We’re not sure if it’s the smoky humility to Michael Kiwanuka’s voice or the lessons-we-wish-we-could-learn-already that fill his lyrics, but there is something irresistibly human to his music. The British/Ugandan soul crooner (who won BBC Sound of 2012) has launched an interactive video with wireWax for his song “Tell Me a Tale” that has a competition built in – find the star logo and you might win a signed Guitar.
On the tails of his disgustingly danceable LargeUp Mixtape Monday feature, J-Boogie (“SF’s Best Club DJ” according to SF Weekly and your favorite artists’ favorite opening act) is prepping the release of his latest album Undercover. In true J-Boogie fashion, the album combines the best and catchiest from genres as varied as classic soul to bhangra to dread bass.
On this “No Freedom” remix, the final single from the forthcoming collection, Kush Arora weaves dream-like horns under a steady stomping 808 for a club-ready burner while MC Zulu uses the uptempo jam to make a statement on freedom of speech and expression. We’re having a hard time not dancing to this one. Download and make your neck work.
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>>>Download: J-Boogie – No Freedom feat. Afrolicious & MC Zulu (Kush Arora Remix)
Originally, the FOKN Bois, made up of the duo of Wanlov the Kubolor (Ghana by way of Romania) and M3NSA (Ghana by way of England), wanted to put together a concept album about a day in the lives of two quirky boys growing up in Accra. Soon, however, they realized the theme was far too big to cover fully through music alone, so they opted instead to shoot a musical film. The product, Coz Ov Moni, is the first musical done entirely in the West African language of Pidgen (a mix of English and other languages), and stars the FOKN Bois.
It came out a few months ago, which was plenty of time for it to reach the eyes and ears of Kweku Ananse, a highlife and breakbeat DJ and producer living in Accra. Kweku took the soundtrack of the musical and laced it through much loved samples from the likes of Fela Kuti, Bilal and Thomas Mapfumo’s Hallelujah Chicken Run Band. The remixes are now available for free as the 8-track Coz Ov Moni – The Remix EP.
Download it here.
Western music listeners have a rather unfortunate habit of filing anything not from the United States or Western Europe under the banner of “world music.” Even in today’s climate of increasing globalization and transnational social interaction, breaking from this categorization and into the mainstream remains one of the toughest challenges for non-Western artists. Lately, however, a number of artists are breaking away first from the “world music” category and then from the “African musician” stigma that mainstream media so effortlessly tags them with. ABC News has the story on this new class of singers and emcees, which includes some familiar names like K’Naan and Nneka, emerging from the African Continent. Read the Full Article here.
Meta & The Cornerstones are on the verge. Led by the never-tiring Meta Dia, who is Senegalese and sings in a mixture of French, English, Wolof and Fulani, the Cornerstones, whose members hail from parts of Africa, North America, Asia and the Middle East, carry a sound that is a literal unification of the world’s musical experience. With a classic feel-good reggae sound that also channels the smoothness of soul, the political fire of hip-hop, and the energy of Afropop, the band has carved a niche for itself, especially here in New York City where they just announced a monthly residency at the 92Y Tribeca. The other day, National Geographic Music premiered the group’s first official video, featured above, shot in Meta’s hometown of Jaffa for the track “Somewhere in Africa.” This colorful masterpiece gets at the heart of Meta’s music – African inspired reggae goodness.
Not enough bass in your life these days? Look no further than the afro-beat and new wave inspired techno (or “post punk township tech” as the description reads) of South Africa’s Spoek Mathambo. Spoek, who is also a graphic and fashion designer of sorts, is leading a charge of new electronic music from the African continent, and you can hear (and see) it in the video for the single off his debut album Mshini Wam (which drops September 12th on BBE Records). Our friends over at Rephlektor Inkorporated supplied us with an audio preview of the title track, as well. Check it out below!
For the third and final installment of their critically acclaimed Next Stop… Soweto series, the good folks over at Strut records have decided to focus in on the South Africa’s rich, (but vastly under-recognized) history of jazz and be bop. Volume 3 concentrates on the tunes that survived the radio restrictions and police clampdowns of Apartheid, and, certainly, if these tracks were strong enough to survive cultural repression they can make it through the ringer of your tape deck.
Here’s a preview from the collection. Below, listen to “Joy” by Spirits Rejoice.
The kind folks over at Strut are also giving away a track for free. Download Dennis Mpale’s “Orlando,” a tribute to his township in South Africa. Next Stop… Soweto Vol. 3 is in stores now. Above, watch the preview trailer featuring some amazing album art.
Spend five minutes on this site and chances are that you’ll have already learned a new name or artist to keep a watch on. Hopefully, you’ve been making room on your hard drive because here’s another artist to check out. Fans of African music will already be familiar with the epic Appietus – we say epic because he’s been producing hit after hit of contemporary highlife music for more than a decade. The Ghanian producer recently chose 14 tracks that he’s done with some of the biggest names in highlife music (our favorite songs feature the likes of Reggie Zippy, Mike Essabel, Old Sodja and more) for a compilation that makes a great soundtrack for those backyard grill-outs and rooftop drink-ups that make summer the best season of all. Props to our friends over at Akwaaba music for hipping us to this one.
The album is available on bandcamp and iTunes, but they’re giving this track away for free, entitled “Ghana Lady” by Appietus featuring Mframa. Listen below, and then download free.
The list of accomplishments that Akim Funk Buddha, the Zimbabwe-raised entertainer, has built up over the years is mind-boggling: a Fringe NYC Outstanding Choreography Award; appearances on Letterman and Sesame Street; and choreography, direction and production credits for handfuls of national tours, residencies and one-offs. No list, it seems, could be much longer – but then one realizes that all those accomplishments are the products of his vast array of talents, including everything from break dancing to rapping (together, he and his brother claim to be one of the first African hip-hop groups to release an EP in the United States) to drumming to Mongolian throat singing to Shaolin Kung-Fu to acro-aerial dancing to, yes, you guessed it, human statue and body balancing. Watch his reel above for a sense of the man’s many talents, then follow me after the jump for more. Read More
Video: Somalia’s Faarrow Mash Up Gotye & J. Cole
From Somalia by way of Toronto by way of Atlanta comes Faarrow a pair of singing and songwriting sisters with a taste for vocal mash-ups. Check out the debut video of the sisters covering Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” (no, you’re not tired of that song yet, trust us) seasoned with some of J.Cole‘s “Can’t Get Enough”. You’ll be singing along in no time.