Tracks:
Journey
Prem
Don't Cha Know That
Holy Side, The
Deep Asian Vibes
Triatma
Flying With You
Tacadin
We Need Your Vote
Performer Notes:
- Joi: Rojina Beagum, Farook & Haroon Shamsher, Susheela Raman (vocals); Mohamed Washin (dutara); Khutub Uddin (flute); Panna Dash (tablas).
- Producers: Farook Shamsher, John Coxon, Ashley Wales.
- Includes liner notes by Haroon Shamsher.
- Personnel: Farook Shamsher, Haroon Shamsher, Susheela Raman (vocals).
- Audio Mixers: Farook Shamsher; Haroon Shamsher.
- Liner Note Author: Farook Shamsher.
- Recording information: Sylhet, Bangladesh; The Strongroom, London, England.
- Photographer: Tristan Manco.
- Unknown Contributor Roles: Farook Shamsher; Haroon Shamsher.
- This is the second and, tragically, the last of the brothers Shamsher's output. Older brother Haroon died suddenly in 1999 after a trip to Bangladesh to collect material for this album. Younger brother Farook completed the album and released it as a tribute to Haroon. The CD is a strong collection of Bengali-based dance grooves. While instruments such as tabla, flutes, and dutar turn up in many of the tracks, the Bengali connection is not overstated. Rather, it's there to give a sense of identity and place. The rhythms are straightforward and danceable, the tone colors layered like sheets of vibrantly dyed gauze. In "Prem," the ingenuous voice of a 14-year-old girl (recorded in Bangladesh by Haroon) wails over a deep groove. Traces of disco are discernible in "Deep Asian Vibes." The languid flow of tracks such as "Triatma" and "Flying With You" shows the brothers' subtler side. One can even catch a whiff of country & western in "We Need Your Vote" with its twangy guitar and banjo sounds. This is one of the most powerful tracks, with a child's voice layered over the sounds of a chanting crowd, and a heavy backbeat driving it all. We Are Three shows Farook Shamsher's skill as a manipulator of sounds and serves as worthy testimony to his brother's memory. ~ Peggy Latkovich
Professional Reviews: Alternative Press (4/01, p.77) - 3 out of 5 - "...Establishes a solid dancefloor groove....The best techno has an organic ebb and flow..."
CMJ (2/19/01, p.42) - "...Lush and lavish tapestries of Indian music...woven into ultra-sleek dancefloor sounds..."
Format: CD (1 Disc); Stereo
Country: USA
Studio/Live: Studio
Release Date: 23 January, 2001
Label: Real World Records