BBC on Cheb i Sabbah

[Guest guest]

Cheb i Sabbah

Krishna Lila

(Six Degrees)

 

Track two of this CD starts with a low drone and the sound of rain

falling gently. A female voice says "violin solo." And then she

counts it in... It might sound corny on paper, but it works. This

music takes you somewhere else: to India, and the heart of its

religious traditions.

 

"Fusion" projects where "world music" meets western ideas and

technology, often fail because of a clash of musical approaches. The

digital, hard edged world of machines doesn't always mesh well with

organic, improvised folk styles. But this album works superbly,

because of the respect paid to the source material. And on a

devotional album where the focus is firmly on matters spiritual,

anything less would be sacrilegious.

 

The album draws on two different religious traditions from India. The

North(Hindustani) and the South (Carnatic), and the classical music

that comes from them. It's a kind of compilation album of spiritual

moods. But you don't need a great deal of knowledge to enjoy this

music, you just need to be in a meditative state of mind.

 

DJ Cheb was born in Algeria and has been active in dance and world

music for forty years. He knows what he's doing, and his approach is

entirely tasteful. Shrewdly he focuses on beats - it's hard to tell

what rhythms are being played by humans and which ones by machine -

and drones and textures. These are used as a bed for real time

playing and singing. Dubby effects add drama but he never lets the

soundscapes dominate at the expense of the players. There's plenty of

contrast and texture and lots of improvisation both instrumental and

vocal.

 

And the players he has assembled here are uniformly excellent:

including violinist K.Shivakumar and his niece, singer Radhika Rajiv,

both showcased on "Rupa Tujhe Deva". Theres some startling vedic

chanting from P.T.Vijayaraghavan (on "Raja Vedalu"), and some equally

arresting zither playing by Pandit Ulhas Bapat ("Tum Bim Shyam").

Bill Laswell plays appropriately low-key bass throughout.

 

The results are soulful, deep and respectful.

 

And definitely in the presence of God.

 

Reviewer: Nick Reynolds