Israeli act Zohar is led by Erran Baron Cohen and Andrew Kremer. The first time I heard their music, the group was combining global electronica with sacred Christian, Jewish and Arabic music. On Do You Have Any Faith? the band immerses itself in Klezmer, Indian and Arabic influences accompanied by funky electronic dance beats, jazz grooves, lounge and trip hop.
Cinematic is a collection of classic film music remixed for the dance scene. The remixers include King Britt, Tom Middleton, Bent, The Real Tuesday Weld, Shawn Lee, Bombay Dub Orchestra, Gaudi, Mark de Clive Lowe, Zeb, Shrift, Phillip Charles and MNO. Some of the soundtracks chosen are: Ben Hur, They Call Me Mr. Tubbs, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Fellini’s Roma. The transformation is so drastic, that many are barely recognizable.
The Six Degrees label has a new series dedicated to new talent in the global electronica scene. Promoting physical CDs is risky and expensive so the label has a digital download series called Emerging Artists. Several of these digital download-only artists are part of World Music Central’s latest promotion.
Bassist Patrick O’Hearn does not exactly compose global electronica, but his music is terrific. He combines dreamy electronica with contemporary instrumental sounds, using primarily the electric bass. His latest CD is the cinematic Glaciation, inspired by the beauty of the frozen, and sadly mistreated, northern latitudes.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
