Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga!

iTunes Review

What’s more impressive than the fact that bygone Brahmans in India were cranking out some sweet psychedelic-funk tunes (this compilation spans 1970 — 1983) is that almost every band comprising Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga! had stellar rhythm sections that could lock in to a solid metronomic groove while keeping things loose and groovy. Sure, the opening track “The Mod Trade” by the Black Beats boasts two electric guitars going off — one approximates sitar drones while the other infuses hypnotic raga notes on the fretboard – but it’s the popping bass and awesomely recorded drums that give the song a danceable groove. Both Kalyanji Anandji songs also contain some superhuman rhythms; “Somebody to Love” puts Beatlesque melodies and a hyper horn solo over a beat that sounds lifted from Sly Stone’s “I Want To Take You Higher” with a hip tambourine thrown on top while “Bairaag Dance Music” layers feverish percussion all over the place. Meanwhile R.D. Burman’s “Freak Out Music” does this stuttered shaker thing behind the beat providing a gravitational mantra while brass and guitars let loose with the mind-melting jams.