UNITE: A Gathering of Strangers

Hamid Man Tu and Tim Whelan of Transglobal Underground have fashioned an ambitious pan-European project around the banner of UNITE (Urban Native Integrated Traditions of Europe), with a checklist of studios in Sofia, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Paris, Copenhagen, Dublin and London. At a time when immigration and emigration are hot political issues, A Gathering of Strangers takes things back to a basic inclusiveness of traditions, customs and cultures. The musical cast list is impressive: the wonderful Yanka Rupkina of Trio Bulgarka, who worked with Kate Bush; Jim Moray, who will be part of the UNITE touring band; the London-based Bulgarian Perunika Trio; Warsaw Village Band associates Village Kollektiv; Ireland's Martin Furey; Czech dubsteppers Side9000; Hungary's Balkan Fanatik; Stuart Staples of Tindersticks; and the Hungarian singer Nori Kovács.

The Perunika Trio's Eugenia Georgieva opens this multi-faceted and often gorgeous album with the sorrowful beauties of ‘When You Hear Me Sing’, her exquisite voice backed by fiddle, kaval flute, and a lap-steel guitar. Artists, styles, nationalities and traditions are cut together, so we have Moray's succinct reading of ‘Lisbon’ alongside Kovács’ Hungarian soldier song, and Furey's Celtic take on ‘Van Dieman's Land’ spliced with Bourama Badji from Prague via Senegal. The Village Kollektiv sound like The Cramps on war rations with their emigre's lament, while the amazing voice of Rupkina slashes against a backing that ranges from spare acoustic to full-on, adrenalised electro. There's a lot here – perhaps too much – and TGU pop up towards the end in full electronic noise mode. But it's a pan-European journeyyou'll want to embark on at length.