When London based DJ/Producer Badmarsh and classically trained musician Shri got together for the first time a couple of years ago, they threw up 'Dancing Drums', a juicy amalgam of Asian-style breakbeat and feisty tabla playing.
Where that album had it's roots very much in club culture, the Indian born duo have this time eschewed to an extent those sweaty, bass-heavy vibes for a more mature and wider approach, as immediately illustrated by the opening title track, which features 'Original Nuttah' UK Apache in unusually laid back vocal form.
The tune is nothing less ambitious than a metaphor for life itself, backed by an elegantly unfurling ensemble of strings, tablas, live bass and rolling hip hop beats. From there we dive into 'Swarm' and 'Get Up', two tracks which provide a bridge back to 'Dancing Drums' with their mix of fiery breakbeats, insistent basslines and hyped vocals, before relaxing again into the haunting beauty of vocal tracks like 'Mountain Path', 'Day By Day', the gently undulating 'Sajanna' and the inspired flute/ guitar collaboration 'Soaring Beyond'.
Just to make sure we're still listening, the pair then bring us the upbeat and percussive 'Tribal' and the wonderfuly dramatic 'Bang'. After that it's back into the acoustic refrains of 'The last Mile' and the heartfelt 'Appa', which provides a completely serene ending to a formidable follow up that's broad in texture and soaked in spiritual beauty.
by Paul Sullivan