Moroccan Spirit

By Srajan Ebaen
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Compact Disc: Higher Octave 11028

  Once you get beyond the narcissism of the introductory liner notes, Moroccan Spirit is a fun excursion into down tempo New Age / Ethnic fusion from the Ibiza-based producer of Sacred Spirit and the various B-Tribe projects. Hiding behind the grotesque moniker "The Brave" -- Pasha of World Sounds and musical provocateur - Claus Zundel combines traditional Moroccan music with moderate club beats and synthesizer enhancements to give us a Dark Continent flavored version of Enigma, Karma or Deep Forest.

While none of these precedents can be accused of plumbing the depths - critics might debunk them as vapid musical colonialism - taken on their own merit, they simply reflect much of American culture which prides itself on openness and internationalism but houses millions who have never set foot outside its borders and thus often mistake the watered-down version for the real thing. But once you accept this apparently sorry state of affairs and appreciate the underlying lightheartedness, you may not want to live anywhere else. For that matter, you may much prefer the tamer, prettified and streamlined Moroccan Spirit to psyched-out authentic Gnawa sessions. And where's the blame in that? 

If you dig any of the previously mentioned groups, Moroccan Spirit falls into the same footsteps. It'll take you to a similar place, and while you won't be able to send a real postcard from a really exotic destination, you can imagine that you've been to somewhere far-out. And traveling by imagination is sometimes safer, more cost-effective and easier to do than relocating your physicality. So take Moroccan Spirit for a spin and envision yourself momentarily transformed into a dark-skinned desert dweller atop a rollicking dromedary dancing to contemporary synth beats. Better than getting seasick on that stoned hairy beast for real, ain't it?