2011 release. Heavily inspired by the sounds of 1970's West Africa, Ethiopia and the pioneering avant-garde Jazz artists of the same period, The Shaolin Afronauts draw on the this highly innovative and sometimes volatile era in music, using it as inspiration to create music with the same fire and intensity. Kicking off with 'Journey Through Time', the multiple layers of percussion and rhythms indeed unleash an unstoppable groove, which is nicely balanced against the albums slower, more introspective moments which prove that contemporary Afrobeat doesn't always have to be an unrelenting, up-tempo assault on the senses and can provide moments of sheer beauty and reflection. This added element of subtlety sets The Shaolin Afronauts music apart from much of the recent crop of other bands with similar influences, Freestyle Records.