South African jazz produced a couple genuine world stars in Hugh Masekela and in Dollar Brand/Abdullah Ibrahim. There were also some revered exile musicians in the form of the former Blue Notes Chris McGregor, Mongezi Feza, Johnny Dyani and Dudu Pukwana who moved to London and pioneered their very own brand of fiery free jazz as The Brotherhood of Breath (and in innumerable small groups) from the ‘60s. Never a Blue Note, and perhaps less inclined to the avant-garde, was drummer Julian Bahula, who carried on playing an authentic township dance-based groove for many years through a succession of bands Originally a star with the Malombo Jazz Men, that group transformed itself into Jazz Makers which is where this compilation picks up the story.
The Malombo Jazz Makers, which included flautist Philip Cindi invoking the traditional penny whistle sounds of the townships, and guitarist Lucky Ranku, were active in anti-apartheid cultural activity within South Africa and had been particularly aligned with the Black consciousness movement led by Steve Biko. As for many other creative and dissident South Africans, conditions became intolerable at home, and Bahula moved to London in the early ‘70s where he proceeded to become virtually synonomous with the anti-apartheid movement. His new group, Jabula, were seldom missing from the fundraisers of the day.
Luckily the music took a more melodic turn with Jabula, as two discs of township jazz and its emphasis on swinging rhythm could pall as a ‘listening’ experience. The more fusion-oriented Jabula material breaks up the tempo and mood. That said, it’s hard to find anything to fault here. This is direct, powerful music and a long overdue retrospective for a player who might’ve had a lucrative career as a session player, but chose to dedicate himself to the greater struggle of liberation.
A quick look at Discogs tells us that DJ Oil previously had a solo album out a few years back on Discograph, which totally passed this writer by. When I wondered why I realised I had pretty much given up on the trip-hop genre, which was so ubiquitous through the ‘90s and noughties, but fell off the radar as it became ever more ‘ambient’ and unchallenging. Well, this release should have said radar beeping furiously, because it’s anything but soporific mood music. DJ Oil has definitely put the ‘hop’ –hip-hop’s urban grittiness—back into trip-hop, while the trip is all about our lives now, more often a nightmare than a hazy escapist fantasy. This impression is conjured by his inventive use of rousing spoken-word passages, field recordings and an array of cool analogue and digital effects.
It turns out DJ Oil, Frenchman Lionel Corsini, was part of The Troublemakers, an acclaimed group who (uniquely) had albums out on both deep house label Guidance and legendary jazz label Blue Note. That tells you something of his affiliations to African-American music, and it’s this rootedness in that musical tradition that really sets this apart from other contemporary downtempo efforts. It has more to do with James Brown, Fela Kuti and John Coltrane than it does the chocolate-box confections that had seemed to sound the death-knell of the trip-hop genre (we won’t name names because we’re sure you’ve nodded off to them all yourselves), and it’s hard not to see the Black nationalist rhetoric as also a coded commentary on contemporary France in the light of recent events. This will keep its place in my boxes alongside contemporary downtempo beat-makers as diverse and brilliant as Madlib, Nightmares On Wax, Fredric Galliano and Boards of Canada.
Tokyo Dawn's incredible compilation series 'The Boogie' shows no signs of running out of steam with this, its 4th installment.
Somehow treading the fine line between nostalgic and futuristic, this lovingly chosen selection of tracks hangs together beautifully as an album. Highlights include an incredible opener featuring Omar and deftly remixed by in-demand producer Opolopo, as well as a truly modern soul ballad from Chacho Brodas. "Connecting the dots between early electro, hip hop and house, this compilation redefines boogie based on neon synths, soul chords and a decent portion of robot funk."
The LP is out on February 23rd on CD as well as digital. Until then, you can grab a preview right here:
Fela Kuti lives on. AIDS awareness organization Red Hot has partnered with cross-genre collaborators representing rock, hip-hop, Americana, and classical for the release of Fela Kuti compositions on Red Hot + Fela. The album features classic Fela anthems like "Lady" recorded by tUnE-yArDs, Questlove, Angelique Kidjo, and Akua Naru, "ITT" by Superhuman Happiness, "No Buredi" reimagined as an electro-house track by Nneka, Sinkane, Amayo, and "Afrodisco Beat 2013" by Tony Allen, M1 + Baloji. It also includes cover versions by Spoek Mathambo, Brittany Howard (from Alabama Shakes), the Kronos Quartet along with TV On The Radios' Kyp Malone and Tunde Adembimpe, and many more.
Baker Street is one of those labels which consistently delivers musically without ever creating much fuss or hype. Based in Leeds and run by Paul Hardy, Baker Street has spent half a decade popping out dancefloor gems tailored to the more discerning DJ.
Moodymanc, Sei A, Sasse, Lee Mortimer, Demarkus Lewis and many more stalwarts of the scene have appeared on the label, and to celebrate their birthday they are releasing a full length LP featuring brand new remixes of their finest tracks.
I was sent a 6 track sampler of the release, which is available from April 9th in all major download stores, and I'm happy to report that all of the mixes are very good indeed. In particular, look out for Paul Hardy & McKai's remix of Paul Hardy's 'Ninja Slipper', and Jay Shepheard's sublime remix of 'Dust' (also composed by Hardy).
I believe it's no coincidence that my two picks on the anniversary sampler are produced by the label boss himself. Freerange & Lost My Dog are just two examples of many great labels whose owners have created much of their most memorable output, and Baker Street fits into the same mold. There's something special about a small label run by a great producer; creativity happens more easily, artistic respect is mutual, and a unique style is naturally achieved.
So here's to Baker Street, and another five years of fine house music bearing the image of a certain fictional pipe-smoking gentleman.
Paul Hardy & McKai have produced a mix to accompany the album release, which is available to stream or download here:
Already a firm favourite with lovers of atmospheric underground music everywhere, the excellent Apollo label continues its prolific assault on the year 2012 with a full length LP from Polish producer Peluca. This dropped into our inbox in late January, and hasn't been off the office stereo since. For once, the often rather flowery description supplied by the label is entirely matched by the brilliance of the music. Here's what they have to say about the record:
"Intricate, analog percussion & lush, melodic soundscapes arc through "Modo" with the complexity & grace of a full blown symphony. The 60 minute debut album from Peluca is a genre-defying, label defining journey told in 9 tales-- each carefully engineered pinions of an overarching, interlocking world.."
Not much for us to add then, it would seem. This is truly a tour de force of electronic music production. Atmospheric, bleak and beautiful in equal measure, the LP contains a few dancefloor moments, but somehow manages to keep a sense of balance and composure from start to finish. This is only aided by the fact that included in the album package is a continuous DJ mix of the LP, which really helps to map the journey contained within the record; a must for any ipod (especially if travelling on a train at night). A special piece of work indeed- if only all producers took such care when putting together an album.
I was completely bowled over by the 6 track promo sampler for this, the debut Shades of Gray LP. Following my extremely positive feedback, the lovely folks at Beef Records were kind enough to send me a copy of the double CD album. It's rare that I get any kind of physical music through the post nowadays, and it makes the experience of sitting down for a listening session feel so much more special.
Before we move onto the music, let's get a bit of background on the duo themselves, taken from the label's press release:
"After 18 months of intense work in the studio Shades of Gray emerge with their debut album ‘Soul Machine’. The duo of Michal Schwa and Nick West have progressively established themselves over the years producing consistently solid tracks and remixes for labels such as Neurotraxx Deluxe, Om Records, Salted Music, Dark Energy, Tronicsole and of course their home label Beef Records on which ‘Soul Machine’ is released. Released as a 2 CD set, vinyl and digital download, ‘Soul Machine’ includes 11 original tracks and 11 remixes from an all-star cast including veterans The Timewriter, Jef K & Gwen Maze, Soul Minority, Fiord and Lexy (Lexy & K-Paul) as well as some of the hottest emerging producers such as Peter Horrevorts, Steve Ward, Uone, LuRob and Londonground."
Opening the double CD case I'm immediately confronted with the following quote in the inner casing: "Life is not black and white, it is the subtleties you find amongst the million shades of gray that makes you who you are".Pretty deep, conceptual stuff- the excitement which has stayed with me from the material I've already heard grows stronger as I load up both CDs and press play...
The thing which impresses me no end about 'Soul Machine' is the quality which oozes from every sound on the record. This is considered, clever production, with a huge amount of flair and originality which has been carefully sculpted into an album which is truly a treat for the ears. No corners have been cut here, no obvious samples used- in short there isn't one point in the whole LP where the producers are giving any less than 100%.
House LPs are always difficult to get right and Shades of Gray manage a perfect balance between dancefloor sensibility and the depth & musicality required for home listening. 'Drums Of The South', 'Crazee' & 'Midnight Lover' are instant classics, and the rest of the collection isn't half bad either...
The remixers for this project have been well chosen, I really wouldn't say there's a bad mix in the whole package. Highlights for me have to be The Timewriter's inspired mix of 'Drums Of The South', Peter Horrevorts' sublime version of 'Back To The Future' & Fiord's dreamy take on 'Higher Ground'.
Overall this is a really special package of music, brilliantly written, carefully crafted and elegantly presented. If even half the music I get sent was anywhere close to as good as this record, I would be a very happy man...
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