DJ Cheb i Sabbah (born Haim Serge El Baz) (1947-2013) was from Algeria and of Berber and Jewish descent, but his long career involved the melding of many types of sounds from Africa and Asia, most notably from India. After some years as a DJ in Paris and New York, he settled in San Francisco and adopted the moniker by which he became well-known as well as by his nickname Chebiji.
He made a series of recordings for the Six Degrees label, based in San Francisco, that deeply explored his passion for beat-driven electronics, Indian and north African music, including the excellent Krishna Lila, which has two parts, "The South," and "The North," reflecting the general variations between Carnatic and Hindustani musics in India. There are no long ragas or other forms and the pieces are shorter for the first part and more extended for the latter with a specific emphasis on bhajan, or devotional and spiritual songs in praise of the Hindu god Krishna.
Sabbah worked with several ensembles of Indian musicians to seamlessly blend the distinctive forms from the northern and southern parts of that vast nation with subtle electronics and, thanks to the ever-present Bill Laswell, some sympathetic bass guitar to create a compelling and mesmerizing musical experience. The performing is fantastic, the production is excellent, and the album incorporates its disparate elements with nuance and deep respect for its historical classical Indian sources.
Being a DJ, Sabbah puts an emphasis on rhythm and groove, but the electronics and bass are in full support of the classic instrumentation (violin, harmonium and the vina, a sitar-like instrument) and vocals. Karsh Kale, an Indian who plays traditional percussion as well as a Western-style drum kit, also provides more rhythmic punch, but, again, in service to the music. Sabbah's approach is a deeply respectful fusion of sounds and Krishna Lila works beautifully because of his commitment to the core of India's traditional classical music with a subtle modern touch.
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