WorldBeatUK (13th Show) - Broadcast Notes (25/5/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Glyn Phillips Rhubarb Vampisoul Chico Trujillo La Big Landin Palmeras Kanibales Hamilton Loomis Roger Innis Jamie Little Sondorgo Lena Kovacevic Joanne Vance Sexto Sentido Olufemi Hijaz Va Fan Fahre Zephyrus Ieye Yeska Gypsy Sound System Strut
WBUK13 (25/5/11) Show Notes
1 “Intro-Mat” (1:47) - Matchatcha - ‘Nyekesse’ (Melodie)
You’re tuned into Rhubarb Radio, I’m Glyn Phillips, and you’re listening to WorldBeatUK - two hours of the best world music from around the globe!
On the show tonight - for your delectation and delight - I’ve got music from Cuba, Texas, Serbia, Nigeria, Belgium, South Africa, Ecuador, Hungary, Jamaica, Ghana, South Africa, Iran, California and Poland.
But we’re kicking off tonight with a couple of tracks from some re-issue compilation albums that I’ve been featuring over the last couple of weeks. The first track is from the album “Highlife Times Vol 2” which features Highlife music from Ghana and Nigeria from the 1950s and 1960s. It’s a compilation on the Spanish Vampisoul label and this track is a fusion of Highlife and Charanga by the band the Ramblers International, it’s called “Muntie”.
2 “Muntie” (5:21) - The Ramblers International - ‘Highlife Times Vol 2’ (Vampisoul)
Same vein, but this one’s from the album ‘Nigeria 70: Sweet Times, Afro-Funk, Highlife & Juju from 1970s Lagos‘ on the Strut Records label and this is Ali Chunkwumah and his Peace Makers International and a number entitled “Henrietta”.
3 “Henrietta” (4:40) - Ali Chunkwumah & His Peace Makers International - ‘Nigeria 70: Sweet Times’ (Strut)
Well you don’t have to go to Nigeria or Ghana to hear some good highlife or afrobeat because Holland’s very own Mdungu have got it going on over here in Europe. This is the title track of their album on the Zimbraz label. Afro What!?
4 “AfroWhat!?” (4:55) - Mdungu - ‘Afro What!?’ (Zimbraz)
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
5 “Los Luchadores Jump” (4:42) - Los Flamers feat. House of Pain (Le Cumbianche Disco Remix)
That was a little bit of glitch-cumbia from Los Flamers featuring House of Pain called “Los Luchadores Jump” - all about the Mexican wrestling phenomenon known as ‘lucha libre’ where fat blokes dressed in silly costumes and lycra-covered faces jump around all over each in heavily choreographed performance-fights . . .
Nothing new to those us of brought up on Saturday afternoon British Wrestling during the 1960s and 70s through the likes of Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Mick McManus, Catweazle and of course, the Mystery Man himself: Kendo Nagasaki! (or just plain old Peter Thornley to his neighbours!)
Ok sticking with some wonderfully cheesy cumbia now, this is another example of the new wave of cumbia from South America’s Southern Cone countries - in this case, Chile’s Chico Trujillo - one of the leaders in la cumbia chilombiana and latin ska. This track is from their album "Chico de Oro" (Golden Boy) and a number entitled “Sombrero”:
6 “Sombrero” (4:48) - Chico Trujillo - ‘Chico de Oro’
Like many people who listen to this programme, I like me ska. Oh yes! I’m not a big fan of the 3rd wave of ska - the sort of million-miles an hour, shouty-punky stuff; I much prefer first wave Jamaican ska - more laid back: sort of Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo, Don Drummond, you know who I’m talking about.
However, there’s some great stuff, now coming out of South America, so I offer you a couple of bands from Venezuela. First up from their 2007 album “Skaterriza” is La Big Landin Orquesta and a piece of latin ska based on a very old Brazilian choro tune called “Proezas de Solon”:
7 “Proezas De Solon” (4:02) - La Big Landin Orquesta - ‘Skaterriza’
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
8 La Culebra (4:02) - Palmeras Kaníbales - ‘La Ruta’
So, first up was La Big Landin Orquesta from Venezuela and “Proezas de Solon”; and after that the wonderful Palmeras Kaníbales also from Venezuela, and from their 2006 album “La Ruta” an old Cuban tune called “La Culebra”. Wasn’t that magnificent! Just the kind of band I’d love to see live.
Talking of which, after last week’s show I went up to the Adam and Eve pub right here in Digbeth to see a band on spec that I’d never seen before. I knew the bass player, the highly talented and very funny Roger Innis - who I’d spent the afternoon doing photoshoots with, along with the rest of our new band The Funkawallahs - more of which in weeks to come! - and he’d said he was playing that evening with a blues/funk/rock band and to come along after my show.
And boy, oh boy, was I glad that I did! The band consisted of Roger Innis on bass, Birmingham’s own Jamie Little on drums and two Americans - a Mr Strat Doyle on sax and the most excellently named Hamilton Loomis from Texas on guitar, vocals and gob-iron (that’s harmonica for those of you who don’t come from the Black Country!). Easily, but easily one of the best live bands I have seen in years . . . Easily!
What a night! The band were tighter than a duck’s backside - and that’s watertight! The sax player could almost have blown up an entire tornado in the pub and Hamilton was just outstanding. Perfect. Just perfect, in everything he did. Half the crowd there were excellent Brummie musicians themselves - enough to form 3 or 4 more bands - a tough crowd under normal circumstances; but this band were just stupidly good!
And it was all free!! Honestly, Brum’s a great place for music - you jus’ gotta search it out. I won’t go on, except to say that this next track is by the aforementioned Hamilton Loomis Band from their album “Live in England” (on Ham-Bone Records). Obviously, as with all live recordings, it is but a pale imitation of the real experience, but it’s all I got. This is called “Best Worst Day”.
9 Best Worst Day (4:23) - Hamilton Loomis Band - ‘Live In England’ (Ham-Bone Records)
You’re listening to WorldBeatUK right here on Rhubarb Radio, with me Glyn Phillips bringing you 2 hours of great world music every Wednesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
From Digbeth to Dakar, from Birmingham to Belgium, from England to Ecuador WorldBeatUK brings a whole planet to your ears!
[mention ChatnGo/Facebook, shout-outs etc]
Söndörgo are a group from Hungary and this is taken from the forthcoming album “Tamburising: Lost Music Of The Balkans” on the World Village UK label. The release date for this has recently been confirmed as 27th June 2011 here in the UK on CD and digitally worldwide.
Their trademark instrument is the tambura - not the stringed drone instrument of Indian music - but a small mandolin-like instrument of the Serbian and Croatian communities resident in Hungary. In fact the band’s whole sound is distinct from the usual fiddle-led line-up of Hungarian tradition. This track is called “Opa Cupa”:
10 Opa Cupa (3:48) - Söndörgõ - ‘Tamburising: Lost Music Of The Balkans’ (World Village UK)
Yep, the wonderful traditional sound of the balkan tambura and vocals as played by Söndörgö from their album “Tamburising: Lost Music of the Balkans”. Well, I’m going to play three rather beautiful contemporary tracks from female singers now.
Staying in the Balkan area, the first one is an artist I played last week, the lovely Serbian singer Lena Kovacevic. Last time I played her singing in Srpksi; but she’s also pretty nifty in English too! So this is from her 2009 English language album “Haunt Me” and a jazzy track called “Shine Your Light”.
11 “Shine Your Light” (4:18) - Lena Kovacevic - ‘Haunt Me’
Lovely! Now, this next artist is the Ecuadorian singer, guitarist and composer Joanne Vance (not to be confused with the English painter of the same name). Yes, I know, it’s not the most hispanic sounding of names, but whilst her mother is Ecuadorian born and bred, her father was from North America.
Joanne makes mature jazz-tinged music which I would call pop, except that her songs have a greater depth and resonance than what you would normally expect from that term. You can hear the influences of people such as Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, Jeff Buckley etc on the one hand and South America’s homegrown acoustic rockers such as the Argentinians Luis Alberto Spinetta and Pedro Aznar (both of whom I used to listen to back in the 80s) on the other.
But be under no illusions, this is no throwback or copycat music; Joanne is very much her own boss and this comes over in the confidence of her delivery and the maturity of her compositions. She’s a complete modern woman.
Which for me, is a strange thing to come to terms with since, I have to confess, I used to know her when she was just 10 years old (some 20 or so years ago!). Joanne and her sister Carrie and their lovely mother, Cecilia spent a year or so living right here in Birmingham whilst Ceci studied at the University. Jo’s mother would come along to the now legendary latin all-nighters at Los Andes where I cut my teeth DJing in the late 80s/early 90s. Happy times indeed.
So I was stunned when after two decades I made contact with Ceci and realised that little Jo (all goofy glasses and braces on her teeth when I knew her) had grown up - and to be a wonderful musician too.
So, I think they are listening to the show right now, out there in one of my favourite cities of the world, Ecuador’s capital, Quito - the second highest capital on the planet - way up in the South American Andes. Pues, chicas, Jo, Carrie y Ceci - besos de mi, saludos desde Birmingham y espero vertes un dia de estes!
This track is from her album “Silencios Incómodos” (Uncomfortable Silences) and it’s called “Versión Editada”:
12 “Versión Editada” (3:42) - Joanne Vance - ‘Silencios Incómodos’
[ CHANGE THE CD OVER!! - CHANGE THE CD OVER!! ]
Beautiful! Joanne Vance from Ecuador. You can find out more about Joanne from her website: www.joannevance.net.
And now the third in my trilogy of lush female singers. This time we’re going North from Ecuador to the Caribbean and touching down in La Habana, Cuba. And that’s where we’ll find one of my absolute favourite bands of the moment, the four girl vocal phenomenon that is Sexto Sentido (Sixth Sense in English).
I’ve played them quite a bit on this radio show and on the one I used to co-present before, and shall continue to do so. Quality is quality and these girls have it by the bucketful. They’re currently riding high in Cuba after having had their single “Guajiro” at No 1 in the Cuban charts for 7 weeks - which I also played on my last show.
Just to let you know the music you’re hearing is a UK exclusive - I’m the only person to be allowed to broadcast the music from their forthcoming album in this country, after hearing and writing about the band when I met them last year in Copenhagen.
Sexto Sentido are four Cuban singers and multi-instrumentalists, composers, arrangers to boot. Very, very talented ladies indeed. Oh, and beautiful too! You can read my review of their concert at Charlie Scott’s Jazz Bar in Copenhagen at www.worldmusic.co.uk/reviews if you want.
In the meantime this is from the soon to be released album “The Way” - which they’ve produced entirely themselves and is a mixture of lush, complex and sophisticated self-penned English and Spanish songs in a variety of styles. This is a jazzy bossa entitled “En Tu Cuerpo” (In Your Body):
(1) 13 “En Tu Cuerpo” (4:08) - Sexto Sentido - ‘The Way’
Sexto Sentido there from Cuba - and definitely more from them in the weeks to come.
OK, let’s move on and get some more Highlife dancing music in. This is an old track from West Africa - Ghana’s Melody Aces (not to be confused with the Belfast dance band of the same name!) from the album “Stars of West Africa - Highlife Hits” and a lovely lilting track - probably from the 1950s or maybe early 60s - called “Emase Puro O” [ ‘émashay puro-oh’]:
(2) 14 “Emase Puro O” (2:48) - Melody Aces - ‘Stars of West Africa - Highlife Hits’
Now, this next track popped onto my mat a few days ago entirely unsolicited and I thought, ‘Ok? Let’s see’. And what a pleasant surprise it was. The artist is called Olufemi, originally from Lagos, Nigeria and now operating out of South Africa - a singer, saxophonist and composer - and plays what he calls African South West Fusion. This is Olufemi’s debut album; it’s called “Just in Newtown” (referring to a part of Johannesburg I think).
It’s a good album, with a variety of musical styles - although I’m not yet sure whether that is its strength, or its weakness. It goes from straightahead jazzy soprano sax pieces (which wouldn’t sound out of place on a David Sanborn or Kenny G album - or at times even like Brum’s own Alvin Davis or Julian Smith aka Joolz Gianni) - right up to soukous-tinged dance pieces and afrobeat-fused workouts. Definitely a pan-african approach to his music.
However, the musicianship is good and there’s some very enjoyable tracks on it - including this one, which has a distinctly South African flavour. This is Olufemi and a track called “Thando Lwami”:
(3) 15 “Thando Lwami” (4:12) - Olufemi - ‘Just In Newtown’
Change of flavour and place on these next few tracks. I’ve been digging into my Persian music albums recently and came up with these offerings from a sampler entitled “Persia: Ancient Roots of Music”. The first piece is called “Agitation” and is by Kazem Davoudian from his album “Pearl”.
(4) 16 “Agitation” (2:02) - Kazem Davoudian - ‘Pearl’
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
(5) 17 “Blue of Dream” (2:02) - Farivar Kosrhavi - ‘Abi-e Ro’ya’
The track you just heard was by the Iranian Farivar Kosrhavi from his album “Abi-e Ro’ya” and translates as “Blue of Dream”.
Moving from Iran, but still staying in the Middle East by association is this next piece, by the band Hijaz. This is a six-piece group based in Belgium but consisting of various nationalities and cultural influences. Their music draws upon North Africa, The Mediterranean, India, the Middle East and European jazz traditions and infuses their latest album with a richness and a palette of flavours which allows them to endlessly serve up tantalisingly different musical courses.
This is probably the most jazzy piece I’m playing tonight and features the piano of Greco-Belgian Nico Deman - but for the non-jazzers amongst you, don’t let that put you off. It’s very accessible still - there’s some great oud playing from Moufadhel Adhoum and Indian tabla pitted against kit drums and bass as well. This piece is called "Mr J.P.S." from Hijaz’s album “Chemsi” (which means Sun) on the Belgian Zephyrus label.
If you’re in London or the South East of England this weekend you can actually see Hijaz live in concert at the Union Chapel, London this Saturday 28th May. This is their debut in the UK and their manager tells me that they’re very excited about performing over here.
[ The link for that is here: http://bit.ly/eDOjp5 ]
(6) 18 “Mr J.P.S.” (5.31) - Hijaz - ‘Chemsi’ (Zephyrus)
And also on the Zephyrus label from Ghent in Belgium here’s their flagship band Va Fan Fahre and a track from their last album - “Al Wa Debt” - which did really well on the European world music charts last year. It’s often been described as ‘balkan brass goes Arabic’. Zephyrus have just announced that they are now allowing free downloads of five of the tracks from the album.
[Just go to the following link to download that:
http://www.vafanfahre.be/database/index.php?q=node/23 ]
So here are Belgium’s Va Fan Fahre with the Arabic singer Aicha Haskal and a track called “Ya Habibi Taala”:
(7) 19 “Ya Habibi Taala” (3:04) - Va Fan Fahre - ‘Al Wa' Debt’ (Zephyrus)
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
(8) 20 “La Kumbia de Los Peregrinos” (3:52) - Grupo Kual (Le Cumbianche Disco Remake)
Couldn’t resist a bit of electro-glitch-cumbia ! That was the Le Cumbianche Disco Remake of Grupo Kual’s “La Kumbia de Los Peregrinos” - just to get you all stirred up!
And now a jingle to promote the forthcoming Reggae City 2011 Festival here in Birmingham on Saturday 11 June at the Rainbow - just round the corner from where I’m sitting here in the Custard Factory, Digbeth.
(9) 21 Reggae City Festival Ad Jingle (1:05)
[CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS]
(10) 22 ”I Know” (3:15) - Ieye - ‘Fever Grass’ (Shengen Clan)
OK, that was one of my favourite female reggae singers of the moment - Ieye from Jamaica - and a track called “I Know” from her album “Fever Grass” on the Shengen Clan Imprint Label. Lovely stuff.
Quick couple of announcements now: Birmingham’s own ska and reggae favourites, the Heels will be performing mid-afternoon at next week’s Lord Mayor’s Parade on Bank Holiday Monday 30th May - so keep an eye out for them if you like your ska in a Skatalites stylee!
Also the following weekend you can catch the debut of el combo Kilombo - a brand new band formed from members of both the Heels and Flame Of Fervour at the Wagon and Horses in Adderley Street in Digbeth - again just around the corner from the Custard Factory.
That’s on Sat 4th June and it’s a night called Subvert, featuring also the dub band Relative, DJs Skeleton, Marc Reck (also from Rhubarb Radio), the Jam Jah DJs Robin Giorno and Bongo Damo, as well as Christy, Dodgy Greg and Stalingrad.
And it’s all FREE! Yep, not a penny for all that music! Keep an eye out for Kilombo’s drummer - he’s a right dodgy geezer. I’m sure I’ve seen and heard him before somewhere . . .
In the meantime, here’s one from the Gypsy Sound System’s Psio Crew from Poland - a little number from the “Iskra” album - this is “Dobry Gooral”:
(11) 23 “Dobry Gooral” (2:51) - Psio Crew - ‘Gypsy Sound System - Iskra’
Just got time now for goodbyes etc . . .
[THANK YOUS, SHOUT OUTS, REMINDERS, ETC]
I’m going to leave you with a brilliant latino band from Los Angeles. They are called Yeska (which is a play on the words ‘Yes!’ and ‘Ska’ and is also the Chicano slang word for ‘weed’).
Their music is what you get when you cross jazz with afro-cuban music with ska! Skafrocubanjazz of course! And that’s the name of the album that this track, “Skaliente”, is from. Don’t be fooled by the gentle ska montuno beginning - because about 3 and a half minutes in this bubbling piece of latin ska turns into an absolute monster!!
(12) 24 “Skaliente” (6:32) - Yeska - ‘Skafrocubanjazz’ (Aztlan)
WorldBeatUK (10th Show) - Broadcast Notes (4/5/11)
Tagged with: WorldBeatUK Glyn Phillips Julius Essoka Yami Jimmy Omonga Joan Soriano Carmina Cannavino Atlantidha Heider Moutinho Morozova Zohreh Jooya Renato Martins SpokFrevo Los Chinches Olefunk Zulu 9.30 dunkelbunt Chico Trujillo Fexomat Gypsyphonic Cordobestia
WBUK10 (4/5/11) Playlist
1 “Intro-Mat” (1.47) by Matchatcha from album ‘Nyekesse’ (Melodie)
Welcome, etc
Coming up on the show tonight: some lush Angolan-Portuguese lusophonic loveliness, achingly romantic bachatas from la Republica Dominicana, feisty retro-cumbia 21st C style, nostalgic Mexo-Peruvian landó, Ghanaian reggae to dance to, Portuguese fado to die for, as well as Portuguese Tango (yes, Portuguese!), Mexican Tango (yes, you heard that right too!), traditional Afghani music, Russian folk-rock, Anglo-Kenyan fusion, Catalan salsa-samba fusion, Spanish soul-flamenco fusion, not to mention samba, frevo, mambo, chicha, and a dash of funky electro-swing! And if that wasn’t enough, some seriously hardcore Balkan breakdowns. It’s enough to make a grown man weep!
Trust me, when I say two hours of the best world music from around the globe, I’m not messing!
First up, a track I’ve been meaning to play for weeks now, but I kept allowing to fall off the list, because it never seemed to comfortably fit in with what I’d got planned. So I’m going to play it first instead! This is Julius Essoka, from Cameroon, from his album “Epassi n’Epassi” and a jazzy piece called “Foolish Men”.
2 “Foolish Men” (4.12) by Julius Essoka from album ‘Epassi n’Epassi’
SHOUT OUTS ETC
This next track is by a musician called Yami based in Lisbon, Portugal, of mixed Portuguese-Angolan ancestry. It’s from his album “Aloelela” on the HM Musica label and is a beautiful, dreamy, romantic tune with echoes of Brazil and Cabo Verde as well as Portugal and Angola. Sit back, make yourself comfortable, close your eyes, and let Yami sail you out over the horizon towards a setting sun. I can’t help it, I’m a romantic at heart! This is “Kananga do Amor”.
3 “Kananga do Amor” (4.04) by Yami from album ‘Aloelela’ (HM Musica)
Keeping it in a mellow mood, now this is Jimmy Omonga from Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a relaxing African reggae track from his 2007 “Destin” album on Hippo Records, called “Nakonda”
4 “Nakonda” (4.33) by Jimmy Omonga from 2007 album ‘Destin’ (Hippo Records)
This next track is dedicated to my dear friends el chileno mayor, Eddie Olguin (AKA DJ Sabroso) and the lovely Andrea - and in particular to their brand new baby girl, Ellie, con cariño y mucho amor. Felicitaciones a las tres!
This is a beautiful bachata from the Dominican Republic. It’s from the album “El Duque de la Bachata” on Iaso Records (a brilliant company specialising in the music of the often looked-over Caribbean country of La Republica Dominicana) and is by the wonderful singer and guitarist Joan Soriano (the Duke of Bachata himself) and - I think - features the voice of his own little baby; this is “Amor de Niño”:
5 “Amor de Niño” (3.38) by Joan Soriano from album ‘El Duque de la Bachata’ (Iaso Records)
Wasn’t that beautiful? Sticking in the mid-Americas region we’re going to go over to Mexico for a couple of numbers now. The singer is the Perú-born, Mexico-raised, Argentine-derived Carmina Cannavino. The track is - as far as I can make out - an afro-peruvian landó, so if you like the music of people like Susana Baca or my personal favourite, Eva Ayllón, la Reina del Landó, then you’ll love this track.
It’s from Carmina’s album “Patria Granda” which is dedicated to the work and life of one of the greatest of Peru’s legendary pantheon of female singers - and the one that probably initiated my love affair with the musica criolla of that wonderful country - Chabuca Granda. This track is called “Dónde Estás Adelita” (Where are you, Adelita?).
6 “Dónde Estás Adelita” (3.02) by Carmina Cannavino from album “Patria Granda’
CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS
7 “Lo Que Vendrá” (3.48) by Orquesta Mexicano del Tango
First you heard “Donde Estas Adelita” by the Mexican based Carmina Cannavino and then straight after that a lovely piece of traditional orchestral tango called “Lo Que Vendrá” (That which will come) - and boy do I love tango! However, that was not performed by an Argentine orchestra as you might expect but was the work of the Orquesta Mexicano del Tango from Mexico!
And since I’m feeling in such a magical mood at the moment, let me share this with you. Portugal, like most of the countries that border onto the North Atlantic, has it’s own tales of the mystical land of Atlantis. And so I offer you a piece by a band called Atlantihda, set up specifically to explore the story of the lost land, from the album of the same name on the HM Musica label this is their lush Portuguese take on tango, entitled: “Na Calma dos Teus Olhos” (In the Calm of Your Eyes).
8 “Na Calma Dos Teus Olhos” (3.00) by Atlantihda from album ‘Atlantihda’ (HM Musica)
And since I can’t get enough beauty this evening, I’m sticking with Portugal, and the most exquisite and delicate fado. This is by the singer Helder Moutinho from his album “Que Fado e Este Que Trago?” (What Fado is this that I bring?) again on the HM Musica label from Lisbon and a track called “Nem Ventos Nem Madrugadas” (Neither Wind nor Dawns):
9 “Nem Ventos Nem Madrugadas” (4.28) by Helder Moutinho from album ‘Que Fado E Este Que Trago?’ (HM Musica)
Wasn’t that beautiful? Aah, fado, meu fado! Well from the sublime to the noisy I suppose! I’d better wake you all up a bit. The next track comes from Moscow in Russa and is a piece of Russian Folk Rock with a slight psychedelic metal edge! Don’t worry, it’s quite good really!
The band is called Morozova - named after their female singer and hurdygurdy player; I’m not sure what the album’s called - I really make an effort to try and check out the details of all the music and bands I play, often spending hours chasing elusive leads in different languages, but this one defeated me. However, I can tell you this, the track’s called “Pavlin” which I think means ‘peacock’!
10 “Pavlin” (3.54) by Morozova from album ‘Morozova’ (Greenwave Music)
CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS
11 “Mikham Beram Koh” (4.02) by Zohreh Jooya & Ustad Hossein Arman from album ‘Afghan Music’ (ARC Records)
Well, I thought you needed a bit of otherworldly beauty again so that last track was from an album on the ARC Recordings label called “Afghan Music” by the talented and really rather gorgeous Afghani-Irani songstress Zohreh Jooya in duet with the Afghani singer Ustad Hossein Arman.
The whole album is an attempt by Zoohreh and the Afghan Ensemble to try and preserve the traditional music of Afghanistan before it gets swamped. Due to the lack of opportunities for musicians to learn their own music in their own country due to all the troubles of the last couple of decades, a whole generation were in danger of missing out. The track was called “Mikham Beram Koh”, which is an invitation to someone called Leyly to go up into the mountains and look for gazelles. I’m assuming dating opportunities are thin on the ground in Afghanistan…
Change of place now - from the mountains of Central Asia to the mountains of East Africa; Kenya to be exact and here’s an album I’ve been featuring for the last couple of weeks. It was released two days ago on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings label; it’s by an anglo-kenyan collective called Owiny Sigoma, it’s from the album of the same name and this is a very brazilianesque number called “Hera”:
12 “Hera” (4.23) by Owiny Sigoma Band from album ‘Owiny Sigoma’ (Brownswood Recordings)
[CHANGE THE CD HERE!!]
[Remember, you’re listening to WorldBeatUK with me Glyn Phillips, right here on Rhubarb Radio, etc
You can check all the details for any of the tracks tonight on my website www.worldmusic.co.uk/radio
Do some shout-outs, etc, time check]
That last track had a Brazilian feel to it and that leads nicely into the next track! You might remember a few weeks back I had as special guest the brilliant percussionist Renato Martins in the studio, being interviewed, playing some stuff from his CDs and doing a live number just on udu pot alone! Stunning.
Well I’m going to play a track from his latest project with the Belgian classical guitarist, Boris Gaqueres, from their album “Tempo Feliz” which features Boris’s accomplished guitar work and Renato switches from udu pot to cajón, the wooden box drum of afro-peruvian origin. This lovely track is called “Carioca”
13 “Carioca” (2.59) by Goris Gaquere & Renato Martins from album ‘Tempo Feliz’ (www.renato-martins.com/projectsduo.htm)
Wonderful - passion combined with inventiveness and metronomic exactitude! OK, sticking with Brazil, now but going right up North to Recife, to the homeland of the manic, acrobatic, umbrella-waving, hundred-miles-an-hour dance music of Pernambuco state, the Frevo! This is the excellent SpokFrevo Orquesta and the title-track from their album “Passo de Anjo” on the Biscoito Fino label. I defy anyone to sit still through this!
14 “Passo de Anjo” (2.54) by SpokFrevo Orquesta from album ‘Passo de Anjo’ (Biscoito Fino)
CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS
15 “Babarabatiri” (2.33) by Beny Moré from 2008 album ‘The Best of Mr Bongo’ (Mr Bongo Records)
Wonderful mambo madness from El Bárbaro del Ritmo (the Wild Man of Rhythm) himself, Cuba’s Beny Moré - played just for the sheer hell of it; you can find that track all over the place - my copy is from the album “The Best of Mr Bongo”, the legendary UK latin specialists, once resident in a little basement in London’s Soho, but now you’ll have to find them online instead.
Moving swiftly on and staying with the London latin connection, this is the UK’s Los Chinches and their take on the Peruvian chicha music phenomenon (an amalgamation of Colombian cumbia rhythms with the feel of 1960s and 70s Peruvian Amazonian psychedelia). Yep! That’s what I said! This is called “Chicha Love”:
16 “Chicha Love” (2.53) by Los Chinches from album ‘Chicha Love’
CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS - CONTINUOUS
17 “Bandidos” (3.45) by Zulú 9.30 from 2008 album ‘Huellas’ (Kasba Music)
Lovely piece of latin fusion entitled “Bandidos” from Barcelona’s Zulú 9.30 from their 2008 album “Huellas” (which means ‘footprints’) on the Kasba Music label. I hope to play something from their 2011 album “Tiempo al Tiempo” soon; watch this space!
And staying in Spain, the next track is by a band I came across a few years ago and really deserve to be better known. I made quite a point last week of talking about the sheer amount of creativity coming out of Spain during the last decade or more and this is another example of what I’m talking about. The band is called “Oléfunk” as is the album and as you’ve probably guessed they fuse flamenco with funk and soul. I love this. This track is called “No Me Des Candela”
18 “No Me Des Candela” (4.25) by Oléfunk from album ‘Oléfunk’
You're listening to WorldBeatUK on Rhubarb Radio, with me, Glyn Phillips - two hours of the best world music from around the globe, every Wednesday 7-9pm.
Time for some Balkan bounce now with one of the heaviest Balkan orchestras out there at the minute. This is the Boban & Marko Markovic Orkestar - soon to be seen travelling Europe in a double-bill, all-star, heavyweight extravaganza with rivals Fanfare Ciocarlia to see who is the biggest, baddest Balkan Brass Band of all!! See if this helps you make up your mind. From the 2009 album “Devla - Blown Away To Dancefloor Heaven” on the German Piranha label, this is called “Maruska”!
19 “Maruska” (3.16) by Boban & Marko Markovic Orkestar from 2009 album ‘Devla - Blown Away to Dancefloor Heaven’ (Piranha)
That was the unadulterated sound of Balkan brass music, but there’s a lot of interest out there amongst mixers and mashers of remixing all kinds of musics. Balkan remixes are very popular - and I’m going to play an unbelievable track later on - as are cumbia and RnB mashups (again, just watch this space).
However, one of my favourite genres is that of electroswing, which roughly speaking takes classic jazz (20s, 30s, 40s, etc) and gives it a 21st C repaint. This track is by the ubiquitous remixer [dunkelbunt] and is from his 2009 album ‘Raindrops and Elephants’ on the Piranha label - esto es para todas aquellas chicas con piel color de canela. Saben bien quien son. This is called “Cinnamon Girl” -
20 “Cinnamon Girl” (4.07, but finishes at 3.52!) by [dunkelbunt] from 2009 album ‘Raindrops and Elephants’ (Piranha)
[ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS / SHOUT OUTS ETC]
[Announce the Honeycomb Club featuring B’ham’s own Alternative Dubstep Orchestra tomorrow night at H&H; also Freddie Pirotta’s Hip Operation on Saturday; The Urban Voodoo Machine at the H&H on May 12th (Bourbon soaked Gypsy Blues Bop’n’Stroll) ]
Going to go with some Cumbia Chilombiana now - that’s Chilean cumbia if you didn’t know; Cumbia originally comes from the Caribbean coast of Colombia in the North of South America but since the 1960s has spread in popularity all over the latin World and even outside of the americas. It’s main bedrock of support has been amongst working class people - and even in such Eurocentric countries as Chile and Argentina it was taken to heart by the clase obrera and due to the attentions of a whole newer, younger generation it's once again spreading it's wings.
The Chilean band Chico Trujillo here give us a retro-big band experience with a big bouncy track called “Varga Varga” from their album “Chico de Oro” on the Barbes Records label.
21 “Varga-Varga” (3.12) by Chico Trujillo from album “Chico de Oro” (Barbes Records)
From retro-cumbia to an up-to-date fix-up of an old tune from the heyday of cumbias about half a century ago. This is the well-known track “La Subienda” and a reworking by El Sonidero Cordobestia from the Cabeza album “Cumbias Momificadas”
22 “La Subienda” (4.51) by Sonidero Cordobestia from album ‘Cumbias Momificadas’ (Cabeza!)
Back to the Balkans now - well, almost because this comes from New Orleans in the USA of all places. it’s the Gypsyphonic Disco and a rather cheeky mashup entitled “Gypsy Milk”
23 “Gypsy Milk” (3.24) by Gypsyphonic Disco
Well, you’ve waited long enough - or at least I have! It’s time for “The Wonderdrug”. I’ve been dying to drop this one on you all night. Hot off the press yesterday, this is the digital equivalent of a door-to-door delivery; I’m not sure it’s even released officially yet, but I’ve got permission from the music’s producer to play this on the show.
This is the Ultimate, the Zenith, the Epitome of Balkan Breakcore Madness. As Spinal Tap would say: turn your speakers up to 11 and prepare to be rocked. This track comes with a Government Health Warning: Guys, girls, empty your stomachs and your bowels before mounting the ride, put your safety helmets on, strap yourselves in and make sure you keep all limbs inside the carriage, brace yourselves, seriously.
Of all the hardcore Gypsy/Balkan remixers out there, there is but one who I would call the King of Gypsy Breakcore, and that’s: Fexomat from Berlin. I offer you “The Wonderdrug”. Be scared, oh yes, be very scared!
24 “The Wonderdrug” (3.13) by Fexomat
[Thanks to one and all etc; Coming up next is: ]
Time to go and I’m going to leave you with this fantastic old bachata from Juan Batista on the excellent album “Bachata Roja” (no, not Bachata Rosa!- this is the real McCoy!) on the Iaso Records label. See you all next week I hope. This is “Estoy Aqui Pero No Soy Yo” (“I’m here, but I’m not me” - work it out yourselves!). Chau, babies!
25 “Estoy Aqui Pero No Soy Yo” (3.40) by Juan Batista from album ‘Bachata Roja’ (Iaso Records)
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