New tunes... from Esther

On Tuesday I met up with Paul and Esther... I'll post about meeting this wonderful couple in a wee minute... but first, to Esther's record collection. Wow! Some serious tunage in her collection. Borrowed a few choice cuts for evaluation purposed (Thanks Esther)

First off we have the third in the Afro Celt Sound System series. Loving it. I real dig fusion sounds and the amalgam of traditional Celtic and African sounds really works, in my humble opinion, with big dancey beats. The jigs sound like futuristic ceilidh music and they make me so happy. This is good time music where the mind, body and spirit are engaged. Not sure of the Peter Gabriel track... not really in the mood for vocals when I listen to this album... but otherwise, fab.

I'm a big fan of Nitin Sawhney and Philtre for me represents a more commercial... dare I say... mainstream sound for him. Don't get me wrong, I love the album... his choice of guest vocalists is excellent. Jacob Golden... Tina Grace... Fink... Javanta Bose... Reena Bhardwaj... Saroj Sawhney... The mighty Vikter Duplaix... Marina Abad... Talip Khan... Sharon Duncan... and... Satyajit Talwalkar... all add to the wonderful salad bowl of sound on this album. It is more chilled and more cosmopolitan, without losing the defining sense of the asian underground. Beautiful beats and soundscapes. Lovely.

I'm not a big drum and bass fan... I feel it gets samesy after a while... I like variety. However, I do dig LTJ Bukem for the jazzy, atmospheric flavouring that he works into his tracks. This album is a compilation of rare tracks and showcases his work wonderfully. Sweet soundscapes juxtaposed against frantic beats. Fab.

Lastly, I borrowed The underground spiritual game by Fela Kuti... Its a mix of Fela's music by Chief Xcel from the Quannum Collective and it spotlights Fela's wonderfully rich and diverse afro-beat sound very effectively. This is more happy music... although some of the tracks have conscious lyrics that will make you think. It is a fantastic sound... feels fresh and new. Lovely.

If you get the chance to check these tunes out... then do so... they are superfab!

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