Urdu

Hawks crowd the skies above Karachi as a blessing. They are fed the scraps from animal sacrifices due to the prayers of the non-verbal being thought to reach God more powerfully. 75-year-old, Ustad Saami risks his life daily in Pakistan to keep alive his microtonal, pre-Islamic, multilingual (Farsi, Sanskrit, Hindi, the ancient and dead language of Vedic, gibberish, Arabic, and Urdu) music. Handed down by his ancestors for over a thousand years, he is the only practitioner of Surti left in the world and when he passes, this music will die with him as well. Extremists resent his work as they do anything else pre-dating Muhammad.

Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood and The Rajasthan Express - Junun (2015) {2CD Nonesuch 552641-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 363 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 144 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 45 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2015 Nonesuch / WEA | 552641-2
Indian Music / World Music / International Fusion / Israeli / Qawwali

It might seem curious that Radiohead guitarist and composer Jonny Greenwood ended up collaborating with Shye Ben Tzur and the Rajasthan Express. But they make exultant and warmly human music together. Greenwood's role is subdued even when the riotous music is not.

The Prayer Cycle is a surprisingly spiritual and moving album masterminded by composer Jonathan Elias, featuring an all-star cast culled from the pop, rock, and world music arenas (including Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Alanis Morissette, Perry Farrell, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Ofra Haza, Salif Keita, and more). The album is structured as a nine-movement suite, with each movement dedicated to a different spiritual quality. Elias' material elicits passionate, committed performances from the assembled artists, making it a deeply felt statement on bridging cross-cultural differences.

Night Reign is the new album from GRAMMY-winner Arooj Aftab, an ode to the night as her primary source of inspiration and a vivid reflection of the creative community she has fostered in her home of Brooklyn, New York. Featuring nine original compositions, three English-language tracks, and an array of guest artists, Night Reign is a perfumed, public garden of renewal, desire, shelter, and love guided by Aftab’s voice – its reach and intensity complementing the sun’s departure.

Nina Hagen - In Ekstase (German Version) (1985) {Columbia}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 255 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 85 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 79 Mb
© 1985 CBS / Sony | 477530 2
Rock / Post Punk / Alternative / Indie

This was one of my favorites in the mid 80's. I was disappointed that it was the German version and not the English. My fault entirely. I've nothing against the German language but I wanted to relive a specific time, track after track. But having said that and listening to it a few times I've grown to like it more and more. Nina is an amazing artist in any language so German, English, Bindi, Urdu, Ninaease, whatever, I'm good. 'In Ekstase' in any language embodies Nina at her most self.