CD Review: Eccodek's 'Singing In Tongues'

Eccodek
Singing In Tongues
Big Mind/Black Swan

Canadian-based, Eccodek brings us a new recording of global dance, fusion, and world music that mixes contemporary electronica with exotic dub, ethnic folk, and indigenous voices and languages for a truly global journey. The music is a bit more spacious and varied than the music of Tulku. However, there are some trance elements from South Asia and Africa. The groove-laden bass-lines, killer rhythms, and infectious sounds make Eccodek shimmer with a multinational beauty. Eccodek is joined by kirtan singer, Onkar Singh, hip-hop hipster, MC Yogi, Balkan beacon, Meral Mert, and Morgan Doctor - a talented drummer. Of course, there are additional musicians and instruments, which make up the rest of the album. Various guitars, flutes, percussion instruments, horns, and far-reaching sounds blend with several different languages. The whole album is a success; so it is nothing new for Eccodek. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Turiya Nada's 'Arakara: Ecstacy Of The Awake'

Turiya Nada
Arakara: Ecstacy Of The Awake
White Swan Records

Hypnotic, sensual, and mesmerizing tunes, beats, and arrangements are at the forefront of yogi Turiya Nada's latest release. The album is rich with yogic melodies and spiritual leanings that combine repetitive chants with instrumental greatness for a truly satisfying musical journey. There are eleven long tracks tied to Sanskrit chants and liturgies. Turiya Nada is the chief vocalist, but Winston Raval plays keyboards, Rob Kholer plays electric bass, EdWing Sankey plays electric guitar, zither, and butterfly harp, Jeronimo Sexton is on cello, Ena Vie is a backing vocalist, and Howard Lipp is a programmer, synth player, and flutist. A variety of earthy arrangements create a wonderful world of musical sound that is as spiritually transcendent and evocative as anything from Tulku or Enigma. However, the music tends to be more primitive, ancient, and yogic without modern beats or urban grooves. Nevertheless, Turiya Nada knows how to meld these seemingly opposite worlds together without venturing too far into the modern world. Overall, Arakara... is a contemplative and trance-inducing album with loads of yogic charm and spiritual tendencies. ~ Matthew Forss