Krishna Lila (India): DJ Cheb I Sabbah: Amazon.ca: Music

1. Narajanma Bandage

2. Violin Solo

3. Maname Diname

4. Anjali

5. Raja Vedalu

6. Lagi Lagam

7. Tum Bin Shyam

8. Rupa Tujhe Deva

9. Govinda

Product Description

From Amazon.com

Unlike many who enter the treacherous realm of dance that combines club rhythms with world music aesthetics, DJ Cheb I Sabbah forgets about "synergy" and trusts the source material and his own musical voice to provide the dance floor impetus. Long stretches of Krishna Lila are lifted straight from the sitar-driven classical-folk Indian traditions of Ravi Shankar, Ashwin Batish, and the Middle Eastern tabla rhythms of master percussionists like Zakir Hussain. Even more so than 1999's Shri Durga, Sabbah lends only very subtle production touches to his ragas and drones, spending Lila's running time in a confident glaze. The approach succeeds by recognizing the inherent beats already present and implied in the rich texture of Hindustani musical culture. Durga had its more mix-oriented follow-up in Maha Maya, so perhaps Sabbah will release a similar companion piece for this record. Until then, he leaves a pack of confused DJs in his wake, while he tries to liberate the tin from some of dance music's more robotically compliant ears. --Matthew Cooke

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars spirit lifting, May 5 2004

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G.J. (Montreal, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Krishna Lila (India) (Audio CD)

This is a great cd, almost every song had me swaying in my seat at my computer. The tunes have a slightly meditative effect, but are still lively and funky even. Highly recommended, Krishna Lila will transport you to a far-off land of exotic colourful streets and purple sunsets.

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5.0 out of 5 stars good enough, April 15 2004

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"patjammin" (M�xico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Krishna Lila (India) (Audio CD)

is such a pretty CD, it takes you to a relaxation level, you start to listening the music and instantly all the bad feelings go away.... Cheb I Sabbah know how to mix indian music with modern music and at the same time it doesn't lose his indian roots

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5.0 out of 5 stars Beats and drones from another world.. marvelous., Dec 14 2002

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spiral_mind (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Krishna Lila (India) (Audio CD)

Where can I begin here? I know next to nothing about Indian music (save the Indian/jazz hybrid of John McLaughlin's Shakti). I don't recognize any of the musicians' names, and I'm not sure how to pronounce half the instruments. I don't know a raga from a tala from a polka. (Well ok, I do know THAT much.) But I've been addicted and entranced by Krishna Lila all the same; it's hypnotic, full of earthy beats and ethereal melodies, and as calming & relaxing as.. umm, something that's really calm and relaxing. I probably shouldn't be trying to write this while listening to the album, as it has a way of clearing my head and making me want to lie down for a nap.

Where was I? Earthy beats. Cheb Sabbah's approach is to blend traditional Indian percussion & melodies with some slight electronic touches, although he uses the techno element as a subtle enhancement to the rhythm that's already there rather than making it dominant. Through this disc it's barely noticeable; I hear nothing but acoustic instruments for the first several minutes until a subdued beat creeps into "Maname Diname." Sometimes it's a quiet bass bump, sometimes it's a barely-there snare sample or light electronic beat. The focus here is on the music itself, a remarkable group of Indian selections performed with a passion that shines even through the quietly subdued trance of the whole disc. The songs never need to rise above mid-tempo, revealing their strength in easy mood-building rather than bursting energy. The singing is sometimes in foreign words and sometimes in a simple wordless chant, but when it's there it's strangely compelling.. whether it's floating along with the quiet percussive rhythm or riding over everything as if stretching to the heavens. This is devotional music after all, and it's only fitting that there's something trancelike and otherworldly about it.

If you prefer the electronic elements to be a little more prominent, Sabbah's other albums are probably better choices - Shri Durga has more propulsive beats underpinning the traditional material, and Maha Maya features (most of) the SD album remixed by various club mixers and DJs. I also heartily recommend Tabla Beat Science, but that's for a different review. If you're in the mood for something refreshingly different, something exotic or just something mind-warmingly relaxing to chill to, look no further than Krishna Lila. Now excuse me, it's time for that nap.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking music
As mentioned in other reviews, Cheb I Sabbah released a sophomore album of equal (perhaps better) quality to that of Shri Durga. Read more

Published on Sep 25 2002 by L. Magnus

4.0 out of 5 stars Krishna LiLa
Well I bought this CD after reading the reviews and also listening to the samples not only from this site but from other sites as well. Read more

Published on July 24 2002