Michael McGoldrick - Fused (2000)

“Fused”, is a masterpiece, mixing traditional with trance and fusion. The collection of some of Mike’s favourite tunes as well as some brilliant self-penned tracks has been described as one of the most ground-breaking folk albums of all time, redirecting the future of traditional music. The album boasts contributions from some of the leading lights in Celtic music, including Capercaillie’s Donald Shaw with Alan Kelly and Dezi Donnelly, who by now had been crowned 1999 Young Traditional Musician of the Year.

The album also features the guest vocals from Karan Casey and Capercaillie’s Karen Matheson. Combining various musical styles and instruments, including trumpet and saxophone with tablas, bamboo flute and electric guitar, “Fused” could not have been more appropriately named. The man who Mike is often described as being the Celtic version of, DJ Talvin Singh, also contributes samples to form an end result that is a stunning cycle of instrumentals blending jungle and hip-hop beats with jazz, Asian and Celtic music.