COLUMN
FROM THE MUSIC DESK
We Sure Live in a Fascinating Time.
Cheb I Sabbah's Sounds Assassinate Trans-Globally // Portland Website to Record Execs: Just Go Die!

by ZACH DUNDAS
zdundas@wweek.com


As anyone who has been driven to the edge of random violence by having "Brimful of Asha" stuck in their head can testify, the fusion of Indian, pop and electronic music is one of the more compelling mutations in modern sound. Most of the action has gone down in the United Kingdom. British groups like Cornershop (see above) and Asian Dub Foundation filter the experiences and heritage of huge Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani colonies through both state-of-the-art dance and gooey retro aesthetics.

However, arguably the most interesting Subcontinent'ronica (sorry) is being made on these shores--by an Algerian who started DJ'ing in Paris in the '60s and who lives in San Francisco.

Unlike the many DJs who sample a snippet of "exotic" music here and there for superficial flavor, Cheb I Sabbah brings live and genuine Indian and Pakistani musicians into the studio. He records their traditional ragas, chants and devotional songs, then laces them with subtle-yet-deadly dance beats. Though current trends tend to exalt the DJ as an all-powerful force, Sabbah sees his role a little differently.

"I don't like the star thing," he says from S.F. "I'm not sure how it has evolved to the point where some record execs think DJs will be the next rock stars. I don't feel like a rock star. I'm trying to create a vibe."

His style, which favors complete songs and long, intricate pieces over the whiplash mixing of more "traditional" dance DJs, is like a full-brain immersion into a perfum'ed distant land.

"With raga music, the sound itself has an effect that can affect your emotions no matter where you're from," Sabbah says.

Does he have a hard time convincing Indian classical musicians, most of whom spend a lifetime honing their craft to ancient specifications, to mix with the chosen music of club kids?

"The ones who are interested in helping me are curious," he says. "It is something that is interesting to them. They look at techno as too vulgar. I'm fortunate that what I'm doing respects them and features them totally. I'm not cutting their music up. It's their song with a little bit extra, that's all. It's not taking something and putting four-on-the-floor behind it."

Hunter S. Thompson once aptly described the music industry as "a cruel and shallow money trench...where thieves and pimps run free." Enterprising Portlander Rick Emerson similarly minces few words.

"Record corporations, by and large, are money-grubbing greedy bastards," Emerson says. "I don't know anyone who wouldn't smile if they saw the head execs of Arista and BMG standing on a street corner rattling a tin cup, begging for pennies to survive."

While many might echo Emerson's disdain, few do anything about it. Emerson and two partners, on the other hand, aim to nail major record companies where it counts, as playground lingo put it. The trio's new website, PayTheBand.com, purports to allow fans to channel cash directly to artists they like, cutting out the middleman.

According to Emerson, here's how it works: Say you like the Backstreet Boys, but you're not too keen to pay $18 for their latest. Maybe you download MP3 files containing the album's songs (though that might be illegal!). Maybe you simply enjoy the Boys' frequent appearances on MTV and commercial radio. You would still like to compensate the aging boy wonders directly for all their hard work.

Log on to PayTheBand.com, type in your credit card number and the amount you want to donate. The site operators then deduct operating costs and send the rest to the band. Emerson says PayTheBand will total donations every 15 days, dispatching funds via mail and direct deposit.

What's in it for the site's operators? To hear Emerson tell it, nothing but the taste of their self-appointed enemies' blood; the site will make no profit, and the people who run it will not be paid.

Emerson says he hopes PayTheBand will allow fans to express their dislike of the Industry and its notorious price-gouging practices while still supporting artists financially. "Our goal is not to become rich and famous," he says. "Our goal is to publicly humiliate the record companies."

According to Emerson, PayTheBand will zealously guard the secrecy of all information provided by users.