Bab L’ Bluz release new album ‘Swaken’
Swaken features 11 tracks that spark and pulse with kinetic, pedal-to-the-metal energy.
Fri, 10 May 24
Released 12 September 1999
Liner notes
When lightning hit the Big Room at Real World on the last day of recording we knew the music would be electric.
Ananda was born in Almora, Utta Pradesh in 1942. The son of dancers Uday and Amala Shankar and the nephew of Pandit Ravi Shankar, he was raised in an artistically creative atmosphere. He went on to produce some of the most influential tracks of the sixties, and to jam with the likes of Jimi Hendrix among others. Walking On saw Ananda pushing his talent yet further, and teaming up with acclaimed London DJ and producer Sam Zaman, aka State of Bengal.
State of Bengal’s eclectic mix of Indian classical music with breakbeat, hip-hop, tabla driven beats and melodic vocals seemed perfect as a 1990s response to Ananda’s sound. Fresh from work with Bjork, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Massive Attack, Sam Zaman found time off from making his own album (Visual Audio on One Little Indian) to throw himself fully into the project, working with the legend whose music had inspired him since his teens.
Walking On today stands as a beat-laden, melody-rich, timeless tribute to the collaboration of these two late, great artists, both of whom made their exits far too soon.
Further Listening
Released 14 May 2001
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Michael Brook
Released 05 October 1997
Swaken features 11 tracks that spark and pulse with kinetic, pedal-to-the-metal energy.
Fri, 10 May 24
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Bab L' Bluz second album, Swaken, released in May 2024. These are the song lyrics in English, French...
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