Mystic Groove

A Global Journey Into The Asian Underground

Mystic Groove is a transcendental voyage to musical realms of Asia and beyond. A dreamworld where meditation and relaxation pulsate with the rhythm of an electronic beat. Submerge yourself into the Indian vibes of Nitin Sawhney, Thievery Corporation, and Talvin Singh's remix of Najma. Travel the Turkish sounds of Hefner's treatment of Omar Faruk Tekbilek. Immerse yourself in the Arabic soundscapes of dZihan and Kamien and MC Sultan. Trek across the Sahara with the sounds of Radar and Christophe Goze. Nod to the sitar melodies of Stoppa & Nobby and Black Star Liner. A global journey awaits you...

Thievery Corporation
Rob Garza and Eric Hilton met at Eighteenth Street Lounge in May 1995. They were introduced by a mutual friend and began to discuss their admiration for the work of Antonio Carlos Jobim and the '60s bossa sound. Weeks later, in a home studio, they began to work on the music that would launch Thievery Corporation. After several early 12-inch singles, Thievery Corporation released Sounds From the Thievery Hi-Fi on ESL Music. That record is already considered by most to be a classic of the new electronic era. After a remix compilation and a stellar DJ Kicks session, Thievery Corporation have completed a new long player, The Mirror Conspiracy. "We've always been most inspired by older forms of music like soundtracks, jazz, bossa nova, dub, and the like. I think you can really hear these influences in our new work."

dZihan & Kamien
Sarajevo homeboy dZihan was born and bred on music. Growing up alongside his father's drum-kit, it didn't take long for dZihan to develop into one of the most talented and sought-after musicians in ex-Yugoslavia. His early experiences came from working with Goran Bregovic as co-composer and programmer for the soundtrack to Emir Kusturica's film, Arizona Dream. Kamien could serve as a prototype for a "Future European." Born in Switzerland to German-Italian parents with Polish ancestors, Kamien discovered his passion for music early on. After completing his studies he concentrated on programming, sampling and other escapades into the manipulation of sound, combining them with his musical and ethnic background, contributing this versatile expression to the dZihan & Kamien mix. A team for over six years, these two decided to bring the act dZihan & Kamien to life in 1998. Both of them had come to Vienna as students, completing their music studies in 1994. In fact the success of their first band, MC Sultan, came with the club-hit "Der Bauch," which is also represented on this album.

Nitin Sawhney
Nitin Sawhney is an award winning writer, comedian, actor and scriptwriter; a composer of TV and movie soundtracks as well as commercials; a massively in-demand songwriter, producer and re-mixer; a veritable who's who (from Sinéad O'Connor to Sir Paul McCartney and Jeff Beck) have beaten a path to his south-of-the-river London door. An artist of deep global significance, Nitin's music is, in his own words "about a sense of belonging, yet not belonging, to a land." Nitin's formative years were in Rochester, Kent. To escape the daily racism he turned to music -- a language where there were no racial boundaries. Later he went on to study Law at Liverpool University before coming to London where he met Sanjeev Bhaskar with whom Nitin, created a comedy act called The Secret Asians, who turned absurdly dated Asian stereotypes on their heads. Whilst performing The Secret Asians up and down the country Nitin connected with acid-jazz keyboards-player James Taylor who introduced him to the jazz club scene and provoked him into forming his own band, The Jazztones. He moved on to join forces with tabla master Talvin Singh to form the Tihai Trio and, since that collaboration ended, has released four solo albums; Spirit Dance, Migration, Displacing The Priest, and Beyond Skin.

Omar Faruk Tekbilek
"I have a picture I carry in my mind," Omar Faruk Tekbilek reveals. "I call it The Tree of Patience." Faruk's long, winding musical path has indeed been a patient one. Growing up in a musical family in Adanali, Turkey, his brothers taught him flute and baglama (the long-necked Turkish lute). Later moving to Istanbul, he discovered Sufism and quit high school to become a professional musician and study with the Mevlevi Dervishes. The study of mysticism, he explains, took form in his music. "Music for me is not something to show off. It's my life. It's the shortest path to God. Playing is prayer for me." Faruk's skills became much in demand in the studios of Istanbul in the '70s, but a tour of the US changed things. Meeting his future wife and moving to the US, Faruk found himself working in a clothing factory in Rochester, NY. Patience led him later to a chance meeting with the Grammy-award winning producer and musician Brian Keane. It was a meeting of musical soul-mates and their collaborations, melding Irish and Asian traditions, have led so far to six full-length albums on the Celestial Harmonies label. Faruk's music has taken him to far-flung corners of the globe, collaborating with the late jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, the Arabic lute and violin virtuoso Simon Shaheen, Australian percussionist and composer Michael Askill, and with Armenian percussionist Arto Tuncboyaciyan.

Black Star Liner
Black Star Liner emerged in 1994 from Leeds, England on Chris Madden's Soundclash label with a remix of The Rootsman's soundclashcityrockers EP. Experts in combining traditional eastern instrumentation and dub bass in a revived form, BSL are a primary source in London's Asian underground. From the Hindu-Kraftwerk sounds of "Rock Freak" to the Country'n'Eastern melding on "Low BMW," BSL are true innovators, fearless in the face of cultural clash.