For anyone who listens to the sound of south Asian and middle eastern fusion artists like Karsh Kale, Nitin Sawhney, Natacha Atlas, Bombay Dub Orchestra, or Govinda, the trio called Niyaz is likely to be an equally familiar name. Their self-titled debut album, released in 2005, created quite a stir and won the hearts of a great many music lovers. After touring the world in support of that album Niyaz have come back with a two-disc epic entitled Nine Heavens. With one disc being called a fusion of eastern and western musical styles, and the second, being acoustic treatments on the same songs this is pretty much a lush, floating, percussive and vocal feast.

1. Beni Beni
2. Tamana
3. Feraghi - Song of Exile
4. Ishq - Love and the Veil
5. Allah Mazare
6. Iman
7. Molk-E-Divan
8. Hejran
9. Sadrang
10. Allah Mazare (acoustic)
11. Beni Beni (acoustic)
12. Sadrang (acoustic)
13. Tamana (acoustic)
14. Feraghi - Song of Exile (acoustic)
15. Hejran (acoustic)
16. Ishq - Love and the Veil (acoustic)
17. Molk-E-Divan (acoustic)

Nine Heavens is the kind of album you want to make an experience out of listening to. It produces a clearly focused and vibrant scenery with it sounds, so if you don't have any candles and incense at home, do yourself the favor and pick some up when you get this album. For some reason, I also feel like I need a room full of really big pillows. I think it's just a metaphorical way my mind is telling me it just wants to settle back and sink into these songs.

On disc one, Niyaz explore the more fused side of their sound. The western percussive rhythms and electronic instruments that lay in almost even temper with the traditional middle eastern instrumentation of wooden flutes, tablas and others is at times so seamless, you almost forget the western sounds are there. One of the songs to present the strongest western influence is "Ishq - Love and the Veil". It has a pounding, persistent bass drum that does a beautiful job of propelling the melodies and supporting instrumentation forward.

Unlike so many "chillout" artists, the success of Niyaz's sound doesn't rely on a gimmick. The simple method of laying some looped tablas alongside a chilled out break beat and sweeping synths isn't what they do. Niyaz is a band that moves forward on the power of its members musical abilities to create really good songs. Even when they don't employ traditional Persian, Turkish or Indian folk lyrics and songs, the melodies of singer Azam Ali are, as anyone familiar with her work can tell you, irrefutably beautiful. The poly-rhythmic percussion and instrumentation are complex and deeply felt.

At times, and especially on the second "Acoustic Sessions" disc you might wonder if you flipped over to a Vas album, the band co-founded by Azam Ali, that doesn't really apply much in the way of electronic tools to their sound. Even without all the enhanced sonics, you can't help but sink into their music. On the second disc however, you're likely to sink even slower than on the first.

If you are looking for more than a topical exploration into south Asian and middle eastern music, but don't have a taste for unfiltered folk songs, Niyaz will be an incredidble find. Nine Heavens finds the group sliding even deeper into the roots of their music, and makes no compromise on quality.

Add a Comment