Track Listing

1. Hinowayo
2. Kachina
3. Gypsy Fire
4. Peyote (Ho Wanni Wachinay)
5. Sri Vandavan
6. Mira
7. Sufi Groove
8. Trance 7
9. Radhe Jaya Jaya
10. Shalom Asalaam
11. Diamond body
12. Embrace Me
13. Ocean of Mercy

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #190899 in Music
• Released on: 2001-08-21
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
A pop-flavored, feel-good pastiche of ethnic techno, this eponymous debut from Maui-based Lost at Last could make them the rave generation's ABBA. This release, which seems to reinforce its danceable notion of global harmony, centers on the capable vocal talents of Jaya Lakshmi (who is more convincing with ethnic dialects than with English), supplemented by a four-man rhythm section; a programmer; and a skilled string player, Deva Priyo. Thumping, beeping paeans to world unity, adorned with Indian, flamenco, and Middle Eastern flourishes and even a stray banjo ("Peyote"), make this diasporic offering likable without being remarkable. The group's sound is likely better appreciated at one of its part-ritual/part-carnival live shows, where costumes, glowing body art, and sideshow characters up the entertainment ante. --Terry Wood

Customer Reviews

Incredible and trancidental, Lush and serene, awe-inspiring!
well, all I can say the first time I saw them, I was introduced to them through a fellow Deadhead friend..We both had just been getting into electronic music and programmed loop synths through our computers...so naturally having been described their music, we set out to Monterey's nightclub called McGarrets..
I am a 60's fan and have an affinity for meditational and trancidental music..When I saw them I was reminded of the first time I heard ENIGMA and DEAD CAN DANCE .. then came their show..what a concept, what a mind blowing experience, and believe me in my heydaze ( i have had a few ) I knew that this band was for me..they weave an incredible global, serene interpetation of what the world is: a microcosm of different belief systems, musically their sound undescribable..Jaya Lakshmi vocals somehow transport me to another pysche, one that is comparable when one hears a loud piercing shriek and one's hairs stand up on the back!!...hauntily seductive, incredibly sexxy, and she reminds me of the importance of solidarity between the sexes..The other musicians are equally impressive, Priyo's string talent is evident as is the techno-savvy talent of Om...this is the future of music, this is the future of spirit, this is the way of the world....Ron Bactad

Lost at Last hits the mark with their major label debut
Lost at Last's music almost defies description, but here goes: I was introduced to this band in 1998 by a friend who told me about an amazing band from Maui called Lost at Last. He had their independent CD with him; I popped it in my player and within 30 seconds was dancing around my living room -- and I'm no dancer. Lost at Last weaves a fusion of ancient tribal, ethnic world music infused with a modern dance beat that transports the listener to an lost world where we danced around a fire to the beat of drums. A few weeks after hearing their indie CD, I saw them headline a New Year's Eve show in San Francisco that blew me away -- this is an incredible live band, blending exciting, cutting-edge video, lush lighting, and guest performances by a variety of percussionists and performance artists including fire, snake and stilt dancers. Lost at Last has been a regular performer at Burning Man, and their shows are microcosms of that event (or so I'm told -- I still haven't made the trek out to the playa.) Their new Windham Hill release is a great introduction to their sound -- it clearly captures the Groove that the band generates, and one hearing in a darkened room will take you to a trancendental place locked deep within your consciousness, where images of ancient dreams come alive. Jaya Lakshmi's haunting vocals are beautifully evocative. Deva Priyo's guitars, charango, berimbao, electric sitar, doumbek, and sarod playing joyfully brings the music of many cultures into the mix, and Om's keyboards and programming throughout blends the electronic beat that permeates the dance tracks. The conga and timbale work by Noah Mosgofian and tabla playing by Daniel Paul bring the tribal percussion to the mix. Personal favorite tracks are Hinowao, Radhe Jaya Jaya, Ocean of Mercy, and Sufi Groove. Warning -- this music is highly infectious -- symptoms can include spontaneous dancing, smiling, daydreaming, and trips to the band's website for live show listings and lyrics. Kudos to Windham Hill for giving Lost at Last access to a wider audience. While Windham Hill is known as a "New Age" label, Lost at Last is new age in the evocative, spiritual nature of its music. It could easily be found in the electronica, world beat, dance/fusion sections of a music store. Treat yourself to something different, and check out this music.

Dance meets devotion in this blissful CD
Here's a true delight: a collection of songs blending traditional chants and prayers with a bubbly, infectious dance track. Projects like this can sink under the weight of their own pretentiousness, but Lost at Last pulls off this blending of dance and devotion, perhaps because of the sense of happiness and joy that pervades the disc. Dynamic and uplifting, the music is more energetic than Enigma, but less intense than, say, the Lords of Acid. Lead singer Jaya Lakshmi brings a confident assurance to her multi-cultural chanting, traversing spiritual landscapes from Native American peyote shamanism to Hindu chants to Israeli prayers for peace. Highlights include the lead track, "Hinowayo" with its lotus-blossom of multi-tracked vocals, and the eight-minute opus "Sufi Groove" with its propelling beat and sensuous singing. I'd say this is the most exciting chant-dance hybrid disc since Krishna Das' Pilgrim Heart. Kudos to Windham Hill for stretching a little and releasing this vibrant gem.