Customer Reviews

Big Drum: Small World

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bottom Line: A solid solo debut from a consumate musician. An excellent introduction to bhangra fusion music and the dohl drum.

Johnny Kalsi is one of the giants of the Asian Underground scene in London. His impressive resume includes stints with Alaap, Transglobal Underground, and Afro Celt Sound System. Kalsi is in great demand because he is the master of the dhol, a two-headed wooden drum from north India. The dhol produces a distinctive sound that lends readily to intricate fast-paced rhythms. Kalsi teaches the dhol and other drums at a studio in London and many of his pupils now play with him.

Kalsi is now the front man for the band Dhol Foundation (also the name of his school) and in early 2001 released a single with Natacha Atlas. "Shin the Mechanic" was a big hit world wide and left fans of world fusion eagerly awaiting Dhol Foundation's full-length release. Big Drum : Small World was worth the wait.

The first song, "Eik Din" opens with a bird singing; appropriate for the organic nature of this music. A human singer joins the bird and is in turned joined by a bell, cello and frame drum. The pastoral feel bursts into electronics and dhol, with the beat kicking in at an outrageous 180 bpm. Despite the pace, the melody and rhythm are controlled and uplifting, not frenzied.

"Iridian" sounds very much like an Afro Celt Sound System song, light and happy with the distinctive flute melody and violin solos while Kalsi's dhol sets a bhangra rhythm. The song takes an abrupt detour to a jazz piano solo (not my thing but others would enjoy) for a few seconds then returns to the main melody.

"Healing With Tumeric" turns up the energy with a bhangra dance number. It features sitar and flute-sounding keyboards, electronic atmospherics, and multiple dhol players. The dhols set the tone here, when they are playing, the track is hard driving dance, when they aren't, the track is atmospheric, almost ambient. That may sound weird but the interludes and changes work very well.

Next, Near Eastern chanteuse Natacha Atlas graces us with "Shin the Mechanic." The song is classic Natacha with Kalsi ably accompanying on dhol. By classic Natacha I mean a catchy song with a pop feel, beautiful singing, and foot-tapping rhythm.

The down-tempo "Poseidon" is perfect lounge music featuring light keyboards and superbly understated table and dhol. Turning to Indian classical music, "Seven Heaven" features santoor and hammered dulcimer in a very pleasantly relaxing tune.

The DCS in "TDF Meets DCS" is Shin DCS (You guessed it, he's also the Shin in Shin the Mechanic). Shin sings on this song which has an urban groove with gang vocals, electric guitar and mass drumming. He has a great voice, articulation, and range. I searched all of the liner notes, press releases and the band's Web site but couldn't find any info on who Shin is or where else we might find his work. That's a shame.

Natacha Atlas and Shin DCS return for the sweeping ballad "Tere Bina." A beautiful romantic duet in the Indian tradition, it shows off the vocal talents of both, accompanied by strings, keyboards, tabla and dhol. Very nice song.

The title track and "Drummer's Reel" are bhangra drum jams that will satisfy the primal cravings of any drum fanatic. "Big Drum Small World" is what American drum-and-bass should sound like. "Drummer's Reel" features a massive array of 42 drummers (all students of Kalsi) providing the beat for an Irish reel. In between "Big Drum Small World" and "Drummer's Reel" lies "Colours of Punjab," a light-heartedly melody with intricate percussion. Pleasant and pastoral.

Fans of drums should definitely get Big Drum Small World, as should fans of Indian music.

No matter where on earth you come from, this instrument (the dhol) will make you want to move every inch of your body. The people of the northern Indian state of Punjab have long enjoyed its mesmerizing and entrancing rhythms. Now, thanks to the hard work of Johnny Kalsi and The Dhol Foundation, more people across the globe have a chance to experience the extremely powerful effect of this instrument. The dhol drum forms the backbone of Bhangra music and is one of the key reasons for the genre's success on the dance floors of the UK, Canada and the US. This album celebrates the instrument by staying true to its vibrant and robust energy but also demonstrates its versatility, by incorporating transient and "New Age" sounds.

Although Dhol Foundation has been around for years and and John Kalsi has worked with several names in the Asian and UK scene, this is their first full-length album. The CD is pretty good. Although if one is expecting the CD to be full of tracks like the one the worked with Fundamental on the Star Rise (remixes of Nusrat) then they would be disappointed. The tracks include a mix of stuff from projects they have worked on including an Afro Celt type track called "Iridian". A Punjabi Bhangra flavored track called "TDF meets DCS" and then the dhol beat tracks that are just plain danceable. Natacha Atlas provides guest vocals and "Shin the Mechanic" is also included on this CD. It is in my view a very good CD that has something for everyone expecailly those that like the dhol sound, coz it's present in every track.

I bought this CD at an Afro Celt Sound System gig - Johnny Kalsi, the Afro Celts' dhol drummer, is the frontman/producer/writer/star player on "Big Drum:Small World". I think ACSS are great, but I wasn't prepared for how much I love this CD. It's got the same exuberance and spirit that the Afro Celts do so well, but its Eastern (specifically Punjabi) inspiration makes it so fresh and captivating, and unbelievably danceable.

Kalsi collaborated with ACSS bandmate James McNally on the gorgeous "Iridian" (Irish-Indian?). Natacha Atlas (Transglobal Underground) and Shin (DCS) contribute alluring guest vocals on several tracks, but the drumming here is the star. If the sheer virtuosity doesn't get you, then the groove definitely will.

"Healing with Turmeric" is a mystical thrill ride. The driving, funky "Big Drum Small World" is one of those songs (and there are several of this type here) that I just can't sit through - gotta dance. "Colours of Punjab" is truly evocative and hypnotic. "Drummer's Reel" featuring a boatload of dhol drummers, wraps it up with a martial but sophisticated exclamation point.

Afro Celts fan should love this, as will anyone with a taste for extraordinary music with a positive vibe.

I've been listening to "Big Drum: Small World" (great title) for months, in fact, it seems to have earned a permanent place in my CD changer. My tastes are pretty eclectic (for example this week I'm listening to Bela Fleck/Flecktones, Nitin Sawhney, Pierce Turner and Outkast), and I tend to bore easily, so this is quite some achievement. The dhol drum was new to me before seeing the Afro Celts, and I understand Johnny Kalsi is the best. This is very easy to believe. (The drum itself is extremely loud, and in the wrong hands... I shudder to think. Luckily there's no need to worry here.) Kalsi's dhol is the backbone, holding down the groove with great engaging rhythms, and only really taking center stage on "Drummer's Reel". At first listen these rhythms just captivated me.

"Big Drum" builds from the quiet dawn of "Eik Din" to the thunderous "Drummers Reel", featuring an ensemble of dozens of dhol drummers and Nigel Eaton's hurdy gurdy. "Iridian" is exquisite. The dervish-like "Healing with Turmeric" segues into the wild fusion of "Shin the Mechanic", with guest vocalists Shin and Natacha Atlas. Other standouts are the bhangrafied "TDF Meet DCS" and the title track. That said, there's not a dud on this CD. The production values are excellent, and the acoustic and electronic elements are very well balanced. Yes, the overall style is hard to categorize, as some of the reviewers below have alluded to, but don't let that scare you, "Big Drum" is both cohesive and very accessible. Everyone I've played it for finds something great about it, and it hangs together as a complete work, it's certainly not a hodgepodge. "Big Drum: Small World" was been a breath of fresh air in my CD collection. Highly recommended.

Whoever these guys are, they certainly can rock the house (or the car, or the beach).
I came across this CD by accident, sampling at a local music store and had to buy it.
The drumming is amazing! Reminds me of the Varanasi drummers of India. Fits seemlessly with Midival Punditz and Karsh Kale. Too bad they don't get more local air play.

eehhhhh..... Its ok. Very nice because of the novelty of it, but Urban Disco definitely not. If this is what infuses the urban dance scene (which it doesn't), then get ready for Lawrence Welk. Good drum beats but not too tight, and not enough drive or bass to be dance music.

Very nice to hear some fusion between soft electronics and cultural music. Kodo remixes are WAY better (Sai-so).

Wow! What an experience! For starters, the title gets you going and it inspires you to listen to the album. The tracks from one through to twelve really illustrates a persons life. You must listen to the album and see how each track is a new pallet for a new painting! This album is a real journey through time and an experience that you would want to re-live again and again.

There is actually a school in London(i think) call the Dhol Fouldation and Johnny Kalsi teaches students to play "Dhol" or Indian Drums. Here Johnny and a bunch of his student Got together and made this excillent CD. It starts off on a positive note with an electro tabla and chord driven track which is totally cool and a great set. The next high point of the cd comes a couple tracks later in Healing With trumeric. Excillent and long track which changes pace several times and is a fantastic cross between organic and electro sounds. The rest of the CD flows pretty smooth and cool with great drums, sitars and sampling from a bunch of other instruments. The overall CD's style can only be described as a cross between cheezy sitar pop to garden variety electronica to intense drums and base. Also the title track "Big Drum Small World" is a great dance number. The reason why this CD gets 4 and 5 stars is half way into the CD i found myself skipping tracks to get to the ones i liked because some tracks seemed incoeherent and needed better production. That is the only pitfall on this one. Over all its a great Cd and very enjoyable. Bottom line......Future Bhangra Beatz and Asian majic.

In addition to the musicians and groups mentioned in the ... review, Johnny Kalsi has also played with other world music greats including UK multi-percussionist James Asher and the master of qawalli, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It's undoubtedly his involvement with such a wide range of styles and personalities that resulted in this, his first solo release.

Big Drum: Small World is not what you might expect--that is, it's not the typical tabla meets electronica. Some of the tracks do follow this direction, but there are other surprisingly more soothing tunes that let you know he's in a different headspace altogether--not quite ballads, not quite dance, not quite bhangra. The uniqueness of many of the songs does much to give this work a singular tone and feel, worth more than a single listen for sure.

Natacha Atlas' vocals spice up two of the tracks as well. It's refreshing to see that there are still new twists and turns that can be experienced in the ever-burgeoning world of Indo-fusion.