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The Lefsetz Letter

Musa Dieng Kala

by Bob Lefsetz

I went through sixteen stations on Sirius before I found a track I didn't know. I heard everything from .38 Special's "Hold On Loosely" to the Police's "Roxanne" to Grateful Dead's "Terrapin Station" on Jam On. Actually, what stumped me was a Motley Crue track on a hard rock outlet. I knew the Crue track they were playing at a station nearby, but this one I'd never heard, and probably never need to hear again. It reminds me of listening to Jack. For a week or two you're thrilled, but then you want to throw up. If only every station on Sirius were as adventurous as Disorder.

Disorder is kind of like going to a best friend's house and having them play you their favorite songs. They're not limited to a specific genre, they're just good. On Disorder I oftentimes hear the left field surprise, stuff like Musa Dieng Kala.

I was driving on Santa Monica Boulevard and an almost incomprehensible deejay on the station was playing something so different, so out there, so WEIRD, that I had to check my radio, to make sure I was listening to the right station. And the readout, in the bright sun, was not completely discernible, so I pulled over on Century Park West and looked closely, and wrote down the information extant. Not that I got it exactly right, but after a bit of googling I found out the artist's name was Musa Dieng Kala. And he was from Africa. And the album this track came from, "Shakawtu", was released in 1996.

I couldn't find the song they were playing on Disorder, "Lisanu Shukari", on P2P. It was on iTunes, but I wasn't sure I wanted to buy it. Because I wasn't sure if it was the setting, or whether I truly liked this track. But I did find the album's opening cut, "Kalamune". And when I fired it up just now, I was transported. So much other stuff I hear in the car sounds shitty at home. But "Kalamune" reminded me of both being on vacation and sitting in my room on a snowy winter day. It wasn't in my face, it was life itself. We don't live in a contemplative society, but if you're the type who can live with his feelings, likes to investigate the nooks and crannies of his brain, then you'll dig this. And I found a place where you can hear it on the Web. It's a Japanese site, and it runs very slowly, and hopefully we won't blow it up, but give it a try.

Go to: http://www.minorblue.com/Album/Musa%20Dieng%20Kala.htm and click on "Kalamune". You've got to have Windows Media Player installed, and a bit of patience, but you can hear the song loud and clear.

Music is best when listened to, not talked about, so I implore you to give it a chance. I would never say I'm a world music fan, but this reaches me.

As for Sirius... With more adventure like this, more left field stuff that never appears on terrestrial radio, I could become a believer.

Bob Lefsetz, Santa Monica-based industry legend, is the author of the e-mail newsletter, "The Lefsetz Letter". Famous for being beholden to no one, and speaking the truth, Lefsetz addresses the issues that are at the core of the music business: downloading, copy protection, pricing and the music itself. His intense brilliance captivates readers from Steven Tyler to Rick Nielsen to Bryan Adams to Quincy Jones to EVERYBODY who's in the music business. Never boring, always entertaining, Mr. Lefsetz's insights are fueled by his stint as an entertainment business attorney, majordomo of Sanctuary Music's American division and consultancies to major labels.

While Rhino may occasionally disagree with some of Bob's opinions, we certainly agree with his right to state them. At the bottom of each column we give you, the reader, the opportunity to respond and we encourage you to do so. We will post select comments.


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