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AMG EXPERT REVIEW:
 The
fusion of European-style techno, dance, and Eastern sounds has
seldom been done as well as on Lotus
Groove. While Ariel
Kalma's production keeps the synth beats in balance, the
real stars here are the various unfamiliar (to Westerners) instruments.
The dulcimers, flutes, and tabla drums used on some tracks are
doubtless familiar to most people, but Lotus
Groove introduces the listener to the dumback (a Middle
Eastern hand drum) and the dilruba (an East Indian stringed instrument
played with a bow). There's the gaida, a Bulgarian pipe that sounds
like a bagpipe, and the "thongaphone" (yes, a plucked thong) used
on the lively "Pongi Thongi." On "Jaipur" an Indian call is mixed
with the clattering of a musician beating on a clay pot (known
as an "Udu Pot" in India). And Jai Uttai
on "Elusinian Blue" combines singing with playing on the dotar,
an Indian long-necked lute. Each track takes the listener to a
place like India or Morocco - music that is moody, relaxing, and
sensual. The only drawback is that Music Mosaic Records' liner
notes for the album ought to include more information about the
instruments. This album definitely whets one's appetite for learning
more about the music of the East. - Lynne Bronstein
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