Third Planet

A multi-ethnic quintet whose members hail from three different continents, Third Planet features Florence, Italy's Maurizio Dami (keyboards); countryman Paolo Casu (various percussion instruments); Kurdistan, Iraq, native Nazar (vocals, saz); Algerian-born, rai-influenced Smail Kouider Aissa (vocals, keyboards); and Gujarat, India, native Rashmi V. Bhatt (tablas). Accordingly, Third Planet blends its members' hugely varied musical backgrounds with danceable Western sounds, plus both traditional and electronic instrumentation. The group's self-titled debut album was released in the summer of 2000 by Hearts of Space.