The tongue-in-cheek Beginner's Guide clause in the title of Nascente's three-CD, 46-track collection of world grooves should be taken as evidence that anybody who desires music equipped with what Harrison Birtwistle has called "a drum mechanism" can enjoy these beats and mixes under just about any circumstances. Most individuals, with the exception of specialized "worldly" groove-ologists, will probably find this diverse sampler to be pleasantly humbling, as its multi-latitudinal range (extending well beyond those of many less ambitious "world music" compilations) may feel like a friendly crash course in global grooves. In addition to vintage recordings by Gil Scott-Heron and Taj Mahal, the listener bumps into mixes that originated in such varied locales as Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Cape Verde, India, Greece, and Turkey. While few African nations are represented, the overall influence of Pan African and Pan Caribbean cultures are detectable throughout. Stylistic variants and underpinnings include worldbeat, acid jazz, Chilean funk, Latin and Brazilian pop, rock en español, dub reggae, Afro-reggae, Afro-pop, techno pop, Greek pop, gypsy pop, flamenco groove, worldbeat electronica, Balkanalia electronica, Okinawan electronica, Balkan Madness dub, Italian house, and Cape Verdean fado. Unfortunately (if you scratch beneath the surface), the Turks are represented by the worrisomely named Ottoman Military Project and their contemporary techno dance mix update of "Ceddin Deden," a traditional Turkish military anthem that dates directly back to just before the well-documented Armenian Genocide of 1914-1918, during which more than one million Armenians were massacred by Turkish nationalists. The original march was composed by Kaptanzadi Ali Riza Bey (1881-1934), with lyrics by Ismail Hakki Bey that contained the incendiary passage: "Thus shall these cursed ones suffer abjection." With the Turkish Government continuing to deny that the Armenian Genocide ("Ermeni Soykirimi" in Turkish) ever even occurred, the disturbing historical background of "Ceddin Deden" and the insensitivity of a group willing to align themselves by name with the early 20th century militaristic arm of the Ottoman Empire momentarily casts a grim shadow over this otherwise enjoyable all-purpose collection of dance, trance, pop and techno beats from many distant lands. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide