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Kaya Project - ...And So It Goes


abasio

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Artist: Kaya Project

Title: …And So It Goes

Label: Interchill

Released: 21 November 2008

 

Tracklist

 

1 Always Waiting

2 Jamming With Marco

3 Deep Kaya

4 Zema Lasu

5 The Source

6 Five Plus Eight

7 Saranghi Breaks

8 Hirajoshi

9 ...& So It Goes

10 Shifting Sands

11 Dark Roads

12 Obsidian Beats

13 Drift

14 Awaken

15 Bekhudi

16 Outside Looking In

17 Under The Spell

 

Seb Taylor brings us the third studio album under the alias Kaya Project …And So It Goes. Anyone who is familiar with Seb’s previous work under Kaya Project will probably know what to expect. It is a very ethnic but very well produced album; there are lots of vocals in different languages. There is of course a blend of acoustic instruments, vocals & electronic production, the instruments, coming from a range of international musicians and the vocals mainly from Natasha Chamberlain the UK based vocalist who many might have heard on the Angel Tears’ albums. The result is a very colourful album, both serious & fun at the same time. I very much enjoy listening to this album on a sunny day, lying in the park looking up at the sky I can imagine I have been taken away to distant lands as I could with the other Kaya Project albums. The places this takes me too though are different, whereas the last album had an eastern feel to it this one in my mind gives me a feeling of being far south on the African continent. From the tribal beats to the warm colourful sounds and the vocals I get that feeling of savanna plains, jungles and vast expanses of nature. That I always imagine Africa to be sunny & hot goes in very well with the warm bright feeling of this album. Although the whole album is very coherent and paints a journey for us to enjoy as a whole each track is quite different from the rest, the tempo goes up and down creating a relaxed roller coaster ride. The different instruments & variety of vocalists make each track uniquely enjoyable. Seb’s production though brings all this uniqueness into one coherent journey that is incredible from start to finish. If you enjoyed the previous too albums then you shouldn’t be disappointed with this one. If you’d like a warm ethnic album that is masterfully produced by one of the scenes most consistent producers using a host of other high quality musicians and instruments then you will definitely like this album.

I think the wonderful cover is a good reflection of the music, the vibrant colours and natural image with a warm yet slightly dark edge show up so often in my mind as I listen to this album.

 

All the tracks here are great but for me even on a great album like this there are standouts. Randolph Matthews’ vocals on Zema Lasu, Shifting Sounds and Outside Looking In are absolutely fantastic, he has one of those voices that sound like silk when he sings and these vocals wrap me up in a warm sheet and never fail to sooth away any stress I have. His 3 tracks are probably my favourites on the album. Deeyah’s vocals in The Source are I think the total opposite to Matthew’s but no less pleasant. They are funkier like the rest of the track, more high pitched and upbeat with a strange quality not quite human. The title track for me sums up the album quite nicely; it is eclectic yet ordered so that all the elements come together in an orchestra of warm relaxed moods. The beats are very tribal with many sporadic elements underneath the main melody & bassline, a smattering of flutes & vocals that seem only to say “Hey” adds up to a strange yet very enjoyable track. Obsidian Beats is a wonderful mixture of earthy & ethereal sounds. I can picture in my minds eye an ancient tribal ritual summoning ancestor spirits from beyond the veil. The vocals sound to me very twisted and trippy, very nice. The last track Under The Spell really does put me under a spell, the most relaxed track on the album, it is very beautiful and Natasha’s vocals are entrancing. It’s perfect end to such a great album.

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Abasio, thanks to you I have discovered another psydub act that I like. I'll be ordering this as well as the earlier releases if I can find them. Psydub can turn into a cliche-fest but this is very original and fresh-sounding, and highly musical. Great stuff.

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  • 5 weeks later...

An acoustic ethno-chill album with vocals, on the paper the concept didn't amaze me that much.

As

soon i understood the form it took through the use of bassoon in several

tracks or warm, muffled & soft African vocals or country-folk

influences; i started reconsidering my view about this new Kaya

Project's album.

Seb Taylor has operated some unexpected

alchemies ranging from classic to oriental via Asian, jazzy,African,

country-folk or break beat.

The most astonishing resides in

his capacity to employ very distinctly sometimes 3 or 4 big influences

in unique coherent tracks.

 

In order to

highlight the previous statement, i'd recommend the listen of "Jammin

with Marco", "Saranghi Breaks", "Zema Lasu", "Five plus Eight",

"Bekhudi" in order to catch a clear idea of the result.

 

mark: 8/10

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  • 6 months later...

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