Ya Tosiba a.k.a. DJ Zuzu & Mesak - Mad Barber

Recording info

'Global fusion' is a term coined in 1980's to describe the postmodern transnational mixtures between different cultural heritages. Like Pizza Americana or Peter Gabriel's recordings with Pakistani Sufi singers.

If we adapt the term, we can wholeheartedly say that music can't actually get much more global than it is here on Ya Tosiba's debut ep. On this splendid piece of black wax produced by Finnish skweee pioneer Mesak and sung by Azerbaijan-Norwegian ethnomusicologist/rapper Dj Zuzu you'll find a wide spectrum of influences ranging from Arabic folk music to electro funk and modern R'n'B.

On Mad Barber and Baku Hipster heavy electronic drum beats are high fiving bubbling analogue synthesizers and traditional eastern instruments, deliciously topped with Dj Zuzu's hypnotic Azerbaijani rapping. Bizarre, yet beautiful: Music that is equally suitable for dischoteques and home listening. The fantastic remixes on this record are provided by the legendary German synthesizer visionaries Mouse on Mars and the Turkish masters of mesmerizing psychedelia, Baba ZuLa.

It has been said that the development of communication technology obscures forms of music and increases musical homogeneity and blurring of regional identities. We at Harmonia Records don't believe in that type of gibberish. And we definitely don't think it's necessarily a bad thing for the world to play music together. If you're in doubt, put this record on your turntable, drop the needle to the groove and crank the volume up.

If Ya Tosiba doesn't rock your boat, you're not from our planet anyway.