Afro Celt Sound System

But just how far apart are the peoples of Africa and the British Isles? If you believe Peter Gabriel's tribe of RealWorld recording aficionados, it's far less than six degrees of separation. Citing historical references from the year 80 A.D., the RealWorld folks believe in a direct link between West Africans and Celts. Of course, the astounding global rise of Afro-pop and its effect on European musicians and producers has brought down centuries of cultural differentiation in a couple of decades.

Enter Afro Celt Sound System, whose debut album, Volume I Sound Magic, is a purely RealWorld creation. Featuring a casting call of world music session players — including two members of Baaba Maal's band, a Pogue, at least one WOMAD festival stalwart and a player borrowed from Riverdance — Afro Celt Sound System succeeds in merging distinct musical traditions in a pop context. The result is powerfully charged dance music based on the Jamaican "sound system," which lays down DJ grooves with the added jolt of live players on unique, folkloric, native instruments.

Afro Celt Sound System is like Riverdance for the politically correct. And I mean that in a good way.

Sat., July 5, Five Spot, 5 S. Bank St., 574-0070.

—Miguel Gonzalez