Happy New Year JACQUES and everyone else here !!!

Just to let you know my BBC show is proving to be quite popular but of course I'd like the tribe to grow ;)
PLEASE spread the word & treat yourselves to an Eclectic Mix

Check my blog : www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/asiannetworkmusic/

The voting for the 1st the Sunset Soundtrack of 2007 has just began so PLEASE get your votes in, if you haven’t yet click here :
www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwor...calrickshaw/

Enjoy the start of another year and do please listen in or ‘listen back’ to the show :)
Thanks for your time,

Pathaan x

The new State of Bengal is definitely a step forward into the future. Sam was kind enough to bless us with some tracks from the album last summer. Future future forward.

IK

So great to sepnd some this new year with you Jacques and at that rockin' Atlas show! whew...

It ripped me a new one for sure!

I'm also excited to see some of the names on you list - State of Bengal is always a fav, Buddah Bars are tasty and Joi - Joy!

I'm definitely on high gear myself this year...

Yesterday was the official kick-off for the annual Winter Music Conference www.wmcon.com/ , currently in its 22th year. Essentially a convention for the dance and electronic music industry, artists and deejays of electronic world beat have in recent years been well represented in this weeklong series of club events, showcases, panel discussions, and networking that turns Miami into a North American version of Ibiza.

Some memorable appearances by world beat and world fusion artists and/or artist collectives in the past have included NYC's GlobeSonic collective in 2001 and the release of their first compilation entitled Earth N Bass, Masters At Work (Kenny Gonzalez & Louie Vega) in 2002 who showcased South African electronica including a live pa by kwaito group Mafikizolo, and also the release of the MAW album with Bajan soca Denise Belfon belting out a live version of the hit song, Work!, following which, in 2003, they presented a live show by Louie Vega's Elements of Life band featuring his wife, Cape Verdean singer Anane, singer and guitarist Raul Midon, and salsa singer Domingo Quinones, and, of course, in 2004, the first Asian Underground showcase featuring Cheb i Sabbah.

This year is turning out to be a very special year for electronic world beat and world fusion artists indeed, including many members of this very tribe who are gathering in South Florida to either perform or support world fusion electronica music and artists. It is a good sign when, on the first night, one gets a convergence of three exciting young talents in worldbeat electronica, as geographically dispersed as they are musically diverse.

The event was entitled Jetlag, and how very appropriate since a few of us were exactly in that state, having crossed many a time zone to get to South Florida :) Arriving just before 9 pm, we saw DJ DRM of Bastard Jazz recordings www.bastardjazz.com/ ,in a bright red t-shirt emblazoned with the name of his record label (quite a statement in Miami clubland where black and muted colors are perpetually fashionable) behind the decks accompanied by prolific NYC-based percussionist Amon www.ertaldawg.com/ The event was being held at Rain in South Beach which boasted three separate music and dance spaces, the front room being the space of choice for the line-up which included DJ Le Spam, Nickodemus, and Jeremy Sole's Musaics.

Interestingly enough, the theme for the front room at the Jet Lag event was "eclectic nu funk." This was apparent as DJ DRM spun funk and soul that had absorbed many a world influence, notably Afro-Cuban which was replicated thru Amon's live conga drumming. At about a quarter past nine, DJ Le Spam www.spamallstars.com/ took over the decks and started off with one of his signature vintage Afro-Cuban numbers. However, in keeping with the "nu funk" theme, he proceeded to spin a set of Afro-American funk, soul, and rare groove reminiscent of his sets at club Jazid as opposed to his landmark residency at Hoy Como Ayer in Little Havana which is more classic Afro-Cuban and Afro-Cuban funk-focused.

Next up was a dj whom I sadly did not manage to identify but spun a rather long set of funktronica which at times also revealed the influences of Afrobeat and Afro-funk in the genre. He was followed by Nickodemus www.nickodemus.com/# who, like Le Spam before him, also started off his set with a vintage Afro-Cuban guaguanco number with the jazzy piano stylings, before going into more funk overlayered with Latin and Balkan sounds, Then came what must have been the most anticipated tune of the evening, his remix of Balkan Beat Box's Adir Adirim. The dancefloor erupted in pure joy and Nickodemus obliged by spinning a full set of Balkan beats. The Balkan set was followed by an Afro-Latin set that featured Boricua chants and folkloric beats in a funky groove.

True to the saying time flies when you're having fun, an hour passed and it was time for the other djs to go on. Jeremy Sole www.musaics.com/ briefly got behind the dj console and served his refreshing remix of Salif Keita's Madan replete with the outstanding sound of the kora. There were more djs to follow that nite--we stayed till a little past 3 am--who spun everything from reggae dancehall to electro, including Ursula 1000 who dropped a funk carioca mashup of Tim Deluxe's It Just Won't Do. And the track heard twice last nite? Antibalas' cover of the Boricua anthem Che Che Cole Makossa www.daptonerecords.com/pages/...01.html

More to come from the five remaining days of WMC 007!

A very fortuitous Saturday nite on the eve of Earth Day 2007 last week saw a convergence of some of the most amazing talents in world fusion music at NiaSpace Dance Temple in Portland at the Tribal Matrix event www.tribalmatrix.info/ Tribal Matrix is the latest release from Japan-based Dakini Records www.dakinirecords.com/ , known for its world music and downtempo sounds,

Walking into NiaSpace at 9:30 pm, I was very impressed by the space that is part of StudioNia Portland nianow.com/index.php , a center for body movement, fitness, and well-being. Visitors and patrons are asked to remove their footwear with the underneath of long benches aligned against the hallway serving as shoe racks.

The walls along the corridor that led to the Dance Temple were adorned with some of the most interesting banners I had seen at a music and dance event, with visionary art on top of fabric. Some looked like visionary representations of Hindu iconography such as Ganesha and Shiva's trident, and there was one that featured a couple of sky dancers or dakinis which fit the theme of the night perfectly. They definitely set the mood for the space, a precursor to the music and dance. Over the course of the evening, I actually met the local artist responsible for creating the banners and prayer flags, Arun thearuniverse.com

Entering the main hall that was the Dance Temple, I was mesmerized by the beauty of how it was laid out. An expansive room with hardwood flooring and white fabric wall to wall, at the end of which was an altar with a dancing Nataraja at the center with Ganapati in front and flanked on the left by Rama and Sita in embrace, and on the right by a multi-headed, multi-armed Southeast Asian replica of Vishnu. Offerings of fruit--bananas and coconuts--as well as flowers and incense adorned the altar. The altar itself constituted of a couple of antique low tables and chests that were draped with Oriental fabric. I was very impressed with how they had set up the altar/centerpiece so as to create a sense of space for the Dance Temple.

Behind the altar was the dj table on which the first dj was already spinning, DJ Layla www.djlayla.com/ Her self-created phoenix-red tribal locks and profile richly bathed in a red glow emanating from the stage lighting, she was djing with both cd decks and a laptop, the first musical set for the night. She started off with a downtempo world fusion mix that was a veritable sonic voyage--from Al Andalus to the Levant, the melodies and beats seemingly carrying us in waves through different musical traditions and world cultures. Soon, some of us found ourselves dancing as the subtle grooves became more and more irresistible. At 10:30, the Tigerstyle remix of M.I.A. landed the dancers on the urban global dancefloor as DJ Layla kicked the tempo up a notch for the latter half of her set. By that time, the hall was visibly filling up as dancing bodies filled up the floor.

Another impressive thing about an event like this, besides the convergence of artists who are spread around the world with equally diverse interest in world fusion music, is the convergence of the audience who also come from different backgrounds and interests. On this night, we saw different dance communities coming together. There were the yogis and yoginis who started the night by paying homage to the altar before dancing. There was the local tribal dance community who came to support the artists and celebrate in joyous dance. And there were also the local tribal bellydancers who came to dance and support their favorite djs who have soundtracked their dance and artform.

At 11 pm, the next dj got behind the decks, DJ Mazeguider www.mazeguider.com/ from Vancouver, BC. A longtime fixture in Vancouver's underground dance community, it was a pleasant surprise to see him since earlier versions of the event flyer did not have his name on the line-up. An even bigger delight was dancing to his set of ethno-trance and electronica that included Kaya Project's Dark Tabla. The night was in full swing as as the DanceTemple was fully packed with dancing revelers.

At about a quarter past midnite, the man of the night, DJ Gio-Makyo www.dakinirecords.com/~Englis...out.html got behind the decks. This Tokyo-based, transplanted American musician, producer, dj, and writer, is a favorite in the world of downtempo, ethno and world fusion music. His releases on the Dakini label are highly coveted by connoisseurs around the world, as are his production work and collaboration by fellow world fusion artists. As a dj, his musical tastes range far and wide across the realm of world music, fusion, and global/world beats www.dakinirecords.com/~Englis...ext.html and this is what we have come to experience on this night.

He started his set with a trio of perennial world beat faves, starting off with the dramatic Indo-Romani fusion number that is Lei Toi by Hungarian singer Mitsoura, into the bhangra fusion anthem Desi Rock by Swami, and Rimitti Ridim by the immortal female vocals of Cheikha Rimitti. It was absolutely fantastic! The energy of the dancers swung to a peak-hour high along with the music. As the crowd filled the Dance Temple from the back to the front, we spotted some luminaries of the Portland electronica music and dance scene dancing to Makyo's set frontcenter of the altar and dancing booth. There was DJ Layla who was dancing alongside Portland-based tribal bellydancer Skylar. Spotted dancing to the left of the booth was another prolific dj of the Portland dance and electronica scene, DJ Manoj,

And the night of spectacular global beat shaking music continued through Makyo's hour-long set. There were the uptempo Arabic numbers which included Amira Sagati's Moroccan trancer, Hel Aeynik, with its driving basslines, an nrgetic version of the bellydance anthem Chocolata, and the magnificent Said Mrad remix of Greek diva Despina Vandi's Gia. There was the mini-homage to Bollywood which included the Panjabi MC remix of Chaiyya Chaiyya and the reigning queen of Bollywood, Sunidhi Chauhan's hit tune Dhoom Machale. And still there were other numbers that blended sounds and grooves from India to Brazil. Sometime in the middle of it all, the Japanese bellydance due of E-Chan & Milla entered the hall to start their performance piece and the crowd magically parted and sat on the floor to make way for them.

E-Chan & Milla emem.ninja-x.jp/ started off their performance with a fusion piece mixing elements of Japanese folk dance, with fans, and tribal bellydance. DJ Makyo played their music which started off with a Ryukyu Underground-sounding number with electronica and the high-pitch vocals of a female Okinawan minyo/folksong singer. As the bellydance duo shifted gear to more tribal-style bellydance pieces, so did the music. E-Chan & Milla are actually in the midst of their own US tour, and as regular collaborators with Makyo in Japan, are such a delight to see performing their own fusions and interpretations of tribal bellydance.

At 1:15 am, arrived the last dj in the illustrious line-up, the legendary Cheb i Sabbah himself www.chebisabbah.com/ , fresh from his headlining gig at the hybrid lounge, Pi-Rem www.pi-rem.com/ , another famous venue in Portland's extremely fertile music, performance art, and nightlife scene. Chebiji started off his set with a bhangratronic number before seguing into the full-power South Asian breakbeatfest that is Jab Tac by She's All That. There was a noticeable following that had come over from Pi-Rem which underscores the popularity of this great artist. More great music followed including Arabic and Brazilian hiphop, the latter with a Portuguese-language rap about police brutality in Sao Paulo. The great thing about Cheb i Sabbah's sets is that the music often carries a message--there was another track that sampled "The Colorline is the Powerline" speech. At this time, the Dance Temple was in full gear as even Gio/Makyo and E-Chan & Milla had joined the masses of dancers, each moving to his own style and rhythm, but all seemingly moving together as one massive dancing mosaic. Chebiji served up serveral Middle Eastern sonik deelites which included the remix of Jef Stott and Reda Darwish's Lamaset, followed by Zohar's bellydiscoraver, Do You Have Any Faith? The South Asian following that had accompanied him from Pi-Rem were visibly enthused when he dropped the bhangra and global/ethnotrance numbers, including Groovio's remix of MIDIval PunditZ' Kesariya and Momo's Digital Garab.

Sometime around 3:45, Makyo took over the decks again for the final set of the evening and what a set it was! Going into the pre-dawn hours, he launched into a world fusion set that included a gorgeous Azam Ali remix and several dubby, lower-tempo trance numbers, including one that beautifully lasted longer than the typical five-minute duration of a track. At 4:30 am, as the final beat faded out from Makyo's dj console, the crowd naturally gravitated towards the ground as the chant of om by many of the dancers filled the room. Now sitting on the dancefloor, many dancers chose to perform some yoga or participate in the chant. Still, others chose to sit cross-legged and enjoy the moment. Makyo stepped down from behind the decks and Cheb i Sabbah re-entered the room to check out this beautiful, spontaneous finale to an amazing night of world music and dance.

The chant of om gave way to Native American chants as human voices sounding different traditions fused in a the music blended different cultures all night long. The fruits/offerings on the altar were passed around as blessed prasadum and I can personally testify that a banana has never tasted so good as breakfast after a whole night of dancing! As I made my way out of the NiaSpace Dance Temple approaching 5 am, I could still hear some folks on the didjeridoo in one of the other rooms. This is one world fusion music and dance event that will always have a special place in my memory for the artists--dj, performance, and visual--that put together such an amazing night for people to enjoy and celebrate the diversity of sounds, movement, culture, and traditons on this earth.

went out last weekend to Paradiso seeing Tarhana, Mercan Dede, DJ Ipek and Nomad SoundSystem playing on a new clubnight.
Mostly i'm was suprised to see Nomad SoundSystem and Mercan Dede along with special guests Ilham Ersarhin + Mt (a Turkish hiphop crew based in Amsterdam) with amazing gigs. Later on the same night @ Labyrint in Paradiso where DJ Yakuza (Orient Expressions) and Richard Dorfmeister playing.

www.myspace.com/nomadsoundsystem
www.myspace.com/beyazkin
www.myspace.com/ilhanersahin

Next Labyrint gonna be amazing again with on the bill with State Of Bengal in the line up.

Following on the heels of the hugely successful Worldly nights in San Francisco worldmusic.tribe.net/thread/...8c481f82 and the recent dissolution of Dhamaal SF www.dhamaalsf.com/ into Outerworldly www.outerworldly.net/ and Surya Dub www.suryadub.com/ (to be reviewed in a new edition of the World Music Club Nites In Your Area thread!) led respectively by a Dhamaal SF co-founder, I decided to check out the new Wordly event format on tour in San Diego www.museumofman.org/html/eve...ldly.html

Doors were slated to open at 8 pm, however, upon arriving, the staff were still organizing themselves and a line had begun to snake its way around the entrance of the museum. It being a crisp, cool San Diego spring evening, we didn't mind at all waiting for the museum folks to get organized, however, we noticed that some of the locals readily expressed displeasure at having been made to wait. When we got in, we were greeted by the sight of San Francisco-based qawwali singer Sukhawat Ali Khan www.pakistanimusic.com/artist...an.html , SoCal-based tabla player Jas, and San Diego-based didjeridu player Mitchell Augustus Walker performing their soundchecks.

At precisely 8:28 pm, the evening's program was off to a spontaneous start when Sukhawat Ali Khan's voice came over the microphone beckoning everyone to come closer to the stage. He introduced his fellow musicians and the night's repertoire, beginning with a prayer/spiritual tribute followed by songs to "make us dance." When the first notes of Sukhawat singing the qawwali piece accompanied by the sound of the didj hit, you know you're in for a live world fusion treat. The first song was a prayer for world peace, with Sukhawat encouraging the audience to sing "shanti" along with him. He explained how it was also a tribute to both Krishna and Shiva, using his voice to mimic the sound of Krishna's flute and Shiva's ascetic persona.

The first piece continued into the familiar dum dum mast kalandar chorus as the tempo picked up with the duet between Sukhawat's harmonium and Jas' tablas. The tabla player parents were in the audience and Sukhawat frequently acknowledged their presence. This world music fan, in spite of having been to three separate Worldlys in San Francisco where Sukhawat Ali Khan performed as an integral part of the Dhamaal collective, must admit that he has never caught this qawwal's live performance as a result of spending all his time in the dj-manned rooms of 1015 Folsom. It is thus a very special experience to catch a live performance by this masterful singer who sings with expressive eyes and voice. Not to mention in a concert featuring cross-cultural collaboration with a didjeridu master.

The second piece was a monsoon-themed raaga made popular by the late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (I did not catch the full long title, except that it began with Akhiyan). The magical nature of raagas involves how they are used to complement specific states of nature, in this case, the rainy monsoons. The last piece was a qawwali number which Sukhawat Ali Khan again dedicated to world peace, stating that "all Gods are good" and in the process, invoking the names of Allah, Krishna, Jesus, and Guru Nanak. Didjeridu artist played a series of drones on the didj in duet with Sukhawat's vocals. The first concert of the night ended on a high note with the familiar Allah Hoo qawwali chorus. After the concert, many amongst the audience were visibly moved, uttering many a compliment to this intercultural group of talented world musicians.

The qawwali concert ended at 9:08 pm and we walked up to the second floor in order to cross over to the building across El Prado where there was a 10,000-square-foot outdoor patio with heavy hors d'oeuvres catered by many of the city's top restaurants, representing several world cuisines including Mexican, Thai, Indian, Hawaiian, and fusion, and another stage that was setting up for the performance by San Diego's Supersonic Samba School sssamba.org/ There were also vendors selling everything from clothing by Besos Not Bombs to organic leather bracelets to cds and vinyl from one of the bands performing that night, Bitter Sweet www.quango.com/artists/bittersweet.html

We decided to head back to the museum stage to check out the proceedings, along the way stopping by one of the lower floors where there was an ambient room with someone playing what looked like a church organ with a group of folks performing a dance piece. Back on the museum stage, there was a bellydancer dancing to a lone doumbek player followed by Banda Jangada who turned out to be a very good locally-based Brazilian musical group. Amongst its members was a female flautist and a Brazilian male vocalist who sang superb renditions of classic bossanova.

Amongst the dancing crowd were members of San Diego-based Capoeira Mandinga www.capoeirasd.com/main.html , some male members of whom sported body paint on their upper bodies. The singer dedicated one of the songs to members of the Brazilian community in the audience be they from Recife, Fortaleza, Rio, Sao Paulo, or the South. This seems to be a recurrent theme of the nite--uniting diverse threads of a community or diverse communities thru music. There was a fantastic Brazilian-style reggae rendition of the Caetano Veloso classic, Morena Tropicana. As the group launched into a carnival theme from Olinda, I decided to make my way back to the outdoor patio on the other side to catch performances by former Asian Dub Foundation bassist Dr Das www.visionaryunderground.com/htm...html with Ramjac www.ramjac.co.uk/ , Sukhawat Ali Khan and Jas, and Janaka Selekta www.myspace.com/janakaselekta

At 11:45, as the musicians were doing their soundchecks, the crowd was entertained by a Chinese martial arts troupe featuring twin lion dancers dancing to one of Dr Das' backing tracks! Yet another example of how cultures and music can fuse surprisingly well in a live setting. The backdrop of the pugilists was a white screen showing visuals that depicted South Indian folkdances, behind which, rising against the skyline was another building in the Balboa Park complex that looked like a cathedral. At midnight, the musicians started playing with Ramjac on programming, Dr Das on live bass, Sukhawat Ali Khan on vocals, and Jas on tablas. The first number was accompanied by some fire dancers, after which the Capoeira Mandinga folks busted some capoeira moves on the floor to the amazement of the crowd (and the musicians, too). Imagine doing capoeira to live Indo-dub with Sufi qawwali vocals--yet more fusion on an already amazing night of Worldly.

Dr Das also took time in between numbers to explain his music. He said he was influenced by his parents' classical recordings of Indian raaga at home as a child. On a trip to India as a 9-year old, he experienced the noise emmanating from the Indian streets which included the classical Indian and filmi music of the day. This made him call his music dub noise, the noise part being the Indian noise with its cyclical patterns and inherent melodies. He also said that while his music is still world music, it would perhaps more suitably be termed "militant" world music in oder to reflect the realities of a militant world rife with conflicts awaiting resolution. Truly an inspiring and energetic performance from these musicians--for some of the more uptempo numbers, you would find Ramjac, Dr Das, and Sukhawat Ali Khan jumping in unison on the stage, leading the Doctor to nickname the piece "qawwali punk."

Many numbers from the Emergency Basslines album were performed last night, from Dub Accelerator to Frontline Party, from Khapa Militanz to Pitch Black. For a good one hour and forty minutes we were entertained by Dr Das and his Emergency Bass Sound System. For the final twenty minutes of the show, the group was joined by Janaka Selekta, highlighting the Dhamaal Soundsystem vs Dr Das portion of the show. The first track they performed was Chandraya Dhamaal, a midtempo dance track which can be heard on the doctor's MySpace page www.myspace.com/drdas The second collaboration track (the last one for the night) was entitled Reborn, another midtempo number that kept the crowd dancing till 2 am.

The crowd response to the Emergency Basslines tracks was really very positive, evident in the dancin crowd. There were also some folks that asked the musicians where the music could be bought. No doubt, the energy and showmanship of the performers also contributed to the overall stage presence and appeal of the show. Worldly in its new live format has certainly proven that it can continue to showcase cutting-edge world electronic music as well as spread its wings to take the show beyond its San Francisco homebase.

In a season that has seen many a show by world fusion luminaries such as Makyo with Jef Stott feat. Drum Spyder, Gaudi, and Ganga Giri, my first return trip to the provincial capital of British Columbia on Vancouver island found myself at the DJs & PJs overnighter event in Sooke, BC. Quintessentially a community-based gathering and a farewell party for one its members, this event boasted a line-up that includes a couple of luminaries of the local music scene who happen to be members of this very World Music tribe and nothing give me more pleasure than to experience many of our talented fellow Tribe members in action at their gigs and performances :D

Arriving at 9 pm, still within the daylight summer hours of the Pacific Northwest, we saw local musician and current Sooke resident, violinist Azul Salvaje www.myspace.com/azulsalvajemusic serenading a small group perched on a hillside. It's been a year and a half since I caught Azul's public performance (the last time was at the One Love Halloween party at the basement of a church in the Fairfield area of Victoria in 2005) and I was very excited to see him perform again with his accompanying instrument, the aptly named Violetta.

Whilst waiting for the sound system to be set up in the main dance space of the private residence, already beautifully adorned with an altar as centerpiece, I took in the beautiful night skyline of the Sooke countryside. It was the night of a rising full-moon and the night sky was awashed with shades of grey, black, and silver. At around 10 pm, we could hear Azul getting started on his live violin electronica showcase and marveled at how effortlessly and beautifully his acoustic violin blended with the electro ambient beats.

Just before midnight, the first of the DJs stepped up to the decks, Ambrosia, herself a local promoter of intentional dance events. A set that started out with soniclicious world fusion beats and progressively transitioned into hypnotic trance past the midset mark, ending at 1 am when our World Music tribe's very own DJ Lady Ra of Vancouver-based world fusion DJ collective Beats Without Borders took over www.myspace.com/pardesimusic www.beatswithoutborders.com/

I last saw Lady Ra when she spun in San Francisco as part of a west coast tour with DJ Amar www.bansuri.net at the Electric Vardo Flamenco Remix and Surya Dub events (full reviews soon a new edition of the World Music Club Nites thread). Truly eclectic and global in her sound, Lady Ra is a favorite among Victoria's tribal dance community and quite a mentor for many upcoming and talented aspiring female DJs. She started off her set with a midtempo ragga-inflected number, launching into the bombastic Dancehall Operator number by Transglobal Underground and the slammin Ya Selam by Bole2Harlem, brilliantly followed up by a Sharmaji bhangra dancehall track that heralded an extended ragga jungle/breaks set that included the infamous remix of Manu Chao's King of Bongo.

At 1:30 am, as if drawn by the beats emanating from Lady Ra's decks, the full moon arose, bathing the night sky in gorgeous luminescense as the crowd danced on. The beautiful, 21st century Asian Underground gem that is Amar Kahani by Joi heralded the next phase of her set and the dancers rushed to occupy every last bit of space in the living room. This was followed by the secong part of her set which had a distinct Arabic sound meshed in some Balkanica including another track off the new TGU Moonshout album, Awal featuring Naufalle of Aiwa and the one and only Natacha Atlas. In the meantime, violinist Azul came on again to accompany her on live violin and tambourine. She ended her set at 2:30 am with Atarashi by Nomad Soundsystem feat MC Sufferah upon which DJ Mountain Eyes and Cloud Dancer took over with their global trance set.

Definitely a memorable night of dancing to some of the best musicians and djs on my first night back in British Columbia!

Went to club Holocene to catch the live show by LA-based Cambodian-style psychedelic band Dengue Fever www.myspace.com/denguefevermusic who have been making waves in the world music scene in recent years. Walking into the club at a little before midnite, caught DJ Anjali www.anjaliandthekid.com/ ,one-half of the DJ duo that is the toast of Portland's global/international music scene, doing a vintage Bolly-lounge set spiced with French pop. I learned that I had just missed Rupa & The April Fishes (again! Already missed them once this year at Worldly San Diego back in May).

A little after midnite, Dengue Fever came on in the inner grand room of Holocene. The music was very 60s psychedelic pop which was the sound of East Asia in the late 60s and 70s from Tokyo to Hong Kong to Phnom Penh (artists like Japanese diva Misora Hibari and Chinese songstress Bai Kwong were known to do psychedelic dance numbers back in the day). Singer Chhom Nimol has an enchanting voice in a beautiful style reminiscent of many Southeast Asian lead vocalists. For this audience member, it was a treat to hear Cambodian vocals set against a sophisticated psychedelic-infliuenced rock music with hints of jazz. The spacious inner room of Holocene was quite packed throughout the band's set lasting over an hour. At times, when the band performed covers of classic Cambodian folk songs in their own style, Chhom would follow with some Cambodian dance gestures with her hands in a languid and natural way that was in step with the folk melodies.

After the band's set, the other half of the DJ duo, the Incredible Kid www.anjaliandthekid.com/ went back on, following up where Anjali left with a mini vintage Bollywood set. In spite of the exodus of the main concert crowd, there were still some folks who were up for dancing, including some South Asian fans. Approaching 1:30 am, the Incredible Kid transitioned into a global urban set spinning reggaeton, Palestinian hiphop (DAM's Mali Huriye) and closed the nite with one last Bolly-breaks tune.

Recently saw this at our local film festival, a very insightful documentary into the happening hiphop scene in Morocco. Brings back memories of some of the artists and groups we saw at the Essaouira festival this past summer.

The film chronicles the trials and tribulations of setting up the first Hip Hop festival in Morocco and shines the spotlight on some of the major crews and artists in Casablanca, Meknes, Marrakech, and Fez with in depth interviews that highlight their stylistic differences. For example, there are scenes with H-Kayne discussing their lyrics and perspectives on political satire as well as Fnaire talking about fusing traditional Moroccan music with hiphop

www.ilovehiphopinmorocco.com/

As we get ready to welcome the new year 2008, looking back at 2007, it has certainly been a tremendous year for World Music!

From Africa to Asia, from the Americas to Europe and beyond, world roots and traditional music, world beat and electronica fusion, and ethnic music have definitely represented as evident from the new releases, artist performances on tour, and world music festivals around the globe.

This world music afficionado would like to acknowledge all the amazing artists, musicians, performers, djs, and fans, many of whom are members of this very tribe, for representing and showcasing the musical heritages and artforms of the world this year, and taking the opportunity to wish everyone a bountiful and prosperous 2008 filled with music, music, and more world music!

And to the individuals who have chimed in on this thread in particular, I am deeply indebted for the insight and valuable suggestions that have vastly broadened our world music horizons--XS, Jurgen, Aniqa, Ln, Janel, Rachel May, Cas, and Marisa. To the incredible musicians and artists--WaltSnipe cdbaby.com/all/snipe , and Notecrusher www.notecrusher.com/ , what incredible pleasure your music has brought us this past year, looking forward to more releases, live events, and productions in 2006! And to the djs/artist collectives--Bob Duskis of Six Degrees Records www.sixdegreesrecords.com/home.php , DJ Pathaan of the BBC Asian Network (London, UK) www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwor...calrickshaw/ , DJ The Incredible Kid (Portland, OR) www.anjaliandthekid.com/ , DJ Layla (Eugene, OR), Kurt aka DJ Globalruckus (Portland, OR) www.myspace.com/djglobalruckus , Lady Ra and Beats Without Borders (Vancouver, Canada) www.beatswithoutborders.com , and Micsto and EarthNoize (Greater Miami area, FL) www.earthnoize.com/ , mahalo nui for propagating the sounds of the world and mixing it with cutting-edge beats and technology.

Last month, my travels have permitted to experience a great world fusion musician and artist in British Columbia, Adham Shaikh www.sonicturtle.com/ A DJ set in Vancouver at the Prana event provided an insight into the musical collection of one of Canada's foremost world fusion DJs with a set that ran the gamut from ethnofusion to bhangra and balkan beats. This same event also featured a younger generation of DJs in the BC scene including the Praxis trio of ubiquitous world music festival/event manager/dub dj Miss Biss www.myspace.com/missblissmusic (who exceled in a decidedly global beat set blending everything from M.I.A. to flamenco and balkan sounds), Atef (a regular at the tea house on Commercial Drive, Lady Ra's consort), and Nova who spun an ethnosonic set spiced with Punjabi bhangra.

The following evening saw Adham Shaikh perform with his Adham Shaikh collective live band in Victoria on Vancouver island accompanied by a supporting band that was the same line-up featured at the Commodore in Vancouver during Vancouver Jazz fest (which I unfortunately missed out on this year, and was glad to have a chance to experience this time). Among the accompanying musicians were the energetic Kris Ledrew who wowed us on the darbouka, talking drum, and mbira, singer Gemma Luna on vocals, Jeff Holden on vocals and didj, Melissa Meretsky on percussion. The show took place at the Victoria Event Centre on Broad, a venue that I had also been meaning to check out for a while (just like the infamous Waldorf Hotel in Vancouver which hosted the Prana event the previous night).
It was great to experience the sounds of electronic world beat and world fusion in a live setting. This event was followed by an afterparty at the Sunset Room with a global beat/ethnotrance set by Adham Shaikh preceeded by DJ Gordon Field of Interchill Records www.interchill.com/newsandi...rden.html This world fusion fan remembers walking home along Victoria's waterfront at 5:30 am very satisfied from a night of dancing to some of the best talents in the BC world fusion and global beat scene.

In bidding adieu to 2007, permit this world music traveler to sum up the year with a list of world tunes that have particularly touched his heart and rocked his world this past year.

1. Ketri - Lumin (The third album in the world fusion trio's decade-long history is a groovy celebration of world cultures expressed through multiethnic songs and the fusion of musical styles)

2. Surya Dub Theme - Kush Arora feat. Maneesh The Twister (The artistically fertile East Bay area gives rise to this collaboration between Punjabi underground electronic musician and this year's SF Guardian best club DJ--of namesake Surya Dub nights at Club 6--and co-founder of the Bay Area's iconic Dhamaal Soundsystem)

3. Lamaset (dj oud remix) - Jef Stott (Prolific west coast-based Middle Eastern fusion musician and producer's solo release as part of Six Degrees Records's Emerging Artist series series this new enanced version of a dancefloor fave recorded with Reda Darwish on percussion)

4. The Fourth Estate - Notecrusher feat. Chemey Youdon Dhonsar (With female vocals sung in Tibetan, the unmistakable global beat hit of the year heard from Vancouver to London!)

5. Jimmy - M.I.A (The resurrection of a Bollywood classic infused with 21st century politics and soundscapes, delivered by M.I.A as only she can)

6. Superbo Kuduro - Frederic Galliano feat. Dog Murras (From the streets of Angola to the dancefloors of Paris and beyond, one of the many emerging popular styles from the African continent this year)

7. Endless Reverie (zaman 8 and jef stott remixes) - Azam Ali (Beautifully sung by one of the leading ladies of world fusion and reinterpreted with edge by her Six Degrees fellow artists)

8. Koupes - Shantel feat. Brenna MacCrimmon (The Balkan dancefloor shaman's hit solo album and this collaboration with the amazing Ms. MacCrimmon who many will remember from the Crossing the Bridge/Istanbul Hatirasi film)

9. Sah Raoui - Fnaire feat. Salah Edin & Maalem Mohamed Kouyou (Experience live at the their concert as part of the 10th edition of the Essaouira Gnaoua & World Music festival on the main stage in Place Moulay Hassan, the Marrakech-based rap trio's global hiphop odyssey features a Moroccan-Dutch rapper and Gnaoui master)

10. Zitarrosa - Bajofondo (Electro-tango tribute to the late Uruguayan tango master).