Tribal Derivations by Beats Antique
Reviewed by Anala Rabari
This 12 track CD runs about an hour long with the longest track coming in at just over 5 minutes and the majority of them are more around 3-4 minutes. Track one is really cool, it has awesome drumming, with solid concise rhythms layouting a groovy beat. It has repetitive points but their not too repetitvie and I think it sets a great pace for the rest of the CD. All the tracks on this CD aren't too long or too short so Western audiences should like them. Also the repeatitiveness isn't too much so Western audiences won't get bored by it. The song "The Lantern" has a nice solid kind of etherally quality with nice cello in the background giving it a haunting feeling behind the drumming that really intrigues me.
I think the thing that's really cool about this CD is I can see dancers of any style liking this music. It's edgy enough for fusion, gothic, and tribal dancers but it also subsintive enough in its traditional rhythms and not too out there so cabaret dancers will probably be intrigued by it as well. Especially if they are looking for something that's not strictly cabaret and something that has a flare of a different touch.
They have some cool special effects things going on in the music like a little bit of vocals or boat bells but they don't over use these. The track "Rabat" starts out with this great African groove that then gets mixed with the more traditional rhythms and instruments of a gypsy like violin and Middle Eastern drums.
The tempos and rhythms are awesome and they just take over your feet, hips, and hands and you just start thinking I have to do this combo or that combo. Track 5 named "Slow" has a nice tempo and again it's another nice example of how they mix the drums, violins, and guitars to spice up the tracks. Some tracks are sultry, but others are burlesquish and vauldvile or macab sounding. I love the addition of the trumpet and brass bands on some tracks and the effects that they can get from these instruments that aren't normally used for bellydance music. I love how the track "Break Me" starts out with the dark quite mood and then it breaks into this great drum, zill, and piano combo.
Frankly there isn't a track on this CD that I don't like. I can't necessarily see myself performing to all of them but I sure use them all in my private practice and I can see the performance potential in all the tracks. This CD is definetly worth a listen to by every dancer and when you get to track 13 make sure you listen all the way through it, you just might find something surprising at the end.