Afro Celt Sound System: Capture (1995-2010)

John Eyles reviews Afro Celt Sound System's Capture (1995-2010).

Capture compiles the best tracks from Afro Celt Sound System’s first five albums, released between 1995 and 2005. One disc, subtitled Verse, contains tracks featuring vocals; the second, Chorus, focuses on instrumentals. Together, they encapsulate the elements which have made the band popular: an irresistible blend of rhythms and lilting spirituality aimed equally at the head, heart and feet.

The band’s distinctive fusion of African and Irish music had its origins when their guitarist Simon Emmerson was working in the early 90s with Senegalese singer Baaba Maal and noticed similarities between the rhythmic triplets used in the traditional music of Africa and Ireland. From that starting point, the band recorded African drums overlaid with Irish pipes and whistles, adding electronic keyboards, programming and dance rhythms to produce music that sounded modern while staying in touch with its roots.

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