By Ken Clarke
Do not be misled by the title of this album. As intriguing a title as Ambient Africa may be, there is nothing ambient about the music but, in this case, that’s not a bad thing.
All of the pieces chosen for this recording were taken from the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s massive archives. Recorded years ago during the era of Apartheid, they contained a diverse assortment of various tribal musical wonderments.
For the Ambient Africa release, these sounds are given a new lease on life through state of the art remixing and dubbing. Modern vocal harmonies, percussion and electronics are used to enhance rather than obscure the feel and majesty of the original recordings.
The uplifting and infectious melodies swell with hypnotic rhythms in a happy marriage of old and new. Check it out and dance.