From the perplexing poem in the liner notes by the "unknown dervish" to the intoxicating circular pulsating rhythms, Al Gromer Khan's Space Hotel, with its paisley of Indian instruments and keyboards, offers a hypnotic, metaphysical experience.
These seven Dervish dances, plus one, are based on the graceful twirling rituals of the Sufis.
The first track, as thick as perfumed incense, almost slurs the mind.
The thirteen-minute "Dance the Hadra" offers a circular dance beat -- stately, sensuous, and uplifting -- against throaty-horn drones, vocal "aums," and accents of sitar strings.
"The Wayfarer" dance languidly embraces the cosmic "gong" while clapping seems to demand an alert mind.
"Vilayat's Song" features the worldly voice of Vilayat Hussain amid crystalline drones and sparkling bells.
Our Unknown Dervish is "honored" with an unsettling yet redemptive anthem; angelic voices echo, then a throaty drone adds ominous undercurrents to sensuous drumbeats.
The multi-talented spacemusic composer plays keyboards, sitar, and surbahar; Saam Schlamminger plays percussion; and Gilles Zimmerman plays viola da gamba.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Chanson de la RoseAl Gromer Khan | Al Gromer Khan | Play | 07:08 | 16 MB | 33 MB |
| 2 | Dance the HadraAl Gromer Khan | Al Gromer Khan | Play | 13:10 | 30 MB | 54 MB |
| 3 | The WayfarerAl Gromer Khan | Al Gromer Khan | Play | 08:37 | 19 MB | 34 MB |
| 4 | Vilayat's SongMehdi Hassan | Al Gromer Khan | Play | 02:44 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 5 | Mast AfricaineAl Gromer Khan | Al Gromer Khan | Play | 06:27 | 14 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | The Samarkand RunAl Gromer Khan | Al Gromer Khan | Play | 06:37 | 15 MB | 29 MB |
| 7 | How Can We B Sure?Al Gromer Khan | Al Gromer Khan | Play | 07:07 | 16 MB | 32 MB |
| 8 | Utopia Al-Kahira-Beautiful Future | Al Gromer Khan | Play | 08:04 | 18 MB | 32 MB |
| 59 mins | 137 MB | |||||
| 59 mins | 255 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bhikkhu | Director |
| 2 | Mehdi Hassan | Composer |
| 3 | Al Gromer Khan | Composer, Electronic Sound Design, Keyboards, Primary Artist, Producer, Sitar, Surbahar |
| 4 | Abdul Mumin Gus Lindsay | Liner Notes |
| 5 | David Roberts | Illustrations |
| 6 | Saam Schlamminger | African Percussion, Drums, Percussion, Percussion (African) |
| 7 | Kai Taschner | Assembly |
| 8 | Gondrom Verlag | Illustrations |
| 9 | Waduda | Art Direction |
| 10 | Gilles Zimmermann | Viola da Gamba |
| 11 | Jenner Zimmermann | Illustrations |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |