DJ Cheb I Sabbah’s La Kahena, which dropped last year, was a wildly intoxicating blend of traditional North African rhythms and modern production techniques. On La Ghriba: La Kahena Remixed Sabbah revisits the same sonic territory but with an increased focus on breaking those tracks down further and folding them into beats anchored in Dub and House through the work of artists such as Bill Laswell, Fnaïre, Yossi Fine, The Chakadoons, Temple of Sound, and Bassnectar.

Stand tracks include Laswell’s work on “Esh ‘Dani, Alash Mshit: The Constantine Remix” which brings the track into an expansive sound that is at once dark and exotic but still inviting; the vocal samples peppering the song are reminiscent of Juno Reactor’s more ethno-flavored work on Bible of Dreams. Makyo’s re-envisioning of “Madh Assalhin (The Zen Breaks)” stretches the track out to a drifting trance infused Dub that is deeply hypnotic while DJ Sandeep Kumar opens the album with a fiery remix of “Toura Toura” that adds a touch of swing and sway to the underlying beats.

La Griba makes a great addition to La Kahena, ostensibly it could be packaged as a second disc if it sees a re-release down the road. Highly recommended and La Griba certainly has a place on my “Best of” list for this year as it maintains the artistry and integrity that made La Kahena such an incredible listening experience.