Artist: Estrella Morente Title: My Songs And A Poem Label: RealWorld Records Plunge into the heart of true flamenco, one of the oldest forms of music with origins in Europe. The young cantoara Estrella Morente is its rising star, heiress to one of Spain's greatest musical dynasties. Her long-awaited debut album was recorded both live in concert and in studios in Cadiz, Madrid and Granada, and produced by her father, the legendary flamenco singer Enrique Morente. Estrella is accompanied by some of Spain's finest talents, including the Carmonas and Habichuelas–cousins and uncles who form a veritable roll-call of late 20th century flamenco's greatest innovators (notably Juan and Pepe Habichuela, and the Carmonas as Ketama, the cutting-edge flameco-blues-rock group). They are the extneded family she grew up with, in Granada's medieval quarter by the spectacular Moorish Alhambra Palace. Nearby is the Sacromonte hill where several songs were recorded in the naural atmosphere of the caves–traditional hillside homes of the Gypsy population from whose clans Estrella, like centuries of Spain's best flamenco artists, has emerged. Alfredo Lago's crisp, understaed guitar gives perfect counterpoint to her gift for effortlessly sculpting deep emotional meaning into song. Many flamenco musicians over time gain a nickname from their peers: Estrella's family call her the "Nightingale". Back to top This website: Copyright © 2002 Dream World Media, LLC. / Urban Mozaik Magazine. All rights reserved. This website/publication, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher or the previous publisher of original republished materials.			Artist: Various Title: Mondo Platinum Label: Mondo Melodia It's impossible to identify a formula for a music hit. You may see patterns emerge, but once you rely on a blueprint, a new trend emerges and the musical scientist must go back to the drawing board. Throw regional and cultural character into the mix and you'll never find that idyllic model. But try slicing the cake another way and you'll get Mondo Platinum, a new compilation CD from Mondo Melodia. By identifying the most popular artists across the globe, a new pattern emerges: the delicate balance of holding dear ancient traditions and of playing for today's cosmopolitan audiences. This tenth release in the Mondo Series features artists from 10 countries, all of who had at least one Platinum recording in their home country. Mondo Platinum is a global who's-who of the royal family of stars that inspire their countrymen and women to break sales records time after time. Back home, each of these musicians inspires almost-nationalist verve. When their music hops the globe, audiences experience their own primal yearning. The majestic disc's carefully sequenced sonic continuum is anchored by "King of Rai" Khaled whose music was almost clandestine just a decade ago; Rai ambassador Cheb Mami, who stepped up the genre to the world stage on his "Desert Rose" duet with Sting; the vocal improvisations of Hakim, known as the "Sheik of Egyptian Shaabi;" and the "Little Prince of Rai" named Faudel who represents the new generation of Rai. These North African luminaries are joined by global bestsellers from eight other countries. Khadja Nin, known as the "princess from out of the blue," hails from Burundi. Greece is well represented by George Dalaras, Notis Sfakianakis, and Haris Alexiou, and a tune made famous by Alexiou is interpreted with new English lyrics sung by Canada's Alannah Myles. Also from the north side of the Mediterranean are Zucchero from Italy, I Muvrini from Corsica, and Emma Shapplin from France. The album is rounded out with a couple of cross-cultural collaborations: Iran's Andy teams up for a duet with Soraya who grew up in Colombia and the United States. Nigeria's son of Afrobeat, Femi Kuti, adds flavor on a track with Algerian/Parisian innovator, Rachid Taha. Mondo Platinum is about the creative freedom of modern artists whose globally minded sonic aesthetics reach the masses. No formula could describe the success of these planetary pacesetters. And yet these are the artists that will serve as benchmarks for generations to come. Back to top			Artist: Mahmoud Fadl Title: The Drummers of the Nile Go South Label: Piranha Records As a child, drummer Mahmoud Fadl was forced to leave his homeland of Nubia, located in what is now known as southern Egypt and northern Sudan. This region has one of the most unforgiving climates in the world. The temperatures are high year-round and rainfall is rare. But the Nubian people—whose legacy can be traced as early as 3100 B.C., predating the first pharaohs of Egypt—lived comfortably along the narrow banks of the Nile. Until 1963. That was the year that Nubian life was sold upstream for hydroelectric power, the year when authorities drowned old Nubia and countless Nubian monuments and ancient historical sites in Lake Nasser, the largest artificial lake in the world. Fadl and 100,000 of his fellow Nubians were promised the world in exchange for their land, but only one promise was ever kept: the new village had the same name as the old. Fadl's days of sailing down the Nile or watching the girls bathe along the bank were taken away from him—in exchange for the desert. "But though that land is gone," says Fadl, "the spirit has lingered, igniting a cult among Black people the world over." Indeed, the great Nubian civilization has brought inspiration to places as far away as the hip-hop scene in the USA. Mahmoud Fadl warns his listeners against sampling the rhythms on his latest CD, Drummers of the Nile Go South (Piranha Musik) which will be released in the US on March 11, 2002 through Harmonia Mundi USA. Some of the works praise ancient Nubian rulers, kings, and goddesses. So beware of pirating these tracks lest you incur the wrath of the Nubian rulers! Fadl takes listeners on a voyage through the rhythms of the Nile, from Nubia—home of one of the world's oldest continuous civilizations—to Cairo, Khartoum, and Suez; from sounds recalling the pain and sadness of losing his village to the celebration and laughter that mark the growing popularity of the music and culture of the "Black Pharaohs." Not only is he sought after as master drummer for traditional Nubian musicians like Ahmed Adawia and Ali Hassan Kuban, but his Berlin-based drum and DJ tribal house project, United Nubians, has earned him international attention for creating one of the most innovative developments in the club scene. Fadl is also the driving force behind Salamat, a series of four albums (Ezzayakoum, Nubiana, Salam Delta, and Mambo El Soudani, produced by Fadl) with a Pan-Arabic and Pan-African sound. "United Nubians - Saidi Style" (track 18) mixes a tribal house beat and traditional Saidi music, while at the other end of the river is "El Semsemya" (track 3), a Suez rhythm using hand clapping and a pair of spoons. And of course, Fadl doesn't travel alone—his companions on the journey include Sudanese master drummer Gaafar Hargal (soloing on the bongos), Cairo wedding diva Salma on vocals, Moussa Hasan on oud and vocals, and Hamdi Matoul, drummer for Mohamed Mounir and other popular singers from Cairo. 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