Search - DJ Cheb I Sabbah :: Maha Maya: Shri Durga Remixed

Following last year's Shri Druga (which made Amazon.com's Best of 1999 list), DJ Cheb i Sabbah returns with a series of remixed tracks from that CD. Two of the remixes are his own and the remainder are courtesy of a who's-who of the Talvin Singh-associated Asian Underground. The remixers are mainly club DJs and many of the mixes push the songs more in that direction. There are two takes of "Kese Kese": Transglobal Underground mostly deepens and buttresses the original groove and adds a heavier electronic drone behind the voice and tablas, while Bally Sagoo speeds up the tempo and adds techno-inflected bass and drum tracks. Fun-Da-Mental's mix of "Shri Durga" is more electronically deconstructed than State of Bengal's version, which relies on a warmer and more laid-back, '70s jazz-funk bass and wah-wah guitar feel. Bedouin Ascent's "Ganga Dev" is downtempo and smooth, allowing the melismatic, microtonal note-bending of the voices and stringed instrument to remain in the foreground. DJ Cheb's own two tracks seem the least tailored for the dance floor, retaining the rawer quality of the original Indian music. --Bob Bannister