artist: Celestial country of origin: UK/Hong Kong style(s): Exotic dub, world beat, lounge essential releases: Hong Kong Dub Station (2003, Drum Music)

A slick, lyrical and occasionally surprising excursion in downtempo exotica from the Hong Kong-based composer Peter Millward aka Celestial. Hong Kong Dub Station is his third album. It's too diverse in style and too eclectic in instrumentation to be called a pure dub record, although the rhythm patterns, sweet basslines and echoing percussion fills show clear ties to Jamaica's dub legacy.

Millward's seamless integration of Asian folk melodies into his pop, rock and world beat palette is impressive. Beyond his ear for good melodies he shows impressive impressive blending skills and every combination that he attempts here sounds easy and natural. Indian tabla drums or sitar may be no surprise on a record like this, but the Chinese violin-like instrument the erhu gives the tracks "Moon Palace", "Pounding Waves" and "Resham Firri" a certain freshness. Chinese instruments are far less common among electronic beat producers than those of the Middle East and Africa and Millward's passion for the local sounds is obvious.

In the album's last third you'll hear some ear-catching departures from the ethno stylings of the album's earlier tracks as Millward ventures confidently into the realms of lounge and laid-back house. The sultry deep house smoocher "How Insensitive" - orginally by bossonva legend Antonio Carlos Jobim and and sung here by HK local Angelita Li - is quite a stunner. Here's something that would give Madonna and all the other 007 pretenders a run for their money as a James Bond theme.

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