Loop Guru - Amrita...All These & the Japanese Soup Warriors (CD)

All Music Guide

Recorded just a year after Loop Guru's debut (1994s Duniya), the beats crafted by programmer Jamuud for Amrita...All These the Japanese Soup Warriors were imbued with a confidence largely lacking in the album's predecessor. From the moment the rhythm for "Shiekh" rushes across the sound field, Amrita moves at a quicker clip. The methodology, however, remains the same. Globe-spanning melodies, rhythms, and textures still dance around passable techno beats, but Amrita's palette adds a few more colors. There's the bizarre, looped string and keyboard coda to "Yayli," the shuffling beat undercurrent of "Often Again," the jittery rhythm of "Sun," and the claustrophobic string swirl of "Gianyar." Apparently, the Jekyll and Hyde nature of Loop Guru's North South contract enabled the group to indulge both its experimental whims and dance-friendly tendencies alike. Amrita definitely belongs in the latter category, acting as the chart-ready brother to The Third Chamber's deep ambient excursion. ...What may seem like a heady mix on paper, however, is in fact accomplished but average dance music. Though the beats were clearly growing stronger, Loop Guru still hadn't discovered a way of employing exotic elements for purposes beyond driving home Western-style club hooks. As a result, Amrita still ends up feeling like music that's trying to pass itself off for more than it actually is. Regardless of the duo's musical aims, however, the richer nature of these 11 compositions represented a definite move in the right direction. - Nathan Bush, All Music Guide Read more Less