Rocket Juice and The Moon, the supergroup comprised of Blur/Gorillaz/DRC Music‘s Damon Albarn, legendary Africa 70 drummer Tony Allen and Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ bassist Flea, have released the first tune off their upcoming self-titled LP (due 3/26 on Albarn’s Honest Jon’s imprint). “Hey Shooter” combines horn-flanked afrobeat drums and slap bass with space-age weirdness vox from Erykah Badu. Stream it over at Pitchfork.
BBC Radio 6 is now airing The Afrobeat Revolutionary, a documentary on musical pioneer, political activist and all-around icon Fela Kuti. The program, narrated by Neneh Cherry, draws on recollections from Fela’s closest friends, family and “star” fans including Seun Kuti, Tony Allen, and Damon Albarn. Stream Afrobeat Revolutionary in its entirety below.
For our West Coasters: catch FELA! the musical in San Francisco up ’til Dec. 11 and Los Angeles starting Dec. 14. Grab tickets here and follow/add FELA! for updates on the show’s upcoming stops!
Stream: The Afrobeat Revolutionary
We’ve kept you up to date on the story behind DRC Music, Damon Albarn‘s collective of producers who went to Kinshasa, DRC and recorded an album with local musicians over the course of five days. Previously available as a digital download, Kinshasa One Two, was released today on CD and Deluxe Vinyl. The physical release has three additional tracks and a dope 20 page booklet.
To hear a track from the album go here. Purchase the album here. All proceeds go to Oxfam’s work in the DRC.
Last month we brought you some of the brilliant reincarnations of Amadou & Mariam‘s “Sabali” (the original was produced and co-written by Damon Albarn). Well, here’s another one. It’s a remix by Grey X Sage featuring Theophilus London (seen here in South Africa) of all people. If you can’t get enough of Amadou & Mariam, download their entire Remixes album that came out this year.
In 2005 two French filmmakers stumbled upon a group of disabled street musicians in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo who called themselves Staff Benda Bilili (translation: “Look Beyond Appearances”). The filmmakers were immediately drawn to the band’s yearning to transcend societal standards and their capacity to endure the harsh realities of a war-ravaged country on the heels of a new beginning. They immediately began documenting what would become a five year odyssey following the band’s struggles and accomplishments, culminating into what has become a well-received documentary that opened at the Cannes Film Festival last year.
With their tricked-out tricycles, handmade instruments constructed out of trash and the Kinshasa city zoo as their backdrop, Benda Bilili’s story alone is enough to garner international intrigue. But its their music — which has roots in traditional Congolese folk and rumba-Soukous dance — that has captivated people all around the world. Harboring strong messages of hope, tolerance, and community action, the group have played a pivotal role in ushering in a new era of peace within the DRC. Yet, their statements resonate far beyond Congolese borders, as Bena Bilili’s ability to overcome their social status and physical ailments serves as an inspiration to anyone who has encountered the modern day struggles of today’s world, large and small.
Benda Bilili! is now playing at select theaters worldwide. For a preview of their magic, take a look at the music video for “Polio” below.
For more music from Congo, check out Damon Albarn‘s DRC Music project.
As we’ve told you, for the DRC Music project Damon Albarn, Dan the Automator, Jneiro Jarel and others travelled over to Congo to record an album in 7 days. So it’s not much of a surprise that the first official video for Kinshasa One Two lead-single “Hallo” shows footage of the producers, well, traveling over to Congo and recording an album. We get plenty Kinshasa-street clips here with additional peeks into the studios Damon and company used to record with local artists like Tout Puissant Mukalo and Nelly Liyemge, who both lend their voices to “Hallo.” Kinshasa One Two is available digitally now.
We’ve been talking about this one for a while — for Kinshasa One Two Damon Albarn enlisted a crew of producers, including Dan the Automator and Jneiro Jarel, to travel down to the Democratic Republic of Congo and record an album in 5 days with local musicians.
Released under the collective moniker DRC Music, all proceeds from sales will go towards helping Oxfam‘s work in the ailing country. The album is available in CD edition with an accompaniying 12-page booklet and deluxe LP with booklet and “14 x 300 x 300mm art cards housed in their own presentation sleeve.”
Stream three album tracks below. Buy Kinshasa One Two now from Warp Records/Oxfam!
DRC Music – Kinshasa One Two (see http://drcmusic.org ) by DRC Music
TRACKLIST
1. Hallo featuring Tout Puissant Mukalo and Nelly Liyemge - listen now above
2. K-Town featuring N’Gotshima and Bebson
3. African Space Anthem (A.S.A) featuring Ewing Sima of Tout Puissant Mukalo
4. Love featuring Love
5. Lingala featuring Bokatola System and Evala Litongo - listen now above
6. Lourds featuring Yende Bongongo of Okwess International
7. Respect Of The Rules featuring Loi X Liberal
8. We Come From The Forest featuring Bokatola System
9. Customs featuring Bokatola System
10. Virginia featuring Magakala Virginia Yollande and Yowa Hollande
11. Ah Congo featuring Jupiter Bokondji and Bokatola System - listen now above
12. Three Piece Sweet part 1 & 2 featuring Bebson
13. If You Wish to Stay Awake featuring Washiba
14. Departure featuring Bokatola System
Amadou & Mariam practice ‘patience’ as their song, “Sabali,” produced and co-written by Damon Albarn (above), is sampled and remixed by countless other musicians (youtube it, we dare you). Artists including Miike Snow, Paul Epworth and the collabo of Nas and Damian Marley have all drawn inspiration from the Malian duo – which begs the question: is there a better song in all the world? Or if that assertion makes you uncomfortable then we ask: is there a better song in the world to listen to today? Mali’s Independence Day? The answer is “no.” Bye bye.
Watch a clip of the making of the song with Amadou, Mariam and Damon Albarn above. Take a listen to some versions of “Sabali” below:
Nas and Damian Marley:
Miike Snow:
Vitalic:
Paul Epworth:
Back in July we announced that Damon Albarn would put together a group of producers called DRC Music and set out for Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo to record and sample Congolese musicians – well, he knocked it out of the park and the album, Kinshasa One Two, is available for pre-order today.
DRC Music collaborated with over 50 local Congolese artists, including Jupiter and the Okwess International, Bokatola System and Nelly Liyemge to record the entire album in under one week – 5 days to be exact. Proceeds from the album, set to be released digitally on October 3rd by Warp Records, will benefit the local performers as well as Oxfam’s work in Congo.
DRC Music is comprised of producers Actress, Dan The Automator, Jneiro Jarel, T-E-E-D (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs), Richard Russell, Marc Antoine, Alwest, Remi Kabaka, Rodaidh McDonald and Kwes. Take a sneak peek at their creative process in the trailer for the project above, and listen to some tracks off the new project below.
DRC Music – Kinshasa One Two (see http://drcmusic.org ) by DRC Music
Video: Rocket Juice & The Moon w/ Fatoumata Diawara and M.anifest Live
Here’s a live clip for another tune off the Tony Allen—Damon Albarn—Flea conglomerate project Rocket Juice & The Moon. “Follow-Fashion” plays like a horn-flanked afrobeat progression, featuring heavy slap bass from Flea, Damon on the vertical piano, sensuous croons from Mali’s Fatoumata Diawara and verses from Accra MC M.anifest. The performance was recorded at La Fiesta des Suds in Marseille, France last October. Watch it above and look out for the Rocket Juice & The Moon LP out 3/26 on Honest Jon’s.