Trippin’ the Life Fantastic!

Possibly the perfect rock crossover album, this combines all the vim and vigour of bhangra music with prog-rock stadium vocals creating a ‘Phil Collins meets Robert Plant in Bollywood' vibe. And that's not all – this album contains a fair few twists and surprises that will energise and keep you on your toes. Trippin’ the Life Fantastic! is the first full-length album for the UK outfit Kissmet, lovingly produced and mixed in their own studios. The realisation of Singh brothers, Buzz and Ron, who grew up singing Elvis songs with their mother around the house and spent their childhoods watching endless screenings of classic Indian films in their family-owned cinema. As teenagers in the 80s, it was Genesis, The Police and The Stranglers, to name a few, that completed their musical education, one which fitted seamlessly with the rows and rows of bhangra tapes in their relatives' homes.

It's thus a natural conclusion, to hear their thoroughly entertaining ‘Whole Lotta Nachna,’ the famous Led Zep track, with its guitar riff cranked up, to a dhol backbeat. You get a real sense of their live stage presence, as the brothers skilfully mix in live recordings with studio takes, to create an energy which is carried into the next track ‘Why Oi!!!’ and indeed, right across the album. Classic rock fans can’t fail to appreciate ‘Channa, in which Cream’s ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ is fused with ‘Chan Kithe’, the famous Punjabi song. Given the Kissmet once-over, it has more screams and longer tongues than both Kali and American rockers Kiss. And just when you thought the speaker stack may well collapse, recovery comes in the form of two love songs. ‘Rainbow’s Gold’ and ‘I Need Your Love’ are underpinned by gentle tabla playing from Max, who also excels in the more psychedelic ambient track, ‘Dodge the Rain’. You can almost smell the mud, incense and sweat of the festival crowds, where Kissmet have a forged an unrivalled live reputation.