MusicInside . . . Musical Starstreamswith Forest
Gabrielle Roth is the reigning Goddess of Trance/Dance music and her inspired string of albums dating back over the last decade and a half are always guaranteed to get you up and moving, to dance your heart out, to unleash the spirit within. There is a curious, almost mystical, freeing aspect to these albums and Zone Unknown is no exception. Even if you're not in the mood to dance or don't consider yourself to be a dancer, you will find yourself stirring inside and you'll have no choice . . . you will have to move. Traveling into the zone leads us to some excellent outposts, including the title track and the pony drum driven "Tribe." Another superb effort from the moving center tribe of musicians. Get into the "Zone."
Germany's Innovative Communication label, through its USA counterpart, DA Music, presents a generous 74 minutes of the best of keyboardist Peter Seiler and from the opening track we were pleasantly surprised. Although Seiler's earlier releases had found a home on our program, his more recent efforts hadn't seemed as appealing. Now with this Best Of... collection, we wonder if we missed some things on the more recent albums and if we did, hopefully they are all on this retrospective. The album begins with the particularly satisfying "The Longing For" with its driving electric guitar passages from the middle of the song onward, the touching piano and violin version of "Waiting for the Fall" and an old favorite titled "Serengeti" from his 1986 release, Flying Frames. There is some good stuff here and the overall mood is mellow. We therefore recommend listening for yourself.
Those tricky guys at the Six Degrees label have put together a worldly, cross-cultural compilation of soothing vocalese that leans decidedly African, though there is a diversity of cultural heritage covered here, including Iran, China, Hungary, Brazil and even Spanish Celtic. If you have enjoyed the Triloka label's Trance Planet series, then Peaceful Planet will strike all the right chords. Ismael Lo's "Rero" and the Axiom of Choice performance, "Valeh" are standouts. Listen to the strange interplay on "Chinese Canon" between Penguin Cafe Orchestra leader Simon Jeffes and Cheng Yu and Zhou Yu who contribute Chinese lute and fiddle on the track. The World Music genre is growing in popularity and with this calming Peaceful Planet compilation, that trend should definitely continue.
Please always remember that ultimately what constitutes "good" music involves the personal taste of each of us. If we direct you to an album that you didn"t know existed and you end up enjoying it, then we both feel a sense of accomplishment. As always, your input is welcome; feel free to write.
FOREST is the producer and host of the nationally syndicated weekly radio program, MUSICAL STARSTREAMS, heard in Chicago every Sunday night from 10 pm to midnight on WNUA, 95.5fm and worldwide on the internet. He can be reached at P.O. Box 1409, Mill Valley, CA 94942. E-mail: forest@starstreams.com, listen on the web at: http://www.starstreams.com Musicians or labels wishing to send material for review or airplay are advised that because of the huge volume already received, only compact disc releases will be considered.
Next Article |