Tantra Lounge Volume 2

Located in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles is the venue aptly named Tantra, a restaurant and lounge that presents its clients with an array of fusion cuisine and posh décor. Keeping true to the venue's uber-jetset style, Tantra also offers its patrons a diverse mixture of fresh music featuring mostly Arabic and South Asian flavours.

With the successful release of its first compilation Tantra Lounge in 2003, the venue now follows up a year later with Tantra Lounge volume 2. The compilation features a more diverse mixture of world music and jives well with the non-American Baliesque electro styles that are treasured by millions around the globe. Classical Asian and Arabic music deeply penetrates popular music in every country in the world, and has for thousands of years. These styles of melody and instrumentation are not only ancient, they are intensely spiritual and divine as well.

DHOL FOUNDATION - Punjab de Rang (Colours Of Punjab) - A beautiful soaring bansuri flute penetrates the air as we are transported to another world and possibly another time. The unmistakable rhythms of the tabla are heard as they create the backbeat for the song. The bansuri continues to wail softly in the distance giving flight to the music.

NATACHA ATLAS - This Realm - Gently coming into form is the synthwork and strings that will continue to take us deeper into the world of Tantra. The beautiful and unmistakable voice of Natacha Atlas will make your heart weep.

USTAD SULTAN KHAN - Jaadu (Nickodemus & Osiris Remix) - Mixing into This Realm comes the dubbed guitar and vocals of Ustad Sultan Khan. Breaking into a funky hip-hop backbeat, Jaadu showcases a multiple arrangement of vocals and melodies.

KARSH KALE - Analog Mood Swings - One of the driving forces behind the South Asian sound, Kale's contribution begins with a lone sitar, eventually breaking into an eclectic jungle-ish groove of tabla and percussion. Leading the vocals is non other than Vishal Vaid.

GANEESH COLLECTIVE - Jaipur Dream - Keeping with Kale's electro tabla groove, Ganeesh moves us along nicely with an assorted downbeat arrangement and sweeping synth and piano movements.

SUNIL - Calcutta - The vocals of Sunil come in next as the pop synth melody follows closely with the ensuing arrangement.

OMAR FARUK TEKBILEK - Shashkin (Hefner Remix) - Good classical shehnai music is rarely heard inside the US, but this is a tremendous example of the style. This song is the most non-electro composition on the disc and one of my personal favorites. The composition features shehnai, percussion, and guitars in swift and bouncing progressions.

KINEMA - Bhopal - Following the groove of the previous arrangement, this one takes us back to into the electro tabla rhythms previously found. The synthwork and strings provide a backdrop for the South Asian vocal samples.

JEF STOTT FEATURING REDA DARWISH - Funky Nawari - Progressing even further are the sounds of Jef Stott. Jef brings us a breakbeat mixture of stylings and instrumentation. The violin sweeps and sitar arrangements are well placed and the track moves along nicely. There is even a percussion breakdown that accompanies a blurred acid line.

THIEVERY CORPORATION - Indra - A familiar groove indeed, the lords of world music have found a place on nearly every world music compilation imaginable. Indra is an extremely simple track with dub like rhythms and instrumentation.