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Essential Asian Flavas Volume 2 Audio CD (26 May, 2003) Number of Discs:1 Label: Outcaste Records Catalogue Number: CASTE32CD Our Price: £9.99 Redhotcurry Rating: (5 flames) (*** BEST BUY ***) Click here to buy this CD today!

REDHOTCURRY REVIEW

Unbelievable as it is, Outcaste Records have topped their own Essential Flavas album with this new CD prosaically entitled 'Essential Flavas Vol 2'. It has even beaten Bhangra Beatz to sit at the top of our Editor's Hot Picks. The reason is simple, the Asian Urban Scene has just exploded with some truly outstanding music in recent months and Outcaste Records have compiled some of the best remixes on this CD.

Dubbed as the album "which is a celebration of the most vibrant and exciting parts of the UK Club scene, featuring the top ten hit 'Husan' by Bhangra Knights Vs Husan (the soundtrack of the Peugeot 206 TV Advert) and the club hit Panjabi 5-0, as well as a selection of heavy tracks with beats and vocals" it attempts to reflect the sounds that that have turned the UK Asian music scene on its head. The beauty of this album is that it does so in a middle-of-the-road commercial fashion without trying to be too "cool", "clubby" or too Asian "underground". In short this is album will have broad appeal.

Highlights of Essential Asian Flavas Vol 2 include:

• The exciting dance floor cut 'Jogi' by Panjabi MC
• A fresh R'n'B vide entitled 'Dance with You' from Rishi Rich featuring Jay Sean and Juggy D.
• Chilled out Indian harmonies with a funked up beat from DJ Vix entitled 'Lakh de Hulare'
• Kwanzaa Posse 'Punjabi Dreams' which offers poignant melodies mixed with jazzy piano acoustic.
• The critically acclaimed Nitin Sawhney who mixes drum'n'bass, R'n'B and Asian instrumentation to bring you 'Streets'.
• 4 Hero's 'Conceptions' which can be described simply as "Bombay Chillout".

In typical "mixed up Asian" fashion they have slotted the tracks in a haphazard manner with Bhangra Knights Vs Husan's track 'Husan' following Nitin Sawhney's yogic track 'Streets'. Just imagine yourself singing in the bath after a particularly bad Friday afternoon and this will describe the cathartic rhythm of Sawhney's 'Streets'. Hardly the appropriate to follow it up with 'Husan', but maybe I'm just nitpicking. Craig-David-wannabe Jay Sean's 'Dance With You' is hardly worth inclusion but it is saved by Rishi Rich's melodic touch in 'Nachna Tere Naai' (Dance with You).

Shazia Manzur's simply brilliant 'Aoja Sohneya' is worth pressing repeat on at least 3 times and Kwanzaa Posse's 'Punjabi Dreams' is a good track to bridge the dance music with the "chill out" music. But if there is any criticism to make, it is that Essential Asian Flavas Vol 2 tries to do the same as the first volume in showcasing the best dance and chill out music on one album, whereas as what we consumers want is all dance music or all chillout music….on separate albums! Perhaps Outcaste will take note for Vol 3!

Humbly described by Outcaste as "the second instalment of the hottest new cuts alongside the most influential classics in an ultimate guide to the urban Asian sound", Essential Flavas Vol 2 is good value-for-money at £9.99. It's a great CD with which to practice your Peugeot 206 head-nodding technique (you know exactly what we mean!).

TRACK LISTING

1. Dum Dum project featuring The1Shanti 'Punjabi 5-0'
2. Panjabi MC 'Jogi'
3. Rishi Rich, Jay Sean & Juggy D 'Dance With You'
4. Mykel Angel 'Hathi Mere Sathi'
5. Shazia Manzur 'Aoja Sohneya'
6. DJ Vic 'Lakh De Hulare'
7. Kwanzaa Posse 'Punjabi Dreams'
8. Badmarsh & Shri 'Day by Day' (Chris Coco Remix)
9. M.C.P presents 'Indian Model' (Jet Bar Mix)
10. Nitin Sawhney 'Streets'
11. Bhangra Knights Vs. Husan 'Husan'
12. Zeb 'Bombay Mix'
13. Trellis 'Habbi Gajuna'
14. 4 Hero 'Conceptions'

Click here to buy this CD today!