Customer Reviews

Maha Maya: Shri Durga Remixed

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Although not the classical ragas of Shri Durga I was wonderfully suprised at the remixes of an original masterpiece! To hear the vocals and samples of the original set to dance beats and chill grooves it definitley got me feeling a different kind of vibe. As much as I love Shri Durga and find a place in it where I can move, Maha Maya got me on the floor quicker and with a litle more energy! Definitely for the dance crazy and new experience enthusiast. Not to forget Shri Durga when craving a little mellow sanctity, but I have to remember Maha Maya when looking for my dance therapy!

Love the classical sounds mixed with modern beat. If you enjoy the traditional sounds of Hindi music but like a little more umph - this is the perfect CD. I lost my first copy and had to replace it.

Let me guess: you're thinking of buying this record because you loved DJ Cheb I Sabbah's Shri Durga and want more. Don't do it! That is unless you really like bland dance music with a slightly jazzy feel. Basically every song on Shri Durga is superior to anything on this rather uninspired effort. Outside the context of comparison to Shri Durga, it's not that bad, as far as mellow, jazzy dance music goes, but if you're looking for more Shri Durga, you'll be better off looking elsewhere. Krishna Lila would be an excellent choice.

This original mixture of music is again an insight to the talent of DJ Cheb i Sabbah. His first work on Shri Durga was a fantastic blend of Eastern Indian traditional music with a respectfully subtle streamline of a modern beat. Maha Maha takes off from those recordings into a fresh groove of new beats and rythyms in the Tradition of East meets West. Its still a reverent and subtle production, and with the input of its many skilled artist's, Maha Maha maintains the consistantcy of the unique sounds of DJ Cheb i Sabbah.

This is the first remix album I ever got,not for the dancefloor but for creative variations on the original theme.Six Degrees Records is excellent in choosing specific world music artists-such as DJ Cheb I Sabbah,Bebel Gilberto,and Karsh Kale-then pairing them with talented remixers.

This album introduced me to the great Bally Sagoo,whose funky re-interpretation of "Kese Kese" is as wonderful as the original.Later,I got a sampler of his music,and was happily surprised when Putumayo World Music used his "Noorie" on their Asian Groove compilation.State of Bengal does a lounge-worthy take on "Shri Durga." Bedouin Ascent makes a version of "Ganga Dev" BETTER than the original.Transglobal Underground's take on "Kese Kese" is as rapturous as Bally Sagoo's;they show their talents.

"Maha Maya" is a great first-time venture into the Asian Underground scene.

I was eager & curious when I first played MahaMaya - - to hear other people's remixes of Shri Durga- one of my most played cds. I was pleased to hear the various interpretations. I find many of them super danceable & as with Shri Durga- great to listen to. I appreciate the different depth and range these tracks offer. And I really like how dj Cheb i Sabbah brings forth fresh mixes of his own songs- love his new elements! Can't wait to hear what he creates next!

I recently decided to go through some of my old cds that I haven't listened toin ages. Dj Cheb i Sabbah's Maha Maya: Shri Durga Remixed" was one of those cds that I came upon. This was my first exposure to Indian music, let alone world music. I wasn't really familiar with music outside of western culture. So this was a new experience for me. Listening to "Maha Maya" Shri Durga Remixed" certainly takes the listener on a trip to India with its traditional Indian melodies. I envisioned myself in the Taj Mahal and watching a slew of belly dancers performing. The music took me awhile for the melodies to grow on me. It is certainly by no means your traditional dance remix album. I however dug Transglobal Underground's version of "Kese Kese" (Where's the Sarangi Mix" right from the get go. It has a nice beat. Dj Cheb i Sabbah did a good job at mixing and making sure that the music flowed well together. I am definitely curious to hear dj Cheb's other cds now that I have re-discovered this little gem of a cd.

I had high hopes of this remix cd considering the names that appeared in the credits. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. This album is a prime example of mediocrity at best. This album seemed to have direction, pointing to a height it wanted to achieve, but never quite made it. It remained a bit too anchored to its roots, while not being able to reach the realm of true electronica. The mixing seemed too generic, not bringing enough unique flavors to it. Too often, the songs reach a plateau, and you wait for it to peak, but nothing comes, and you end up feeling dissapointed and a bit cheated. This album is throughly confused, trying to be both ethnic yet on the cutting edge of asian-electronca. It failed to be either.

Chill and thrill. Some will love and others hate this album released by tiny Six Degrees Records of San Francisco, California. I like it because it pushes Eastern India classical Hindi ragas into dance or chill arenas. These are Indian ragas previously offered by DJ Cheb i Sabbah on the album "Shri Durga," which I also like and highly recommend.

However, unlike Shri Durga, this dance remix album only has tracks one and eight by Cheb i Sabbah. Tracks two through six are by State of Bengal, TJ Rehmi, Transglobal Underground, Bedouin Ascent, Bally Sagoo, and Fun Da Mental. All tracks except the first are more than six minutes and tracks seven and eight are each more than eight minutes. I think all are excellent both in interpretation and production.

If you are a raga purist then you will be disappointed or antagonized by this album. It is not a Shri Durga clone. But, if you want an exotic groove for listening, dancing or exercising, then this will move your feet and put a smile on your face. This is not your typical dance club music but it rises above much dance music. Hats off to dj Cheb for risking condemnation to push musical genre boundaries. Take a chance and buy this album. You will be surprised.

The idea of setting the music of Shri Durga to dance beats was somewhat intriguing to me, but I was mostly just itching to hear more Cheb Sabbah. Because Shri Durga is such an incredible cd I was sure that he would have a different twist to show us in the remix. However, the artists who did the remix didn't seem to use much creativity when going about it. The music was looped and placed over a dance beat........but nothing more.