Welcome back.

In what will be a repeating theme in this space, we are going to explore the emerging realm of “beats with devotion.”

Alongside the enormous growth in the popularity of yoga asana, there is a concurrent musical movement. This sonic evolution generally incorporates sanskrit mantra and/or conscious lyrics over a foundation of danceable beats featuring the very best of world music traditions.

For the past 15 years or so, the primary innovator of this movement has been DJ Cheb i Sabbah. Leading the charge in his wake are artists like DJ Drez and Earthrise Soundsystem (consisting of DJ Derek Beres and multi-instrumentalist Duke Mushroom). Also featured below are the trio of DJ’s known collectively as Desert Dwellers, and the funkiest conscious hip-hop around from Srikala and Luminahdi.

Let’s have some FON!

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The original—DJ Cheb i Sabbah—doin’ it live:

“Saints of Marrakesh”

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Here are the Kirtaniyas featuring MC Yogi with DJ Drez. Tell me this doesn’t look like fun…

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“Metaphysical Fitness” — Earthrise Soundsystem + Srikala + Luminahdi

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“Enseralen Gojo” from the album Bole 2 Harlem, a spectacular album rich with diverse rhythms and influences, presented by Duke Mushroom:

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Now: Dance!

And here, almost 2 full hours of Desert Dwellers live from Symbiosis 2012:

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Bonus: Wanderlust Tahoe offers and absurd level of fun. Here’s a glimpse of the High Camp Pool Party:

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We’re still just getting started.

Check back soon for another episode of FON!

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THE ARCHIVE

• WeFunk: innovative funk/hip-hop/soul radio show streaming from Montreal
• Pretty Lights: popular DJ with thriving, donation-based record label
• Polish Ambassador: 12 hrs of freely downloadable dance music (also donation-based; please support artists!)
• Soundcloud: Duh. Search for anything. Find everything.
• TerraSonic: our weekly magic carpet ride around the world of music. (Via KGNU Community Radio)

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Ed: Bryonie Wise