Watcha Clan has successfully shrunk the size of the world into an mp3 file with their latest effort Radio Babel. Based in France, but speaking in tongues, Watcha Clan breaches the world fusion barrier with danceable tracks, political commentary, and traditional instrument samples. Like their previous release, Diaspora Hi-Fi: A Mediterranean Caravan, Watcha Clan takes bits and pieces from the diverse set of cultures represented in the group and sprays them in an electronic frenzied shower liable to get any dance floor jumping. Borrowing from hip-hop, drum-n-bass and dub-reggae, their leader on the wires and samples, Suprem Clem, twists and turns his way through hundreds of years of Balkan, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern sounds with outrageously catchy blips and loops. Sista K’s transcendent vocals are worthy of a higher existence as she uses her amazing range and power sparingly, yet effectively. The whole thing comes together as if it were an effortless endeavor, but there is some awkwardness with respect to the overall tone.

Radio Babel seeks to re-write the Babylonian tale by broadcasting its intentions clearly; they reach their goal, for the most part. Strewn throughout the album are clips of Al Gore speaking about saving the planet and the politics of peace. Ideals such as land for the people and humanity coming together are clearly communicated. During ‘Tangos Del Cachito’, however, Sista K sings Curtis Mayfield’s famous motif from ‘Pusherman’, “I’m your mamma / I’m your daddy / I’m that nigga in the alley”. The result of this line prompts the listener (or at least this reviewer) to undertake an analytical role with the messages on the album as a whole, and the result is clouded. Using Mayfield’s lyric in this context might suggest a trivialization of history; are they saying the struggle for freedom and peace in the Mediterranean basin is liken to the struggles of those that lived in the ghettos of America? Certainly Supreme Clem did not simply throw on his Public Enemy shirt for the album’s official photo shoot because it was the only thing that was clean. Perhaps I’m over-analyzing, but there are a few points where Radio Babel, in true form to the biblical story, gets muddled somewhat with unclear messages that are broadcast in multiple languages. That being said, the musical dynamics of the ‘Tangos Del Cachito’ (and the album itself) are fantastic combining a Persian feel with an ultra cool Reggae vibe.

If you have ever seen Watcha Clan live, you will know their energy is contagious and Radio Babel certainly delivers a potential hit for outdoor festival stages. They are not your average world fusion electronica project that might be interesting at first but forgotten about later. The tracks on Radio Babel have real lasting power, if you can overlook the babel.