Search - Various Artists :: 20 Ways to Float Through Walls (Dig)

Crammed Discs, which is based in Brussels, Belgium, has long been one of the world's most adventurous and forward-looking imprints, so when they put out a label retrospective, it's always well worth checking out. As founder Marc Hollander observes in his liner notes (he also produced the present compilation), the staff has made it their business to evade categorization. And this they have duly accomplished, with a roster that ranges from an all-acoustic yet cheerfully demented Balkan Gypsy band to a sexy Brazilian diva to Tuaregs from Timbuktu to "nu-jazz," remixes of all descriptions, electronica, and other cutting-edge experiments. As one track melts seamlessly, with no pause, into the next, the listener has the impression of being caught between at least three pirate radio stations, each one having no set programming policy or stylistic limitations whatsoever but a lot of taste. While all of the juxtapositions are as smoothly logical as so diverse a soundscape could possibly aspire to, some of the changes are nonetheless irrepressibly hilarious, but that's part of the fun. People weave in and out, seemingly as the mood serves. Ultimately the sole caveat is that, even at a generous 74 minutes-plus, one never wants the journey to end. --Christina Roden