Lost In Tyme Blog

Saddar Bazaar - 1995 - The Conference of the Birds

DELEC LP 034, 1998

SIDE 1:
1 Sukoon 5:16
2 Arc of Ascent (Part One) 5:20
3 Kiff Riff 6:26
4 Garden of Essence 8:04

SIDE 2:
1 Sukoon (Reflection) 2:13
2 Shamsa (Sunburst) 3:24
3 Baraka 2:19
4 Arc of Ascent (Part Two) 3:50
5 Freedom Rider 4:19
6 Neelum Blue 4:52

Saddar Bazaar are:
Rehan Matthew Hyder: Guitars, Percussion, Kubing, Dholak & Agoual on "Shamsa"
Shaun Hyder: Sitar, Percussion, Kubing
Duff Dave Spencer: Dholak, Agoual, Tablas, Percussion
Terry Banx: Keyboards

Recorded at The Bunker, Bristol during the Summer of 1994.
Engineered by Bob Pierce.
Produced by Bob Pierce and Saddar Bazaar.
Artwork by Harvey Woodward

PRESS REVIEWS

Mojo
Stick two psych-crazed kids from Bristol in the studio with Bob Pierce, ex of '60s freak beat legends The Mirror, and the result is a haunting hybrid of transcendental ragas and psyched-out slide guitar. No syrupy tea'n'crumpets English whimsy here, no shimmering digital trickery, just the droning narcotic detachment of the Spacemen 3, the dynamic overdriven fuzz slide of Ry Cooder circa Ceyleib People and some sublime electric sitar. Third Ear Band for the 90s? Blues for Ghandi? Who the hell cares? Just keep taking the tablas boys. (Cliff Jones)

Audion
An unusual combo this new band from Bristol, with sitars, slide-guitar, tablas and all sorts of unpronounceable Indian instruments. Really, could you imagine Ry Cooder jamming in wth George Harrison's Wonderwall, or the sitar ragas of Popol Vuh combined with Rustic Hinge or Cul De Sac? Heady, far-out, totally instrumental. you'd never guess it was recorded summer last year! Nothing much more I can say really as I got spell-bound by it, and before I knew it the album was finished. Superb! (Alan Freeman)

Ptolemaic Terrascope
Last time I heard Saddar Bazaar was when they played a support slot for the Bevis Frond in home-town Bristol some four or five years ago, and I must confess that at the time the only thing I remembered was how forgettable they were. And yet now, with all the grace and favour of the intake of a butterfly's breath, Saddar Bazaar have blossomed into an exotic and breathtakingly diverse instrumental outfit who successfully encompass mythology, restaurants and bean-bags in their search for the ultimate tabla d'hote. Far from being another of Dlerium's novelty acts, Saddar Bazaar are one of their most exciting, original and potential-filled signings to date. What's special about this band is the way they mix Western-styled slide guitar licks with their obviously Eastern instrumentaion, your sitars and dholaks and agouals and other assorted hot side dishes, together making for a heady mixture that's as textured as a tufed rug and just as comfortable to roll around on. "Arc of Ascent (parts 1 and 2)" and "Garden Of Essence" are probably the strongest tracks on here, the latter building to a hearty throb like a BSA at full throttle and splashing just as much oil around in the process, but Saddar Bazaar are right on target throughout and I'm more than happy to admit that I was entirely wrong about the band all along. I have no idea at all what kind of market this album will appeal to, but I like to think a large number of Terrascope readers will be intrigued enough to investigate it. Leave your preconceptions on you bedpost overnight and you won't be disappointed. (Phil McMullen)

British psychedelia at its most innovative!

Discography :

Albums :
The Conference Of The Birds
DELEC CD/LP 034, 1995
The Path Of The Rose
DELEC CD 068, 1999

Singles :
    * Sarmadi Express (West)/Sarmadi Express (East), Enraptured Records, RAPT 4511, 1997
    * Arabesque on a split 7" single with Amp, Enraptured Records, RAPT 4503, 1996

Compilation Appearances :
    * "Sukoon" on Music For Coffeeshops Dreamtime Records, CDKTB 20, 1996
    * "Arc of Ascent (Part One)" on Pick & Mix, DELEC CDD 023, October 1995
    * "Night Descent" on Fun With Mushrooms Compilation, LP/CD, Delerium Records DELEC CD/LP009. 1993