Dear List,
I just got back from a 2 month trip to India; I been unsubb'd from the
list but now I'm back, and just wanted to say HI and see if there have
been any absolutely bomb joints that I might have missed - any big new
releases that you guys have been feeling in the last few months??
As for me, I learned a LOT about indian music, old and new. I will be
working on a compilation for my label of some of the sounds I picked up,
and some of the remixes, but here are a few pointers, if you want to go
into a foray of Indian sounds:
*On the new front, there is a soundtrack which has just come out called
"Lagaan". It's produced by the hottest Bollywood producer, A.R. Rahman,
who has dropped plenty of ill joints previous to this one (check out the
soundtracks Dil Se, Taal, & Rangeela for starters)... this one's theme is
old time india so it's got really fat folk-influenced
instrumentation. Massive percussion and great compositions that carry a
lot of emotional force. It's out on Sony India. Track it down.
*on the Indo-Jazz-Beats-Fusion, look for an album by Zakir Hussain's
brother, Taufiq, called "Rhydun". It's a tribute to their late father,
master tabla player Alla Rakha, and features his last recorded work. It's
got an allstar line up of musicians, including Zakir, and virtuoso
singer Shankar Mahadevan. All the songs are based on rhythm as the main
compositional element... so the beats are glorious. It's on a
label called Milestone.
*Also on that same vibe, look for a band called Indian Ocean. They're a
fantastically talented group of musicians, consisting of guitar, bass,
tabla, drums, and vocals. On the jazz tip, with heavy indian
influences. They're about as close as you get to Underground in Indian
music, and their 3 albums are well worth a listen. Their latest is
"Kandisa".
*If Diggin in the Crates is what you like, there is some ill shit to be
found. Basically between around '78 and '85 there were some prolific
producers that made crazy records with all kinds of influences - north
Indian, South Indian, Funk, Disco, Flamenco, African, Cuban, Klezmer,
Polka, Rock.... and more often than not, these influences are all in One
Song! Chock full of percussion breaks, strings, and analog synths. Look
for the following producers:
R.D. Burman - the king of the synths and breaks. Strictly Ill. Responsible
for more hits than any other producer of the last 30 years. Prolific.
Laxmikant Pyarelal - a duo of producers whose records are hit or miss. But
the hits... oh my lord
Bappi Lahiri - an androgenous, freaky looking guy who seems like he would
fit better in Jackie 60 than in Bollywood. He brought the disco sound to
India in a big way, and has some nutty, funky ass discoey records. Think
disco breaks with crazy synths, indian strings, and indian percussion.
Here are a couple of must-have soundtracks:
- Hare Krishna Hare Rama
- Rocky
- Sholay
- Shalamar
I tell you ....... seek and you shall find!
peace and love
Nat
RhythmLove Records
NYC
www.rhythmlove.com
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