Joi

WE ARE THREE

(Real World)

Joi are Farook and Haroon Shamsher, a London-based brother duo who combined their producing, DJing, and musical talents to create a fusion of traditional Bengali folk music and Western-style club beats before Haroon died, in 1999, at the age of 33. Like many Asian artists, the Shamshers try to balance their own traditions with the omnivorous and homogeneous sounds of modern dance music for crossover success. But most of these tracks suffer from a generic ethno-techno approach, which is puzzling. London is the home of bhangra, a driving blend of Punjabi folk music and punched-up rock, dub, and reggae dancehall beats that is one of the most energetic styles of world beat/dance music available. Its inclusion might have made this disc livelier, but the Shamshers avoided its hard edge in favor of more-listener-friendly chill-room beats. "Don'tcha Know That" adds some interesting tabla rhythms to a slinky Stevie Wonderish beat, and "Deep Asian Vibes" uses a Bollywood-flavored string section to accent its deep house vibe. But "Prem," which blends the singing of an unaccredited female singer recorded in Bangladesh with a relaxed club beat, is the closest We Are Three gets to world music.

-- J. Poet