Eastern Drum and Breaks vol 2

This collection of dancefloor-friendly drum'n' bass tunes shouldn't be described as a 'compilation,' despite the fact that it contains 15 tracks - all written/arranged, produced and performed by different artists. Instead Eastern Drum And Breaks 2 deserves the title of 'collaborative effort' in the purest sense... 

...Nasha, a London-based group musicians, are rare in their astounding ability to successfully pull off a congruously holistic aural aesthetic - they sound tight! All 15 tracks on this album vary in how futuristic they seem but nonetheless share positively energizing up-tempo rhythms that are extremely danceable with regular time signatures - so DJs will love to bust this LP in the mix.

Featured on this collaborative release is a reworking of acclaimed Bollywood producer A.R. Rahman's So Gaye Hain (featured in a film titled 'Zubeidaa: Story of a Princess - 2000), produced by Outcaste Records veteran Ges-e; its a nostalgic number - wafty and playful yet with a powerful percussive edge that is employed perfectly in time with orchestral ebbs and flows. Ges-e's other 3 tracks (PK757, Streets of Basra and Mann Industries) all exhibit South Asian tabla percussion and vocals; sounding full and emphatic as they pair up with synthetic bass-lines and harmonics.

Popularized through his work with the Asian Dub Foundation, Aktarv8r steps away from the mic and decks and into the studio to create two tracks for this album which are reminiscent of Afrika Bambaataa's mid 80s electro-breakbeat experiments, yet with refreshing Arabian hints.

Also notable is Ozmani Soundz's Lushmeena (track 14), which is a heavily textured, sweet affair complete with non-lyrical female Indian vocals.

Each track on this album is innovative and for that, its worth listening to time and again - Eastern Drum and Breaks is a historical work that has set a standard for electronica producers in its embrace and bridging of d'n'b sub-genres whilst maintaining a solid 'Indo-meets-Arabic' feel.