Search - Bombay Dub Orchestra :: Bombay Dub Orchestra

Superb music beautifully played

Neil Wilkes | London, England | 03/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My first thoughts on listening to this album were "It's a combination of Zero 7 and Enigma with an eastern flavour", but it's more than that - much more, in fact.

Right from the opener, "Compassion", the album grabs the attention and just won't let go.

the hypnotic drums & bass lines are complemented perfectly by the 28 piece indian string section - and it is so well recorded it takes the breath away. The musicianship is of such a standard that these orchestral players would be at home in any orchestra in the world, and the fusion between traditional Indian instruments and Western Electronica has to be heard to fully grasp just how well it all hangs together.



It's an impossible task picking out personal favourites, as this depends entirely on what your mood is at the time, and with each playing you hear things that were missed the time before. This is not due to the mix being cluttered though - far from it. And it's definitely not because it is too busy, because what you get here is basicallly that rare beast in these times - A well crafted record that demands to be played again and again and again.

There are no real high points - it's all of the same high standard and this too is a welcome rarity when the average album contains 4 or 5 singles and filler. Not one dud on offer here. They are all of an equal standard & quality.



Whilst we are talking about the quality, another surprise is the complete lack of overcompression in the endless quest for "hotter" discs - and this really made my day. I don't know about the person reading this review but I for one am bored with every record striving to blow your speakers where the buss compressors and brickwall limiters are cranked into overdrive mode making the ballads almost as loud as the up tempo numbers. Again, on this record this kind of sonic mayhem is very noticeable by it's absence.

I've been listening to this for a while now, and still cannot find anything bad to say about it. Perhaps the only thing I can think of that could improve what you get is a surround mix in High Resolution 5.1, as the quality of the recording here is so good it would really lend itself to this type of format.

But that is it.



To summarize - 5 stars without a doubt.

You owe it to yourself to buy this record, and discover that not all modern releases are overcompressed garbage.

This is simply sublime."

Bombay Dub Orchestra

T. Snyder | AZ | 03/22/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Bombay Dub Orchestra" had me hooked on the name alone. The music on the double disc does not really qualify as "dub". It does not even qualify in the general "electronica" label.



It is surprisingly beautiful with the use of the string section. The limited vocals are beautiful too. The beats are not that overpowering; they are blended in nicely.



Overall, this is a huge sonic landscape. The layers of music are great. The second disc sounds different enough from the first that it is almost like getting two discs of new material.



The music is very soothing, bordering on Enya/Enigma New Age. It seems like it'd be easy to put this on and calm down to, or fall asleep to.



This is why I give it 3 stars. It wasn't really "dub" enough, not head-nod-able, not electronica/chillout enough for me. It is a beautiful album if you're into slower, world, New Age, cool music."

Beauty and the east

Hans Stoeve | Sydney | 03/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"More orchestra than dub, the tracks on this double release would not be out of place on a Buddha Bar compilation. Lightweight and easy listening, there is a 'trippy' feel to the sound at times. It has that summer feel- everything's OK-life is good mood about it. It's all very pleasant in feel and carefully crafted. Indian sounds merge with ambient sounds merge with orchestral arrangements. The pieces amble along, tinkering piano lines, washes of synthesisers, strings, sitars, bansuri flutes, Indian voices, occasional dub treatments. Don't expect a King Tubby treatment though.



There have been others who have gone down these musical roads. I think of Nitin Sawhney and 1 Giant Leap though the roads they travel are more political and have more of an edge to them. Also Bill Laswell's Lost In The Translation ambient excursions spring to mind when I listen to this disc, especially some of the remixes on disc two.



Bombay Dub Orchestra are two English musicians, Garry Hughes and Andrew T. Mackay. Garry Hughes has had time playing with Bjork and Sly & Robbie, whereas Andrew T. Mackay has scored works for people such as Annie Leibovitz, LA Rockers VAST and ABC (the 80's group, not the TV network) Garry Hughes has also played keyboards and produced for groups like Pink Floyd and Art of Noise according to notes found on the net.



Six Degrees have been releasing interesting titles for some time now, cutting edge electronica merging with Indian rhythms.The danger with this release is that some people will write it off as good dinner party music, which would be a shame. It has a lot to offer depending on your state of mind at time of listening. This album will appeal to a lot of listeners. I like it immensely though I still want some sort of an 'edge' to my music when I am listening. Still it is one of the better release of the year so far. What would really be good now is for another remix album of this material to come out but from other artists on Six Degrees. Maybe this is already in the pipeline."