Indian music has always fascinated the West. And the latest to fall under its spell is Algerian-born San Francisco DJ Cheb i Sabbah.
The 60-year old DJ blends modern music with various Indian, North African, Middle Eastern and South Asian influences.
'The album,' he told the San Francisco Chronicle, 'fuses music from India's religious traditions -- Hinduism, Sikhism and Sufi Islam -- with electronica.'
But it was night hairdressing classes with a couple of friends that opened the world of DJing to Cheb, who was just 15 then.
'We would work six days a week at salons, and two or three nights a week we went to classes so we could get our perm and colouring certificates, things like that. And one of us gave up hairdressing and became a DJ and photographic assistant. I was always with him at his club when he was spinning, and one time he had to do a shoot with his photographer for a few days, and he said, 'You have to replace me.' Fortunately I knew all the music. So I did it. And from there I founded my own club and became a DJ,' he told the paper.
Describing the inspiration behind Devotion, Cheb told the paper that the album 'is a third form of singing in India, called kirtan. It's also devotional, but it's call and response. So the idea was that this album would form a trilogy of sorts. Also, I wanted to include music representing the three major faiths in India -- Hindu, Sufi Islam and Sikh.'
To create the album, Cheb knew exactly whom he wanted and where to find them. He roped in Anup Jalota, who he termed as 'one of the biggest kirtan and bhajan singers in India', to play two tracks on the album. Others who worked on the album included those in and out of Bollywood.
To appeal to the Western audience, Cheb then added the electronic part, fusing the ancient ragas to modern beats.
Photograph: Getty Images
