Monday, May 12, 2008

Abstract Index Playlist - May 7/08


After eagerly anticipating this release last year, it fell off my radar. I finally got a copy a few weeks ago courtesy of the ROIR label.

Badawi is Ras Mezinai's nom de dub. Anyone who had an interest in illbience ten years ago should be very familiar with his work, which fuses dub and Middle Eastern rhythm ideas. After hitting a peak with Soldier Of Midian (that one's in the Abstract Index hall of fame), he has incorporated more live musicians to interpret his beguiling, fierce polyrhythms.

This disc started out as a live session of the Badawi Quintet, which counts among its members ace drummer Jim Black. Only one of the 12 tracks here preserves the original session. The rest are mixes by an international selection of DJs. So far, I've played remixes by hhyScumclash, Kode 9 & Kreng. The Kode 9 mix is vital, it's a no nonsense near-steppers groove that urges people on to the floor, Kreng on the other hand is much freer rhythmically. The disc references dubstep, dancehall and of course is shot through with dub, but it's hard to describe these adventures in downtempo electronica.

Whereas the extreme production and contrasting approaches on remix albums tend to burn a listener out, the diverse approaches on this disc are complimentary. There's a very strong flow from start to end, and it's fairer not to consider these tracks to be remixes at all.

relicary - ARC (epidemie)
black capricorn - svartbag (rump)
out of breath - badawi vs. kreng (ROIR)
ku mi da hankan - the elcados (soundway)
subuhanalaii - justin adams/ juldeh camara (world village)
cobarde - eddie palmieri (MP)
rings - nomo (ubiquity)
belles - feuermusik (standard form)
tidal speed - fransizka baumann & matthias ziegler (leo)
bug in the bass bin - innerzone orchestra (sessions mix) (!k7)
can't be beat - quiet village (!k7)
ahomka wo mu - v.i.p. (outhere)
pietons dub - shantel (essay)
no bed of roses - dub syndicate feat. cornell campbell rmx. by rob smith (collision cause of chapter 3)
freedom and money - prince blanco (mojobrand)
one in a billion - dub syndicate feat. luciano rmx. by rob smith (collision cause of chapter 3)
black tracks version - native (pressure sounds)

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