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artist ■■ midival punditz
release ■■ midival punditz
year ■■ 2002
genre ■■ electronic
label ■■ sixdegrees records
catalogue ■■ 1079-2
website ■■ www.sixdegreesrecords.com
date ■■ 21-feb-2003
quality ■■ 192kbps/44,1khz
source ■■ compact disc
■■ tracklist ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
01 air 6:42
02 extasis 4:03
03 fabric 5:02
04 insite 4:34
05 far from home 5:50
06 bhangra fever 4:59
07 mercury 4:51
08 night 5:56
09 forest dreams 5:13
10 ajmer 5:44
11 god of love 6:06
12 dark age 7:04
playtime ■■ 01h 06m 04s
■■ comment ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
for years now, london's talvin singh has sent out the beacon to
the south asian diaspora to groove to his asian underground sound
(the compelling mixture of electronica -- mostly d&b -- with
indian -- usually classical -- music). his clarion call has been
answered, and now singh has a new triangular trade with outposts
in new york (with karsh kale and his asian massive crew) and new
delhi with the midival punditz.
gaurav raina and tapan raj (midival punditz) have been banging for
years, and now their beats can be heard all the way here in the
u.s. fresh off their cameo with bill laswell's tabla beat science
and contribution to monsoon wedding, the punditz have released
their eponymous debut and are about to tour with kale and dj cheb
i sabbah. if this album is any indication, the delhi duo is about
to make some noise in the contiguous 48.
the disc starts with "air," a smooth, heavily dubbed-out d&b track
that sets an intriguing tone for the rest of the album. it lets
you know that midival has a culture-clash-meld vision and that
punditz is constructed with style, craft, and unconstrained
talent. "bhangra fever," stepping away from the usual classical
dependency, is an electric electronic ode to the folk music that
shakes your groove thang. "fabric," which appeared in monsoon
wedding, is a dark, heavy gem that sits forebodingly on your
chest, as does "dark age." and "far from home" (an homage to
kale's home?) is an off-beat beat construct that is as disjointed
as an epileptic doing the running man.
however, it is that kind of brash, yet reverential, artistry that
is really fascinating. this is an album that can find its way into
homes, chill-outs, clubs, and cars, giving the listener everything
he wants without burdening them with the trite tripe one has come
to expect. this is what music, as an art form, is all about:
giving the audience something old (or ancient) in a new,
innovative form that can reinvigorate the ears, appetite, maybe
even the soul.... >>
■■ visit ln~#klangwerk