Video: Art Melody ‘L’eben Est Dans Le Noir’

October 24, 2011 2 Comments

New found-footage clip from innovative Burkinabé rapper Art Melody for “L’eben Est Dans Le Noir.” The piano-looped track, produced by frequent beat collaborator Redrum, has an uneasy yet luring nature that’s only doubled by the early cartoon representations of Africans used for the video. The song’s title roughly translates to the ebony is in the dark — inspired by Sarkozy‘s infamous speech in Dakar in which the French president stated that Africa is “outside” history. Art Melody’s Zound Zandé LP is available now on iTunes.

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Audio: Analog Africa’s Raw Sounds From Burkina Faso

September 8, 2011 Leave a comment

We’ve been fans of German-based revisionist record label Analog Africa for a minute now. The AA crew basically dig deep into the depths of the mother continent to dust off forgotten, and often unknown, musical gems.

For their 10th release, they’ve put together Bambara Mystic Soul: The Raw Sound of Burkina Faso 1974-1979, a compilation of jams from the golden era of Burkinabé music. In the label’s own words:

“The raw sound of Burkina Faso combined Afro-Funk, traditional Islamic rhythms and subtle Afro-Latin sounds brought over by visiting Cuban ensembles. Mandingue melodies and guitar techniques from Mali and Guinea, however, were by far the most defining traits of” the period’s Burkinabé style.” (AA)

The compilation explores one of Africa’s most obscure sounds and showcases a wide range of  acts to come out of Ouagadougou and its surroundings, amongst them l’Orchestre Super Volta, Afro-Soul System, and L’Harmonie Voltaïque.

Bambara Mystic Soul: The Raw Sound of Burkina Faso 1974-1979 drops October 10 via Analog Africa. Hear album-featured cut “Renouveau” by Amadou Ballaké et Les 5 Consuls below.

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Video + Audio: Art Melody’s “Béog Kamba” & “Kienrib Laadamain”

July 6, 2011 Leave a comment

It’s hard to categorize a rapper like Art Melody. If pressed I’d say he’s like a Burkinabé DMX, but that comparison ends at their rapid fire bursts of throaty lyrics. Art Melody raps almost exclusively in Móoré and Dioula, and as a result his flow is rough but alacritous. He uses his guttural voice to address social and political issues that plague his native land and he frequently laces tracks with speeches on colonialism and Burkinabé politics.

Art Melody’s latest album, Zound Zande, takes the artist on an eclectic musical journey that marries a number of West African musical traditions with old school, boom-bap hip-hop beats and funk. Production was provided by French producer Redrum (how the hell is he the first guy to snatch up that name?) and Dave Cooley of Stones Throw Records. The two singles we’ve presented here show the wide range of sounds that Melody was shooting for.

The first single, “Béog Kamba,” reflects a variety of influences. Art Melody raps in a style reminiscent of traditional African chants, while the beat itself is simultaneously booming and hypnotic. The video features psychedelic images of masked dancers, though the song is actually about education (watch the vid, above). Melody really lets loose on the album’s second single, a funky track called “Kienrib Laadamain.” I dare you to take a listen to that track and not play it back three more times…minimum (listen below).

Art Melody’s Zound Zande is available now on iTunes.

Kienrib Laadamain (prod. Redrum) 2011 by ART MELODY

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Video: OBC & Konkret 53 “African Soldiers”

August 17, 2010 Leave a comment

You do need to speak french to feel this track, “African Soldiers” by OBC & Konkret - lucky for you there are subtitles for the help out. The song doesn’t start till about the 1 minute mark, so if you aren’t a french speaker I recommend a fast fwd.  Before you can even read the subtitles, the beat will catch your attention.  With its heavy bass, you can do nothing but nod your head. This video, filmed by Magee McIlvaine, was shot in multiple neighborhoods throughout Ouagadougou (the capitol city of Burkina Faso in West Africa), exemplifying the different styles of the hardcore underground hip hop scene in this tiny West African nation. Each verse was shot in that artists’ respective neighborhood. And for all of you that might have gotten confused from the video – the A town down means Africa, not Atlanta.

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