The Dub Factory – Qawwali meets Reggae (NMI, 2012)
This is an intriguing musical concept, the fusion of reggae and qawwali (the fusion of reggae and bhangra has already been hugely successful, thanks to musicians like Apache Indian).
The tracks on this album are composed by the musician Parvez based in Leicester, UK, and includes vocals by Indian singer Ram Shankar.
The 10 tracks cut new musical ground, and the pieces “Ali Ali Maula Ali” and “Mehfil Mein Baar Baar” really grab your attention. The instrumental piece “Reggae Meets the East” is also commendable. But the rest of the album does not quite rise to the potential of these three tracks, and leave the listener expecting more.
Author: Madanmohan Rao
Madanmohan Rao is an author and media consultant from Bangalore, and global correspondent for world music and jazz for World Music Central and Jazzuality. He has written over 15 books on media, management and culture, and is research director for YourStory Media. Madan was formerly World Music Editor at Rave magazine and RJ at WorldSpace, and can be followed on Twitter at @MadanRao.