Customer Reviews

Sitar Power 1 - Fusion of Rock and Indian Music

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

 

 

A wonderful blend of traditional instruments and forms with Western melodies and forms. I know NOTHING about traditional Indian music, but this recording inspires me to learn.

Ashwin's work to blend two completely different styles of music is flawless. This album is a must-own! I also reccomend Sitar Power 2, which focuses on blending Indian music with several other styles of western music and is equally entertaining.

This is my first Ashwin Batish album and I'll probably purchase more. I was looking for, and found, music that fuses western "rock" with Indian instruments and tempo. The music is great, though sometimes it definitely lets you know it was recorded in the mid-80s (think: drum machine).

Batish really excels where the music begins to depart from the standard western rock tempo and moves into Indian beats and rhythms but just stopping short of ragas.

One negative comment: the recording sound level leaves a bit to be desired. In fact, on one or two songs the overall input/output goes down so much that you think it's just fading to the end of the song, but then keeps going. It's as if someone were trying to compensate for the natural crescendos in the music by decreasing the input levels. This is why the album got only four stars. Perhaps Batish will one day remaster the album and address this.

All in all, if you're looking to explore this medium, buy this album.

I first heard this when it was new. I was afraid to play my old cassette, fearing it would break. What a great CD! Fantastic energy! The sounds are so different. This is a FUN piece of music!

Definitely a great addition to a well-rounded collection. Looking for something that will entertain kids and adults at the same time? This will fit the bill; the exception to the light-hearted nature of the album being the last song, a foray into more mature realms of musical psychic exploration that is itself worth the cost of the album.