Japan is far from the only country in Asia, and the culture is influenced noticeably by their neighbors, including the Middle East. The band Beats Antique does the best job I have heard so far at fusing Middle Eastern musical styles with western rock and jazz, and does it from an Alternative Rock perspective. Kind of like Daft Punk Meets Scheherazade. Not as surprising as it might be, considering the band is from Oakland, California. Here is a taste of their recent live performance on KEXP, Seattle’s amazing NPR-style music station.
