Redesign: Realize Remixed

text

Karsh Kale, previously most visible as Bill Laswell's percussionist of choice on a slew of CDs, released his first solo album, 'Realize', on Six Degrees just a little while back. Though undoubtably kindred spirits with tablatronic superstar Talvin Singh, Kale's effort is more jive, more streetwise, more passionate than what the present reviewer feels is the overall international airport lounge-smoothness of the former's solo CDs. Maybe it's the Brooklyn Factor.

One of the leaders of the so-called "Asian Massive" movement, Kale stitches together the beats and sounds of the Subcontinent with those of drum'n'bass and dub in an exciting, zig-zag pattern that leaves you breathless. He also has that Laswellian eye for talent, featuring both Ethiopian diva Gigi and a host of brilliant Indian singers on plenty of tracks (most thrillingly the male-female strands on "Light Up the Love"). In Kale, the trancey rhythms of the Indian raga meets the trancey rhythms of modern dance and embrace like long-lost siblings.

For 'Redesign: Realize Remixed', Kale offered potential contributors quid pro quo: You do me and I'll do you. So for every one of the eleven variations on his original album appearing here, a Kale remix should turn up eventually somewhere else. For example, Laswell offered a flutey reworking of "Empty Hands", and payback can be found on the recent collection of 'Tabla Beat Science' and 'Radioaxiom' reimaginings, 'Axiom: Reconstructions and Vexations'.

DJ Spooky (you can't have a serious remix CD in the electronic/genre-bending field without DJ Spooky), Banco de Gaia and Ming & FS do beautiful and unexpectedly-expected things with Kale's originals, but, as usual, one should not always look to the headliners for the best and brightest works. Kale takes his roots and commitment to East-Westness seriously, and India-based artists MIDIval Punditz don't disappoint with their "Higher Salvation Mix" acoustic jump-up of "Home". Asian Massive like-minders like DJ Navdeep and DK Pyar Amor, the only remixer from the distaff side of the gender, elbow for space with Londoners Mukul. Kale also teams up with fellow-Brooklynite Mighty Junn to run roughshod over three of his own darlings.

Kale considers this remix version to be more "aggressive" than its original. It is indeed, for 'Realize' is, while definitely driven, a smoother ride. Both stand up strongly as independent works and even better as side-by-side complements.