I recently bought Arabian Travels 2-A Sixth Degrees Collection, which is a
really good blend of traditional ancient Arabic music with modern techno
mixing. The CD, which is part of a Travel Series (CubanTravels, Asian Travels,
etc.), boasts musicians and DJs from Paris, Turkey, Egypt, Tokyo, and
Dublin - it's an interpretive mix.
My favorite single is Mercan Dede's single Nar/Ney. The song's tribal beat,
and sufi rhythms are hypnotic. It's the type of single that you play over
and over again until you've worn out the groove in your cd. Jeff Stott's
collaboration with Funky Nawari (featuring Reda Darwish) is another tasty
sample of Mid-Eastern flavor and masterful percussion.
This collection is good for a party, relaxing at home, doing yoga, or
conjuring up visions of whirling dervishes, and sufi dreams. I didn't have
to travel too far, it was available at my local record store.
Highly recommended by Monique, friend of AmeriSpan
