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| Bryn Jones, aka Muslimgauze, passed away on January 14th. Jones was a
truly prolific creator, producing new music at a rate matched only by the
likes of Bill Laswell, Will Oldham or Richard James, and there are several
more completed Muslimgauze albums awaiting release. Despite Jones'
legacy of music, it's tempting to think of Hussein... as an apotheosis;
the creator is gone, but his "child" lives on. While the combination of
Middle-Eastern grooves, galvanizing beats and Arabic music samples
is essentially unchanged, this disc seems more urban -- think Gaza Strip
Cyberpunk. The title track is a good example; percolating with traditional
rhythms and a groundswell of dubby bass backup, it retains an edge of
mechanical
precision. "Sarin Odour" has the switchback-rhythm and metallic
percussion of
classic Meat Beat Manifesto, tinged with AM-radio static-cum-theremin; though
frenetic and powerful, the track hints subtly at its ability to collapse
into an unhurried
dub groove at a moment's notice. The brooding, scratchy-record-driven,
chanting
menace of "Istanbul" is as volatile as Middle Eastern politics. Like prior
albums,
this isn't for the beat-fearing, the bass-hating or the sing-along-loving
-- but for
anyone who has ever admired the way Middle Eastern instrumentation meshes
with Big Beats, Muslimgauze is more important than ever before. |
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