Search - Joi :: One and One Is One

Feel the Joi

DJ ProFusion - WorldFusionRadio.com | Evanston, IL | 02/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Bottom Line: From the heart of the London club scene comes this funky happy world fusion dance album. Great stuff, sure to please. Your music collection is not complete until you add the greatest group to come out of Bangladesh. Joi are the brothers Farook and Haroon Shamsher, natives of Bangladesh and subsequently of England. Although their claim to be "the original Asian breakbeat fusionists" is overstated (Bally Sagoo and Ananda Shankar precede them), they are undeniably original in their interpretation of Asian fusion music. "One and One is One" is a mid-tempo electronic album, influenced by the work of Ananda Shankar, British trip-hop, and classical Indian-Bangladeshi music. This is not hard-driving club music, but it is still danceable if you are so inclined. All of it is easy to listen to and get into. "Fingers" starts the CD off with a stirring female trance vocal laid over driving percussion spiced with Bengali flute. On the harder side "Massive," "March On" and "Heartbeat" are above average, but still conventional European techno, although "Massive" slips mid-way into an impressive Eastern rift. "Mission," "Oh My People" and "India" offer funked up breakbeats reminiscent of Talvin Singh and Thievery Corporation's more world-tinged work. The album also offers a softer side with tracks like "ESY-SHJ" and "Everybody Say Yeah," the type of songs where you break and head for a refill at the bar but still keeps your interest up for more to come. The highlight of the album though is "Asian Vibes." Downright infectious, this feel-good power pop anthem is pure joy - happy, dancey, and a sure crowd pleaser, thanks mainly to the vocals of Susheela Raman. On the downside, Joi is too repetitious at times, finding a great hook but hanging onto it too long. This is a problem chronic in today's electronic dance music. There are also occasional lapses where the group's inexperience shows up in muddy transitions. Still, "One and One is One" is head and shoulders above the vast majority of techno music."

Too Much Beat, Not Enough Melody

Michael L. Raphael | Dallas, TX United States | 10/15/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Had This one on my wish list, based on the reviews here. My wife just got it for me, for my birthday. Now I'm wishing she had picked another one. I was expecting to hear more Indian music, but what this has is mostly techno & tabla beats, with sparse melodies and harmonies. It really doesn't give me the kind of exotic flavour I am looking for. Also, all the beats on here are up-tempo, and there is very little dynamic in the music. All this adds up to listenable music that gets boring fairly quickly. There may be one or two standout tracks on here, but nothing you can really hang your heart on."