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dj Cheb i Sabbah
The continuous DJ mixed AS FAR AS is the fourth release from San Francisco based musical legend dj Cheb i Sabbah and it comes at a good time. The world needs some healing right about now. His masterful trilogy of recent albums on Six Degrees Records: Shri Durga (1999), MahaMaya - Shri Durga ReMixed (2000), and Krishna Lila (2002), are cult classics that have established him as a unique artist who creates bridges between cultures with a deeply moving sound drawn from DJ wizardry and world music aesthetics. These iconoclastic records have made Cheb i Sabbah (or, Chebiji, as he is referred to respectfully), a touchstone of hip spirituality in the far reaches of Europe and Asia and brought him cult status in the club land underground of the U.S. His long-running Tuesday night residency at Nickie's in San Francisco's Haight district has created tribes of hardcore‚"Cheb-i-ites." Unlike some DJs, Cheb i Sabbah does not often put out DJ mixes or compilations and is known to be wary of the bootleg mix-tape. On AS FAR AS, his first official DJ mix, the selections hail from the traditions of Asia, Arabia and Africa, dj Cheb i Sabbah's main sources of inspiration, and with it we finally have a legal way to score the elusive Cheb i Sabbah playlist. It instructs us in the fascinating journey of this techno-spiritualist. Links: DJ Cheb I Sabbah:
DJ Cheb I Sabbah has recently released Krishna Lila on Six Degrees Records, the final piece of a trilogy that began with Shri Durga and MahaMaya. Krishna Lila is an excursion into bhajans, the devotional music of India, South and North, which features Bill Laswell, Karsh Kale, K. Shridar, Deepak Ram and others. Born in Algeria, dj Cheb i Sabbah might be best
described as a ritual music "hajji" a musical pilgrim of the spirit.
He began spinning in Paris in 1964, and by 1968 had hooked up
with The Living Theatre. His work with Julian Beck and Judith
Malina's groundbreaking theater troupe led him to some of the
earliest attempts at turning the spinning of discs into a dramatic
art. In the late'80s he became a fixture on the club scene in
San Francisco. Throughout his multifaceted creative life: he has
presented world music concerts including performances by Nusrat
Fateh Ali Khan and jazz trumpeter Don Cherry; and has produced
an album for the Sub Rosa label, as well as tracks for Asphodel
and Meta, and remixes for Triloka and Cleopatra Records.
Cheb i Sabbah's nom de disque is another reference to his pilgrimage. Cheb is a nickname used by Algerian rai singers. Sabbah means morning, but the link is actually to Hassan i Sabbah, the Persian mystic whose legendary library is rumored to be the largest in the world. Cheb i Sabbah’s latest tribute to the Gods,
Krishna Lila (The Divine Pastimes of Krishna), is an album
of bhajans sung in praise of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, and traces the evolutionary arc of this gifted and
spiritual artist to a new high. A bhajan is a simple song sung
in praise of God that conveys complex truths, and Krishna Lila
presents this devotional style of classical Indian music in a
modern context that is easily accessible, soulful and liberating.
Most bhajans were written in India between the 14th and 17th century
and cover a spectrum of musical styles that range from chants
(dhun) to the more sophisticated thumri, a light classical style
of singing practiced in North India. The best traditional bhajans
are distinguished by their poetic content and were made famous
by the great saint-musicians like Mirabai, Surdas and Kabir. The album has been in production for two years. Most of the musicians were recorded in Madras, Bombay and New Delhi, India, and others in New York and San Francisco. Sung in five different languages, it is strewn together like acoustic jewelry, the common thread being bhakti yoga (devotion) to Krishna. Lustrous, new gems are interspersed with uncut traditional pieces that echo timelessness not often heard on a CD. Krishna Lila is organized in two parts. The first five tracks recorded in South India are evocative of Krishna’s pastimes in the garden of Vrindavan. Dressed in garments of gold, and with an orange flower tucked behind his ear, he wanders through the garden playing his magic flute. The gopis (cowgirls) are entranced by the sweetness of the music. Some are bathing in the nearby pond. They emerge, still wet and askew. Others are breastfeeding their babies but cannot wait to set their eyes upon Krishna. They trip through the cool grass. Drunk on the melody of the flute they sway through the trees until they finally feast their eyes upon him and fall to the ground to kiss his feet. The next four tracks are recorded in North India and include vocals and some instrumentation in the distinctive thumri style. During the making of Krishna Lila, as with his earlier Shri Durga, Cheb i Sabbah embarked on a two year odyssey. The results more than justify his considerable efforts as Krishna Lila’s reverential ambience is immediate and unforgettable, being nothing less than the timeless sound of India itself. A complex blend of cultural, technological and religious components informs Krishna Lila. Listeners will find themselves transported to a realm of celestial beauty, making occasional stops along the way at a dance club whose turntables spin ragas and electronica with equal grace. A singular imagination is responsible for this ultra-eclectic mix, one that could only belong to dj Cheb i Sabbah. Track Listing
Links: Quotes Critical praise for Shri Durga: "No words can accurately sum up this album's
divinity, you must hear for yourself its impeccable form." "Samples be damned! This is the real thing.
The result? A seamless melding of cultures. A peaceful meditation
on the power of music that gives new meaning to 'trance.'" "This album is one of the few we’ve ever
heard where you feel the music and not the process behind it.
Magnificent!" |
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