Fresh in the Morning: Cheb i Sabbah and "Raja Vedalu"

The late Cheb i Sabbah performs today's random tune. Of Jewish and Berber descent, Cheb i Sabbah was a DJ, composer and producer who was known for mixing Asian, Arabian and African sounds into his electronic compositions. Originally from Algeria, in 1964 he started his music career in Paris DJing American soul records. In 1989 he relocated to San Francisco where his performances became known for featuring live musicians, dancers and very big projected visuals. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer in 2011, and died in November of 2013 at the age of 66. His name translates to "young of the morning." You can find this song, Raja Vedalu, on his 2002 album Krishna Lila, on the 2002 various artists compilation Asian Massive, and on the 2006 various artists album Nataraja.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheb_i_Sabbah

At Dawn's Early Light: Cheb i Sabbah and "Raja Vedalu"

Today's random tune is called Raja Vedalu and is performed by the late Cheb i Sabbah. Of Jewish and Berber descent, Cheb i Sabbah was a DJ, composer and producer who was known for mixing Asian, Arabian and African sounds into his electronic compositions. Originally from Algeria, in 1964, he started his music career in Paris DJing American soul records. In 1989 he relocated to San Francisco where his performances became known for featuring live musicians, dancers and very big projected visuals. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer in 2011, and died in November of 2013 at the age of 66. His name translates to "young of the morning." You can find Raja Vedalu on his 2002 album Krishna Lila, on the 2002 various artists compilation Asian Massive, and on the 2006 various artists album Nataraja.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheb_i_Sabbah

Journeying Together: Byron Metcalf and "Clan Travelers"

Today's random tune is called Clan Travelers and is performed by Byron Metcalf, an award winning musician (percussion), recording artist, shamanic practitioner and ceremonial leader. He has played as a musician on a number of albums, including Kenny Rogers' The Gambler, in top concert venues and on television. Since 1988 he has focused his music on the healing arts, and he has combined his musical gifts with a career as a transpersonal guide and educator, shamanic practitioner and researcher. He has a PhD in transpersonal psychology, as well as a master’s degree in counseling psychology. He is also a certified graduate of Grof Transpersonal Training and Eupsychia Institute’s Psycho-Spiritual Integration programs. Clan Travelers can be found on his 2001 album Not Without Risk, and on the 2006 compilation album Nataraja.

Entrancing: Cheb i Sabbah and "Raja Vedalu"

Question: Is trance music of the nineties roughly similar in its goals and effects to the psychedelic music of the 60s and 70s? From what I've read, the answer would suggest yes. Psychedelic music of the sixties developed out of a culture that was clearly into experimentation and usage of drugs such as LSD, and the music was often played by people who were taking these drugs and translating their experiences into music, and the music was in turn listened to by people who were also using drugs and getting not only a chemical but an aural high all at the same time. The music was also known for bringing in new instrumentation, particularly Indian instruments such as the sitar and tabla, as well as using other techniques such as looping, phasing, backward taping and lots of reverberation.

In turn, in the 1990s as electronica became more popular in music, many of these techniques were also used along with repeating melodies, and usually a fast beat though not always. Trance music was also used to replicate the effects of the drug Ecstasy, or X, by amplifying inner peace, self acceptance, heightened mood and euphoria, intimacy and love for others, insight, introspection and clarity, self confidence, desire, drive, motivation, energy, endurance, alertness, awareness, awakening, empathy, compassion and forgiveness while diminishing aggression, hostility, fear, anger and insecurity. Trance music is supposed to do all of this without the harmful effects of drug usage. Glow sticks are also a big part of the trance music scene.

Despite both psychedelic music and trance music having an association with drug usage, I think that they stand well on their own. I certainly like both, and the fact that they have a similar history doesn't surprise me.

The random tune today is a trancy kind of composition from DJ Cheb i Sabbah called Raja Vedalu. Sabbah, who died in 2013 at age 66, was a DJ, composer and producer that combined Asian, Arabic and African sounds. Born Serge el Beze, he was Algerian of Jewish and Berber descent. Born into a family of musicians, he moved to Paris as a teenager and began DJing in 1964, working primarily in American soul records. In 1984, he moved to San Francisco and took the name Cheb i Sabbah which means "young of the morning." He was nominated in 2006 for the BBC's World Music Award in the Club Global category, and he was known for concerts featuring live musicians, dancers and massive projections that backed up his electronic music. He died of stomach cancer in November of 2013 in San Francisco. Raja Vedalu can be found on the Shiva Rea's compilation CD Nataraja (2006) and other compilations as well. It has also been remixed and mashed up a few times.