Review - As Far As: A DJ Mix

By mixing in tracks that gently complement the "tablatronic" ethos -- rather than ones that strictly adhere to it -- Sabbah weaves a gauzy globalism through this mix CD that's more reflective of his electro-hippie attitude than it is of the multitextured Asian Underground. While Sabbah's "Krishna Lila" album was one of 2002's best and most inventive albums in this genre, "As Far As" comes off as a little lazy. Abandoning the rich, evocative sensuality of "Krishna" for a more direct approach -- but never fully exploring the inherent power of the beat -- Sabbah digs into a somewhat sappy middle ground. Yes, most of the tracks are good -- Sabbah's remix of Don Cherry's "Neti-Neti" is beautiful, and the fist-fury of Asian Dub Foundation's "Colour Line" is an invigorating pick-me-up -- but the textures of these songs fused with cuts from Trilok Gurtu, Paul Horn and other ethno-snoozers eventually weighs the whole disc down.