Friday, May 21, 2010

CD Review: Calcutta's 1978 Bharat Karki & Party


Bharat Karki & Party
International Music

Recorded in Calcutta, India in 1978, International Music is essentially a thrilling psychedelic funk-fest with trippy rhythms, acid-jazz horns, and spy-film-themed instrumental tracks. A mixture of instrumental sounds traverses numerous melodies and rhythms, but maintains a strong Indian funk fusion inherent in many of the psychedelic releases of the 1970's throughout South Asia. Bharat Karki is joined by other artists, including Khoka, Benu Chatterjee, Bimal Biswas, and numerous others. If anything, International Music is so-called for it's global reach or acceptance throughout the world, instead of signifying a musical work with numerous instruments, mixed genres, and various vocals. In fact, vocals are virtually non-existent and only add to the instrumental beats. Perhaps the only drawback on this release is the length (under 25 minutes). At any rate, International Music is 25 minutes of pure groovy gold and definitely belongs in a collection of Indian psychedelic music. Also available on LP. ~ Matthew Forss

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