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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 One of the Best May 15, 2005
By Bryan J. Campbell
"Haggisdog"
A great album for anyone with an interest in seeing a fusion of modern dance with traditional celtic sounds. Bennett is a remarkably gifted musician with a keen ear for mixing the essence of both club dance sounds with traditional bagpiping and celtic arrangements. I recently purchased his Grit CD which is a true masterpiece. It prompted me to reflect back on how good this original CD is. Sadly he passed away from cancer a few months ago but he has left an enduring legacy in the form of his music.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Freak to the Beat Oct 11, 2001
By foghorn leghorn
I've been listening to 'Bothy Culture' for several years now, and to be honest I've never grown tired of it. There are a whole host of Celtic-techno stuff that followed hot on the heels of this CD (you know the score: the Afro-Celts, Hyperborea, and so on), but Martyn's album has proven to be an endlessly inventive landmark. It's not just the beats that are terrific: there's a lot of layered sound here, cleanly done, and I still discover new moments on 'Bothy Culture' I missed the first 100 times around. For those who are fans of the Scottish new folk breed, by all means check out the Peatbog Fairies, especially their 'Fairy Stories' CD on the Greentrax label. Now get up and dance, ye lazy bag of bones.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A seamless mix of traditional celtic and techno music Jul 22, 1999
No doubt due to his extensive training in classical music, Martyn Bennet produces something amazing. Many talented musicans have mixed techno beats and sounds with samples and chunks of other people's music, and it usually comes out sounding manufactured and layered - everything Bothy Culture is not. No small credit due to the fact that he plays most (if not all) the instruments himself, Martyn Bennet is able to design a song with a techno beat in mind from the start. How many of his peers could say the same?
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Great engine for my daily workout! Feb 09, 1999
I go for walks every day, and want to do them quickly. This cd in my ears is perfect. I fly. It drives me forward, it's fun to hear, it's rhythmic but not at all boring, it stands up to repeated listens, and it feels like I have a wonderful secret that the passing world is to be pitied for not sharing. (It helps to wear a plaid skirt during this indulgence, but I'm sure it's not necessary.) Yeah, amazing pipes, very well- considered and brave meldings from various genres. Just try to sit still.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 complex, cutting-edge celtic Jun 17, 1998
Nothing if not unusual, this album is being touted as a ground-breaker in world music. It is certainly that! To say Martyn Bennett plays the bagpipes is probably to lead you in the wrong direction. Certainly he was one-time piper to the city of Edinburgh, and piped in such dignitaries as the Prime Minister of Tanzania. But he's is also an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, playing fiddle, keyboards, percussion and a variety of exotic blown and fretted instruments. He's a techno-freak as well, having recorded this whole effort at his home studio, with lots of recording trickery.The result is difficult to describe, but terms like dance-beat and hip-hop blended with celtic traditional influences cover some of the territory. It is also witty, with musical and vocal jibes at a few sacred cows on tracks like "Tongues of Kali" and "Yer Man From Athlone". But just when you think he's being a bit too tricksy, Bennett pulls off a track like "Hallaig" - a tribute to the late Skye poet Sorley MacLean. The cut starts with a recording of the poet reading, with a percussive and semi-orchestral backing. It concludes with a quite beautiful tune written for the poet's wife Rennie. When you give up trying to classify this album and let it tell its own complex tale of Scottish culture thriving in a new age, you'll find music that always stimulates, even if it isn't always accessible.
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