Up, Bustle & Out are something of a mystery really. It's not because they're operating in some impossible obscurity, because in truth, they're well known for their influential early work on Ninja Tune. The mystery, as I see it, is with how they manage to make each of their albums sound so different from one another. If you aren't paying attention you might easily assume each album is a compilation. Their latest, a two disc effort called Istanbul's Secrets is no exception to everything you've come to expect from Up, Bustle & Out.

1. River Song (with Rob Garza)
2. Ben Seni (Sevdugumi with Benjamin Escoriza)
3. Breaking Codes (with Kalaf)
4. Giden Gitti
5. Anda Luz (with Benjamin Escoriza)
6. Yol Türküsü (with Ufuk)
7. Hidjaz Ask ...intro
8. Hidjaz Ask (with Engin Arslan)
9. Orthodox Gold (with MC Sultana & Mark Underhill)
10. Blue Night / Mavi Gece (with Blanquito Man & Candice Cannabis)
11. Bosporus Moon
12. Remote Corners
13. Istanbul's Secrets (with DJ Napoles)
14. Silence's Brink
15. Steppe Ouverte (with Marina Celeste)
16. River Song (with Rob Garza) [dub]
17. Ben Seni (Sevdugumi with Benjamin Escoriza) [dub]
18. Breaking Codes (with Kalaf) [dub]
19. Giden Gitti [dub]
20. Anda Luz (with Benjamin Escoriza) [dub]
21. Yol Türküsü (with Ufuk) [dub]
22. Hidjaz Ask ...intro [dub]
23. Hidjaz Ask (with Engin Arslan) [dub]
24. Orthodox Gold (with MC Sultana & Mark Underhill) [dub]
25. Blue Night / Mavi Gece (with Blanquito Man & Candice Cannabis) [dub]
26. Bosporus Moon [dub]
27. Remote Corners [dub]
28. Istanbul's Secrets (with Dj Napoles) [dub]
29. Silence's Brink [dub]
30. Steppe Ouverte (with Marina Celeste) [dub]

Part of the reason why their work sounds so diverse from album to album is that sometimes the songs included are Up, Bustle & Out's remixes of another artists work. By definition, that does make their album something of a compilation.

Another reason for the diversity is a long-standing passion the duo have had with fusing musical styles from all over the world into modern beats and downtempo rhythms. By the way, the duo is DJ D. "Ein" Fell and producer Rupert Mould.

With their last album, Mexican Sessions it's their noted remix of DJ Romanowski's "Strudel Strut" that gave it a compilation feeling, and in Istanbul's Secrets it's the opening track. Here it's titled "River Song", but when it's part of Rob Garza's own work the title is "River of Ever Changing Forms". Regardless of that Up, Bustle & Out did a great remix of it.

After that, Istabul's Secrets really holds its own as a skillfully crafted album of heavily Turkish influenced songs riding on lush structures of mellow breakbeats and richly scented, smoky moods. If any of the others are UB&O remixes, I'm not familiar with them. Joining the duo are a number of vocalists, the most frequently heard of which is Şevval Sam (pronounced somewhat like Shevwal Sam), whose beautifully toned melodies add an incredible near Eastern mystique to the music. Şevval is an Istanbul-born woman who has gained attention not only as a vocalist but also as an actress in the Cannes award-winning film "Edge Of Heaven". As a comparison think of Natacha Atlas, though Natacha's Egyptian cultural stylings are quite different from Şevval's very Turkish style.

If you have a taste for middle Eastern influenced sounds and can never get your fill of laid back breakbeats, this album has to make its way into your collection. Along with the Eastern vibes are lesser influences from Southern Europe, Latin America, hip hop and of course Jamaican reggae and dub. In all honesty I have to say the quality of Istanbul's Secrets is 100% from start to finish.

If you happen to favor the abstracted echoes of dub music, or don't care for a strong vocal presence in your music, you're in luck with disc two of Istanbul's Secrets. These versions stay fairly true to the Vocal versions of disc one, but it's all about the fading echoes here. You'll still hear the singers clearly enough, but their presence in many cases is noticeably subdued, though not gone.

Up, Bustle & Out just don't disappoint.

Add a Comment