Earthtribe

Sitar driven tabla beats are the sound of the UK Asian underground group Earthtribe. At the helm is Coco Varma, joined by Duke on percussion and MC Daddy-E. They claim that their style is as much about the west as it is east, breaking down all musical and racial barriers, communicating solely through the universal language of ethnocyberfunk. Back in the day they were regulars at 'Anokha' at the 'Blue Note' club, before forming the 'Sitar Funk' club night along with resident DJ Nelson Dilation. CD and vinyl releases were far and few between, which the group put down to their extensive touring schedule, and it wasn't until 2004 that their debut album, 'One Earth One Tribe', finally appeared.

CD Compilation: Sitarfunk Vol.1

Track Listing: Earthtribe - Indian Dope Trick Toucan Zabir - Himilayan Mountain Spy Bi-Polar - Night Air Indian Rope Man - Dog in the Piano Up, Bustle and Out - Emerald Alley T.J. Rehmi - Herbal Therapy Diamond Finger - Goliath Mo Magic - Cityrush Moonup - Triple Dose Stoppa Nobby - Sweet Lassi Dub Transglobal Underground - Giant Bullfrog Earthtribe - Sitarfunk : Toucan Zabir Remix

Released 11/98 on Sitarfunk Records. Compiled by Earthtribe.

CDS: Indian Dope Trick

Track Listing: Indian Dope Trick Cyber Sky Sapna

Released 1996 (unknown label). Indian Dope Trick is the stronger of the three tracks, on this, Earthtribes only CD single to date.

12" Promo: Stoned

Track Listing: Stoned Stoned - Indian Hemp Mix

Released 1996 on Ninebar Records.

CD: One Earth One Tribe

Track Listing: Playground Sitar Funk Day In A Field Supna (Dream) Earth From Space Crazy Beat Losing It Cyber Sky Indian Dope Trick Kali Tribute To Sholay Lord Of Dance

Released 2004 on Sitarfunk. Written and produced by Sanjeev Coco Varma. Co-written by Sanjeve Rupal. Its been nearly ten years since I first stumbled upon Earthtribe, which was in the Whirl-Y-Gig big-top at WOMAD back in the mid-90's. Analogue beats fused with searing 303s, raw tribal rhythms and funked up drum n' bass - these boys had something special. That set left a lasting impression, although with no album at hand Earthtribe became one of those groups that, like fellow Asian underground act Joi, if you wanted to hear them, you had to hunt them out and see them play live.

So I was somewhat surprised when, nearly a decade later, the overly anticipated debut album actually hit the shelves. But was it any good? A decade in dance music is an awful long time. Since the mid-90's Bhangra had gone pop, the Asian underground had had its moment of glory, crashed in, cashed in and disappeared out of the limelight, whilst the charts became cluttered with an excess of predictable and bland urban, rn'b and hiphop acts. So in this respect, the timing of the release of this CD is probably a good thing, since there certainly isn't anything else out there like this album at the moment.

The first half of the CD contains the strongest material and the more memorable moments, with standout tracks including the hypnotic tones of 'Playground' and the spiralling 'Day in a Field', the searing sitars and tribal funk of the aptly titled 'Sitar Funk' and the truly sublime middle Eastern drum n' bass tinged 'Earth from Space'. The middle part of the album, from 'Crazy Beat' to 'Cyber Sky' is more erratic, with heavier and darker drum and bass tones, and more noticeably, somewhat dated themes of a dance era gone by. Thankfully the album doesn't derail though, as the chilled 'Indian Dope Trick' (Earthtribes only CD single release to date) and the stomping 'Kali' add to the list of stand-out tracks.

So overall its a positive and varied first outing from Eartribe, with over half of the album standing the test of time. Whilst it may have taken them a decade to produce, Earthtribe have definitely stamped their mark on the underground dance scene.

Other Info:

'One Earth One Tribe' has been re-released in a limited run of just 1500 copies. You can order a copy via the official Earthtribe web site.

For further information on Earthtribe see their official web site.