Have heard some good Gnawan (mix of african/arabic influences) with modern western takes, mostly drum'n'bass that I really like
Gnawa Njoum - Experience No Fridge
Gnawa Impulse - Living Remix
Gnawa Diffusion, odd trax by them
that traditional gnawan music sounds like the roots of the blues on some key level, helps a lot I suspect.
On an ambient Big Chill angle, Mercan Dede has done some absolutely gorgeous trax, as have Natacha Atlas and Transglobal U nderground both chilled and uptempo, even though I'd agree about a lot of TU, and to a lesser exrent Natacha Atlas that it can get pretty cheesy, and not good cheesy at that. Not unlike a lot of hippy digi-dub really, and I say that as an old skool hippy.
Also heard a really interesting track by the 'ethnu jazz project gnawa voodoo' recently which was well all right.
Then of course there is Duoud
, though still the odd trcak has a bad cheese vibe, but minimal to my ears.
Another name I've yet to check out is U-Cef, heard one track by him called The Moorish matador which I well like
Paris, french forums and google translate has to be the way forward on this route I reckon for the real underground stuff, and Stern's of course
It frustrates me, because just getting this list together took a lot of time, and I know there's load of other good stuff out there, proper fusion, not just one slapped on top of the other, heard some absolutely wicked rai/mixed with hip-hop stuff on a docu about 4 years ago and still haven't been able to track any down yet.
