Original Soundtrack
Steam – Hamam: The Turkish Bath (World Class 11306)

Like 45% of all soundtracks that get released, this one sounds like someone threw Peter Gabriel's Passion, Enigma, and Enya into a blender, pureed for 30 seconds, and voila.

It's good background music, reasonably engaging and in parts quite interesting, but doesn't stick with you once it's left the CD player. The music is typical contemporary score music with a Middle Eastern slant, lots of percussion and exotic instruments, along with solo female vocal on many of the cuts.

I wonder if the guys in Enigma had any idea they were spawning a cottage industry when they created "Sadeness Pt. 1." I'm not sure if that should qualify them for scorn or indifference, since the countless Enigma knockoffs that have ensued in the past decade have been at best, semi-interesting, and at worst, innocuous.

I am sure that there are thousands of people (mainly in Europe) whose CD collections consist entirely of this kind of vaguely trancey, vaguely global sounding ambient techno. Ah well, more power to 'em, it's harmless enough. I suppose I'm too song-oriented to ever throw myself wholeheartedly into this kinda stuff, but I can hardly condemn it (or praise it). It's probably exceedingly good sex music, but lord knows I haven't had any of THAT since I married Stanley (Mrs. Roper beams proudly to camera).

I haven't seen the film, though if it cropped up on IFC I might watch it. Certainly any film about a Turkish bath can't be all bad. As for the soundtrack, you'd most likely have to be one of those sort of clueless Europeans to love it. With music by Trancendental (you can witness the level of ingenuity in the group's name), it's exactly what it could have been: pleasant, semi-edgy music to put on while showering or vacuuming. Lord knows I have enough time to do THOSE things since Stanley never fucks me! (Audience baffled by sudden lack of double-entendre. Mrs. Roper beams proudly.)

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Gino W.