Begun by Yossi Fine (an Israeli bassist who has been a session player since he was 16 and who has collaborated with David Bowie and Me'Shell NdegéOcello, among others) and Nana Dadzie (a prince of the Fante tribe in Ghana who founded Susuma, a well-known African drumming and dance troupe), Ex-Centric Sound System expanded to envelop a whole world of musical sounds. The contributions of fellow bandmembers Benjamin "Sai" Kouelho, a Ghanian percussionist, dancer, and flute player; Michael Avgil, a Moroccan-Israeli trap drummer; and Adevo Savour, who provides djembe, flutes, bells, and vocals, help to provide a base for a world of sounds and samples that range from Ethiopian choirs to Jamaican dub beats. Ex-Centric Sound System focuses on the sound of the African diaspora, using vocals in the languages of that diaspora, including Kreyol, Ga, Ewe, Fante, Tutsi, Hutu, and English, in lyrics that find themselves nestled with the other organic instruments amid a variety of dance beats and electronic processes. The result is certainly complex, but rarely seems muddled, because the music is laid-back and incorporates enough space to buffer the babel of sound. Their debut album, Electric Voodooland (2000), was recorded at Fine's studio, King Solomon's Shack, which had the kind of relaxed atmosphere necessary to give birth to their diverse sound. following that debut, they released West Nile Funk (2004) and Afro Riddim Session, Vol. 1 (2006). ~ Stacia Proefrock