V.A. - Putumayo Groove Collection (7CD, 2001-2007) [Repost & new]

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V.A. - Putumayo Groove Collection (7CD, 2001-2007) [Repost & new]

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V.A. - Putumayo Groove Collection (7CD, 2001-2007) [Repost & new]

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Putumayo is pleased to present Arabic Groove, a cutting- edge collection of hip and danceable tracks from North Africa and the Middle East. Arabic Groove reveals the ways funk, hip-hop and dance have blended with Arabic music to create exciting new sounds. This forward-looking compilation features some of the most electrifying music filling fashionable nightclubs from Paris to Cairo, and includes remixes by Transglobal Underground, Volodia and Bill Laswell. As with previous Putumayo releases, Arabic Groove is an adventurous collection of contemporary world music featuring an irresistible blend that does not require the listener to understand the lyrics or comprehend the subtleties of the singing. This is clearly music for celebration and will keep people dancing for 1001 nights and more! After listening to the songs on Arabic Groove one could not be faulted for thinking that the word "funky" must be of Arabic derivation.

Putumayo site

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V.A. - Putumayo Groove Collection (7CD, 2001-2007) [Repost & new]

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Putumayo dips back into its vast treasure trove of Latin sounds, this time coming up with a collection of contemporary fusions of salsa, son, hip-hop, electronica, and jazz. The artists here are from areas as diverse as San Francisco, Marseilles, Nicaragua, and Stuttgart, proving the shaky maxim that if there really is a universal musical language, its accent is Latin. The sounds here are meaty and party-ready, with hefty doses of experimentation. Probably the boldest sonic explorer here is Funkanzazenji, a duo out of Lille in northern France. They combine hip-hop beats, flamenco palmas, harp, and Middle Eastern oud into a dancefloor mix that manages to be warm and danceable at the same time. El Conjunto Massalia's funky version of Compay Segundo's classic "Chan Chan" remains faithful to the spirit of the original while planting this chestnut firmly in the 21st century. Los Angeles band Ozomatli brings a message of social justice to its "Cumbia de los Muertos." The English-language rap by Chali 2na calls for an end to hatred and violence. It's all delivered over a deep, juicy blend of cumbia, reggae, and hip-hop. San Francisco's Los Mocosos' brash "Soy Callejero" is joyously in your face. Los Aterciopelados' "El Estuche" has a dark sensuality with its electronic beats and ghostly background vocals. The whole release hangs together quite well despite, or perhaps because of, its geographical diversity. A party's a party after all, and Putumayo has made it a mission to make sure the world's parties have a soundtrack.

Peggy Latkovich, All Music

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V.A. - Putumayo Groove Collection (7CD, 2001-2007) [Repost & new]

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Somewhere along the line, the term "oriental" became politically incorrect. The term was in no way derogatory – it simply referred to people from what used to be called the Orient (China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and Thailand), just as the term "Scandinavian" is applied to people from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. But the language police took a disliking to the word (without justification), and now, the word Asian is generally applied to those who are from what was once known as the Orient. So when one sees the title Asian Groove, it is logical to assume that Putumayo means Asian as in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, but Putumayo actually means Asian as in Indian and Pakistani. There are plenty of excellent compilations of traditional Indian and Pakistani music, but Asian Groove is totally modern in its outlook – most of the artists combine Indian or Pakistani elements with modern funk, dance-pop, electronica, or reggae. Technically, the contemporary Indian and Pakistani pop sounds that dominate this rewarding compilation are indeed Asian grooves, but infectious tracks like Bally Sagoo's "Noorie" and A.S. Kang's "Terian Gulabi Buliyan" have more in common with Turkish, Jewish, or Greek pop than they do with the pop sounds that are coming out of Japan, China, or Korea. And that's because Indian and Pakistani music – like Turkish, Greek, Armenian, Jewish, Syrian, or North African music – involves what is called modal playing. Those who aren't professional musicians may not know the technical meaning of the word modal, but they'll be able hear the parallels between Asian Groove and collections of Turkish pop or Algerian rai. Karmix's "Sabhyata," in fact, combines Indian and Algerian elements. Asian Groove doesn't have anything to do with Chinese or Japanese pop, but it's a lively, enjoyable survey of contemporary Indian and Pakistani sounds.

Alex Henderson, All Music

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V.A. - Putumayo Groove Collection (7CD, 2001-2007) [Repost & new]

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This is a collection of African techno-informed tracks bearing the fruits of both ends of the tradition spectrum. Traditional percussion and string elements thrive among a thick layer of multi-formed electronica. The album opens with breakout artist Issa Bagayogo and his blend of Malian ngoni playing with electronic beats. The Coulibaly family mixes some fine balofon playing with a deep bass kick and some house beats, and Madeka provides a piece of pseudo-Kidjo with the help of a collection of other artists. Julien Jacob mixes some straightforward acoustic guitar with electronic bits while singing in a completely invented and non-translatable language without assigned meaning. The Zimbabwean group Peace of Ebony shows off a bit of slick rapping and Afro-pop influenced heavily by the Paris scene, and Hardstone reuses a Keith Sweat track as a base for some capable rapping. Positive Black Soul continues the African rap aesthetic, now with an influence of the Dakar studio scene, and Dady Mimbo pumps out something between Euro-dance and dub. The decidedly non-African Thievery Corporation shows off a track of organic electronica with a definite African sound, and Italian Pleb provides a remix of an old Touré Kunda track. The funky African Rhythm Travellers provide a piece of busy fusion containing a good deal of funk along with their usual reggae and dub, as well as the proper dose of electronica. Finally, the album finishes on Lucky Dube's find Ndumiso, who invokes Hugh Masekela on his trumpet and brings the sound back a few years to the time of the normal jazz and funk revolution (pre-electronica). The album on the whole is an outstanding mix of the old with the new and should give those tired of the usual African cultural troupes something worthwhile to listen to. Newcomers to the sounds of Africa should also be pleasantly surprised by how far the continent has come in its fusion with the modern sounds of the West, mirroring the West's fascination with the sounds of Africa. Give it a few listens to make sure you don't miss anything.

Adam Greenberg, All Music

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V.A. - Putumayo Groove Collection (7CD, 2001-2007) [Repost & new]

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World Groove is an upbeat, global dance party that features the hottest blends of world music with electronica, dance music and more. World Groove is also an enhanced CD, featuring a colorful music video by Egyptian star Hisham Abbas. The Putumayo Groove series, which includes Arabic Groove, Asian Groove, African Groove and Brazilian Groove, has earned critical accolades and considerable sales success. World Groove features two French DJ collaboratives, Rouge Rouge and Major Boys, as well as Turkish star Mustafa Sandal, German electronic pop group 2raumwohnung, and a collaboration between Algerian raï legend Cheb Mami and popular French hip-hop singer K-Mel. Featured African artists include the late Brenda Fassie, Malian fusionist Issa Bagayogo and Congolese/Belgian group Zap Mama. Also featured on World Groove are Cuban electro-son pioneer Edesio and Lebanese star Ragheb Alama, one of the most popular singers in the Middle East.

Putumayo site

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V.A. - Putumayo Groove Collection (7CD, 2001-2007) [Repost & new]

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Putumayo has put together a collection of polished North African pop music here that will appeal to fans of worldbeat with an ear for exotic African and Middle Eastern fusions and an eye on the dancefloor. Algeria has one of the most active and accessible music scenes in the region and it's no surprise that the small nation is well represented here. Jomed is an Alegrian/Cuban duo that blends elements of both traditions on "Montuno Noreno," which is musically closer to a Cuban son but is sung in Arabic. Another Latin-North African fusion can be heard on "Un Mot de Toi" from Tunisia's Rhany, who traveled to Cuba to create his own brand of Arabic salsa music. Faudel is a French-Algerian whose take on rai is far removed from its simple drums and vocals beginnings with apparent European pop influences. Cheb Mami is one of the best-known rai artists and he too has incorporated a some Western touches on "Viens Habibi," although his delivery still retains the classic rai swagger, as does Libyan Cheb Jilani on the more traditional but funky "Bahebbak," proving that rai is much more than a strictly Algerian phenomenon and has become now part of the greater fabric of Middle Eastern pop. From Morocco comes Samira Saeid (also spelled Said) with a slick club-friendly Middle Eastern groove that, if in English, wouldn't be out of place among the ruling pop divas of the airwaves. With an approach that favors polished dance beats and blurred cultural boundaries, North African Groove is a good disc for anyone looking to make the world at large a little more approachable.

Wade Kergan, All Music

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V.A. - Putumayo Groove Collection (7CD, 2001-2007) [Repost & new]

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Plugging along with their Grooves series, Putumayo's Gypsy Groove album collects a series of slinky, groovy pieces from the dance clubs of Eastern Europe, with a few diversions here and there. Music of the various gypsy groups has found its way over the years into any number of musical forms, from flamenco to "modern" brass band affairs. As such, it's not too surprising to find an updated version is making the rounds of the Euro dancehalls. The album opens with a nice piece courtesy of Stani Vana's !DelaDap out of Prague, then moves to a combination of brass band and bass thumping from Shantel (both Shantel and !DelaDap will make appearances in remixes later in the album). Czech rapper Gipsy.cz starts out with a bit of a traditional ballad before moving into a smooth delivery of rap with some hints of other Euro-rappers (not quite as smooth as an MC Solaar, but much smoother than the more aggressive American forms). Shantel comes back over the top of a klezmer band, and New York-based Balkan Beat Box contributes a more laid-back number from their debut album. Making a quick move from Eastern Europe all the way to Central Asia, Uzbek singer Karen Gafurdjanov provides a dance track with a beat straight from the mid-'90s and a vocal track hailing from the qawwali tradition. Slovenian disco-funk, a schizophrenic dance hit from Hungary, and an excellent piece from Kistehen Tánczenekar that sounds like it could have come from Brazil's lounge scene all pave the way for a couple of additional remixes to close out the album. As with the other items in Putumayo's Grooves series, this one makes for an excellent casual party album, but is probably even better as a vehicle for a highly eclectic set of music that still hangs coherently together via the love of a danceable groove and the elusive-to-name but always-present gypsy soul in the music.

Adam Greenberg, All Music