If Satyajit Eye (originally released in 1993, reissued by Staalplaat) only blinks at Indian culture, the album Al Jar Zia Audio stares at it with both eyes wide open. It is known that Jones looked further than the Palestinian conflict, and also borrowed extensively from the rhythms of India, Pakistan, and other Eastern cultures. Like crossing borders in the bigger Islamic region, Jones takes whatever comes to hand, and moulds it into his own trademark sound -- often imitated, never surpassed. The tribal bang of the drums, the sampled voices of the radio, combined with a strong sense of melody, makes the music of Muslimgauze stand out a mile from the rest. Whereas others fell into the traps of commercialism, Muslimgauze remained faithful to his own principals and methods. Even in digging through the vaults of his recordings, it"s hard to find material that is of a weaker nature -- as Al Jar Zia Audio will prove. There is the uplifting dance rhythms of "We Have Shafika Habibi On Our Bus" (which incorporates the chirping of crickets), the bubble-bass of "Arvinada Jewel Box," and the endless crackles of sunburned vinyl; but there are also curiosity pieces such as the highly experimental "All I Have Is Sand," and the "stop-start" approach of "Brotherhood of Tikrit." Bryn Jones was not just a master who refined the art of sampling, he also knew how to create a fine piece of music out of it, and more often then not displayed a very strong sense of melody. Al Jar Zia Audio offers 15 tracks in over an hour of exciting Muslimgauze music, and is of a rather varied nature. Less mysterious, more open -- this is the melting pot of many cultures from sunnier parts of the world, but all served up from a rainy UK city.Released March 19th, 2013 on Staalplaat.
English