| African Fantasy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2000 | |||
| Length | 55:12 | |||
| Label | ESC Blue Thumb [1] | |||
| Producer | Matt Howe, Trilok Gurtu | |||
| Trilok Gurtu chronology | ||||
| ||||
African Fantasy is an album by the Indian musician Trilok Gurtu, released in 2000. [2] [3] The album was an attempt to meld Indian musical backing to African styles of vocalizing. [4] [5] Gurtu was also inspired, in part, to create a "danceable" album. [6] Gurtu supported the album with a North American tour. [7]
Oumou Sangare and Angelique Kidjo sang on the album, as did Zap Mama's Sabine Kabongo and Gurtu's mother. [8] [9] [10] [11] Gurtu wrote nine of the album's 11 songs. [12]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
| The Guardian | [14] |
The Washington City Paper called the album "a seamless but mostly not-too-slick meld of African and Indian traditional and pop styles, with a bit of jazz and a splash of circa-1978 Steve Reich." [15] The Birmingham Post stated that "traditional instruments like the sitar, harmonium and tablas are blended with synthesizer and the bouncy bass of Kai Eckhardt de Camargo—ancient and modern as one." [16]
The Guardian concluded that "the stronger tracks have a rhythmic propulsion and melodic flair reminiscent of the Zawinul Syndicate, while the worst sound like a bid for crossover radio-play appeal." [14] The New York Times determined that the songs "easily juggle multiple systems of rhythm, melody, structure and timbre... Those systems don't melt down to find some innocuous common denominator; instead, various approaches move in and out of the music's foreground, overlapping when it's possible and taking turns when it's not." [17]
AllMusic wrote that there are "striking juxtapositions, and there is some wonderful playing... But the concept of an Indian/African fusion remains a fantasy, at least in this execution of it." [13]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rajasthan" | |
| 2. | "DJ Didgeridoo" | |
| 3. | "African Fantasy" | |
| 4. | "You Remember This" | |
| 5. | "Big Brother" | |
| 6. | "Folded Hands" | |
| 7. | "Old African" | |
| 8. | "Lisa" | |
| 9. | "Dinki Puriya" | |
| 10. | "Africa con India" | |
| 11. | "Big Brother Reprise" |
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