Music Media Monthly,
Album Review
>>
I’m something of an aficionado of South Asian electronic dance music, but until recently I had never heard of either Dhamaal Soundsystem or its cofounder Janaka Selekta, whose solo debut has now been released on the Chaiwalla’s Boombox label. The breathtaking quality of this album has quickly sent me scrambling to learn more about this artist’s backstory and to catch up with the related releases that I’ve missed. Pushing Air is, as its title suggests, strongly concerned with matters of the bass, but it gives equal sonic attention to intriguingly complex and melismatic vocals from singers like Hema Ram (on the gorgeous “Nomadic”) and Taamara (on the even prettier and multilingual “Time”). There are also appearances from reggae great Lloyd Hemmings, Asian Dub Foundation bassist Dr. Das, globetrotting percussionist Karsh Kale (who offers a fine remix of “Awake”), and singer Sukhawat Ali Khan. The grooves vary widely from electro dub and dubstep, to breaks, house, and techno, all of them richly textured and interwoven with Asian instrumentation. There is hardly a weak track to be found anywhere on this exceptional album. Highly recommended. 09/13/11
>> go there
|