Worldbeat

David Lyndon Huff's Worldbeat is the next logical development in a world connected by the Internet.

"I created Worldbeat for the new global audience," Huff says, "which means the guy next door and a woman halfway around the world, who might be visiting the same web site at the same time while listening to this music."

With that in mind, Huff set out to create a world music CD that truly reflects the sounds and cultures of the world. Musical elements from the Far East, North and South America, Russia, the Caribbean, Africa and Europe mingle freely as the album progresses.

"A person can instantaneously sample a little of one culture one minute, the another culture the next minute," Huff says. "These days we can communicated immediately with people scattered all over the world. We have the sounds of their music and pictures of their society at our fingertips."

So in Worldbeat, Native American wood flutes blend seamlessly with Japanese koto and shakuhatchi flutes. Meanwhile, Huff's drums and keyboards provide the foundation necessary to hold it all together. Singing voices also join to provide texture and color for the experience.

"I like an R&B undertone," Huff explains. "I like cool grooves like Sade or Toni Braxton. My music has an undercurrent of pop, rock, jazz, hip-hop, techno and industrial sounds, but in a subtle, gentle way," Huff says. "The album was created for continuous listening, beginning to end, when you're relaxing, kicking back or cruising."

The idea is to depict a spiritual journey around the world, a quest for some sense of the world's rhythm. The result is a lush soundscape which draws listeners into the music. Huff uses his musical background as a drummer and programmer. The effects are compelling. Throughout the CD there's a sensation of movement and a sense of urgency in the journey.

Meanwhile, the rhythms cycle through a variety of styles. Quest is chant-oriented, while Dayspring has a distinctly hip-hop feel. Other pieces like Emerald Mist and Blue Nile have a more liquid, flowing feel.

Running time on the album is a little over an hour ... not long when you realize you'll start your journey in the rain forests, listen to the sun setting in Siberia and complete the trip at Midnight on the twelfth track.

Surprisingly, you'll find yourself feeling simultaneously relaxed and energized by the synthesis of so many of the world's musical cultures.

Worldbeat is available from Amazon.com or greenhillmusic.com.