Hot Mule re-issue Gülistan's fusionist gem 'Oriental Groove'

The French label drop more hard-to-find musical delights, and once again they serve up something uncommonly special.

We were thrilled when Louis from Hot Mule got in touch to tell us about their forthcoming release, about which he was justifiably proud. The recent re-issue of ‘Cosmic Sounds’ has been ever-present in our crate since it landed last year, and we were intrigued to hear what he’d unearthed this time. Originally released on Ha Ha Soundwave, this is the solitary record produced under the flag of Gülistan - an experimental project composed by a group of 7 virtuoso musicians in the ‘80s.

We decided to pass this one on to our ever so learned friend Matt Stancombe to see what he made of it. Before that, though, we wanted to play you our pick from the LP, ‘Deli Horoz - The Crazy Cock’. Spacious, yet steeped in mystical Eastern wonder, the frantic drum rhythm propels the cut forward, providing a paradoxically driving foundation over which the expert instrumentation is able to flourish, the brilliantly played horn, keys and strings building to a masterful crescendo. Truly fantastic.

Now, over to Mr Stancombe.

A quick search confirms it's pedigree. Original pressing stocked by Victor Kiswell, liner notes from Donna Leake, the label's track record more than respectable - in fact an impeccably curated selection aligning itself with my own tastes.

At first glance I wondered if this release was by some fresh young supergroup of kids indulging in the new frontiers of anything goes jazz spawned from a London scene bustling with energy because of both the sleeve design and the sound contained within that seem so very now. In fact, it's from '86 in Vienna, created by a group of musicians trying to bend Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean songs into a more Western shape for a school project.

And so it falls gently under the jazz fusion blanket, but as you'll be aware though the efforts of careful selectors such as Donna Leake and her extended family this is no longer the maligned genre that it once was. And don't worry if the term gipsy jazz fills you with dread, as this is a perfectly balanced album featuring german-like precision drumming, Egyptian melodies, US funk basslines alongside the Balkan and Turkish roots which are themselves sublime and far from that festival pastiche.

I knew of the other releases on Hot Mule before their release, Dylan from Tambourine Party hipped me to N'Draman Blintch, Jeremy Spellacy introduced Max Rambhojan, and the Toure brothers have had an international presence for years, however, Oriental Groove was completely new to me, and what a delight.

The record is due for release on 15th November, you can check it out and buy it by clicking the beautiful sleeve art below.