Cargo Records

Izlamaphobia

Re-release with new artwork in a limited edition of 800.

'Izlamaphobia' was originally the first, in 1995, in what continues to be a series of limited-edition subscription-only Muslimgauze releases. Starting with an aggressive blast, 'Hudood Ordinance', in which a rhythm track consisting of extremely tweaked and processed electronic beats and bleeps, with only the gentlest of Arabic string instruments deep in the mix to relate things to a more familiar Muslimgauze sound, the song sets the general mood for the rest of 'Izlamaphobia'. This said, Bryn Jones' specific talent is such that even without that, this would still sound like him, his trademark care and obsessiveness in terms of percussion again evident. Izlamaphobia has two chief artistic themes : on one hand, Jones' incorporation of hip-hop and funk beats has never been stronger, providing songs like 'Gilded Madrasa' and 'The Public Flogger of Lahore' with a wickedly fierce kick and drive. On the other, the strained, alien treatments on many of the songs would be well at home on innumerable Warp Records releases of the '90s, with squelching rhythms, undanceable dance tracks and, quite unsurprisingly, a desire to avoid expected techno clichés. With these two strains combined on many songs, the results are wonderfully slamming, strange tracks such as 'Khadija And Fereshta'. Not everything is quite so dramatically different from past Muslimgauze releases, with the incorporation of multilayered acoustic percussion cropping up more than once, such as on 'Hijab Muzzle'. Everything is just that little bit dirtier in sound, though, and all the more intriguing for it.