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Music Review July 02
Some CDs are designed to be somewhat perplexing and here is
one that fits the bill precisely. Wong does the impossible by
trying to combine authentic ancient buddhist mantras with some
of the most modern dancefloor beats. At first it naturally takes
a little time for those to be accepted and you could easily
be forgiven for having a quiet snigger in the corner whilst
coming to terms with these eleven songs. As the time moves on,
you will soon find that the music has the last laugh, mainly
because of their very infectious nature. As much as I try to
resist, I find that I cannot dismiss this as pure hokum, and
have to admit defeat and say out loud that i do like this album.
Phil Earle of Law and Auder fame had a mixing hand in some of
the tracks and this is very evident on the fith track, Padmakumara.
I was amused by the spoken introduction to Can You Remember
on which a memorable beat and electronics are added. It has
a strange infectious nature that certainly grows with time.
For beautiful melodies almost taken from a pacific island incorporating
the cry of a baby and the spoken words of Tania Levin gives
Rebirth Mantra a very pleasing aspect. The last track From Master
Wong is probably the most commercialised and yet is the best
of a very good bunch. |
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 FRONT
Magazine March 2001
Master
Wong
DANCEFLOOR MANTRAS - KALACHAKRA
(YELLOW DRAGON)
Master Wong has his finger in many dumplings - kung fu, feng
shul, tai chi, astrology and security. He also makes strange,
spiritual dance music. At first listen, your eyebrows move
skyward as your brain tries to work out what’s going
on. Then gradually you’re reeled in and you start to
wonder why you feel good. Is it magic? A spell? No, it’s
just experimental music that truly will make you go ‘hmm,
interesting’. A different flavour of Eastern spice. 7/10
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|  Music
and Media 2/3/02
by Gary Smith
Wong
Gets it Right
It is a strange mixture - Buddhist mantras with grooves
varying from
full on to a more genteel mid-tempo feel, but Master
Wong’s Dancefloor Mantras (Yellow Dragon/UK) is,
mostly, very good. The music, courtesy of Phil Earle
of Law and Auder, is sensitively applied while the chants
themselves are moving in a primal sort of way. Occasionally,
the accompanying melodies come across as a tad simplistic,
shades of Boney M, in fact. But the album could nevertheless
find a place in the hearts of older groovers. |
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