Madlib: The Beat Konducta Vol. 3-4: In India

Madlib's new instrumental album The Beat Konducta Vol. 3-4 In India takes the world-music/hip-hop fusion of his younger brother's Dr. No's Experiment even further, creating a sonic space where Nas and Redman share hot curry and find common ground with sitar slingers, sultry singers in flowing saris, and nimble percussionists half a world away. Like Beat Konducta Vol. 1-2 (and Stones Throw instrumental opuses in general), it's cinematic in scope and hypnotic in its droning rhythms, a mood-altering exploration into the sonic textures of the East from one of the West Coast's most adventurous beatsmiths. While his mainstream counterparts go Hollywood for the cash, Madlib is going Bollywood strictly to satisfy his wandering muse.