Reviews in US magazines
Music Design - March 2008
Reviewed in Music Design - In Review
MUSIC MOSAIC COLLECTION
Category: World Beat
CHILLOUT INDIAby Ariel Kalma & Friends
Music Mosaic is known for their compilations, which usually mix together tribal influences and beats with electronica. CHILLOUT INDIA turns the focus away from the 'various artists' format in favor of an album completely put together by producer Ariel Kalma. The style of the music will be familiar to fans of the label's releases - it is a funky energized blend of trippy beats, synth moods, some Asian-oriented instrumentation, wordless vocals and sax. As the name implies, the general essence of chill-out music, creating a vibe that is trendy and perfect for creatign a colorful, Indian-oriented atmosphere. Includes guest appearances from Bhakta, Siddhant Bhatia, Nanda and others.
Music Design - September 2007
Reviewed in Music Design - In Review
MUSIC MOSAIC COLLECTION
Category: Sacred / Chant
URBAN MANTRA (double CD)The act of chanting mantras has been around for centuries, though the idea of mixing those mantras with smooth, fusion-based grooves is a new and exciting twist. This two disc collection from the compilation masters at Music Mosaic features some of today's top singers like Deva Premal, Prem Joshua, Wah! and Chloe Goodchild doing what they do best - enchanting listeners with their soft urban mantras. The discs are thematically divided into "Vitality" and "Essence", with the "Vitality" disc veering towards rhythmic tracks (mid-tempo and smooth rather than clubby) and the "Essence" disc having a chill-out quotient. The music is quality across the board, with plenty of East meets West chant goodness for fans of contemporary fusion music to savor.
Music Design - March 2007
Reviewed in Music Design - In Review
MUSIC MOSAIC COLLECTION
Category: World Beat
DIDGERIDOO ROCKS!Music Mosaic are the masters of creating a type of compilation that could be called "rhythm and drone," which features the didgeridoo as the primary instrument and plenty of funky techno grooves to back it up. DIDGERIDOO ROCKS follows suit and is one of the label's most adventurous didg recordings thus far, featuring a lot of energy and (as the title suggests) a touch of rock on a few of the tracks. The album opens with a full-on electro affair from Yomano & Stein, packed with propulsive beats and cutting edge mixing. "Butcherbird Boogie" from Tarshito has some rock guitar and a bluesy feel to it, making for a nice counterpoint with the earthy didg drones. Other highlights include Stephen Kent's jazzy "Water" and Ariel Kalma's Asian-inspired "Tablaridoo."
Music Design - October 2006
Reviewed in Music Design - In Review
MUSIC MOSAIC COLLECTION
Category: World Beat
DRUM TRANCEA cross-cultural collage of tribal rhythms is served up in this homage to the intoxicating pulse of the drum from Music Mosaic. From clubby to organic, these infectious grooves will certainly get your adrenaline pumping. Beginning with a turbo-charged dose of electrified African rhythm and chant, the album propels you through some Mediterranean-flavored vibes from Arto Tuncboyaciyan, a walk on the shamanic side from Gabrielle Roth and the Mirrors, thunderous beats from pan-Asian percussionist Ruben Van Rompaey, some dramatic, ambient-flecked rhythms from Professor Trance and much more. Fueled with energy and destined to make you want to move, DRUM TRANCE takes you around the world and back, to the beat of a drum.
Music Design - March 2006
Reviewed in Music Design - In Review
MUSIC MOSAIC COLLECTION
Category: World Beat
DIDGERIDOO TRANCE DANCE 2It would be difficult to find an instrument more versatile than the didgeridoo. Need proof? Check out this adrenaline-pumping mix compiled by the folks at Music Mosaic, on which you will hear the didg in the background, foreground, as a rhythm instrument and even mimicking vocoder-processed vocals. Back to the adrenaline-pumping aspect of the album, the clubby beats here will definitely keep you on your toes, with plenty of energy from beginning to end. Take, for example, "BigBamBoo" from Yomano… the song is a veritable kaleidoscope of pulsating beats, surreal electro effects and didgeridoo that ricochets all over the place. Papi Moreno drops the tempo and ups the groove factor with "D.J. Redo, another highlight." A great showcase for the power of the didgeridoo, the album lives up to name by providing one of the most exhilerating drone experiences this side of the outback.
New Age Retailer - Reviewer: Mara Applebaum - November/December 2003
Reviewed in Sounds From the Ground Up by Mara Applebaum
Didgeridoo Groove
Various artists
Music Mosaic
www.music-mosaic.com
On the compilation album Didgeridoo Groove, artists from all over the world offer tracks to create a funkadelic tribute to the ancient didgeridoo. Best among them are Gondwana's "Shade," a percussion-heavy piece with great programming, and the blissfully unadulterated "Crooked," featuring three didgeridoos in a match with three percussion instruments, by Orocol. Several of the artists use samples of indigenous vocals or the real thing.
From techno to aboriginal, listeners will find a full range of didgeridoo selections here. The didgeridoo undoubtedly is one of my favorite rhythmic instruments. If you cater to customers who appreciate world and electronica music, Didgeridoo Groove will be a good album to spotlight. The funky, colorful booklet cover art will grab attention, too!Music Design - July/August 2003
Reviewed in Music Design - In Review
MUSIC MOSAIC COLLECTION
Groove MagicMusic Mosaic stirs the cultural melting pot once again with GROOVE MAGIC, an entrancing foray into trippy tribal textures and powerful rhythms from around the globe.
Grab your backpack and make sure you're well-prepared, this journey is going to take you deep into Australia's outback, Africa's savannahs and the Middle East's spiritual heart to expose you to grooves so organic you can almost smell the scent of dried earth. Of course, it's the 21st century, so why not make things a little funky? And, that's exactly what GROOVE MAGIC does, mixing ambient synthscapes and electronic studio genius into their primal concoctions, making tracks by artists like Professor Trance, Phil Thornton and Kamal a wonder to behold.Music Design - July/August 2003
Reviewed in Music Design - In Review
MUSIC MOSAIC COLLECTION
Didgeridoo GrooveMusic Mosaic is uniting the Australian outback with club culture once again on DIDGERIDOO GROOVE. As can be expected from the title, the didgeridoo takes center stage on each of these eleven tracks, whose influences range from jazzy funk to the Asian Underground.
This tribal adventure includes the likes of Steven Cragg, with his primordial-sounding "Little People" as well as Soulfood with the mysterious "Chamber 11" from their Wingmakers project. "Taralinga Lila" from Tarshito/Sangeet swirls a little Indian mysticism into the mix, while "Kokopelli Dreaming" from Kailash crosses the Pacific and provides a Native American/didgeridoo hybrid. The Outback never sounded so funky!
- New Age Retailer - Reviewer: Mara Applebaum - July/August 2003
Reviewed in Sounds From the Ground Up by Mara Applebaum
Drumming Planet
Various artists
Music Mosaic
800/326-2665 (New Leaf Distributing), www.music-mosaic.com
Drumming Planet is a powerful, rhythmic collection of multicultural pieces that reflect musical traditions from all over the world. Featuring recordings from 10 differents artists, Music Mosaic presents songs here that will either get listeners up out of their chairs or sink them deep into meditation. Some of the artists, such as Gabrielle Roth and The Mirrors and Phil Thornton, already will be familiar to your customers, and the album also includes many lesser-known and indigenous musicians.
"Keonukpo" by Adesa is an enjoyable, high-spirited number from Ghana meant to chase away the horror of death. I often gravitate toward Middle Eastern sounds, and the Sufi "Utsheva" by Baul Bishwa provides a whirling, ever-increasing beat that got my heart racing. "Sister's Gonna Dance Now" has relatively simple instrumentation, but the barking didgeridoo and scatting make the song memorable. Drumming Planet is a great CD to play near your stores'entrance if you want to attract passerby.
- New Age Voice Magazine - Reviewer: Dan Liss - October 2002
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Tribal Groove
Music Mosaic
W: www.music-mosaic.com
E: info@music-mosaic.com
T: 61 (Australia) 2-6684-3143
On Music Mosaic latest releases, they feature a few well known artists, (James Asher, Hamsafar, Karunesh, Professor Trance) and many lesser known (Keiya, Ganga Giri , Solace, Limborg/Barki, Mahmood Fadl, the Capitali$ts, Michael Reimann, Ariel Kalma) artists, thus serving the purpose that samplers are best suited for, introducing listeners to new material. The world music groove is powerful and the prevalent use of vocals on this CD really hikes up the intensity level. Once the music starts moving, the songs and chants in the aboriginal languages of Australia, North America, African, Mongolia, Tibet and the Middle East ring out with the pure emotional resonance of people who are using their voices to call to their fellow villagers and celebrate in the common spirit of a group ritual, rather than performers trying to create pop hits. Since no specific information is provided in the liner notes, these voices may be samples or studio musicians imitating ethnic sounds. Whatever the exact origin of the voices, the effect is still powerful. Many listeners no doubt identify with the sheer authenticity of these sounds, which is why they take pleasure in listening to these languages they do not speak. This however, is not an anthropological field recording. It is a highly polished set of highly danceable grooves, set in motion by a combination of ethnic instruments, keyboards, synthesizers and contemporary instrumentation. Tribal Groove rocks from start to finish and will appeal to anyone looking for a set of dance beats with a primal punch. - DL
Instrumentation: varies on every track
- The Sentimentalist - Reviewer: Jennifer Lemming - Fall 2002 - Issue 9
World from Around the World
Tribal Groove - CD
Tribal Groove, released by Music Mosaic, an Australia-based label, is a compilation CD of World Music by various artists. The Tribal theme-specific CD is a 'world village' sampler of original compositions which have their basis in an indigenous culture from around the world. In fact, the first title, "Call of the Tribes" by Karunesh, is a soothing initiation to the CD's musical migration. World Music has the potential to sound so "universal" that the music becomes one big, exotic dance mix. Several of the songs on this CD are able to transcend this. "Spice Souk," by James Asher, is an ode to the spice in our life, while "Khatar" by Solace is able to use percussion to express Arabic rhythms in the tradition of letting instrumentals become characters in a story within the music. And "Jibal Al Nuba" by Mahmood Fadl makes good use of the tradition of hand claps from the Nuba tribes of East Africa. The last title, "Sun Bear/Ohm Mani" is gives closure that successfully combines several indigenous music traditions into a coherent musical composition. If you like World Music, this is a good sampler with some well crafted songs. A good trip to take.--Jennifer LemmingOur online shops:
New Age Music - International Fusion Music - Didgeridoo Music