Customer Reviews

People's Colony 1

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

 

 

I bought this CD not knowing what to expect. I had liked TGUs work in the past, and Temple of Sound is essentially half of TGU. I was unfamiliar with the Sufi singing of the Qawwali, but decided to take a chance.

I'm overjoyed that I did. This CD is excellent.

It's more "world beat" than Transglobal Underground, but there is a strong basis in electronics to most of the songs as well. It's certainly not a thumping techno-CD to throw on at parties, but there is a definite electronic groove and vibe to many of the songs. Dub influences are pretty apparent, and most obvious on the opening track. The singing is actually quite haunting with a mix of droning lower parts and stacatto top end parts. Taken together, the mix of the vocals with the traditional insturments and the electronics makes a very "thick" mix with lots of depth to the sound.

The album also flows together beautifully. While each song is good in its own right, the album feels very coherent and interlocked when listened to in one sitting.

I highly reccomend this album. It sits on the fence between "traditional" world music and global techno, but really benefits from toeing the line, rather than hurting from it. I've tried to just put this on as background music while working, but there are enough great songs ('wheel of heaven' being my favorite) that make me stop whatever i'm doing and just *listen* with my eyes closed. If that's not a good reccomendation, I don't know what is.

I bought this cd not having previously heard anything by its artists. However after listening to it once, I was hooked. The songs have hard-but-flowing beats, hauntingly beautiful vocals, and showcase a variety of different instruments ranging from the amazing tablas to sweet chimes to heavily distorted, rumbling bass. These provide the cd with a modern, dancey sound while still maintaining traditional Indian and East Asian melodies. The songs also lay down crisp details and smooth, circular backgrounds, giving the album a nicely balanced feel...almost like the genres were just waiting to be blended into one. The only drawback? A few of the songs (The Palace at 4 AM and Tears of Light) gave me the feeling they were trying to lead up to something, but couldn't quite reach whatever that something was....other than that this cd has earned itself a high mark. It has the ability to get you up and grooving, even before the beat truly kicks in!

I bought this album based on my previous satifaction with the Temple of sound with Jah Wobble. I was not dissappointed. The vibe is spacious grooves with jaw rattling wobble bass of course. No millisecond 64th notes on guitar to distract the flow. Well worth the trip.

"People's Colony No. 1" is a collaboration that works only about half of the time. The vocals by Rizwan and Muazzam and their backing group are nothing less than superb, but Temple of Sound does an inconsistent job of matching the Pakistani group's power. The formula works best on tracks like "Solar East" and "Tears of Light," with its spooky keyboard sounds and cool tabla playing. The concept of fusing modern instruments with Qawwali singing can and does work (see uncle Nusrat's collaborations with Michael Brook), but here, the electronic backdrops don't effectively engage the more traditional musical elements - it's as if Temple of Sound is trying to ride on Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali's coattails. Still, there is enough interesting material on this album to warrant a few listens. Just be prepared for occasional lapses in musical maturity from the Temple of Sound side of the equation. (One member of TOS actually thinks that referring to himself as "Count Dubulah" is a good idea - need I say more?)