Track Listing

1. Saor/Free/News From Nowhere
2. Whirl-Y-Reel 1
3. Inion/Daughter
4. Sure-As-Not/Sure-As-Knot
5. Nu Cead Againn Dul Abhaile/We Cannot Go Home
6. Dark Moon, High Tide
7. Whirl-Y-Reel 2
8. House of the Ancestors
9. Eistigh Liomsa Sealad/Listen to Me/Saor Reprise

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27090 in Music
• Released on: 1996-09-24
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Bodhran and kora? Talking drums and Uilleann pipes? Echoing ancient trade roots from a thousand years ago, Sound Magic reunites two seemingly disparate music traditions in a contemporary setting, reaching for a dance-oriented but spiritual hybrid that takes on a life of its own. Producer Simon Emmerson assembles some noteworthy artists including Ayub Ogada, Davy Spillane, Manu Katche, Caroline Lavelle, James McNally (of the Pogues), Iarla O Lionaird, and Masamba Diop to create evocative, clubby grooves that also incorporate samples and flavors from Armenia and the East. With its multilayered rich textures, Sound Magic grafts cultural respect and urban hipness for the global village of the '90s. --Derek Rath

Customer Reviews

Incredibly Fresh, Mystical and Very Hip
I first heard Song 3 "Inion" on the ultra hip TV show La Femme Nikita and was instantly captivated by the crystalline voice of Iarla O'Lionaird. This album is so totally different than the main stream corporate junk that is being shoved down the throats of the public in the guise of music that I thought I had died and gone to "music heaven".

The sheer mastry of their incredible array of irish and africal instruments by this ensemble tells it's own story of true musicianship. Each of the musical themes are enhanced by the power of the various personalities who contribute their own unique cultural enrichment of two very different worlds of experiences and it resonates in this album.

As an example, you can hear the artist's gut level understanding of celtic history and its music under the flying fingers of harpist Myrydhin. The way he handles his celtic harp with it's haunting voice sends rippling thrills shivvering up and down the spine. This music is addictive.

The grooves are hypnotic and intense. I found myself dancing all over the place for that is how powerful the african beat is that drives this music. One can hear the intense connection of the african artists and how they talk in that language of their deeply rich drumming history of story telling.

I love the use of gallic words. Hearing their native tongue evokes a sense of the joy and longing felt by the artists' toward their homeland and it's unique cultural echo weaves a certain magic and inspires their songs .

This is music that restores faith for those of us who are aching to hear the art of real live musicians who are not under the control of power drunk, greedy, corporate music tin heads in suits.

And it is a CD that one will play over and over and never get sick of for with each hearing the listener discovers fresh nuances in each track. It is a knock out album.

A true merger of Celtic and African styles.
Imagine Irish jigs and reels powered by a heavy jungle beat, African jazz supported by Irish pipes, whistles and fiddles, songs of prayer combined with high-kicking dance tunes, delicate harp melodies with synthesized accents -- all linked together by driving African percussion and an electric rock sensibility. That's the Afro Celt Sound System, but it doesn't begin to cover their sound.

The Afro Celt Sound System isn't a band so much as a cooperative of musicians intrigued by an idea. United under the umbrella of Peter Gabriel's Real World label, nearly two dozen musicians added their personal touch to make the idea a reality.

The initial product of their joining is Volume 1: Sound Magic. It cannot be described as Celtic or African in nature; yet, both styles are evident in spades. Sound Magic is a true union of two completely dissimilar musical genres.

A great discovery
If you're anything like me, you're saying "who the hell are they?". When I picked up their first volume, Sound Magic, at a cheesy CD store in Switzerland, I just assumed they were some no-name band that runs around small European countries playing in clubs and whatnot. The album is excellent, pairing African drums with Celtic moods on an electronic core to create a beat worthy of any club, yet melodic enough for casual listening. These guys truly rock, so on a whim I checked them out at Amazon.com (where else?), and lo, they have three albums released in the U.S. on a major label, and their third and latest creation, Further in Time, goes so far as to include world music champion Peter Gabriel and rock legend Robert Plant.
Check these guys out, it's worth it. I suggest Volume one first, to get a great intro to this truly different groove, and if you like what you hear, move on to the bigger (and harder) volume three. Hope you enjoy!