As the title implies, this effort follows up DJ Markarian's earlier Oasis Lounge Vol. I, which included tracks by Thievery Corporation, Julius Papp, DJ Phantom and more. Vol. II picks up the thread with pulsing downtempo sounds and evocative vocals on tracks from Jad Halal (The Sun and the Wind), Armen Miran & Hraach (Lullaby), Dumbekchi featuring Muhammed Junaid (Saa-ahh Witgheeb ElShamis) and Ali KH featuring Youssef Baklouti (Ana Fi Sokraïn). Two songs are remixes: one by Italy's Doriann of Fadaytak, by the remarkable singer S H I R A N (Shiran Avraham); and the second an imaginative Aftermidnight remix by DJ Rork & Demon Ritchie of Sodade composed by Amandio Cabral & Luis Morais and immortalized by the late, great Cesária Évora (originally from the Barefoot Diva's 1992 classic Miss Perfumado). DJ Markarian's tracks, both made in collaboration with The Spy From Cairo (a.k.a. Zeb), are Repique Masala and Con Toda Palabra. The first begins with a riot of timbales and then brings in the distinctive sound of the sitar -- a nod, perhaps, to the fact that both Markarian and Zeb (who is Italian by birth, based in NYC) are percussionists, and that Zeb plays the oud among other instruments. On Con Toda Palabra, by the late Lhasa de Sela in collaboration with Yves Desrosiers, we hear the luxuriant voice of Carmen Estevez Calero (Brooklyn Gypsies) reinterpreting a traditional-sounding song over a modernized and hypnotic beat.As a percussionist myself, I know the beauty of rhythm, DJ Markarian declares. Rhythm that moves our bodies, souls and minds, and takes us to places where all our hopes and dreams become reality, where words seem unnecessary and all languages are one. Let's come together at the Oasis Lounge and create a world where we all love and respect one another -- and let the rhythm fill our hearts and guide us to a more peaceful yet passionate life.
