Big Drum: Small World

Amazon.com
Technofied, groove-intensive Asian crossover sounds for the '00s, Big Drum: Small World showcases the dynamic Dhol Foundation weaving its Punjabi drum magic within a cavalcade of beats, keyboards, flutes, vocals, and strings both acoustic and synthetic. The group is lead by Johnny Kalsi, who is currently a principal drummer in Afro Celt Sound System, and who has also played with Transglobal Underground, Asian Dub Foundation, and Talvin Singh. This CD by no means attempts to be a purist effort, or, conversely, to jump on a bandwagon of sampling Indian instruments and then regurgitating them in digital dance form. The results are somewhere in the middle, with the group's live playing interacting with programmed elements. As electro-organic bhangra-style dance, this music can be intense. Some repetitive sections scream out for greater motion, while others are balanced nicely between the organic and the electronic. A couple of tracks even offer gritty bursts of electric guitar. On the whole, the recorded output by Dhol Foundation is pretty good, although their live performances are probably more smoking. The album includes notable guest appearances by like-minded world crossover artists: British-based Egyptian singer Natacha Atlas appears on "Shin the Mechanic" and "Tere Bina," while "Iridian" sounds like uncredited samples of Afro Celt Sound System. --Bryan Reesman

Tracks:

Eik Din
Eik Din Part 2
Iridian
Healing With Turmeric
Shin The Mechanic
Poseidon
Seven Heaven
TDF Meets DCS
Tere Bina
Big Drum Small World
Colours Of Punjab
Drummer's Reel

Amazon.com

Technofied, groove-intensive Asian crossover sounds for the '00s, Big Drum: Small World showcases the dynamic Dhol Foundation weaving its Punjabi drum magic within a cavalcade of beats, keyboards, flutes, vocals, and strings both acoustic and synthetic. The group is lead by Johnny Kalsi, who is currently a principal drummer in Afro Celt Sound System, and who has also played with Transglobal Underground, Asian Dub Foundation, and Talvin Singh. This CD by no means attempts to be a purist effort, or, conversely, to jump on a bandwagon of sampling Indian instruments and then regurgitating them in digital dance form. The results are somewhere in the middle, with the group's live playing interacting with programmed elements. As electro-organic bhangra-style dance, this music can be intense. Some repetitive sections scream out for greater motion, while others are balanced nicely between the organic and the electronic. A couple of tracks even offer gritty bursts of electric guitar. On the whole, the recorded output by Dhol Foundation is pretty good, although their live performances are probably more smoking. The album includes notable guest appearances by like-minded world crossover artists: British-based Egyptian singer Natacha Atlas appears on "Shin the Mechanic" and "Tere Bina," while "Iridian" sounds like uncredited samples of Afro Celt Sound System. --Bryan Reesman

Customer Reviews:

big drum indeed.......2005-03-17

Whoever these guys are, they certainly can rock the house (or the car, or the beach).
I came across this CD by accident, sampling at a local music store and had to buy it.
The drumming is amazing! Reminds me of the Varanasi drummers of India. Fits seemlessly with Midival Punditz and Karsh Kale. Too bad they don't get more local air play.

Great CD! .......2004-11-20

This is a great CD. There are some funky mixes. My favorite ones are the smooth ones which are not too fast.

I love the mix of eastern rythyms and styles with the west...and the upbeat music.

Check it out!

The Transcendental Beat of a Drum...........2003-07-11

No matter where on earth you come from, this instrument (the dhol) will make you want to move every inch of your body. The people of the northern Indian state of Punjab have long enjoyed its mezmerising and entrancing rhythms, but now, thanks to the hard work of Johnny Khalsi and The Dhol Foundation, more people across the globe have a chance to experience the extremely powerful effect of this instrument. The dhol drum forms the backbone of Bhangra music and is one of the key reasons for the genre's success on the dancefloors of the UK, Canada and the US. This album celebrates the instrument by staying true to its vibrant and robust energy but also demonstrates its versatility, by incorporating transient and "New Age" sounds.

All Hail the Drum Master.......2003-04-04

Bottom Line: A solid solo debut from a consumate musician. An excellent introduction to bhangra fusion music and the dohl drum.

Johnny Kalsi is one of the giants of the Asian Underground scene in London. His impressive resume includes stints with Alaap, Transglobal Underground, and Afro Celt Sound System. Kalsi is in great demand because he is the master of the dhol, a two-headed wooden drum from north India. The dhol produces a distinctive sound that lends readily to intricate fast-paced rhythms. Kalsi teaches the dhol and other drums at a studio in London and many of his pupils now play with him.

Kalsi is now the front man for the band Dhol Foundation (also the name of his school) and in early 2001 released a single with Natacha Atlas. "Shin the Mechanic" was a big hit world wide and left fans of world fusion eagerly awaiting Dhol Foundation's full-length release. Big Drum : Small World was worth the wait.

The first song, "Eik Din" opens with a bird singing; appropriate for the organic nature of this music. A human singer joins the bird and is in turned joined by a bell, cello and frame drum. The pastoral feel bursts into electronics and dhol, with the beat kicking in at an outrageous 180 bpm. Despite the pace, the melody and rhythm are controlled and uplifting, not frenzied.

"Iridian" sounds very much like an Afro Celt Sound System song, light and happy with the distinctive flute melody and violin solos while Kalsi's dhol sets a bhangra rhythm. The song takes an abrupt detour to a jazz piano solo (not my thing but others would enjoy) for a few seconds then returns to the main melody.

"Healing With Tumeric" turns up the energy with a bhangra dance number. It features sitar and flute-sounding keyboards, electronic atmospherics, and multiple dhol players. The dhols set the tone here, when they are playing, the track is hard driving dance, when they aren't, the track is atmospheric, almost ambient. That may sound weird but the interludes and changes work very well.

Next, Near Eastern chanteuse Natacha Atlas graces us with "Shin the Mechanic." The song is classic Natacha with Kalsi ably accompanying on dhol. By classic Natacha I mean a catchy song with a pop feel, beautiful singing, and foot-tapping rhythm.

The down-tempo "Poseidon" is perfect lounge music featuring light keyboards and superbly understated table and dhol. Turning to Indian classical music, "Seven Heaven" features santoor and hammered dulcimer in a very pleasantly relaxing tune.

The DCS in "TDF Meets DCS" is Shin DCS (You guessed it, he's also the Shin in Shin the Mechanic). Shin sings on this song which has an urban groove with gang vocals, electric guitar and mass drumming. He has a great voice, articulation, and range. I searched all of the liner notes, press releases and the band's Web site but couldn't find any info on who Shin is or where else we might find his work. That's a shame.

Natacha Atlas and Shin DCS return for the sweeping ballad "Tere Bina." A beautiful romantic duet in the Indian tradition, it shows off the vocal talents of both, accompanied by strings, keyboards, tabla and dhol. Very nice song.

The title track and "Drummer's Reel" are bhangra drum jams that will satisfy the primal cravings of any drum fanatic. "Big Drum Small World" is what American drum-and-bass should sound like. "Drummer's Reel" features a massive array of 42 drummers (all students of Kalsi) providing the beat for an Irish reel. In between "Big Drum Small World" and "Drummer's Reel" lies "Colours of Punjab," a light-heartedly melody with intricate percussion. Pleasant and pastoral.

Fans of drums should definitely get Big Drum Small World, as should fans of Indian music.

Big Drum, Big Winner.......2002-02-28

I've been listening to "Big Drum: Small World" (great title) for months, in fact, it seems to have earned a permanent place in my CD changer. My tastes are pretty eclectic (for example this week I'm listening to Bela Fleck/Flecktones, Nitin Sawhney, Pierce Turner and Outkast), and I tend to bore easily, so this is quite some achievement. The dhol drum was new to me before seeing the Afro Celts, and I understand Johnny Kalsi is the best. This is very easy to believe. (The drum itself is extremely loud, and in the wrong hands... I shudder to think. Luckily there's no need to worry here.) Kalsi's dhol is the backbone, holding down the groove with great engaging rhythms, and only really taking center stage on "Drummer's Reel". At first listen these rhythms just captivated me.

"Big Drum" builds from the quiet dawn of "Eik Din" to the thunderous "Drummers Reel", featuring an ensemble of dozens of dhol drummers and Nigel Eaton's hurdy gurdy. "Iridian" is exquisite. The dervish-like "Healing with Turmeric" segues into the wild fusion of "Shin the Mechanic", with guest vocalists Shin and Natacha Atlas. Other standouts are the bhangrafied "TDF Meet DCS" and the title track. That said, there's not a dud on this CD. The production values are excellent, and the acoustic and electronic elements are very well balanced. Yes, the overall style is hard to categorize, as some of the reviewers below have alluded to, but don't let that scare you, "Big Drum" is both cohesive and very accessible. Everyone I've played it for finds something great about it, and it hangs together as a complete work, it's certainly not a hodgepodge. "Big Drum: Small World" was been a breath of fresh air in my CD collection. Highly recommended.

Big World, Small World
Average customer rating:

The Bristol sound for 2000!

Good, but I expected more...

Big World, Small World
Smith & Mighty
Manufacturer: K7
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Drum & Bass | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
General | Vinyl Records | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
General | New Age | Styles | Music
General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music
General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00003GNYN
Release Date: 1999-10-19

Tracks:

Intro - Smith & Mighty
Move You Run - Tammy Payne, Smith & Mighty
No Justice - Smith & Mighty
Year 2000 - Smith & Mighty
That Woman - Tammy Payne, Smith & Mighty
Small World - Alice Perera, Smith & Mighty
Belivers - Tammy Payne, Smith & Mighty
Seeds - Smith & Mighty
Way We Feel - Alice Perera, Smith & Mighty
Same - Tammy Payne, Smith & Mighty
Rescue Me, Pt. 2 - Smith & Mighty

Customer Reviews:

The Bristol sound for 2000!.......2000-02-11

This long awaited second album is simply superb. Smith and Mighty, the Bristol sound pioneers position themselves miles ahead of the glut of copy cat Bristol Beatsmiths. Reggae, dub, soul and break beats fuse seamlessly as Smith and Mighty re invent the genre they created. Buy this album, stick on yer headphones and immerse yourself in some seriously cool music!

Good, but I expected more..........2000-02-10

Finally! A new Smith & Mighty album... but I'll be honest in the fact that I'm a bit disappointed.

"Big World Small World" (BWSM) just doesn't seem to have nearly as much energy or passion as their "DJ Kicks" album. BWSM is definately more reggae driven - and more mellow, which is most evident in another remix of Tammy Payne's "Same".

There are some definate gems on this album, but if you're looking for another "DJ Kicks" like performance - this unfortunately isn't it.

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