Tabla Beat Science - Tala Matrix (2000)
This one has been blowing my mind for years, ever since I thought that elephant on the cover was giving me the finger. Except I can't find my original copy, so apologies on the poor bitrate.
Bill Laswell goes to town with Zakir Hussain, Trilok Gurtu and Karsh Kale under the moniker Tabla Beat Science, and what results is an ensemble capable of tasteful electronic tinkering and sampling, heavy beats, and some of the finest Indian percussion you've ever heard.
I'm an (admittedly very amateur) tabla player, and what I love best about this album is that it honors the original recordings so much. Remixing this kind of stuff can be touchy, gimmicky, lame... but this is solid, the samples only underlining what was already great in the first place. Pay special attention to the only un-electronified track Alla, in which Hussain pays special tribute to his father and guru, the late Alla Rakha.
Om.
Did you know that Bill Laswell has produced every single album ever released since 1972?
Fantastic Album, picked this and the live one while I was in India a few years back, it blows my mind with the amazing playing and complex patterns.
I saw Anoushka Shankar at the Jazz Cafe in London a few years ago, I think her album shares a few artists too, again, live is another matter, mesmeric and hypnotic.
Bill Laswell pops up everywhere! he did some sterling work with his Material project, Praxis, Axiom etc, he knows his shit! and his shit is tight!!!!
Thanks for all the great music. A little bird tells me a higher bitrate version of this is coming your way.
So much Bill. And man, Anoushka is a goddess, I saw her with Ravi, he was feeling weak so she took over the spotlight for most of it.
I'll throw up some Shakti soon.
320k: http://www.mediafire.com/?11y19re5dp5zybk
Howie, you da man
The start of my weekend is getting better and better. Thanks a lot!