As Far As: A DJ Mix

Product Description
dj Cheb i Sabbah's first DJ-mixed CD is an audio journey to Asia, Arabia and Africa. AS FAR AS features rare tracks and remixes from Sabbah himself as well as tracks from Natacha Atlas, Asian Dub Foundation, Trilok Gurtu, Najma, Paul Horn and Don Cherry.

"...Cheb i compares his DJing to theatre and is more interested in opening windows into other worlds for a few hours rather than spinning what happens to be hot for a couple of months."-Straight No Chaser (UK)

"dj Cheb i Sabbah understands the potential sacredness of the dance floor...." -LA Weekly

Tracks:

Solace: Saptak, The Samaya Mix ReMixed by dj Cheb i Sabbah
Najma: Miskatonic
Asian Dub Foundation: Colour Line
Paul Horn: Agra, The Emerald Mix ReMixed by dj Cheb i Sabbah
dj Cheb i Sabbah: Pour Matoub
Toires: Layoun Lokdhor
Natacha Atlas: Soleil d'Egypte
Makale: Salla
Gnawa Impulse: Lahillah Express ReMixed by Jan Rase
Trilok Gurtu: Have We Lost Our Dream?
Sekouba Bambino: Sinikan
Sangoma, Suzan Hendricks and the Traditional Healers: Ngihawukele Thonga Lami
Don Cherry: Neti-Neti, The Hear and Now Mix ReMixed by dj Cheb i Sabbah
dj Cheb i Sabbah: Hari Om Narayan

Album Description

dj Cheb i Sabbah's first DJ-mixed CD is an audio journey to Asia, Arabia and Africa. AS FAR AS features rare tracks and remixes from Sabbah himself as well as tracks from Natacha Atlas, Asian Dub Foundation, Trilok Gurtu, Najma, Paul Horn and Don Cherry.

"dj Cheb i Sabbah understands the potential sacredness of the dance floor...." -LA Weekly

Customer Reviews:

An Eastern Odyssey.......2006-08-28

Let me start off by saying I'm a huge fan of DJ Cheb-i-Sabbah. I love his work, and I own his Indian triology (Sri Durga, Maha Maya & Krishna Lila) and La Kahena. Needless to say, I rushed out to buy this CD when I found out about it, and I wasn't disappointed. It is different from his other CDs in that it's more like a compilation, a collection of different tracks he picked out for this CD. For the most part, he lets the artists stand on their own merits, though he does remix a couple of tracks.

This CD is right up my alley, and if your a fan of DJ Cheb-i-Sabbah, Natacha Atlas, Asian Dub Foundation, Toires, Najma Akhtar and such, you'll probably enjoy it too. It's mostly Asian and Middle Eastern dance music, with a bit of Afro-pop thrown in for good measure. The beautiful vocals of Natacha Atlas and Najma Akhtar stand beside the Turkish hiphop of Makale, techno-sufi music from Gnawa Impulse and the mellow New Age sounds of Trilok Gurtu and Paul Horn. Asian Underground beats from Asian Dub Foundation sit comfortably next to the Maghrebi techno of Toires and Afro-pop from Sekouba Bamino and Sangoma, Suzan Hendricks and the Traditional Healers. And of course a couple tracks from the master himself, DJ Cheb-i-Sabbah. As others have said, its like taking an odyssey across India, the Middle East and Africa.

If your a fan of this sort of music, then this CD is well worth the buy. Over an hour of music, covering a variety of moods and tastes. Your bound to like at least some of the songs, and exploring new music is always a good thing. I often find myself including this CD in my iPod for long car trips because it just puts me in a good mood. If you appreciate this CD, then I suggest you check out Cheb-i-Sabbah's other works. His great triology (Sri Durga, Maha Maya and Krishna Lila) comprises subtle, organic remixes of classical Indian music, both Hinudstani and Carnatic. La Kahena (and the recently released remix album) focuses on his own Maghrebi roots in Algeria and Morroco, and stands out as one of the best CDs I've ever heard. Very impressive stuff, at least in my opinion. So do yourself a favor and check out this CD.

Sabbah's Mosaic.......2005-02-20

A wondrously mind-expanding journey, this DJ mix. As the title suggests, As Far As isn't a proper Sabbah album - it's a compilation containing two of his own tracks, three of other people's songs that he remixed, and nine others added to the jambalaya. Covering nine languages and three continents, this is one fascinatingly eclectic experience. There's almost a geographical progression to the disc, as we go from India to central Asia to Egypt to Turkey, then down to South Africa and back to India at the close.

The variety is really the main strength and the main weakness of this disc. The overall range is much wider than on DJ Cheb's own albums, but in the process it inevitably loses some of the cohesion that he pulls off so well. Part of what makes his own work so special is his way of blending so many elements into a unified whole that goes beyond the individual traditions it touches on. Here, each piece is its own entity and they're all different.

Much of the disc is still world-beat-techno, if you need some kind of label (inadequate though it is), livened up with some fascinating detours. "Colour Line" is club-dance applied to a political statement. "Have We Lost Our Dream?" crosses beautiful atmospherics with some of the most passionate singing to be heard in the course of this hour-long trip. "Pour Matoub" is transcendental ambience as Sabbah's done it so well elsewhere. "Salla" is African hip-hop (the only one I really don't like); "Neti-Neti" has an almost free-jazz touch courtesy of Don Cherry's flavorful trumpet; "Sinikan" is based around a tribal chant with a sunny tropical bent. And so on, and so on, a new surprise around every corner.

Even though I don't think As Far As is quite as strong as Cheb's other offerings, it complements them extremely well. It's a different way of looking at the same larger picture.. and of course expanding vision & boundaries is what this music's about in the first place. Recommended, but preferably after you've discovered Shri Durga and Krishna Lila first.

Not a smooth mix.......2005-02-06

If your looking for an Asian flavoured Downtempo mix to keep everying groovin while in the background, this isn't it. There are a couple of tracks in the middle that veer into ambient. Don't get me wrong, these are quite nice but they break the groove up.

I'd still recomend this album as a great journey unto ito itself, but as one of 5 downtempo CD's in the changer, you'll find it sticks out.

I have all this guy's releases and I think he is doing some great work, I can't wait to see what he does next

Atmospheric & Eclectic.......2004-08-10

I really, really like this album.
DJ Cheb i Sabbah mixes these songs together with artistry, and his musical selection is inspired. It's not any kind of "typical" mix- the songs defy any really strict classification. You have Maghreb rap in French, a traditional Berber recording, and then techno beats and some crazy drum & bass tossed in for good measure... There's a sampling of music from every part of the western Muslim world. Some may feel this album is too eclectic or lacks focus. I say it reflects both the diversity and the complexity of the modern Muslim experience, and underlines the reality that this music comes from a region of cultures caught in a delicate balancing act between tradition and modernity. Very enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

Superbly mixed and produced........2003-07-12

This album is excellent i listen to it every night before I fall asleep. The music is interesting and uplifting, and you can tell that extremem attention was payed to every detail in the music. There are no shocking changes that might be disturbing when you are meditating or sleeping with it on. The dynamics of the sound are very spiritual as well. Deep and inspiring. A musical journey.

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