Talk about pieces to a puzzle…..Hanggai Band from Mongolia and Cheb i Sabbah from the mixed up world of sound smashing….I started my afternoon off with some homegrown beer and a musical group from Inner Mongolia…..Don’t let the traditional clothes worn fool you, this band shows off many Western influences in a set that rocked with sound as it did with amazement. Seeing the faces of those not so familiar with throat singing was a highlight for me, the jaws dropping as sounds coming from deep within form and appear almost without recognition of who or where they come from. The vocalizing added to the two string lute (tabshuur) gave this act at the World Stage of the Willy Street Fair that something different people around here seek.
After wandering some around the fair streets, I decided to chill before going out to see Cheb i Sabbah later in the evening. That was a smart idea as I grooved and got down until the wee hours with some serious mixes from a master. Cheb had crowds surrounding him on the stage, belly dancers moving in a serpentine-like fashion around the dance floor and stage areas-it was as it should be….WILD. The crowd was deep in movement and size as the Terrace was in a complete zone of electronica-hoopee madness, one that I sure hope returns again sometime soon. It was worth the wait to be a part of a Cheb i Sabbah created soundscape.
