"Mul Sheshe"

Ian Anderson, editor of the UK’s fRoots Magazine, recently opined in print about “how lucky we are, and in London in particular, to have so many world class musicians from different cultures in our midst.” As if further proof was needed to corroborate his sentiments regarding the home grown product, Fantazia, with the emphasis on the zia, and based in the northern climes of Hackney, have just released their second album, Mul Sheshe (World Village), meaning “the turbaned one.”

There’s been a considerable gap since the group’s self-produced debut, the instrumental The Lost Place (2000).  The six-piece band that recorded that first album has expanded into a bi-cultural nine-piece mix of musicians from both the UK and the London-based Algerian diaspora, all with impressive, versatile, wide-ranging musical pedigrees and collaborations as credentials. Add the very welcome top layer of dark chocolatey vocals from Mourad Simba who joined the band in 2002, and you end up with the rich, satisfying texture of their current sound. Fuelled by the base of Maghrebi musical traditions—and with multi-cultural guests performers aplenty—the classy, jazzy brass of Rachel Bartlett on saxes and Bellowhead's Andy Mellon on trumpet give the album a funky party spirit, but without compromising the rai, cha’abi, Berber and Gnawa roots and rhythms of dazzlingly skillful oud player Yazid Fentazi’s compositions and the cracking percussion of Karim Dellali.

The first and title track, the acoustic opening bars sounding evocatively like the call to prayer, rapidly evolves into rocking, hand-clapping form, setting the pace and mood for ebullient tracks such as “Jawlina,” “Khira,” “Zmane” and “Sidi Mansour” to follow suit. But the best, and unexpectedly sitting in the middle of the upbeat dance tracks, has to be the sublimely ceremonial, slow-paced and atmospheric “Moussa.” “Seen Enough,” a rap, and “Fatouma,” the only instrumental track, with its smooth, Latino rhythm, sound a tad out of place, a tad Come Dancing! for my money.  The extra time could have been added on to Moussa.

Despite a somewhat mixed and melancholic description of the songs on the album as tales of loss, love, celebration, remembrance and displacement, Mul Sheshe is largely a joyous and uplifting.  Not surprizingly, given Fantazia’a North African parentage, the new music is reminisent of Khaled in parts and dare I say better than Khaled in parts? Yes, I dare!!  For more, visit www.fantaziamusic.com.

Contributed by: Yvonne Mitton