Product Review

2010 two CD compilation. When Afro Celt Sound System burst onto the music scene some 15 years ago their impact was so instant, so astounding, that it hit like a thunder crack. Here was a band whose fusion of West African rhythms, Irish traditional music and cutting-edge dance grooves battered the senses and unleashed a wellspring of joy and liberation. Festival audiences did a double take then danced like dervishes. Albums flew off the shelves. There were Grammy nominations and big film soundtracks. They added diverse new touches - Indian bhangra, Arabic influences, dub reggae - in ways that enhanced their sound and emphasized their openness. The line-up expanded and evolved around four core members (Simon Emmerson, James McNally, Iarla O'Lionaird, Martin Russell). Afro Celt's pan-global sound redefined dance music and stumped music critics. They remain defiantly, enigmatically uncategorizable.