Krishna Lila

Krishna Lila

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 <I>Krishna Lila</I> 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 <I>Shri Durga</I>, Sabbah lends only very subtle production touches to his ragas and drones, spending <I>Lila</I>'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. <I>Durga</I> had its more mix-oriented follow-up in <I>Maha Maya</I>, 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. <I>--Matthew Cooke</I>