers of the Sikhs. |
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Helen Rivero's debut CD is a blend of old and new, traditional Sephardic music of the Spanish Jews and Moorish Andalusian songs along with original ballads composed and sung by Helen Rivero. The new ballads are entirely consistent with the traditional songs ... This CD would be appreciated by anyone who loves Spanish instrumentals and the female voice singing traditional ballads with a slow sensuous Mediterranean flavour. |
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Dya Singh world music ensemble perform the devotional music of the Sikh tradition. On this CD they present Sukhmani Simren - 'meditative extracts.- waiting for new stock, July 2005' |
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Dya Singh world music ensemble perform the devotional music of the Sikh tradition. On this recording they present 'eleven Shabads to take you on a mystical journey.' Audiocassette only |
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Since 1994, Dya Singh have been performing the devotional music of the Sikh tradition. On this CD they present the three Sikh Morning prayers. |
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This CD of shabads and devotional music from Adelaide-based Sikh musician Dya Singh also has excerpts from the teachings of Sant Baba Sohan Singh Ji. |
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"A thick and soupy blend of Middle-Eastern percussion, growling rock guitar, plucked balalaika and funk bass that builds to a perfect simmer." - Splendid. "The diverse and creative combination of instruments and technology works to produce a range of grooves to move your body and your emotions" - Sonya Manzalini, Dance of Life. |
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"I love this record! ... Though completely contemporary in arrangement, beautiful songs... easily retain their deeply powerful, heartfelt inspiration and spiritual import. (RebbeSoul) is able to make truly unique world music that is completely enjoyalble for all ages. This disc has spent more time inside my CD player than almost any other in recent memory. It is simply a must-have." - New Age Retailer
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"Fun, funky, futuristic...idealistic. Get ready to groove in the New Age... Layers of international instrumentation: kalimba, gypsy-sounding percussion, and stringed melodies support Lynn Rose's sultry vocals to produce danceable world panache! From the killer duet of Radio Man, to the protest-rant-groove-spoken word of I've Seen God (and she's a lesbian), This CD charmed my headphones off me. My long-forgotten rock 'n' roll soul was stirred by the wailing guitar of White Rabbit. World music with a counter-culture twist." - Radio V |
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This CD of flamenco-style music from Canadian based guitarist Roger Scannura and his ensemble Ritmo Flamenco is available now. "...a gifted composer whose music is as beautiful as it is haunting." - The Globe And Mail, Canada. "Rarely is Flamenco guitar played so eloquently with just the right amount of passion and grace." - 20th Century Guitar Magazine |
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"Luminous" is the new CD from vocalist Helen Rivero and
multi-instrumentalist Ian Blake - for those who enjoy the exploratory side of world music. Mesmeric night music - dreams and charms based on lullabies from around the world. This recording is quirky and diverse, panoramic and
intimate, soothing and spooky, revealing new things with each listening:
each song a starting point for exploration and improvisation. "... this is a beautiful
recording well worth the effort to find.
- Mark D. Moss Sing Out! Winter 2006
Helen Rivero & Ian Blake Luminous (HR2005) A selection of lullabies and night music from around the world could be a big yawn, but this selection is packed with interesting arrangements, junkyard percussion and found sounds, all linked by Rivero's expressive vocals and Blake's multi-instrumental ability. If anything, it's almost too eclectic in one dose, but it is equally fascinating and charming. fRoots Mag 2006
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Down Comes The Rain is performed by Tony Tesemale, who is from Papua New Guinea, and has written many of the nine songs on this CD. The classic country/gospel sound is interspersed with ambient and classical colours. A truly unique and inpiring look into the culture of Christianity in PNG today.
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This is Sephardic music, sung in Ladino, the language of a Jewish people without a homeland, who were expelled from Spain in 1492 and fled to the Ottoman Empire. The result is a compilation with an Eastern flavour originating from countries like Bulgaria, the Balkans, Greece, Turkey and the Middle East. Some of Melbourne's finest folk musicians play songs about fate and longing, heaven and earth, the sun and the moon; it's the sort of music that gets into your blood and warms your soul.. |
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Dieter Bajzek Folk Alliance News Autumn 2005 - "This is a delightful, rather subtle, but quite diverse recording. it represents ten years of original compositions (seven out of eleven tracks) and collaborations with with musicians, mostly from Melbourne. Jane has engaged the help of and contributions of quite a few interesting and fine musicians. ..she has added one here, and another one there to her fine and musical harp playing. So we get different combinations of textures, styles and sounds ... much subtle beauty and interest." |
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"... a very convincing Mariachi debut album. I even went looking for a cabasa to play along with Los Romanticos; such is the effect of the music, it permeates the body. Un Gran Sabor!..." - TG 2005 |
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Tenzin is a Tibetan artist dedicated to keeping the musical traditions of Tibet alive in the freedom of exile. From a nomadic family in southwest Tibet, Tenzin was born as his family was fleeing the destruction of their way of life at the hands of the Chinese colonisers. He grew up in the Tibetan refugee community in Dharamsala, northern India, where His Holiness the Dalai Lama actively encourages his people to preserve their culture through language, religion and arts. In this environment, Tenzin discovered his musical talents and has been sharing his gifts with appreciative audiences throughout India, Australia and New Zealand since 1996. |
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This CD is newly arrived in stock, a full review and description will be here soon - the CD can be ordered now. |
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The second album from zany band Totally Gourdgeous - in which they once again extract extraordinary musical results from ordinary vegetable materials. Frank Zappa must be looking on with approval I feel. "D'Vine is a fantastic follow-up CD to the band's first release. They've lost none of their edge. Their effective and quirky material is still a fun and fresh feature of their work. They're wonderful live too!" - Ian Paulin
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"Every group needs a gimmick. Totally Gourdgeous's claim to fame might be that nearly all their instruments are made from vegetable gourds which are created by the remarkable Penelope Swales. Having said that, the gimmick's out of the way quickly. This is an eccentric ensemble of VERY good singers and musicians who all have out-standing careers as individuals. Yet the blend is wonderful. TG has a great depth of material, a wonderful energy, a sense of fun and they are pleasantly in-your-face from go to whoa." - Ian Paulin.
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"Mal Webb describes himself as a vocal adventurer. I agree. This CD is heaps of fun. It is also an interesting and eclectic collection of clever, hippy, and even political songs. Listening to this CD makes me feel like I'm at a folk festival - this is a good thing. It's like being on holidays. The CD is written, recorded and played by Mal Webb. A really good first solo offering." - SM 2005 |
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Dya Singh believes Sikh music needs radical 'evolution' towards universality and greater acceptability especially to the younger generation of Sikhs especially those born overseas (outside India).
The music of Dya Singh firstly digs deep into the vast reservoir of Sikh and Punjabi classical, spiritual and folk music. It then reaches out to music from other parts of humankind, giving it a truly universal feel. This helps to portray the universal messages as espoused in the holy writings of Sikh and other Indian sages included in the holy scriptures and 'guru' of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib. |
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This recording is aimed to make the message of the Sikh scriptures available in a musical form that will appeal to young people. It features vocals from the three daughters of Dya Singh in the lead role. |
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Since 1994, Dya Singh have been performing the devotional music of the Sikh tradition. Initially, the music appealed more to the next generation Sikhs and Western ears. Observers commented that the group created an entirely original genre of World music. Gurbani is the central theme but the strong spiritual impact of Gurbani is such that it harnesses and guides the raag, rhythm and beat, (even western beats) and promotes an atmosphere of joy and peaceful contentment. |
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Formed in 1992, Dya Singh's "World Music Group" has emerged as one of the most sought after music groups in Australia, Southeast Asia and western countries like the USA and Canada. The group has performed in countries as far away as Japan. This CD features classic Sikh devotional melodies from ancient traditions. |
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The basis of the music is Sikh (spiritual), Punjabi and North Indian (in that order). It then embraces music virtually from any other part of the globe including blues, jazz, folk (all kinds), country & western, country, Australian indigenous, bush, etc. The only requirement is that it should enhance the universal spiritual messages of truth, love, peace, harmony, equality and justice that Dya Singh stands for. |
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Byron Bay duo The Hottentots have built a reputation for themselves around Australlia with a classy blend of original music blending a variety of global styles. The latest release from the Hottentots is varied, lively and political. The band treat us to their customary energy filled treatment of several contemporary issues facing us today. The title sets the theme - if we want to live in a better world we can do something to bring it about, and it's up to us to make a start. A fine CD that will please the Hottentots fans. |
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Dya Singh presents Sikh hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib in contemporary mystical music with Panjabi, middle-eastern, Mediterranean, blues, jazz and Australian influences. Recorded live at two concerts in Adelaide, South Australia in 1992. |
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In this recording, world music band Dya Singh present selected hymns from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
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An inspired combination of traditional tunes and songs from different genres, combined with Barb's own tunes and inimitable style. Wild women in them there hills in NSW... From a fabulous version of the Greek song "My Aching Breast" to Turkish songs about frolicking sheep, and Barb's song sung in gnome language, this a rich and diverse mix presented with rich arrangements and fine musicianship. |
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The Hottentots debut CD sounds as fresh and contemporay today as on its first release in 1994. " ... what makes this duo so special probably boils down to emotional honesty, genuine talent and hard work, and that honesty revels ijn the fact that they sound Australian with a rustic Anglo/Irish undertow even as they shift their musical shapes to include Bulgarian harmonies, funky sax and organ, gypsy violin, African and Latin rhythms, reggae, electronic exploration, jazz or Brazilian colours" Diaspora World Beat, spring 2002 |
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The second album from the Hottentots, this album encapsulates the live up-tempo dance music with a message that has made this band so well loved in Australia. The Hottentots challenge and uplift with their lyrics, and make you want to head for the dance floor with their funky Afro-Latin beats. The core duo of Parissa Bouas and Carl Cleves are well supported by an extended line-up of musicians, to give a big sound on most of the tracks. An excellent and varied album with several mood shifts. |
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The third CD from the well loved Byron Bay act a.k.a. Hottentot Party. "What makes the Hottentots truly outstanding is that they have fashioned 15 strong melodies (yes folks, that alien concept that distinguishes cogent commentary from empty rhetoric) that generously accommodate calypso, country, Irish folk, Madagascan music as the wonderful instrumental Welcome Home demonstrates, Zimbabwean mbira colours, Latina-Afro-beat, rap or Brazilian forro. ... Record of the year in any opinion poll you may care to name. Unreservedly recommended". (Diaspora magazine) |
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Dheeraj Shrestha is a fine exponent of Indian tabla, now residing in Adelaide, South Australia. Known around the world as the percussionist with world music group Dya Singh, Dheeraj has recently returned to his native Nepal and recorded a superb CD of both original and traditional music, which has been released in Australia. Flute and guitar carry the main melody lines, and this wonderfully atmospheric recording conveys the ambience and flavour of the mountains of the Himalaya, and the music of northern India and Nepal. |
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On this CD Zulya centres vocally on the hauntingly beautiful Tatar singing style, that she grew up around in the heart of Russia. It is a sound originating somewhere in between Eastern Europe and Far East, that musicologists call "a bridge between Mongolian and Hungarian music." Zulya presents the traditional songs and the original compositions in a unique cross-cultural interpretation, celebrating the musical diversity she has experienced in the years of living in Australia.
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Note: This edition was remastered and re-released in 2007 with five extra tracks. Zulya's 2002 release is something of departure from the traditional Tatar singing style which has dominated her previous two CD releases. More experimental and original, yet still with the strong ethnic authenticity that characterises her work, the CD features a number of well respected Australian musicians, including Blair Greenberg, Llew Kiek, Andrew Tanner, Martin Tucker, Epizo Bangoura and Paul Jarman. |
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"From their opening track "Phoenix" to the closing notes Jadida are gripped by a sense of urgency, and while the album may allude to some out of control experience, they know exactly what they're doing, and more, why they're doing it. Middle Eastern tunes meet rap, Latin sounds greet African scales, and jazz is thrown into the mix and the result is some kind of alchemy, brewed against the backdrop of the vibrant Melbourne music scene. This album could only have come from Melbourne. The sense of community, political outrage and sheer musical and vocal talent shine through with a beat to wake up dance floors and blast home speakers alike. This is not fusion.... this album is a musical statement" -Systa BB - presenter of Planetary Chaos, PBS fm Melbourne. |
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Zulya's first CD release, in which she explores the vocal traditions of a variety of nations, including her native Russia as well as Bulgaria, Rajasthan, France, Ireland, Brazil, South Africa and Bolivia. She even slots in a Thelonius Monk track among this mostly traditional selection. A true tour de force. |
