Zulu Bidi was a member of the South African jazz group Batsumi, who recorded an incredible album in 1974. Here is a piece of a cool BBC documentary about ZB.
One of the most compelling albums we've heard from the African scene of the 70s – a rare set from a Soweto group, and one that's got a heavy dose of spiritual jazz in the mix! The album almost feels more like the kind of set you'd hear by a Paris group, extrapolating African sounds in the post-colonial era – or an American group, inspired by roots from the homeland – and the group sports some especially great work on tenor, played by Themba Koyana, a player we've never heard before! Rhythms are great, with lots of percussion, and some nice funky undercurrents at times – and other instrumentation includes organ, which often works well with the echo-ey production. The album does have some occasional vocals, but the main focus is instrumental, which is very jazzy too.
Itumeleng is on the 1974 self-titled LP recently re-issued in a very limited 500 copies worldwide. Massive props to Matsuli for dropping this!!!! It's sold out now.
But you can also find the track on the astonishing "Next Stop Soweto 3" compilation. This volume focuses on jazz and it's massive. Deep spiritual jazz, township grooves, funky fusions, modern modals... It's available on Strut
The video here is edited and shortened by about four minutes, missing the classical inspired intro.
Soundway Records delves deep into the great history Colombian cumbia and porro – beautifully putting together an expansive set that traces the evolution of the sounds throughout 3 decades – and keeping it coming feverishly and furiously well paced the whole way through! They do a terrific job of making this set reverent of the history – it was very well researched by Will "Quantic" Holland – with one half featuring earlier Columbian cumbia and one half of the evolving sounds and instrumentation that came into play over the years. The sound is beautiful, even on the earliest recordings, and it's heated, intensely rhythmic all the way. Holland and Soundway's Miles Cleret here deliver as exciting and informative a set of benchmark cumbia as we could have hoped for – and it includes nice set of notes and photos.
WE WILL HAVE A RELEASE PARTY IN Coupd'état IN JANUARY - STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS....
REPRESENT AFRICA! goes harder in January!!!! BLITZ the Ambassador will guest host as well as perform at the monthly talent showcase for rising African artists in Chicago! The Ghana-born, Brooklyn based Hip Hop artist is making big waves with his conscious lyrics and globe-hopping sounds.
Guest performers are backed backed by house band BoSA and can earn a spot opening for a national act at The Shrine!
Artists wishing to perform at a future REPRESENT AFRICA! should send a youtube clip and/or MP3 to: representafrica@gmail.com
REPRESENT AFRICA! Thursday, January 19, 21012. (Doors open 8pm)
Chicago's very ownJEREMY SOLEmakes his hometown return on Friday, December 16. (With resident - The Voodoo Killer DJ NewLife and very special guest DJ Jesse De La Peña)
Sole is a beast on the ones and twos. He is a fixture on the influential KCRW radio in Los Angeles and DJs and hosts long-running parties like Afro Funké and The Lift. He is also a prolific producer/re-mixer and bandleader (Musaics)
Here's what some heavyweights have to say about Mr. Sole's DJing prowess;
"If I was a DJ full time, I would most likely spin like Jeremy Sole. His mind and soul hears exactly what I hear. He makes Sunset Blvd feel groovy, and that's hard to do in my book." - Raphael Saadiq
"Jeremy Sole is a man of good taste & tasteful mixing. Los Angeles is lucky to have him ...he's a goldmine of music." - Quantic
"Jeremy Sole is not only a world class DJ, but a world class citizen of the world. One of the nicest ugly dudes I've ever worked with haha. AND, his beard is great for storing snacks and small tools on those long hot nights in the DJ booth. Jokes aside though, one of my favorite dudes in the game hands down, and a fucking phenomenal talent." - Rich Medina
"Jeremy is a great DJ, presenter, producer and knower-of-music ...an extremely cool dude. I cannot stop listening to his remix of 'I Put A Spell On You' ...it's irresistible." - Henry Rollins
"Jeremy can get your grandma out of her rocking chair & doing the wop, the smurf & the bus stop! Jeremy's in my top 2 for good Global dancefloor DJs out there." - Nickodemus
“One of the only successful AND good DJs in LA (those are usually mutually exclusive)." - Peanut Butter Wolf
"Jeremy Sole is one of the consummate tastemakers in the U.S. and a bad ass DJ to boot! I'm honored to have to played alongside him and I'm proud to call him a friend." - DJ Day
“Jeremy constantly shatters World Music boundaries and catapults his audience on a sublime international journey." - DJ Nu-Mark
Ron Trent returns with another edition of Ilé on Friday, December 2!!! This is the party strictly for the dancers. Follow the drums from the past and into the future....!
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We come together and collectively celebrate love, passion and dance through music. Afrobeat is the center, but we rebel in diversified rhythms and melodies - no genres necessary!
Winters Blessings as we refresh for the New Year! ILÉ brings you another installment of music and praise.
Your offering is your energy!! Get involved!!
Hosted by: Boogie, Gus, Kristen, Sean & Christopher Sound design by: Mark Bell
Dig the new promo video for this month's offering...
Straight from Jamaica! THE MIGHTY DIAMONDS Live in concert. Classic Reggae for FREE!!!! Yup, NO COVER For ROOTS LEGENDS DJs Craig / Andju / Special / Tropical Storm + dancehall+reggae+dubstep+soul+++
RIGHT TIME: LIVE AT THE SHRINE! THE MIGHTY DIAMONDS!!!
Dan Boadi rose to prominence mid-70's, topping the national charts in his native Ghana with the Abrabo LP, which apparently "sold like apples". Dan decided to try his luck in the United States, arriving in Chicago in 1978. With little fanfare, he released Money is the Root of Evil in a limited run of 500 copies. The LP's two cuts, "Money is the Root of Evil" and "Play That Funky Music" launched the propulsive Afro-Beat of Nigeria's FELA KUTI into the majestic, psychedelic abandon of the American dance floor. At least that was the intention. What should have become a venerable Loft/Warehouse monster passed unnoticed.
Re-issue from early 2000's
"Money is The Root Of All Evil" popped up on the African Disco compilation, and has been re-released a couple times.
THIS IS MONSTER AFROBEAT DISCO FUNK RECORDED RIGHT HERE IN CHI-TILLA!!!!!!
Sent over by a friend. Turned her on to Asa, and now she returns the favor by hipping us to this amazing live performance in Paris. And it's a FULL HOUR! As she said, "Press play, turn it up and go about your morning routine. So, so good." Agreed!!!
The one and only Cucumber Slice, Cool Bob Love er, BOBBITO takes over the decks this Friday. A NYC icon, the man is a legend in the game. His long running radio show with Stretch Armstrong is enough to put him in the Hip Hop hall of fame, but that is only a bit of his bio. DJ, singer, producer, semi-pro basketball player, writer, editor, photographer, sneaker designer, you name it - Bob does it. But Bobbito on the decks, is what he does best. Get ready to take a trip.... Man has deeeeeeeeeeep crates. Can't hardly wait.
Friday, Nov 18, 9pm. With The Voodoo Killer DJ NewLife
Monumental Afro Soul from El Rego Et Ses Commandos – El Rego's best recordings from the late 60s to early 70s – a beautifully done compilation put together by Daptone and Frank Gossner, the deep digging West African music expert behind Voodoo Funk! Theophile Do-Rego is a legend in his native Benin, essentially credited as the godfather of Benin funk – but to date, he hasn't been celebrated around the world nearly as famously as the superstars of African music hailing from Nigeria and Ghana. That's something that can change really quickly if enough people pick up this truly great compilation of pioneering recordings. Singer El Rego and his excellent, diversely capable band – sax and flute by Baboni Oudou, sax by Michel Diogo, guitar by Oscar De Souza, trumpet by Emmanuel Ganssounou, guitar by Roger Coffi, tumba by Marcelin Kpohonon, additional vocals by Christian Agueh, and bass by band leader Paul Hounnou – take a tighter approach to funky soul. Just a couple tracks on this set roll past the 4 minute mark – which gives it a tighter soul sound, along with some Benin blues and some riveting JB-indebted vocal affections.
Had this glued to the turntable last night! BUY IT. simply amazing. Hats off (again) to Voodoo Frank and Daptone. Buy it on wax!!!
Raw sound, indeed – and possibly one of the most hard-hitting compilations so far from the Analog Africa label! There's a quality here that's mighty fresh, and which shows us that there's still plenty of African nuggets to find, if you know where to dig! Much of the music has a dark, moody quality that's really striking – still the grooves you'd expect, but an exotic undercurrent that's almost like Ethiopian music – although very much it's own vibe too! The mix is really wonderful, and makes these tracks from Burkina Faso a rich musical discovery – one that's very thoughtfully put together by the Analog Africa label, with their usual strong attention to sound and detailed notes – not to mention a very handsome package.
Viva Samy + Analog Africa! Another DOPE comp. Buy it on wax!!!!
Sonic Diaspora is a high energy dance party that takes place every 2nd Friday of the month. An intriguing mix ofResident DJs will welcome guest selectas worldwide each month as they play the best music of Africa and the Diaspora, including Afrobeat, Afro & Latin House, High Life, Reggae, Nu Dancehall, Transnational Dubstep, Cumbias, Soukous, Kuduro, Kwaito, Global Bass and more.
::: With DJs Itch 13, David Nallah + Afroqbano
HOSTED by ::: Tifflove and the Wolfpack
JEWELRY by ::: Roots of Life Designs
PHOTOGRAPHY by ::: theCrapper
SPONSORED by ::: Gozamos.com, Peoples Djs Collective
PERCUSSION by ::: YOU!
No cover, 21+, space is accessible. Much love to our hosts & street team. Connect if you'd like to join & get involved!
Let your feet beat a healing rhythm into the earth.
Let your feet beat a strengthening rhythm for those who struggle the hardest.
Let your feet beat a life-giving rhythm for all peoples, regardless of race or national boundary, regardless of whether we’re human or whether we’re the trees, the air, the fish, the birds--
We come out of hiding, we come back from the dead, and we dance, and our dance is a prayer, and our songs and our rhythms and our breath give life"
Ron Trent's newest vision kicks off Friday, November 4. The party, called Ilé, is dedicated to "Drums of Passion + Afro Beat", but anyone who knows Mr. Trent's work knows his musical pallet knows no bounds... dancing spirits rejoice!
A massive Afro Funk combo from the contemporary Paris scene – stepping out here on a wicked debut LP! Paris has certainly been home to some great Afro-styled groups over the years – and Les Freres Smith can definitely count themselves among the best – as they play here with a rock-solid set of rhythms that really take us back to 70s Lagos, but also inflect things with a nice dose of Ethiopian influences as well! The horns are especially great – and the Smith Brothers play some killer tenor, alto, and baritone that really stands out from other groups of this nature – blowing with a hell of a lot of feeling, and hitting these wild raspy notes that really deepen the sound of the whole set. There's only a bit of vocals – on two of the tunes – and Tony Allen guests on one track too.
The third and best album yet from Sao Paulo Underground – formed by Chicago scene veteran and sonic adventurer Rob Mazurek – with a sound that's informed by the rhythms and creatively boundless possibilities of Tropicalia era Brazil and well beyond, along with the cosmic spirit of other Mazurek projects such as the Exploding Star Orchestra. This is hypnotic, attention seizing work that pushes boundaries and challenges tradition while still respecting it – it's never less than fully engrossing and pulls you right in, but it also skirts convention on just about every level. Mazurek's on coronet and electronics that fracture and fuzz out the atmosphere, creating some really dynamic interplay with instrumentation. Mauricio Takara is on cavaquinho, drums and percussion, Guilherme Granado on keys, loops, samples and percussion and Richard Ribeiro on drums. A pair of excellent tracks feature fellow modern greats with roots in the Chicago underground – vibes player Jason Adasiewicz and drummer John Herndon on "Just Lovin'" and "Six Six Eight" – the latter also featuring bass player Matthew Lux.
The Shrine is once again hosting FELABRATION! The party, a celebration of the life and music of Fela Kuti, will feature Chicago's very own Ron Trent on the decks.
Gummy Soul artist "Amerigo Gazaway" combined Fela Kuti and De La Soul in a 30+ minute, hodgepodge of afrobeat rhythms and classic hip-hop. The American (Nashville, Tenn) producer uses samples from Fela‘s vast catalog and combined them with eight acapellas that span over a fifteen years of De La Soul classics.
Redman, MF DOOM and Gorillaz also made the cut. For more head over to Gummy Soul
Asa, is a Paris-based Nigerian singer-songwriter. Her newest album 'Beautiful Imperfection" was released earlier this year, and is as sweet mix of retro soul, reggae, 60s girl group sounds and more. Genre hopping and genre defying. 'Why Cant We Be' and 'Be My Man' are endless summer grooves, while 'Fire on the Mountain' fuses a Trenchtown bounce, with deep conscious lyrics. Stay tuned, cos' we expect big things from this young artist.
Azonto Dance is a form of dance that originated from the southern parts of Ghana in the early parts of the 2000s. The dance mainly involves moving of all the joints in your body in a rhythmic fashion without taking any or very little steps. Just like most African dances bending your knees and hip movements are rudiments to learning it. The dance has evolved with the fast pace dance culture of modern West Africa. A closer observation of the various performers also reveal break dance moves being incorporated to it and the skinny jeans/tight shirts movement being adapted to it also.
Another scorcher! AFRODISIAC returns Saturday, September 10 with Top Donn on the ones and twos and your host Aurelien PV. The longest running African party in Chicago! The weather is a bit cool.... perfect for dance floor heat!
Nigeria's own BET award winner "D'banj" is the newest artist signed to Kanye's GOOD Music record label. D'banj is considered one of the biggest Artists in Africa with so many hit songs produced by Don Jazzy. Don Jazzy is also considered one of the biggest producers in Africa. He recently produced the song titled "Lift off" on the "Watch The Throne" album featuring Jay-Z and Kanye West.
Kanye West Surprise Performance With D’Banj
D'Banj talks business with UK's own Tim Westwood
Some of D'banj's biggest videos are listed below;
D'Banj - Fall In Love
Mr Endowed Remix - D'Banj ft. Snoop Dogg
D'Banj BET Special - Welcome to America (Part 1 of 2)
D'Banj BET Special - Welcome to America (Part 2)
For more information on Dbanj: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D'banj
August 25th was an amazing night at The Shrine! Hypnotic Brass Ensemble made their hometown return and absolutely tore up the stage. Five years of relentless playing and touring have made these guys bulletproof! Mad skillz on the mic, too. Don't sleep if they come to your town.
The second born of twelve children to Nigerian émigrés in London, Siji spent much of his early childhood in Lagos and London before coming to the US to further pursue his musical ambitions. His own cultural heritage combined with the political and social movements of the age, exposed young Siji to the insurgent, politicized music of the Afrobeat legends Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Tony Allen as well as the soulful grooves of Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and Otis Redding. His parents, in particular, his father, loved music, but like most children of hardworking immigrants, Siji was urged by them to pursue a career in the professional fields of medicine or law. But the lure of the music was too strong. In the nineties, when London was bursting at the seams with new music and groups like Loose Ends, Soul II Soul, and D-Influence dominated the scene, Siji’s attention was captured and he began to follow his passion for making and recording his own music.
After completing a Masters degree in Engineering Product Design, the self-taught piano, percussion and acoustic bass player released an EP, "Facets" followed by the single "My Lover's Embrace" on his own label IVY Records in 1996. These releases garnered much respect and admiration on the influential London underground music scene, gave Siji credibility as an artist, and eventually led to a lucrative worldwide publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. His youth and inexperience made him open himself up to all possibilities in his music, but it also lead him to sign a deal that he would find limiting to his creativity.
With the publishing deal under his belt, Siji relocated to New York and performed in renowned venues—SOB’s, Bam Café and Joe's Pub. He has worked with a number of producers, but it is his collaboration with Osunlade, who produced music for Musiq Soulchild, Eric Benet, and classic R&B vocalist Patti Labelle, that fostered in Siji a love of production. He has contributed songwriting and production talent to projects for Salif Keita, Cesaria Evora, Vinia Mojica and Wunmi. Along with those skills, Siji brought with him the immediate feedback and positive energy of the live performance into the studio, creating songs that would eventually make up his debut album God-Given (BBE Records, 2004).
The album gives the listener the inspired reminiscences of the soul greats as well as traditional, Yoruba instruments, rhythms, and intricate drum patterns. Siji’s distinct vocals are an organic complement to the sound. His self-titled newest work, ‘Adesiji’, was mostly recorded in Baltimore, a city Siji suggests is “trapped in time.” The songs he wrote and recorded there too are soulful, but capture the mood of a seasoned artist. Siji’s recent collaboration with New York based producer/DJ Alix Alvarez, yielded the crowd pleasing, dance floor hit, ‘Irinajo.’ Sung in its entirety in his native tongue Yoruba, ‘Irinajo’ (“Journey”), is about the eventful journey of life. The album also features collaborations with DJ/Producer’s King Britt and Rich Medina.
Siji’s father opened up his debut album, (‘Oriki’). For Siji, it is “like a stamp of approval.” Although Siji does not consider himself an activist, he does sing about love, freedom, and self-empowerment. In this way, his music does inspire us to act—to observe, to love, to sing, and most of all to dance.
DJ Bonsu hipped us to this site. Listen to the newest African jamz, watch videos, get news and info on your favorite artists. Tons and tons of music on the site. With a search-able database, you can spend all day here! Available for your smart phone as well. Check it out! TRUSPOT
The great and rare Buffet Hotel De La Gare from the Rail Band – amazing Mali music from a most pivotal and groundbreaking time in the group's early history – and some its best! At this point, the group was essentially the house band at the Buffet Hotel De La Gare – blending traditional Mandingo melodies and instrumentation with boundary free jazz and funk. Truly amazing work!
A pivotal piece of Mali music history – the first LP by The Rail Band – the Orchestre Rail-Band de Bamako album from 1970! This legendary material comes from their early days from their time at the Station Hotel of Bamako and were sponsored by Mali's Ministry Of Information – modernizing traditional Mali music and combining it with cross cultural soul, Latin percussion and more – paving the way for Afro Soul and funk to come.
Can't hardly wait! Going to be a mind blowing show. The Chicago Return of Hypnotic Brass. Let's hope that the eldest member of the family, Phil Cohran, takes the stage with his sons. You can draw a straight line from Sun Ra and members Earth Wind and Fire, alongside Cohran, to the Hypnotic Brass both literally and biologically, as well as spiritually. They are completing work on a new album with Flea and Tony Allen among others. They have been touring and recording all over the world since leaving Chicago nearly five years ago.
You may remember that the title cut from this soundtrack LP was included on Tough Jazz One! DJ 'Cosmic' Clark Quente. That cut alone merits the purchase. Deep deep afro spiritual jazz. Have had the "Black Goddess" soundtrack for a number of years, though it's from Brasil, so it's called "A Deusa Negra". (See below) Scarcely turns up, though you can pick one up on Mercado Livre right now.
Or spend less. Soundway just re-issued it! BUY IT.
The Re-issue
Soundway Records are proud to present the original soundtrack to Ola Balogun’s legendary movie ‘Black Goddess’ from 1978. The film was written and directed by Balogun (recognized as one of Nigeria’s most renowned directors) but shot and cast in Brazil.
The soundtrack, Soundway’s deepest venture into experimental afro-jazz, was composed and produced by one of Nigeria’s most successful and original musicians Remi Kabaka (who has played with Steve Winwood, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney and Ginger Baker amongst others).
The record was originally issued in both Nigeria and Brazil, but recorded in Lagos, using four of the Nigerian music scene’s most innovative players: Remi Kabaka himself, alongside Biddy Wright, saxophonist Dele Okonkwo and Mono Mono frontman Joni Haastrup.
The resulting soundtrack created by these prestigious musicians is a truly unique and experimental afro-jazz recording that has been out of print for many years, until now.
“One of the finest moments in Nigeria’s experimental Afro-jazz scene – at least until Soundway unearth a better one.” Time Out
A pop-up artist brings Brazilian and South African foods to Chicago.
By Heather Shouse
If a want ad for an aspiring chef were honest, it would read, “Cook needed. Low pay, long hours, brutal conditions. Fame highly unlikely.” Now let’s say it read, “Cook needed. Decent pay, you set the hours, you create the conditions. Adoration commensurate with execution.” In that case, that’s an ad for a chef at a pop-up restaurant, and the job is already Jeremy Brewington’s.
“Pop-ups are the perfect combination of my experiences,” Brewington says. “From catering and private cheffing, I know how to make things happen in a place that’s not mine, and from travel and research I can be creative.” That’s precisely why Dodo’s Kim Dalton tapped him to bring pop-ups to her brunch spot. During Dodo’s Damen Avenue days, Brewington was brought in to launch dinner, but after that iteration of Dodo closed in 2007, the Minneapolis native took a job as the private chef for the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity at the Illinois Institute of Technology (yes, IIT has frats). “I didn’t know much about fraternities when I started, but now I feel like family,” Brewington says. “I can’t imagine any chef disliking this job. Good pay, good hours and complete freedom in summer to pursue other projects.”
That includes pop-ups, which Brewington launched in early June at the new Dodo on Fulton Market with “Quincho & Botequim,” where he served Argentinian and Brazilian snacks (salt cod fritters; empanadas) alongside Quinones and Brana beer. He spent the following two weeks researching his latest incarnation, Potjiekos Café, named for a type of cast-iron pot common in South Africa. “There are Dutch, British, Indian, you-name-it influences [in South African food], and there’s really no representation in Chicago,” he says. Grilled meats (known as braai), jerkylike beef strips (biltong), spicy babotie custard casserole, umfino greens braised with ground peanuts and fresh ginger…as word of these dishes spread, the Wednesday-through-Saturday pop-up grew so popular that even a busted A/C—which gave Dodo Kalahari-like conditions—couldn’t keep diners, particularly South African ones, away. And so Potjiekos has been extended through August 13th. After that, Brewington’s frat-chef gig starts. But he’s confident this won’t be the end of his pop-up career. “This is the perfect idea for a restless person,” he says. “Yes, it’s a flash in the pan, but that’s the point: Execute good food for a very precise moment, and then you move on.”
70s psychedelia from the northeastern state of Pernambuco, Brazil – incredible stuff that combines rawly percussive tropical sounds with a world of psychedelic creativity and possibilities – one of the best compilations ever put together by Mr Bongo! Lula Cortes was a pivotal figure in the scene and he's pretty well represented here, including his influential recordings with Ze Remalho. Even more exciting, though, is the stuff we've never been fortunate enough to hear before now – and there's a pretty good deal of it! The fusion of global psyche and folk sounds into a distinctly Brazilian sound is nothing short of amazing – regional and traditional percussion underneath sitars, lutes, keyboards and more. It features songs by the great Lula Cortes & Ze Ramalho, Geraldo Azevedo & Alceu Valenca, Marconi Notaro, Flaviola E O Bando Do Sol and The Gentleman.
Rare Afro psych funk from Nigeria – the one-and-only single ever cut by Stoneface & Life Everlasting as a group, even though the members are largely made up of Nigerian scene veterans – an incredible 45! "Love Is Free" is totally killer. It's got some raw electric guitar and funky percussion, blending Afro Funk and global psychedelia in a way that's really not a whole lot like anything we've heard before. The electric guitar helps kick this one into the stratosphere, and the gritty vocals are great, too. "Agawalam Mba" on the flip might be even more amazing, with this rumbing funky bottom end that serves an insistent guitar groove – but the growly lead and group shout backup vocals drive it just as heavily. Amazing stuff – one of the greatest records yet reintroduced via Academy & Voodoo Funk – even if it is just a 45! (Limited to 1000 copies. Bound to disappear quickly, too. . . don't sleep on this one!)
