Iyer, Vijay/Mike Ladd / In What Language?
Album: In What Language?   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Iyer, Vijay/Mike Ladd   Added:Feb 2004
Label:Pi Recordings  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2004-02-16 Pull Date: 2004-04-19 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Apr 18 Apr 11 Apr 4 Mar 21 Mar 14 Mar 7 Feb 29 Feb 22
Airplays: 2 2 1 1 3 1 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. Jun 26, 2015: Rebop
Taking Back the Airplane
4. Nov 10, 2009: "In Your Ear ..." with Bug, and there it is now play the beat.
Iraqi Businessman
2. Jan 16, 2015: Rebop
Taking Back the Airplane
5. Aug 18, 2009: "In Your Ear ..." with Bug, funk what!?
The Density Of The 19th Century
3. May 22, 2010: Music Casserole
The Color Of My Circumference 4
6. Jun 19, 2008: "In Your NYC Ear ..." with David Bug, nyc return
Security

Album Review
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2004-02-15
Fantastic spoken-word project that combines dance/techno influences and chill-out synth sounds with Iyer's stormy piano and occasional acid-jazz/hip-hop color. It's meant to reflect the bustle of the 21st century airport, and the mood is very modern -- technology, steel, and glass.

The characters are people of color, many from the third world, all feeling the pressure of the globalized economy and the heaviness of Western suspicions... and this was written BEFORE 9/11.

The words draw from the beat-poetry well, often just tumbing images, sometimes sharp or even humorous narrative. Some tracks are less political, reflecting just the wonder of modern transit (see 6, 11).

Strong, effective stuff. Every track deserves airplay. Don't miss the lyrics booklet inside!

2- Starts mournful, turns acid jazz with bright ringing chords and some attitude
4- Midtempo, about a porn-shop vendor. Loud and crashing beat at end
5- Slow, crawling. About airport security. Fast sax solo.
6- Bright, flitting, airy (but starts slow). Philip Glass on Prozac
7- Stiff-beat dance background, fun narrative from a taxi driver.
8- Midtempo acid-jazz feel. The hopelessness of selling lottery tickets.
9- Hip, upbeat. "Sky belt, sky lounge, sky mall, sky drink..."
10- Violent story, a metaphor(?) for business. Splashy piano.
11- Lush, mellow jazz
13- Quietly disturbing and sad, the image of a Baghdad woman
14- Tense upbeat midtempo. Hip-hop vocal, sort of.
15- Dark, creeping. Brutal tale of escape from one brutal regime into another.
16- Fast and tumbling. Really nice track.
17- Mid/slow, deep, with ringing piano. Great cloudy-day jazz.

Track Listing
1. The Color Of My Circumference 1   9. The Color Of My Circumference 2
2. The Density Of The 19th Century   10. Iraqi Businessman
3. Terminal City   11. Taking Back the Airplane
4. Rentals   12. The Color Of My Circumference 3
5. Security   13. Innana After Baghdad
6. Degaulle   14. In What Language
7. Tlc   15. Asylum
8. Three Lotto Stories   16. The Color Of My Circumference 4
  17. Plastic Bag