San Fran-based DJ Cheb i Sabbah is master of mixing ethnic beats

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	DJ Cheb i Sabbah 8:30 p.m. today Hawaiian Hut, Ala Moana Hotel $12 (21 and older); $15 (18-20) 955-4811 9 p.m. Monday Wave Waikiki $8 (21 and older); $10 (18-20) 941-0424 Also: On Maui Thursday, Casanova, (808) 572-0220); On the Big Island Aug. 16, Shooters (808) 969-7069)

At 54, a spinner of Arabic, African and Asian beats for 22 years and a DJ for more than 38 years, Sabbah will bring his global transcendental trance music tastes to Honolulu, the Big Island and Maui for a series of club events. Sabbah has held down a much-attended and much-respected Tuesday night residency at Bay Area nightclub Nickie's for almost 13 years with his collection of international dance grooves.

"We call our night Tuesday Night Church," said Sabbah, attempting to describe his longtime residency, which typically attracts a cross-section of the city's many cultures. And the club show he'll be bringing here? "I call it Triple A ... Asia, Arabia and Africa. And within that, traditional music to music from today."

Sabbah has also made a career of recording master musicians from around the world and laying down his own beats and rhythm loops over their music to produce a series of well-received artist albums. His most recent CD, "Krishna Lila" features bhajans (devotional songs) and instrumentals from India's northern (Hindustani) and southern (Carnatic) traditions.

"But on the dance floor, I play everyone else's stuff," said Sabbah. "Of course, stuff I like. When I spin, you might hear an underground South Asian drum and bass piece, and the next song could ... be an African piece. That's what I think makes my style different."