Search - Temple of Sound, Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali :: People's Colony 1

People's Colony No. 1 is a pan-cultural ocean of fat, clubby beats, dub, Asian and Middle Eastern dissonance, and the rhythmic wail of Sufi tradition. Resultantly, this collaborative effort--between Trans-Global Underground's Neil Sparkes and Count Dubulah (here under the moniker Temple of Sound) and Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali, nephews of the world's finest and best-loved Qawwali singer, the late Nusrat--is a bewitching blend of dance-floor devotional music. Guest player Jah Wobble lays down the bones with his mighty bass, and Cuban violinist Omar Puente bows Arabic style. Tablas and stellar percussion fill layer upon layer while the Rizwan-Muazzam vocals burn with the ecstatic fervor of young men with a heavy torch. Missing the through-line warmth that'd put this release over the top, People's Colony No. 1 is an uneven though consistently intriguing offering. The singing nephews could use an expanded role throughout, as on the standout opening cut, "The Jewelled Heart." And the band, while always good, is its most shimmering version of gorgeous on the first and last compositions, both of which are, not coincidentally, co-written with Wobble. --Paige La Grone