Search - Flying Carpet :: Flying Carpet

Mind Blowing Ride Through North Africa, India and the Middle

Zekeriyah | Chicago, IL | 11/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow! I have to say that I am very impressed at the quality of this compilation. I mean, from the title it might seem like another one of those hastily done compilations trying to exploit the oh-so-chic Oriental electronica. But a friend recommended it to me, and seeing as how it has alot of big name stars on it (Khaled, Hossam Ramzy, A.R. Rahman, Natacha Atlas, Nitin Sawhney, Alabina, Joi, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, etc), I figured it'd be worth a shot. When I popped the first CD of this two CD set into my computer, I was very pleased I took a chance on it. Drawing upon the Oriental electronica scene, the CD is a fair balance between the "authentic" and western exotica. All linked by the common themes of the Orient.



Grouped geographically, the first CD is called 'Lokoum' (the sweet candy called 'Turkish delight' in the west) and focuses on the Arabic tinged music of North Africa and the Middle East. Theres alot of good stuff here ranging from the majestic classical piece by Mozart l'Egyptien to the mournful "Don't Be Sad That I Leave" by Yannis Saleas to electronic dance tinged with the music of the Gnawa sufis of Morocco. Egyptian performer Hossam Ramzy appears twice, giving his rhythmic raks sharki sound, and theres some old school Algerian Rai from Khaled. Other highlights include an electronic remix of L'Orchestre National de Barbès, an "Egyptian medeley", a love song by Algerian singer Lili Boniche, and the club mix of Challe's title track "Flying Carpet", with pounding Egyptian rhythms!



On the second CD, aptly named 'Lotus', we are transported to the ancient lands of the Indian subcontinent. Perhaps appropriately, it opens with a "Mumbai Theme" by Bollywood composer A.R. Rahman. From there, we go on to Pakistan's late master of qawwali music Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a beautiful duet between Nitin Sawhney and Natacha Atlas entitled "Hope", Patrick O'Hearn's Persian themed "Hear Our Prayer", an Arabic song with sitars, the Asian Underground sounds of Joi, and finally another remix fo Challe's "Flying Carpet", only this time more ambient and ethereal. Plenty of sitars, tablas and other Asian instruments add to the overall effect of this CD.



If you can't afford a ticket to Calcutta, Cairo, Beirut or Istanbul any time soon, you might want to get this and pop it in your CD player. Its the next best thing to actually taking you on a magic carpet ride through the Orient. The music is great for dancing or chilling out, and ranging from pounding rhythms to solemn strings to haunting ethereal sounds. Its western imaginings of the 'exotic east' and actual Arab and Asian performers doing the real thing. If you want some good dance sounds, this is a great place to start, and I highly recommend it."

For anyone interested in Middle Eastern music.

Seb Jarakian | San Francisco, CA United States | 04/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An awesome collection of Middle Eastern music and Middle Eastern Influenced electronica perfectly mixed together and compiled on 2 CD's by Claude Challe from the Buddha Bar series. Can't get enough of the whole set. The last track Flying Carpet on CD2 is one of the best on this set. Go get it before it's out of print.



SJ

www.bestplaylists.com"

Another Hard to Find, exceptionally good cd

Jose Najas Raad | Miami, FL USA | 12/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like Buddha Bar I and the incredibly hard to find Les Bains, Flying Carpet was one of the first cd's by Claude Challe. Evey song is beautiful and perfectly blended with the rest. I cannot recommend these cd's enough. Get them while you can. I am sure in a few months they will be completely unavailable like they have been for the last 5 years."