ESL Music has brought together a really nice soundtrack to go with Eric Hilton's debut film effort, Babylon Central. It's heavy on reggae and dub, but doesn't hold back on the smooth, lounge vibes or downtempo killers you'd certainly be right to expect. Watching the movie you can't help but feel the story line parallels parallels Eric Hilton's life experiences; as it stars an upstart DJ trying to make good on his skills and motivations, who eventually brings it all together. Sorry if that's a spoiler, but there's no other way to say it.

1. Bad Brains "Leaving Babylon"
2. Martin-EZ "Light it Up (feat. Don Wayne)"
3. El Michels Affair "Hung Up On My Baby"
4. Nostalgia 77 "Freedom (Zombie Dance Mix)"
5. The Revolutionaries "79 Rock"
6. Western Roots "Rockers Galore"
7. Thievery Corporation "Coming From the Top"
8. Povo "East On West"
9. Mike James Kirkland "Hang on in There"
10. Dorothy Ashby "Come Live With Me"
11. Tony Hatch "Finito"
12. Troubleman "Paz"
13. Bias "Promise Me"
14. Thievery Corporation "Shiva (Govinda Remix)"
15. Butch Cassidy Sound System "The Putney"
16. Max Romeo "I Chase the Devil"
17. Thievery Corporation "Amerimacka (TC Remix)"

The biggest criticism anyone can give the movie is that its actors come across as if they're doing just that. It keeps your mind from fully engaging in the story, which is a loosely connected pulp fiction of each characters lives, but to be completely honest about the acting quality; I've seen far worse from the main characters on Law & Order. There is no shortage of ESL iconography and merchandise plugs throughout the film, as well as countless cameo's from many of DC's musical personalities. You'll easily spot Thievery Corporation singers in supporting character roles, and if you're familiar enough, you'll spot people like Natalia Clavier and others doing their best to blend in to a camouflage of dancers. Of course eric Hilton himself provides a cameo too. All of which remind me that the slow motion footage of the Lounge itself shown in the opening sequence of the film is absolutely gorgeous. When it comes to cinematography and interesting angles, I give Babylon Central high marks.

Of course there is a soundtrack to accompany the movie, and it has no shortage of the reggae, dub, jazz, soul, and rich musical heritage that has influenced and shaped everything ESL and Thievery Corporation are all about. It is truly an incredibly good compilation of songs that I've listened to countless times already. You'll find excellent work from Bad Brains, El Michels Affair, Nostalgia 77, Western Roots, Thievery Corporation, Troubleman, Max Romeo and quite a few others. There are 17 tracks in all and not a flat one in the bunch.

When it comes to wrapping up my basic thoughts on the movie, I'll say it's a noble and all around excellent debut effort. It's main weakness lies in the acting, which at times, can be so overdone as to present more of a caricature of some characters. On the positive side, the romantic leads in particular, Joe Steger and Neda Zahraie, did a good job in making me forget about the fact they were reciting lines from a script.

As with anyone's first film, Babylon Central could have been awful, but it isn't. It was filmed and obviously scored before Thievery Corporation's Radio Retaliation came out, because you won't hear anything off that album in the soundtrack, even when one particular scene cries out for a snippet of "33 Degree". With an interesting and complex storyline that has no shortage of revolutionary statements and insight about the hypocrisy of DC life, excellent music, and most importantly, excellent visual artistry, it's well worth checking out.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to Hilton's second film, where he gets to apply the knowledge gained by this experience, and would love to see just this sort of thing in the form of a high quality documentary on Eighteenth Street Lounge and ESL Music.

Kiran Gandhi, a percussionist at Eighteenth Street Lounge, wrote up a really nice review of the film on her blog that you should absolutely take time to read.

http://www.babyloncentralfilm.com/
http://www.facebook.com/BabylonCentral
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9th02xZay8

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