Muslimgauze "Observe With Sadiq Bey" Staalplaat Stcd 131 1998 (72:51)
State of Palestine (6:33)
In Turkish Quarters (6:46)
Delicate Prey Desend (7:06)
Murmur You Support the Arabs (3:12)
Bagel of Poison (8:16)
Bitter Years (3:01)
50 Bitter Years (7:10)
Abou Hamza on Cassette Tape (5:33)
Djerba (11:22)
Daughter of the Crescent Moon (4:05)
Muslim of America (1:21)
Djerba (8:26)
Muslimgauze is Bryn Jones.
Overall impression: very good. I don't think I'll ever get sick of new Muslimgauze ... it's an addiction now. "Observe With Sadiq Bey" is an unlimited release from Staalplaat, the 6th Muslimgauze release so far this year with many more to come. The material here is somewhat subdued, minimal and hypnotic (meaning repetitious in a good way). All of these tracks are mid-tempo beat driven pieces and most are little more than a percussion loop, a fat dub-y bass line, an ethnic string loop and a hodgepodge of quiet Middle Eastern dialogue samples. Other elements that pop up here and there include occasional swells of distortion, slightly overdriven bass, static and water. A few tracks that stand out from the rest: "Abou Hamza.." is a little more upbeat and lo-fi than the rest, "Daughter.." slowly falls apart in the latter half of the track and "Muslim of America" is a funky old school rap beat-box track with a Muslimgauze twist. There are two versions of "Djerba", the latter having less dialogue and being more overdriven and mastered at a lower volume. "Observe.." is solid through the entire 72+ minutes, a good mix of short and long tracks none of which require skipping. Kudos to Staalplaat for filling the cd up and releasing it as an unlimited edition. As usual for Muslimgauze, the artwork is superb: the front and back covers, the insert and beneath the cd tray all contain intriguing color and b/w photos of past desert scenes, as well as a b/w picture of Sadiq Bey. Jones' message is loud and clear on this release, thanks to the 1998 quote from PLO leader Yassar Arafat inside: "The Israeli occupiers have made all the possible efforts that could be made by any colonialist to change the face of Palestine and to deny the existence of the Palestinians". You may not agree with Bryn Jones' politics, but you cannot deny the passion and focus of his cause and legacy ...
Where did I get this cd? - mail order via Riouxs Records.