From the down under label of Music
Mosaic comes another compilation of World meets Dance music, expressly
written for the cultured club folks who rather tire of Western pop repetition
and LONG for something with a little substance, bite and thinking man's
artistry. Yes, it IS possible to dance And have some class at the same
time.
Let's meet the players and the played:
Earth Dance Dreamtime - Mystic Rhythms
The Pleasure Zone - Urbane Harmonix
Watsi Watsi - Don Peyote
Timbasa - Sin Palabras
Shakuhaji Tales - Kamal
Native Rituals - Karunesh
Luna Piena - Gypsy Moon
Mirror - Chillum
Phrygian - Yantra de Vilder & Zia Moreau
Mostly instrumental, this Dance Planet is 54 minutes
and 9 tracks worth of spirit and survivalist beat that proves that the
World is a good place to live and dance in.
Still, I don't honestly think the 2nd track fits in
with the rest of the album. 'The Pleasure Zone' has a Donna Summer kinda
vocal feel and doesn't really do much to promote the Planet part of
the Dance. But it's memorable, if only because it stands out so much.
For myself, I'll take the 7 minutes of the liquid
synth that is 'Shakuhaji Tales' coming from the programming skills of
Kamal alone. Lovely minimalist music that slowly creeps up into maximus,
with that upbeat world he creates with the help of synthed wooden flute
and other special, laid back oddities. Would love to hear an entire
cd from this artist.
Of the compilations from this label I've heard before,
Dance Planet is probably the Most accessible to minds of a wholly traditional
club culture. The alternative genre (i.e. world) isn't dominating, but
gives a distinct flavor to the surrounding rhythms, which is the real
reason for the disc in the first place. It's an hour well-spent.
www.music-mosaic.com