Raz Mesinai is a veteran of the New York illbient scene. He was a vital member of recently posted Sub Dub. Under the Badawi moniker he mixes illbient's Dub & ambient electronics with Middle Eastern percussion. This is his full-length first release as Badawi.
Suspicions
Suspicious Dub
Pressurizor
Big Foot
Attack of the Giant Fruit Flies
FX-57 Missile
Lack of Oxygen to the Brain
Lack of Dub to the Brain
Cyborg Stepper
Hi Fashion Version
Audio Bomb Squad
Turbo Auto Drive
Badawi Dub
Chamber of Dub
Snake Charmer
Badawi's first of two releases on the illbient label Asphodel is The Heretic of Ether (the other being 2006s Safe). This music could be from the Middle East of today or from two thousand years in the past or the future. It is haunting & ethereal.
CHAPTER 1: The Heretic -
Intro
Tired Soldiers
A Voice from Six Corners
Santur
Enter the Heretic
Fatal Confrontation (The Death of Gashka Gavör)
CHAPTER 2: The Etheric
Entrance
Arrival
Fatal Confrontation (Gashka Meets the Gate Keeper)
Welcoming
CHAPTER 3: The Return Of Gashka Gavör -
Falling
Fatal Confrontation (revisited)
Return of the Heretic
Awakening
The Badawi Quintet is great mix of clarinet, cello, bass, percussion, & electronics. It's fascinating to hear how the different mixers have interpreted it. There's a definite Dub vibe with a Middle Eastern flavor to much of the work.
This is an interesting & appealing release, quite dark & brooding. The thematic unity of the source material provides a solid link to some really disparate but always interesting approaches.
Enjoy,
NØ
