Live at Glastonbury Festival
Moksha fit in more than one genre, their sound is unique but sits comfortably under the broader umbrella of world music, but once on first name terms, I’d call it fiddly-dub. The Dub inspired grooves are harder than I expected and this gives the sound a more edgy, urban feel.
Ben Paley is renowned for his fiddle playing and is an authority on Scandinavian Folk tunes. This ancient, northern, sometimes eastern sounding style is what gives Moksha its depth. It feels old, shamanistic and pagan. There is humour here as well though, and the Bluegrass feel and slide guitar of Otherworld Dub brings a smile to your face for its sheer cheekiness. The guitar playing of Tab Hunter is excellent throughout, the production is solid, all in all this is the most exciting and original album I’ve heard this year. Fiddly Dub, Celtic Dub, Hillbilly Dub, World music from another planet….. Whatever this is, it works.
The In-Between Us
….If Edward Woodward turned up at the Summer Isle and an enormous sound system met him out of that cave, this would be the band playing it. Pagan Dread, Fiddly Dub and Arabian Bluegrass feature in various combinations from spacey instrumentals to pretty danceable floor-shakers. Riggedy-Bo!
The Source
RECORD OF THE WEEK. With music continuing to overlap, intertwine and evolve into new and unexplored forms, perhaps its never been a better time to create, distribute and enjoy the bewildering array of new and invigorating music. Of course, with the limited exposure available and the existing vice like grip of the multinationals, it’s quite difficult to hear much of this stuff. But dig deep and you’ll be rewarded. One such band worth the effort are Moksha, made up of former members of Brighton bands including Mutagen, Pan and The Wild Turkey Brothers and featuring the inestimable duo of Ben Paley and Tab Hunter among their ranks, playing fiddle, clarinet, guitars and given the technical makeover by Tone Def. Deep Dub is fused with hallucinogenic folk to bewitching effect.
The Latest
Folk meets Reggae from Brighton based bunch… …there’s fiery musicianship and heavy basslines and its pretty good…
fRoots