Lotus Groove

The fusion of European-style techno, dance, and Eastern sounds has seldom been done as well as on Lotus Groove. While Ariel Kalma's production keeps the synth beats in balance, the real stars here are the various unfamiliar (to Westerners) instruments. The dulcimers, flutes, and tabla drums used on some tracks are doubtless familiar to most people, but Lotus Groove introduces the listener to the dumback (a Middle Eastern hand drum) and the dilruba (an East Indian stringed instrument played with a bow). There's the gaida, a Bulgarian pipe that sounds like a bagpipe, and the "thongaphone" (yes, a plucked thong) used on the lively "Pongi Thongi." On "Jaipur" an Indian call is mixed with the clattering of a musician beating on a clay pot (known as an "Udu Pot" in India). And Jai Uttai on "Elusinian Blue" combines singing with playing on the dotar, an Indian long-necked lute. Each track takes the listener to a place like India or Morocco — music that is moody, relaxing, and sensual. The only drawback is that Music Mosaic Records' liner notes for the album ought to include more information about the instruments. This album definitely whets one's appetite for learning more about the music of the East.