Zen Connection 3

Celebrating ‘Sunyata’, the middle way of Zen, where one finds true balance and harmony in their lives, Leigh Wood continues his Zen Connection series with the ambiently exotic, third double CD instalment, ‘Left Turn & Right Turn’. A global melting pot of Euro-Eastern mixes, Zen Connection III is a beautifully arranged emotive and engaging journey.

Beginning with laid back, pulsing drum beats that, throughout the first CD, evoke a sense of calm and tranquillity. Turn Left offers subtle ethnic sounds, such as Australia’s own, Bahkta, with ‘Something Strong’, a hypnotic blend of dance-floor electronica spiced with sounds of the East and the dangerously alluring sirenesque mantra ‘Fragile Wind’ by UK supremo Nitin Sawhney.

Right Turn, CD two, is more energetic and upbeat in tempo, captured on tracks like Prem Joshua’s ‘Mangalam’, an unusual new sound created by merging elements of Trance Music with the acoustic and more melodious flavours of Indian instruments.

The 27 downtempo tracks offer a more substantial alternative to the more generic ‘chill out’ CD’s currently available that blend together to produce a beautiful and soulful resonance.

A perfect compliation for an afternoon wind-down or dinner parties…