Afro Celt Sound System are widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and pioneering groups to emerge from the increasingly eclectic cross-cultural experimentations at the cutting edge of "world music" in the 1990s.

After much soul-searching and reorganization following the sudden tragic death of keyboardist Joe Bruce, the group has re-emerged with a dynamic and emotionally charged album that weds the delicacy of their acoustic instruments - harp, kora, bodhran, jembe, uilleann pipes, talking drum - with the multidimensional, layered production of Simon Emmerson and Martin Russell. The band's characteristic Celtic-West African fusion, inherently joyful and high-energy, is offset by a discernible bittersweet quality, darker and more melancholic than the first album's effusive spirit expressively underscored by the performances of guest musicians Nigel Eaton on hurdy gurdyMichael McGoldrick and Ronan Browne on uilleann pipesYouth on bassDhol Foundation's Johnny Kaisi on dhol drums &tabla, and Sinead O'Connor on vocals.

The album represents the transformation of a project - conceived at Real World's 1996 Recording Week - into a cohesive band with a distinctive sound and style. It is the record they all wanted to make, reflecting the unique playing skills and personalities of the diverse core members - Simon Emmerson (guitars, programming, keyboards)N'Faly Kouyate (vocals, kora, bala)Iarla O Lionáird (vocals)James McNally (keyboard, whistle, bodhran, accordion)Myrdhin (Celtic harp)Martin Russell (keyboard, programming, engineering)and Moussa Sissokho (talking drum, jembe).

James McNally says "Our style of writing and playing music does not pretend to adhere to any particular traditional style except our own. Together we write Afro Celt music: music rooted in the past that's reaching into the future - that's it. The collaboration of the various musicians within the band was effortless, heartfelt, and very harmonious. My faith in the others was constantly rewarded with stunning contributions and performances. It's like we can almost read each others' mindsit's uncanny, transporting, and deeply magical."

Afro Celts are a paradox - firmly rooted in some of the oldest musical traditions on earth, yet colliding head on with cutting-edge electronica. Iarla is among the foremost purveyors of West Ireland's ancient unaccompanied sean nos vocal styleMyrdhin plays an ancestral Breton harp, and both N'Faly and Moussa are venerated jalis from West Africa's esteemed bardic schools of master musicianship. Conversely, Simon comes from the context of experimental dance music, and James' background was with the Pogues and the Irish hardcore hip-hop group Marxman. From these far ends of the musical spectrum comes the entity that stormed the stage at the Cambridge Folk Festival, played to a full-on dance crowd at Tribal Gathering, and played to a widely enthusiastic crowd of 20.000+ MTV rockers at Holland's Lowlands Festival.

Simon Emmerson: "It's very difficult to get across... that what we're doing is rooted in my neighborhood in East London. Our studio is based in the same building as Fat Man Sound System - one of London's oldestClub Dog are also theremy neighbor runs Jah Youth SoundsZion Train live up the road, as does Adrian Sherwood's On U Sound System. Within a two-mile radius of my house there's been Talvin Singh's club, the first drum &bass sessions, the Whirl-Y-Gig, and countless other similar clubs. This is my musical environment."

Volume 1: Sound Magic (Realworld REALW-2359, 1997)

Volume 2: Release (Realworld REALW-47324, 1997)

Volume 3: Further in time (Realworld REALW-7243, 2001)