Arabic Groove (2001)

"Putumayo turned up a collection of dance tracks that show the heavy influence of hip-hop, urban pop, funk, and other Western styles, while maintaining the cultural integrity of the region. The swirling strings and ornate, sinuous melody lines characteristic of the Middle East are laid over funky, chugging rhythm tracks, creating a tapestry that is crossover-ready. The disc is heavy on Algerian rai and Egyptian al-jil, with more than half the artists represented from either Egypt or Algeria. On a technical note, there is virtually no space between most of the tracks. While this usually serves to keep the dance groove going, sometimes it is a little abrupt, as the ends of some tracks get chopped off. Arabic Groove is an intense, high-energy release, sure to appeal to fans of cosmopolitan dance music worldwide." (Allmusic).