GENRE: Dance & ElectronicaRELEADED: 19 March 09
The seventh in Amsterdam restaurant Nomads' ongoing series of world music and chillout compilations sees BBC Asian Network DJ Pathaan stepping up to the decks. For the most part he delivers a selection that avoids the pitfalls that can afflict mixes of this sort, the occasional inspired choice ensuring that the album as a whole does a more than merely provide tasteful sonic wallpaper that won't disturb your digestion.
Opening with U Shrinivas's richly melodic electric mandolin-led Riversong, the mix's first third is a gentle blend of sunkissed grooves. Amy Sacko's distinctive husky vocal on Badji and the blissful swoon of Bongmaster inc’s Brothers & Sisters generate a good-time vibe that's only let down by the insubstantial reggae stylings of Marseille act Watcha Clan's Travellin' Shoes.
Pleasant as all this is, it's to be welcomed when the slightly insane Balkan Gypsy funk of Manea-K by Max Pashm puts a rocket under the prevailing air of lush quietude, and the upbeat momentum continues with the rubbery breakbeat reggae and Spanglish rhymes of Lightning Head's Preguntas Porque.
Throughout, Pathaan's mixing is more about the judicious brief segue rather than combining tracks for any real length of time. This is understandable given that most of his selections follow traditional song structures, but this style doesn't preclude some impressive moments. Best among these is the unexpected transition from ZAD's Organic Dreams – above the heavy, distorted bassline of which Baaba Maal's vocals soar – into the airy baroque strings and kora playing which combine to arresting effect on N'Faly Kouyaté's Kora Ballade.
It's an extraordinary track, and its advent marks a shift into the mix's more reflective closing section. The cheery sway of Listen to the Breeze by Zimbabwe's Chiwoniso soon gives way to the opiate chopped vocals and heavy bass of Dubuasca, by San Francisco-based producer Bassnectar, and the Punjabi groove of Eccodek's Weightless Place, before alighting finally amid the blissful ambience of MC Yogi's Shanti (Peace Out). The occasional misstep aside, Pathaan's programming succeeds in making Nomads 7 largely avoid falling prey to the insipidity that sometimes characterises chillout mixes.
