Editorial Review:

Album Description:
Compiled by Claude Challe, of the successful Buddha Bar compilation. French only & limited edition. 25 tracks packaged in a beautiful double digipak with a 20 page booklet written in both English and French.

---

Related Items:
  see more

Related Items:

• Claude Challe Presents: Near Eastern Lounge
• Claude Challe: Best Of
• see more

---

Disc 1:

1. Enta Omri - Wahab
2. Don't Be Sad That I Leave (Mi Lipase Pou Fevro) - Koros, Yorgos
3. Symphonie Egyptienne #25 - Traditionnel
4. Ana Fil Houb - Tradionnel
5. Noches - Traditionnel
6. Istikbar + Ombre Elle - Meguiba, S.
7. Aziza - Wahab
8. Male Habtl Madjatch - Khaled, Cheb
9. Medley Egyptien: Anna Sabre'/Alabina/Chocolate - Traditionnel
10. Alaoui - Traditionnel
11. Flying Carpet - Challe, Claude

Disc 2:

1. Mumbai Theme Tune - Rahman, A.R.
2. The Prayer - Rousseau, Frédérick
3. Don't Go Back to Sleep - Revell, Graeme
4. Tara Shakti Mantra - Shanti, Oliver
5. Hear Our Prayer - O'Hearn, Patrick
6. Affairs Under Al Bharr - Youssef, Cheb
7. Hope - Sawhney, Nitin
8. Mirage - martinez, Cyrius
9. Flying Carpet - Challe, Claude
10. Cantamilla - Chasteen, Ton
11. Timeless Moments - Thanos, Lucas
12. Sweet Lassi Dub - O'Reilly, C.
13. Caravan - Gita, Salman
14. India - Shamsher, F.

Rating: - What a Ride .... What a Whole New World
The one track that is ABSOLUTELY a gem is "Mozart The Egyptian". It stands out on its own in the cleverness of the arrangement, blending not only Egyptian rhythms & percussion to Mozart's Symphony but also sneaking in other Middle Eastern Instruments & Sounds.Not to mention the cheekiness of the title.

Although I confess that I actually HATE it when pop-beats are added to Classical music ...and there are only 2 exceptions to that in my book (& only because they are so well done)....this track & that of Beethoven's 5th. The rest in my opinion are pure [weak] fusion attempts to popularise Classical music & are usually poorly done to say the least.

The rest is a nice variety of fusion & classics eg: Modern Arabic version of the Latin favourite "Story of Love" done with a Mawwal type of Intro...the perennial bellydance classic AZIZA by Hossam Ramzy (still one of the best versions of it that I've heard to date)

Enjoyable, educational & full of flavours...to say the least...worth checking out.

---

Rating: - i loved the arab side, didn't click with the far east
anyone who wants an intro to arab-influenced music needs to listen to the first cd...great classic tunes, drummy house sounding tracks...apart from an egyptian version of mozart, it was nearly perfect.
the second cd leaves a lot to be desired...no flow, no substance.

---

Rating: - Aladin...?
Don't judge a book by its cover... Sorry, I did with Flying Carpet by Claude Challe. From the mystical cloud sunken citadel on the cover and the warm, burnt orange sky in the background, I knew I would be in for a treat. The image conjoured up a feeling of magical wellbeing and eastern promise.

Little was left to the imagination as Mr Challe beautifully builds and layers an eclectic range of Arabian, Indian and other Eastern beats. Taking you on a flying carpet ride through the ambience of the Pyramids of Egypt, to the busy streets of the Marrakesh and then its up the Soulke.

Not as diverse as the Buddha Bar series or Sun. This album adheres to a strict regime of making sure you are at peace with your inner self. Strictly for home play, this is the sort of album that will make you chillout and relax with avengence. Take time out of this hectec world.

I am pretty new to this clique of world music and understand that there is so much of it, we will only ever get to hear 5% of all the music which is currently out there. Make sure that this album is within that 5%.

If you are a fan of good old Claude and need further aural enlightenment then I would recommend you check out Karmix. MMMmmm...

Happy listening...

Stefano Michelini

---

Rating: - Claude has done better
Claude Challe one of the most talented DJs around has done much better compilation. This is one of his OK collection. If you are a fan, then you must purchase this one, but if you are a casual listener of his music, then you can do without

---

Rating: - welcome to ARABIAN NIGHT
when i listened to this cd for the 1st time, i thought that it's too arabian.(actually i don't like too much ethnic sound) but now i can tell it's my best cd. because its arrangement is amazingly modern. modern sound makes me feel so unique, trendy and even so sexy. let's go to trip to arabian night