Sunday 18 November 2012

Friday 16 November 2012

Xavier Rudd - Koonyum Sun

Australian singer-songwriter Xavier Rudd has a voice that needs to be heard to be understood. Soaring, plaintive and deeply emotive, he sings every verse as if it were his last. There's a poignancy, intimacy and gravitas he achieves with each utterance and intonation that makes nearly every moment worth remembering. It's an achievement many artists can strive a whole career to achieve and never attain.

Rudd is fortunate enough to possess such a voice, but he is far from a one-trick pony. Having already garnered a sizable following for writing socially conscious songs that speak about pestilence, conservation and the plight of the Aboriginal people, he is also a favorite at music festivals for his multi-faceted live sets. It is widely documented that Rudd travels with a trunk full of instruments, including but not limited to: three didgeridoos, electric bass, banjo, stompbox, assorted percussion and an arsenal of Weissenborn slide guitars.

Returning to the blues and roots feel of his album White Moth, Koonyum Sun, his sixth studio album, marks his first studio foray with bassist Tio Moloantoa and percussionist Andie Nqubezelo. The album opens with "Sky to the Ground," a soaring, hypnotic anthem that is arguably one of the best songs he has ever written. That claim though is repeated nearly a half-dozen times before Koonyum Sun draws to a close. Though he's not the kind of artist to be pigeonholed, there's no denying Rudd's love of reggae. "Fresh Green Freedom," and "Time to Smile," are surefire proof of this, with the former drawing on a harmonica lick and a breezy swagger while the latter draws on banjo, bongos and a cresting chorus.

Diving into the Aboriginal landscape, he incorporates tribal chanting into the 1:40 acapella cut "Reasons We Were Blessed," and on the swampy title-track, which draws on a bellowing didgeridoo and the reedy vocals of a young child. For those that prefer music far more spartan and self-assured, look no further than the intimate reflection "Loves Comes and Goes," and the affectionate valentine "Woman Dreaming." While Vampire Weekend has drawn acclaim for drawing on Paul Simon's Graceland, it feels almost criminal to not lend some support and praise for Rudd, who seems to chase down the same thing.

There's an age-old adage that music is supposed to take you to a different place and make you feel better about the world, but what if music was trying to make the world a better place and make the world feel better about itself? That is the essence of what Rudd is trying to do. And thank the cosmos, he's here.

 
 

Timewarp Inc - Groovy Booty

Timewarp was born in Athens, Greece 25 years before the second millennium. He was introduced to electronic music at age 13 when he acquired an amiga. Captivated by the fledging technology's potential he started working on his own sounds and soon found his musical identity in the area of chill sound beats. You can find him under the aliases Timewarp inc. or Timewarp a.k.a Angelos Stoumpos.
Being a dj as well as a composer he became famous in the Greek underground electronica scene in early 90’s. Over the years he appeared in numerous parties and venues and he created one of the first pioneering dance projects in Greece. Influenced by and joining forces with a number of other composers and artists he started expanding the character of his music, combining smooth baselines with melodic instruments like flute, percussions, vocals, guitars creating a very characteristic worm ethereal worldly sound.
At the same time his production style moved into funky sounds obtaining rough edges that applied to his music a dramatic intensity. His well-defined music signature can be easily identified in all his productions from dub, downtempo to funky breaks and dance .
Timewarp has contributed in many releases of various record labels like: ecco.chamber, Sony BMG, V2, Irma, Waveform and more. He licensed music for commercial motion TV advertising spots for brands like Honda, WV-Polo, Seat, Stolichnaya, Old Holborn, Alpha Bank and more.


 
 

Saravah Soul - Cultura Impura

Exploding out of the cross-cultural melting-pot of London’s underground music scene comes the half-Brazilian, half-British SARAVAH SOUL (TRU THOUGHTS RECORDS) with their own special blend of Afro-Brazilian rhythms, 60's soul and Afrobeat.
Their first album was an internationally acclaimed sensation that took them touring all over Europe and Brazil with an intense, tightly honed live show, led by frenetic dancer and front-man Otto Nascarella and complete with carnival percussion parades, a festival favourite.
Their new album CULTURA IMPURA is an even deeper journey into their highly original sound and took them to various European cities. In the beginning of this year they again went to Brazil, where they played 7 different cities across the country, finishing the tour at the Bourbon Street that hosted the likes of BB King, Ray Charles, Medeski, Martin and Wood, etc.

Jukka Eskola - Hub Up

A beautiful tribute to the electric side of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard , done by Jukka Eskola from Five Corners Quintet, in a mode that almost beats some of Freddie's classic work for CTI! The setting here is spare and simple , trumpet from Jukka, tenor from Timo Lassey, and bass, drums, and plenty of sweet electric keys. All hitting a groove that's soulful, soaring, and filled with the new sense of invention that Hubbard brought to his work at the start of the 70s. Most of the tracks here are originals by Hubbard , "Keep Your Soul Together", "Gibraltar", "Povo", and "Love Connection" , but the set also features the well-penned original "Deli", and a version of Weldon Irvine's "Mr Clean" , a key title in the Hubbard songbook of the CTI years!

 

Thursday 15 November 2012

BK One - Radio Do Canibal

Better known as Brother Ali's DJ, BK-One takes his years of experience as a DJ and puts on his producer hat joining forces with up and coming Twin Cities beatsmith Benzilla, to craft a Brazilian musical bed for some of Hip Hop's most engaging MC's. Radio Do Canibal features performances by Scarface, Slug (Atmosphere), Black Thought (The Roots), Brother Ali, Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan), Murs (Living Legends), Haiku D'Etat (Aceyalone, Myka 9 & Abstract Rude), Blueprint, P.O.S. (Doomtree), The Grouch (Living Legend), I Self Devine, Toki Wright, Aby Wolf & The Hypnotic Bass Ensemble.  BK-One's love of music has been a lifelong affair. From an early age, he studied classical piano and jazz theory, taught himself to play the vibraphone, and began collecting records.

 

Saturday 10 November 2012

Candy Dulfer - Candy Store

Dutch-born saxophonist Candy Dulfer has been mesmerizing audiences in every corner of the world with the combination punch of jaw-dropping performances, show-stopping musicianship and eye-popping sex appeal. Between her own million-selling jazz-funk albums, she's recorded and toured with Dave Stewart, Maceo Parker, Van Morrison, Beyonce, Pink Floyd, Aretha Franklin, Joey DeFrancessco. Candy Store is her massively funky, high-energy Heads Up debut and a surefire hit.


Wednesday 7 November 2012

Nappy Riddem - One World Sovereignty

Rex Riddem and Mustafa Akbar, better known as Nappy Riddem, have created a funky sound, drawing on everything from soul to reggae — and the duo’s debut release, One World Sovereignty, hooks the listener from the very beginning with touches of all these influences and more. The self-titled opening track proclaims the album’s mission: “It’s so profound when the beat comes round, we get down like this/ We are the funktified soul providers Nappy Riddem project.” Riddem and Akbar are going to deliver some funky tunes and “make ‘em sweat.” You will be shaking yo’ ass by the middle of the first song — they bring in a jazzy horn section and a funky guitar, and the result is incredibly danceable.

But it’s not just the funky tuneage that makes this album so memorable. By the second track, the men of Nappy Riddem are commenting on the state of things in the world: “reciprocity is a million-man dream,” but “times are so hard, the devil need a bodyguard.” The vocal harmony is fantastic and again, there is a great mix of jazzy horns and sick beats, this time with the addition of singing keys. These guys are definitely gifted composers.

“Ease Up” and “Angle It” are sexy tracks with pure reggae vibes. They do have a bit of a stereotypical rap feel in the lyrics, talking about sexy girls in short mini-skirts, but they’re still fun and funky and have just as much musicality as the more serious songs on One World Sovereignty. And the album does anything but get boring — there are elements of dub on “Soundboy Wake the Sound,” and a slowed-down soul feel on “Suspicious Love.”

“One World Sovereignty,” is simply an incredible tune. The opening guitar is beautiful and catchy, the vocal harmonies are exquisite, and the lyrics are tight and eloquent, drawing on an impressive variety of sources for inspiration: “Biological and chemical warfare/ everybody talk about Iraq, but what about the war here?” and, drawing (presumably) from Maya Angelo’s poem, “Now I know why the caged bird sings/ how can you hold me captive? I’m a natural born king.” Though lamenting the state of things in the world, the overall message is positive: “it’s time for us to be the chance we want to see.” A wonderful closer to a strong album.


Sunday 4 November 2012

The Herbaliser - There Were Seven

The Herbaliser emerged in the mid-1990s as an instrumental duo on Coldcut’s Ninja Tune roster. They specialised in a form of sonic bricolage that Coldcut described as ‘funkjazzticaltricknology’, which encouraged you to make connections between disparate forms of music and challenged you to spot unusual samples.
Their first album in four years drifts between genres, be it the martial roots reggae of Welcome To Extravagance, the Portishead-ish trip hop of The Lost Boy or the spooky Ethiopian-tinged funk of Deep In The Woods. However, their default setting is making short, bombastic instrumentals that borrow heavily from classic movie soundtracks. These make great backing tracks for rappers and the best tracks here are the ones featuring highbrow Canadian duo Twin Peaks – particularly the deliciously spooky, blaxploitation-themed Crimes And Misdemeanours.

Thursday 1 November 2012

Amplexos - Musica Da Alma

Há seis anos na estrada, o Amplexos lança no dia 31 de Outubro seu segundo álbum, A Música da Alma, com produção de Buguinha Dub (Nação Zumbi, Mundo Livre) e Jorge Luiz Almeida.
O trabalho tem como principal influência a música negra, aquela que vem dos guetos e periferias do mundo. “A Música da Alma é uma música essencialmente espiritual, que surgiu a partir do nosso contato com a música jamaicana, com o afrobeat, com o funk, que são músicas feitas pelo povo, para mover as pessoas de seus lugares, seja através da dança, da transcendência ou mesmo pela busca de um auto-conhecimento”.
O disco foi todo gravado ao vivo no estúdio Caos & Vitrola, em Volta Redonda-RJ, cidade natal da banda, mixado por Buguinha Dub no estúdio Mundo Novo e masterizado por Gustavo Lenza no estúdio Yb em São Paulo. O projeto gráfico é da artista Ana Costa, com fotos de Marina Coni.
Desde Maio deste ano, o Amplexos tem feito alguns shows ao lado de Oghene Kologbo, guitarrista nigeriano que gravou mais de 30 álbuns com Fela Kuti e tem visitado o Brasil com frequência. “Ouvimos muito os discos do Fela Kuti e Africa 70 pra compor o álbum e, de repente, o Kologbo estava ensaiando com a gente em Volta Redonda! O cara nos estimulou a levar o equipamento pras ruas e a tocar pra todo tipo de gente, o que foi e tem sido fundamental pra gente perceber que a nossa música pode ser absorvida por qualquer pessoa”.
A banda já fez inúmeras apresentações nas ruas do Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo e Volta Redonda, e a ideia é espalhar a Música da Alma. “Nós ganhamos muita coisa com essa música, ela provocou na gente uma revolução interna sem tamanho, e a ideia agora é devolver ao mundo. É como uma missão para aproximar as pessoas de algo maior.”