| Despite a fairly serious and sturdy agenda of mysticism, spirituality and charity, the members of S.E.V.A. (Spirit Evolves Via Awareness -- that's Sanskrit for "selfless service") have another concern: what should hip-hop be doing that it isn't? After a little international travel, study and meditation, Matthew "Mumbles" Fowler found a kindred spirit in Dahvin "Gone Beyond" Bugas, and together the two figured out their answer. The duo's vision doesn't include MCs (Mumbles has previously worked with Aceyalone), but you won't miss them -- the duo's supernatural multi-cultural instrumentals would make an early '70s Miles Davis proud. For opener "Spirit Evolution", which gives the album a "sprang from the earth" feel, S.E.V.A. take on a patch-work of heavenly Rhodes tinkerings, high-register sitar notes that sound as if they were played by Slash, noisy jazz drumming and a sampled Guru who enlightens us regarding the "Supreme Understanding / I know this is the Supreme Understanding." "Event Horizon" has a bit more metric focus -- Mumbles and Gone Beyond drop Indian folk guitar melodies, uptempo tablas and layers of percussion loops into the mix, along with offerings from maverick turntablist Sanjay Schmidt (you'll swear you hear a Yes album in there). The album continues in this fashion, Mumbles and From Beyond presenting spoken messages of harmony and peace over an East-meets-West musical puree, marrying shanais with funk, dumbeks with big beat and loop-digging with live performances. As tired as this might sound, S.E.V.A.'s balancing act never strays too far into either extreme -- it's an engrossing, natural ride, a universe away from the "N" word (New Age). - Splendid |
1XLP/Out Of Print