Traveler '03 CD

Six Degrees Records' Traveler series returned in 2003 with another collection of global beats. Bobi Céspedes starts things off with an exclusive mix of the title track from her solo debut, Rezos. Producer Garry Hughes' modernistic dub breaks aren't anywhere near as effective as the lo-fi King Tubby/Scientist experiments they emulate, but the track still succeeds on the strength of Céspedes' malleable vocal chords. Richard Dorfmeister appears next, remixing dZihan & Kamien's "Stiff Jazz" with the aid of Rodney Hunter Zündapp. Later, ethno-breakbeat duo Shriff drops "Airlock." As ex-Smoke City vocalist Nina Miranda whispers and coos, Atlas' Dennis Wheatley loops her voice over stuttering beats and a manipulated sample that sounds like a '70s movie theme played backwards. Ben Neill's "Bugfunk" is a deceptively soothing piece centered on a burst from Neill's mutantrumpet. It's just one of the many tracks or remixes that are exclusive to Traveler '03. Best is Bob Holroyd's mix of "Xlao Tshao," from Qwii Music Arts' Trust Khoi San Music. At once the most organic and most uplifting track on the record, "Xlao Tshao" mixes the Kalahari Desert Bushmen's singsong harmonies with indigenous percussion and tasteful electronic programming that doesn't get in the way of the song's natural rhythms. ~ Johnny Loftus

Inital pressings of TRAVELER '03: THE YEAR'S BEST IN GLOBAL GROOVES include a bonus CD featuring rare tracks.