world
Album Review: Innov Gnawa – Lila; Immersive World-Soul on Daptone
Daptone, the home of soul and funk, is one of those labels whose judgement you can trust- when they’re onto something you just know it’s going to deliver. News of their release of Innov Gnawa’s debut album ‘LILA’ on April 30th may seem a bit leftfield given that the band are dedicated explorers of the …
Track: Mind Maintenance – ‘The Ladder’: Chicago legends Joshua Abrams and Chad Taylor bring percussive African contemplation
IF YOU’RE at all a follower of the Chicago music scene that erupted in so many directions back at the turn of the century, then the rhythmic adepts Chad Taylor and Joshua Abrams will probably need no introduction; given how, they were so deeply woven into intelligent, seminal albums by the Chicago Underground Trio and all its various …
See: The video for Mind Maintenance’s ‘Glow & Glimmer’: Chicago’s Chad Taylor and Joshua Abrams step out for some exceedingly cool world-jazz melodicism
TAKE one of the finest and most intuitive leftfield jazz rhythm sections of past decades, Chicago drummer Chad Taylor and bassist Joshua Abrams, who between them amass waay over a couple hundred performance credits to their name on Discogs for artists such as the Chicago Underground Trio and all its various spiralling iterations, Brokeback, Sam …
See: Toumani Diabate & The London Symphony Orchestra release video for ‘Hainamady Town’
Collaborations between improvising musicians and orchestras sometimes reveal nothing but a culture clash. The performances can sound disjointed and fragmented, the musical equivalent of cut and paste. But when Toumani Diabate, the kora maestro, and his band of eminent Malian musicians shared the Barbican stage with the London Symphony Orchestra back in 2008, the connection …
See: Florence Adooni releases new video for glorious new single ‘Mam Pe’ela Su’ure’
Need to raise those spirits? Here’s a gorgeous ray of Frafra gospel warmth to help you head for brighter days. Florence Adooni has been revered as one of the leading vocalists in North Ghana for some time now but she’s also been pushing boundaries as one of the key contributors to the vibrant roots-fusion sounds …
Album Review: Femi Kuti + Made Kuti – Legacy +
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no afrobeat scholar, but there’s something undeniably enticing about a double album calling itself Legacy+ that’s attached to the Kuti name. I don’t even think this is necessarily limited or limiting, either, because the work of Fela Kuti is something that you’re likely aware of even if …
SEE: Monsieur Minimal – ‘Easteria’: the new sound of Greek psych
WELL, wow. If you haven’t fallen into the world of Monsieur Minimal, that’s quite the place to go for a sun-kissed visit. He’s outta Greece with a really pretty entrancing take on psych-pop; there’s a little bit of summer easy listening in there, powerpoppery à la say, Todd Rundgren; a whole whack of Khruangbinesque Eastern …
TRACK: Field Works – ‘La’ali’: Arabic poetry and cosmic Americana preludes ninth instalment in the series
FIELD WORKS is less a band, more a collective exploration of the various musics that cross over and find each other out on the edges of their respective stylistic disciplines, fuse, enter the wider sphere of the ambient. It’s all helmed by Indianapolis producer Stuart Hyatt, who began the series – the forthcoming album is …
SEE: The video for XIXA’s ‘Eclipse’: Tucson barrio sextet go back to their roots
FOLLOWING on down that seductive, dusty road from their previous singles, September’s “Genesis of Gaea” and late October’s “May They Call Us Home”, Tucson’s TexMex rock fusioneers XIXA have dropped the video for “Eclipse”, another instalment from next month’s album, Genesis. You can watch below. It’s a rousing tune, showcasing a poppier end to the …
Track: Bossa Bandits Share Their Joyful And Infectious Track – The Memories Are Kind
London based latin crossover band – Bossa Bandits have shared their first track, ‘The Memories are Kind’ which is the first track to be release from their forthcoming Album ‘All true stories’ With vocals that bring an echo of summer to these snow tinged days, theres no escaping the latin inspired beats and laid back …