Video: Illume Sessions Features Rwandan MC Shad K

December 6, 2011 2 Comments

Check out this short documentary series by Illume Creative Studio featuring Shadrach Kabango AKA Shad K AKA The Old Prince when he came home to Rwanda to perform at the Kigali UP! Music Festival in September. The Rwandan-born, Canadian-raised hip hop artist talks about the power of art to create change in the African context, and even performs a lil freestyle for the folks. We’re happy to see this mad lyricist on the streets of Kigali, giving us a unique peep at the city.

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Audio: Somi Releases “Live at Jazz Standard” (Album Preview)

August 8, 2011 Leave a comment

Our fellow Brooklyninte, Somi, who was born to parents from Rwanda and Uganda, debuts her first live album, Live at Jazz Standard, a ten-track collection of new African soul and jazz which was taped over two nights (live, obvs) at the Jazz Standard in New York City. (The house was sold out both nights, by the way.) The compilation, which includes original tracks done in English and three different East African languages, also pays tribute to musicians like Bob Marley and Abbey Lincoln with soulful covers of “Waiting in Vain” and “Should’ve Been.” Like any good live album, this effort takes you to the front row of a Somi show – capturing the passion, grace, and strength of her performance.  Check it out for yourself, in stores and online.  For more on Somi, check out the Revivalist’s feature story.

Listen to the Live at Jazz Standard album preview:
Wallflower Blues by somimusic

 

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Audio: Tanya Auclair’s releases latest EP “Origami”

June 16, 2011 Leave a comment

We like to keep our promises here at okayafrica, and last month we promised to let you know when the incomparable Tanya Auclair would release her new EP Origami. Well, we’re here to tell you that not only has the EP been released, but it’s FREE to download… assuming you aren’t the 1,001st person to try. That’s right, the EP is free for the first 1,000 downloaders.

This new release is more experimental than her previous EP.  The style as a whole is minimalist but the singing is robust on all three tracks, and Auclair’s voice switches from one mode to the next in a matter of seconds. To call Origami experimental would be an understatement, but the collage of sounds never feels alien enough to remove the listener from its trance inducing power. There’s a good chance that you haven’t heard anything this original in a long time, so I wouldn’t wait too long to start downloading.

Download Origami here.

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Video: Tanya Auclair’s “Gabriel”

May 31, 2011 Leave a comment

Musical world traveler and Okayafrica favorite, Tanya Auclair, is all set to release her latest EP, Origami, June 13th. We’ll be sure to give you more info on her new project as it comes in, but for the time being we can offer you a sample of her experimental musical style. In this video Ms. Auclair reworks “Gabriel,” a two-step song originally recorded by Roy Davis Jr. and Peven Everett. Auclair strips down the original’s rhythmic sound and turns it into a folksy ballad that showcases all of the musical styles she’s picked up in her career, from Rwanda to London. The new version isn’t as dance-friendly as the original, but her bare bones treatment reveals the soulful lyrics that were overshadowed by the original’s heavy bass and synthesizer.

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Audio: A-Scholars “Live at Café Haag” Live album

October 18, 2010 Leave a comment

a scholars live at cafe haag front cover

Lost and found. That is how I would describe this important piece of music by the A-Scholars, who are comprised of  Carlo Wagner (keys), Hagen Neye (bass guitar), Timm Schreiner (drums) and Mishoo The Drumkit (yup, that’s me). To make a long story short: Live at Café Haag was recorded on the 20th of January 2006. Back then we used to have a session once a week, played a couple of gigs and were even offered to play a tour in Germany. However, around this time we all were focused on our studies and I moved to East Germany and later to Finland. Live at Café Haag shows only a fragment of what we did and I believe that each one of us shares the same thought: we’ve got to sit down, write and record an album. Enjoy!

A-Scholars “Live at Café Haag” (live album) by Mishoo

Download link and track list after the jump… Read More »

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Audio: Tanya Auclair Presents Thrum

July 20, 2010 2 Comments


Thrum is the debut solo EP from London based singer/ songwriter Tanya Auclair. Originally from Rwanda and Canada, she explores her own very particular take on growing up an imaginary world traveler, realizing love doesn’t come with an instruction manual, and the finer points of staying ahead of one’s own driving forces, in this paired down and experimental EP, Thrum.  Tanya says of its origins “A road-trip round Sweden set this fever off in me. Initially it was an experiment, taking some of my favourite things about music – primal rhythms, loads of vocal harmonies and straight-up melodies – and it turned into its own little beast, making me dig deeper, to where everything thrums.”  Listen to “Thrum” below, and click here to download the entire EP for FREE!

Thrum

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