Adham Shaikh - Fusion

On 2004-08-12 19:17, BrettFromTibet wrote:
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Review of Adam Shaikh: “Fusion” CD
Released August 2004, by Sonic Turtle Music, B.C. , Canada
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Some ambient albums take a while to grow on you, and reveal their delicacy after several careful listens. This was not the case with “Fusion”, the newest release by Adam Shaikh (“shake”). Within moments of opening the package & sliding it into my decks, the soundscape soothed me and completely grabbed my attention. It was as if I had just escaped the streets of a third-world urban hellhole in heat wave, right into a air-conditioned luxury suite. I found the same the same feeling of instant bliss and relaxation.

The album title, “Fusion”, very much lives up to the actual musical content. A lot of recent ambient crossover hits have been masala melting-pots with world music themes…like Shpongle’s “Tales of the Inexpressible“… or cross-genre electronic explorations, like Abakus’ “That Much Closer to the Sun“. I think this one continues the tradition, with top style. The disc contains a mysterious aura… a sweet essential nectar … properly mixed, shaken, stirred, strained, and bottled with perfection under the guidance of Mr. Shaikh. “Fusion” is a delicate, yet daring audio experiment that could have easily gone sour or funny tasting. But by musical expertise and a golden touch, it stands strong as a hybrid blend of heady flavors, with no preservatives or GMO varieties.

Talk about variety, instruments and layers! We hear sounds that were never meant to go together, but somehow came out smooth & delicious. The musical content is almost as multi-faceted and exotic as Shulman’s “In Search of a Meaningful Moment”, but in a much more organic way. It doesn’t smell like plastic vapors, and no soldering irons or robot-droids were used in the production process. Far more terrestrial than alien, the album seems to mix well with earthly delights like lush trees, summer evenings with neon sunsets, or incense and soft carpets.

The sound and production quality is sufficiently modern, and the vibe has come a long way from traditional, beatless ambient. It’s actually quite rhythmic, percussive…even provocative in moments. The real joy of this album is the sublime, actual “fusion” - where a whole panorama of modern ambient sub-genres sounds are effortlessly woven.
Here are just some of the treats I found snuggled deep in the mix:

-- Fat, chunky basslines sound like they were plunked down by Bill Laswell himself

-- Beautiful flutes with a twinge of the Shpongle majesty

-- Indian string instruments, honey-smooth kiritan vocals, pattering tablas : all with perfect Western musical taste and direction…

-- Xylophonic rainbow melodies, gamelan scales like “Padmasana”

-- Ethno-tribal sound design, up there with Kaya Project

-- Tosca-like loungey segments, moments of accessible clarity.

-- Neo-roots dub that would impress Augustus Pablo, and the Interchill crew, too!

-- Soft Goa melodies and psy-trance rhythms (!!)

-- Adept atmospheric synthizers like the peak moments of Saffi Bros or Solar Fields.

-- Seriously smokin’ tribal percussion, like the best drum circle you ever saw , on a CD

-- Latin rhythms, euro flavors, smooth hip-hop scratching, vocal jams

There are loads of acoustic instruments plucked by guest master musicians…plus a low key mix of percolating hydroponic rhythms, and a carefully placed little bleep or two. It sounds quite slow-crafted and authentic, rather than a medley of Sample Pak pasting. A nice sound to win over die-hard acoustic purists, and wake them up to the music of the 21st century!

Every track on this CD seems like a highlight; there is no obvious filler or “skip” tracks. But this is a review, so I’ll try to point out a just a few moments that gave me chills:

Track #4, “Infusion “ sounds like a sharper, cleaner 6 megapixel image of the magical mindscape that Bill Laswell and friends chase after in their collaborations… Behind closed eyelids I see an underwater, kelp-green fantasia with happy sea creatures, murky bass grooves, wicked percussion dialogues … tapping and pummeling like exotic bodywork. Virtuoso electric guitar (by Tim Floyd) smoothly wailing, makes the mind go sailing…while the soft chimes tinkle and whispers soothe and fluff the head out…

Track #6 "Gayatri Mantra Shuffle" starts off as a rather average ethno score with drone sounds & prominent vocals… until Goa-trance melodies march into the mix rather suddenly 4:24”… and strangle the past with the future. An exhilarating effect on the mind-body continuum!

Track #9, "Shake It" , is a tribal percussion jam that is rock-solid, and reminiscent Australian rhythm masters Ganga Giri… percussion strong enough to knock you on the ground, and tap the kundalini through the blockages, up the spine and through the crown in back into the black hole at the center of the universe …Boom!

I really want learn more about this cutting-edge diamond polisher, the sonic dubmiester extraordinaire known as Adam Shaikh. All I know is that he hangs out in B.C., and makes some of the most refreshing new music I have ever heard. I really look forward to seeing him perform one day!

There’s a lot of superb sounds being released now days, and great labels with strict quality control…but inevitably some releases become more essential than others. I don’t produce ambient music, but have been collecting it for over 10 years - living, loving and dreaming to it. My opinion is that “Fusion” markedly surpasses any of the other releases of 2004, and makes some of the albums that have gotten recent hype - look a little bit flabby. It’s really hard to stand in the shadow of this dazzling, unique gem of a CD by Sonic Turtle. Suitable for home listening, driving, and several styles of downtempo DJ sets. As far as I’m concerned, “ Fusion” is a neo-ambient masterpiece, and a total winner!

Rating: Buy.
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Review by brettfromtibet@yahoo.com

CD Available@

http://www.sonicturtle.com/buyreleases.html
http://www.backroadsmusic.com