Mondo Beat 2
Masters Of Percussion
Narada World
What’s life without if? What’s music without a beat? Pretty damned boring, if you ask me.
In this second tribute from Narada, the label pays homage to the original beatmasters – those percussionists who can polyrhythm a song to death, adding depth, groove, and that funky stuff we all know and love.
Mondo Beat 2 is heavily dependent on the tablaed South Asian sound, and, at times, you do kind of get that New Age vibe (like with Dhol Foundation and Mickey Hart). But, if you can get past that, there’s some really good, incredibly interesting music to be had on this disc.
Taufiq’s “The Tree of Rhythm” is so cool I can’t even come close to describing it. Gabrielle Roth contributes a queer, little millennial multi-culti boogie with “Downtown.” Airto Moreira’s “Batuka do India” is a percussion madhouse straight from a Brazilian zoo. Charlie Watts and Jim Keltne give a whole new definition for “abstract” beats with their “Kenny Clarke.” And I still can’t say enough about DJ Spooky’s remix of Natacha Atlas’ “Duden.” You seriously need to hear this song. Sikiru Adepoju and Brent Lewis also contribute some interesting stuff.
While they definitely would’ve better served themselves and their listeners by abandoning the more crystalline sounds and staying with raw, percussive energy, Narada has definitely assembled an interesting compilation with this Mondo Beat. All world music fans would do themselves a disservice by not checking this out.
Narada World Records: http://www.narada.com
