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MYBINDI
RADIO
Session 4.0
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with
Mohamad |
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Playlist
01 Intro (Duruud)
A short prayer in praise of the Prophet Muhammad (Eid Mubarak!)
02 Saajana / Karsh Kale (feat. Vishal)
From NYC's Karsh Kale comes this devotional-sounding piece sung by Vishal
Vaid. Karsh's debut album Realize (Six Degrees) has been a long-awaited
release, but almost every track is worth the wait. "Saajana" is a
triparte marvel, beginning fairly traditionally with Vaid's solemn vocals and
Indian percussion, but swiftly acquires booming beats and finally breaks into a
breathtaking tabla n' bass flight.
03 Interlude (Samarpanam / DJ Cheb i Sabbah)
A short taste of the sonic textures collected by DJ Cheb i Sabbah in India,
giving way to Shamlou's recitation of some verses by the 13th-century Persian
poet and Sufi master, Jalaluddin Rumi.
04 130 Steps / Badmarsh & Shri
Shrikanth Sriram's tabla bols manage to sound dark and foreboding as they
rise above wave after wave of DJ Badmarsh's junglist exclamations. It's amazing
to hear how well Shri's tabla thak thakking in all its organic majesty jams with
the frantic drum loops as though that sort of collaboration were a centuries-old
tradition. A few years back, I played it for a friend who was deeply into
bharatnatyam, and I seem to recall her telling me that each of those bols
actually signify a dance step? If so...I'd never want to have to nach to this
stuff.
05 In the Mind / Nitin Sawhney (feat. Denyse Anyogu, Devinder Singh)
Another awesome track from Nitin's Displacing the Priest (1996).
Devinder's vocals have become familiar to anyone who's followed Nitin's work;
the piece begins with him and picks up with Aref Durvesh's taal in a beautifully
dramatic pick-up. Denyse Anyogu's deep, throaty voice set against the Desi
percussion is absolutely captivating, sounding as soulful as a bhajan and as
rich as thick mango nectar straight from the ice-cold fruit. Ultimately, I think
it's a variation on one of Nitin's favourite themes, the idea of the imaginary
homeland and the sweetly futile escapism that many of us in the second
generation embrace like a religion.
06 Walk Thro' Cars / Charged
A thoroughly addictive song about Jullandar city lights and Bombay stars by
Harvinder Sangha and crew. An irresistibly funky guitar chord bursts into an
urban electronic landscape, and Harvinder's sinister whispering soliloquies give
way to his raging screams as the piece wends its way through the sonic traffic.
Skinflick's mixing abilities give Charged's blend of lashing electro tongues and
punk undercurrents a distinctive and streamlined smoothness, drowning
Harvinder's rants in a deliciously wicked soundscape.
07 Grief / Ryuichi Sakamoto
A brief lament.
08 Leysh Nat'arak / Natacha Atlas
Crossing borders in the desert heat / The stories in the rocks and stones /
Signatures of time written on every face / The syncopated heartbeat of Arab and
Jew / A song that keeps saying remember / If you are cousins why are you
fighting? / Listen to your hearts and the truth / Will be clear / It's written
in your bones. -- Diaspora (CD jacket)
09 Raagmania / TJ Rehmi
From Rehmi's first album on Nation Records, Mind Filter, from way
back in the mid 90s. Guitar and violin perform a jugalbandhi over a continuous
sitar drone.
10 Bor Bor / Partners in Rhyme (feat Surjit Bindrakhia)
In a very different vein, this bhangra track is from PIR's Distant Voices,
a decent tape when it came out. "Bor Bor" works extremely well despite
the paucity of Western beats, with dhols and trad gidda lyrics providing enough
vitality to satisfy.
11 Banaen Laen Jaande Ho / Anwar Masood
This is a bit unfair to those who can't understand Punjabi... Anwar Masood
is a Pakistani poet who composes mazaaqiya shaayari in Punjabi. His poems can be
quite hilarious even on paper, but I think his real brilliance lies in the
free-flowing, rhythmic nature of his delivery. Listen to a couple a of his
shi'rs and you'll start thinking this old guy could be Lahore's version of Busta
Rhymes--given the right A&R.
12 Intoxicated / Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Michael Brook
A bit of a track from RealWorld Records' Night Song, with some sweet
lyrics.
13 Ohm / Pravin Mani
This trance/dance piece incorporates Sanskrit chants in an amazingly
innovative way. Pravin Mani, who lives in Mississauga (if he hasn't moved),
collaborated with AR Rahman in his former band way back when.
14 Ajare / Way Out West
As far as I know, "Ajare" is no longer available on CD (you can
try www.cdzone.co.uk just in case). I
don't know who Way Out West are, or who this vocalist is, but the song is wicked
beyond description
15 Umbi / Swami
Winding down with Swami's grooving version of this well-known Punjabi geet.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
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