Wonderwheel US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Fresh from her LP with leftfield French beatsmith Debruit, Alsarah joins The Nubatones for an equally unique lesson in timeless funk. Munching through cultures and continents with alluring grace, the fusion of eastern and western sounds here is instantly captivating and wholly of its own. From the bluesy guitar slaps of "Nuba Noutou" and "Yanas Baridou" to the lolloping ghostliness and poignant harmonies of "Bilad Aldahb" via the heartfelt croons and gentle accordion squeezes of "Wad Alnuba", this is an exceptional listening experience. Highly recommended.

Review: Both Nickodemus and the Wonderwheel imprint are from NYC, and both parties know how to lay down some pure, hypnotic goodness when it comes to house. This time, the former is joined by Alsarah, who provides the mystical, charming Eastern vocals over the deep, progressive beats of "The Crow", a vibrant house tune for the big room; Saangan does his best to inject a little more techno sensibility into the tune. On the flip, "Alkoan Kulu Bidoor" heads into broken beat territories with its slower, sloppier beats, once again guided by Alsarah's arabic spoken word, and iZem provides the 'umph' by layering a rolling, glitchy blend of percussion into the mix. Solid.