Search - Sabah Habas Mustapha :: So-La-Li

So-La-Li
Sabah Habas Mustapha
So-La-Li
Genres: Dance & Electronic, International Music, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (11) - Disc #1

The former 3 Mustaphas 3 bassist delves deeply into Indonesian music on So La Li, with the light dangdut style mixing with traditional Sundanese texts. Backed by Bandung's Jugala All Stars, Sabah gets a sound that's both e...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Sabah Habas Mustapha
Title: So-La-Li
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Omnium
Original Release Date: 8/22/2000
Release Date: 8/22/2000
Genres: Dance & Electronic, International Music, Pop
Styles: World Dance, Far East & Asia
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 038146202521

Synopsis

Amazon.com
The former 3 Mustaphas 3 bassist delves deeply into Indonesian music on So La Li, with the light dangdut style mixing with traditional Sundanese texts. Backed by Bandung's Jugala All Stars, Sabah gets a sound that's both exotic and warmly familiar--indeed "Seuri" bears a strong resemblance in both style and melody to Roxy Music's "Avalon." But this isn't a Mustaphas pastiche; it's very much the real thing. While not the ethnomusicology of Discover Indonesia, it's still very much representative of the pop styles coming out of the area, be it dangdut, jaipong, or whatever. Singer Tati Ani Mogiono's lovely voice drips over the top, and Sabah himself offers his croon on a few numbers. Of course, there are the fun touches, such as the lap steel on "Di Nagara Deungeun," which takes the music from the Indian Ocean to the open plains, but it all works. Something to slake the most curious thirst. --Chris Nickson

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CD Reviews

"So La Li" is Key!
C. Goetz | Santa Cruz, CA | 03/15/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those familiar with 3 Mustaphas 3 all I need write is that "So La Li" continues faithfully in the footsteps of the world music masters. Sabah Habas ain't no slouch and neither are the Jugala All Stars.For the rest let me put it this way, this is an excellent album. It mixes Inodnesian (specifically West Java) music with just enough western sensibility to make an accessible and delightful set of recordings. The musicianship and production quality are top notch. If you have heard Sabah's previous release "Jalan Kopo", this is more Sunda and less Sabah. The humor and irony takes a back seat to the music. The pop elements are subdued & the Jugala All Stars get a chance to shine forth with brilliance. Also, there are no English lyrics this time around.But what does it sound like? -Take a series of fluid and often brooding bass lines, then layer on top intricate hand drumming, a fiddle & a kacapi (a kind of harp) using haunting Indonesian scales, smoothed over by absolutely sublime bamboo flutes and mellifluous Asian vocals. The rhythms are catchy and will have grooving where you stand (or sit), and the melodies are full of a sweet nastolgia.One warning: this is not straight pop, there are a few places where "So La Li" will challenge the ear. The challenge does not lie in the music itself, but in the passion it expresses. The listener is brought into a very intimate space with a very foreign culture (unless of course your Javanese). Parts can be a little scary at first, but there is plenty of levity to balance it out. This is one of those special albums that unfolds and grows the more one listens."