CéU
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007 by Paul Irishbrazilian fusion // bossa

Quite a mature sound for this Brazilian songstress’ debut
brazilian fusion // bossa
Quite a mature sound for this Brazilian songstress’ debut
brazilian folk // electronic indie
Innovating on old-world beauty.
world dance // latin chill // flamenco remixed
Well-produced worldly beats.
latin arabian // moroccan
Cuban beauty with Moroccan flair.
african folk // kora // mali beat
The Symmetric Orchestra reflects the spirit of Mali’s new democracy since 1992— a spirit of equality, and creativity. There’s a public in Mali today that loves traditional music — griot music — but not the griot milieu. With the Symmetric, they feel free to enjoy this music without the obligations of tradition. And this gives us the freedom to present the tradition in new ways.
That quote is enough, I’m sure, to make any Cultural Studies critics reading wet themselves, and I’m going to give them a little more: TDSO is one of those deftly textured creations that evokes equal parts timeless and contemporary, diffuse and situated. Try listening to the soft chants on ‘Mamadou Diaby’ without thinking of Four Tet, and the virtuoso piano on ‘Africa Challenge’ without hearing the tango. It’s beautiful.
A well-crafted blend of all-over sounds.
dance funk // world breakbeat
They say, “a cross-cultural cornucopia of sound.” I say, straight fire.
exotic world instrumental // flamenco guitar
Baristas, prepare to be hounded for what these songs are.
french musette // accordion // tango
bossa chill // acoustic // atmospheric downtempo
japanese turntablism // traditional remixed
Imagine a banjo player dueling with a DJ, in Japan…