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Rough Guide:
The Rough Guide to the Asian Underground
Track listing:
- Ananda Shankar:
Streets of Calcutta
- State of Bengal:
Elephant Ride
- Black Star Liner:
Killah Connection
- Joi: Fulfillment
in Dub
- Fun-Da-Mental: Ja
Sha Taan
- Uzma: Yab Yum (Sabres
of Paradise Remix)
- Orchestral World
Groove: Pyar
- Shivanova:
Sundance
- Asian Dub
Foundation: Debris
- T.J. Rehmi: Is it
Legal?
- Mahatma T: Jihad
- James Asher:
Nataraj Express
- Sister India: Out
of Place
- Mo Magic: Mixed
Vision
- Bill Ravi Harris
& The Prophets: Path of the Blazing Sarong
Compilations are often
uneven and this one is definitely rough but still is an essential
album. It is hard to imagine an Asian Underground compilation
without Bally Sagoo but the Rough Guide has not included that giant.
Talvin Singh appears only in a very early pseudonymous "Mahatma
T." They have included several other Asian Underground giants
in Ananda Shankar, Joi, and T.J. Rehmi. Mostly though, the artists
on this compilation are relative unknowns. That
is certainly a good thing, as there is something new here even for
those familiar with the genre.
There are some leftovers
here -- how many compilations have “Streets of Calcutta” and
“Elephant Ride” appeared on now? But after those first two
tracks it gets very interesting. A great Black Star Liner song, a
previously unreleased Joi track, then the classic Asian Underground
anthem "Ja Sha Taan" by Fun-Da-Mental.
Other great nuggets include a hard hitting remix of Uzma's "Yab
Yum," a particularly wonderful Orchestral World Groove song,
and an unusually techno-like track from James Asher.
The album does a reasonable job of ordering the
tracks although there are some jarring transitions. Except for Anada
Shankar, Fun-Da-Mental, Uzma, and Asian Dub Foundation tracks, the
compilation steers clear of the club-oriented dance music typical of
the Asian Underground. The rest of the songs are mid-tempo, lounge
style music and there are some excellent examples of that music
here, including the jazzy "Sundance" by Shivanova.
The Rough Guide is a good CD to have and recommended for any
collection of world music.
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