Asian Chill Inner Pulse Of An [Audio CD] Various

This set isn't as bland as might be expected, given its Asian Chill title. There's certainly no New Age dilution involved, with all of its Anglo-American contributors intent on relocating Indian or Pakistani traditions within a vibrantly modernised production framework. Writer and producer Phil Meadley has assembled a sequence of less likely artists, particularly with US-based contributors Cheb i Sabbah, Karsh Kale, Dan The Automator and DJ Baba G. In terms of the familiar UK market, Nitin Sawhney, TJ Rehmi and Badmarsh & Shri are all well represented. The odd one out is India's Ravi Shankar, his completely acoustic "Acquired Dreams" stretching right back to 1984. Even Pakistan's Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is remixed into a spiralling pulse. Other stand-outs are provided by Najma Akhtar's gentle vocal gyrations, the Dhol Foundation's heavy stick-work against massed flutes and Fun-Da-Mental's now almost complete entanglement in their Qawwali roots. The common factor here is an assured coupling of club-orientated production techniques with an uncompromising acoustic virtuosity, whether it's coming from a classical or folk background, or somewhere mysterious in-between. -- Martin Longley