Archive for category Afro Funk
Chico Mann – Live!
September 22 @ The Toff
You can forget about the obscure ‘grabs’ at the bottom of this poster… If you’re reading this blog you should already know who Antibalas are and you also know RayBan Wayfarers, Oakley Frogskins and kung-fu slippers are for chumps! No reference to ‘Casio’ or ‘the 303′ is gonna make me wanna go to a gig – quite the opposite actually. May as well just buy a daily and ride around on the 86! Motherfuckers at Urb Magazine and Flavorpill need to check their heads (because you look stupid!).
Anyway… Chico Mann. Do yourself a favour and check his blog, listen to his music and watch some of his recent film clips. Brother is heavy! chicomann.com
He’ll be performing with his band at the Toff in Town later this month. It should be a fantastic show. To put it simply: Real music for real people.
Check the poster for more info and ticketing details. Special guests Chris Gill and DJ Manchild will be in the house.
Holy shit, it’s a long way down from my high horse, especially for a bitter old man.
Right Click, 1-2, 1-2…
Posted by Rex in Afro Funk, DJ Mix (Downloads), Fresh stock on May 3rd, 2010
By-products of the Timeless Series:
Quantic presents ADDIS to AXUM Mix
Northside has been a fan of Quantic’s explorations of African music for a long time now. In some ways we can thank Quantic for helping bring Mulatu to Melbourne for the first time this week. Here’s a hot little link to a recent posting of a super Quantic DJ set featuring some of the best Ethiopian music the west has uncovered so far!
Check it, DOWNLOAD HERE: exclusive-quantic-mulatu-show-mix
The Timeless Concert Series wasn’t just a series of stunning performances. All the shows were framed by our favorite DJs. From Madlib to J.Rocc to DJ Nuts and more. Cut Chemist even raised the bar with a one turntable romp!
For the Mulatu show, Quantic brought along something very special .
In 2004 Quantic, Miles Cleret and B+ went to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia to find records and meet with Mulatu Astatke. It was there and then the first thoughts of bringing Mulatu to LA were hatched. So it was fitting that Quantic came to LA to DJ for Mulatu and brought with him records almost all found on that first unique trip.
Ethiopia has many musical traditions indeed not all of them have made it to vinyl. But those chunks of plastic contain some secrets that you really have to go to Addis to find. Trawling ebay is never the same as a trip to East Africa.
Quantic made that trip. And at the Luckman Theater on February 1st, 2009 he buckled everyone in, and took us on a one hour flight back. Here is his DJ set in its entirety. Don’t be alarmed by the crackle, that’s what 30 plus year old records sound like.
Quantic and Mulatu records and CDs instore at Northside. I hear Chris even has a couple of autographed Mulatu LPs up his sleeve. Lean on him.
Lagos Disco Inferno
Posted by Rex in Afro Funk, Fresh stock, Recent releases, Record of the Month on April 13th, 2010
Believe the Hype
WOW! This record and the dedication that has gone into making it happen is amazing. In doing a little research for this release, I’ve found one of the best things on the web! Check out the VOODOO FUNK blog. The info, pics and love here is hard to beat.
From the press release:
Compiled by Frank Gossner of Voodoofunk.com, this record contains 12 tracks that represent the sound of Lagos in the late 1970s.
Dean Disi (Music Journalist and formerly Director of Lagos based label TYC Records) wrote the liner notes for this album: ”It was the era of sheer ecstasy. The music not only represents the vibrancy of youthful expressionism of the time but is also deeply rooted in African rhythm though not traditional in phraseology… This collection of songs marks the development of Nigerian urban pop culture… There was diametric difference in the music of the discos and the music play by the groups. Disco music as played by the DJs was essentially western. The fans could connect with this easily. It was hip, urban and stimulating. The young Nigerian groups were hooked on it and tried to play it but with a distinctive African stamp of their own.”
Some of the artists on this record were stars of their times while others remained in obscurity.
And here is what makes Nigerian Disco so special:
Lagos by the 1970s was a huge metropolitan city. Due to the oil boom, there was money to be made with music and nightlife and big international record labels like EMI, Decca and Philips had set up their recording studios that for a big part got equipped with vintage hardware handed down from their European franchises. So as the sound of the late 70s and early 80s in Europe and in the US got more and more modern and from todays point of view just plain shitty, overloaded with ugly sounding Roland keyboards, the sound of Lagos was dominated by powerful horn sections, heavy drums and percussion instruments. There’s plenty of early Moog synthesizers but no synth-generated strings or fake horns.
EMI’s house producer Emmanuel Odenusi had worked with Fela for many years, defining the sound of Afrobeat. Kayode Salami who produced another couple of tracks on this album also was responsible for the incredible sound of the famous debut LP by Psych-Rock group Ofege.
Lagos, a uniquely vibrant, gritty, energetic and sometimes quite dangerous tropical metropolis has always been much more than just a city. A state of mind where third world poverty met the oil boom, where African traditions clashed with Western decadence.
Make no mistake, this stuff will have you dance in a feverish rush in no time.
Side 1: DORIS EBONG - Boogie Trip 5:28 GEALDO PINO - African Hustle 5:25 GROTTO - Bad City Girl 5:34
Side 2: POGO LTD. - Don’t Put Me Down 4:37 ASIKO ROCK GROUP - Everybody Get Down 8:17 PARADISE STARS - Boogie Train 5:31
Side 3: DORGU - Rover Man 4:37 MFB - Boredom Pain 5:06 ESSIEN - Take Life Easy 4:14 TIROGO - Dancing Machine 4:03
Side 4: BLO – Root 3:24 NANA LOVE - Hang On 14:45
-
-
You are currently browsing the archives for the Afro Funk category.
