Doaba Gypsies: Post-European Dialogues in Sound

http://www.siebethissen.net/Dr_Auratheft/Mom_Radio/index.htm

1 Samara: Calango
2 Belly Dance Riddim (Traditional)
3 Faiz Ali Faiz Ensemble ft. Duquende, Poveda & Chicueleo: Allah Hu
4 Ravi Shankar Interlude
5 Una Pastoria (Flamenco Traditional)
6 Samara: Samba Reggae
7 Belly Dance Riddim (Contemporary)
8 Belly Dance Riddim (Traditional)
9 Faiz Ali Faiz, Duquende & Poveda: De Querer a no Querer
10 Aziz Mian: Teri Soorat Nigahon Main
11 Duquende & Chicuelo: Presumes que eres la Esencia
12 Yasseen Mohamed: Ndege Kaa Ufkiri
13 Belly Dance Riddim (Traditional)
14 Peteneras (Flamenco Traditional)

This CD/DVD-box left me thrilled, almost breathless: Qawwali Flamenco, performed by the Faiz Ali Faiz Ensemble, Doaba Qawwali singers and musicians from Pakistan, and Duquende, Miguel Poveda & Chicuelo, Spanish Flamenco singers and guitar players (Accords Croises 2006 http://www.accords-croises.com/). At first this combination surprised me, but when I listened more closely to the songs I was fascinated by the result. This fusion of non-orthodox Islamic music and Gypsy passion, of monotonous ‘qual’ (word) ranting and harmonious singing, of tabla’s and acoustic guitars culminate into an awesome sound I’d never heard before. As the enclosed interviews explain: “We can in fact begin to establish a dialogue between Flamenco artists and Qawwalis on the idea of shared emotions: both genres seek in effect to unleash deep feelings in their audience, using the voice as a vehicle of words which can unlock the spirit… The whole history of music is built on these exchanges, on these accumulating layers of contact, on this absorption of new instruments and new sounds… It’s possible that the Flamenco singers are now keen to explore more unpredictable forms of improvisation since having a taste of the freedom enjoyed by the Qawwals”. I think this experiment is also political significant. Europe, divided by tensions between Islamic and non-Islamic cultures, has not been very successful yet in producing new visions of art and music for a post-European culture. On the other hand, non-orthodox Islamic music provides a cool alternative for fixed, more orthodox approaches of religion and culture, so prolific today. Anyway, I decided to take this wonderful CD as a point of departure for this mixtape: Doaba Gypsies - Post-European Dialogues in Sound. I interpreted the matter with more freedom, stretching the concept wider, adding non-Spanish Latin music and other non-orthodox Islamic music as well. (Even the Ravi Shankar interlude fits in well: it kind of stresses the origins of Qawwali: the meeting of Hindu and Muslim cultures – and gypsy cultures?) The mix was nothing more than a quick experiment: I just wanted to find out what would happen if I cooked up similar sounds and ideas. I think the result is wonderful (and almost organic). Hope you’ll like it too.