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Many of you know my love & appreciation for World Music, especially from India & Africa.

Now a little while ago an already renowned african musician named Msafiri Zawose (@mafirizawose , http://msafirizawose.com/) somehow noticed me & asked me if I want to collab & eXPeriment a bit with his music. So here are my first tries....ENJOY! :-D


I feel very much honoured to be thought worthy to contribute to the continuation of this ancient Tanzanian "GoGo" music & hope you like it! :-)

My collabs with Msafiri Zawose

Since I prefer not to be a "premium member" of SoundCloud anymore, here is my own "Spotlight" with original compositions an collaborations through the years.

Spotlight

I'll be attending this year's music festival 'Sauti za Busara' in Zanzibar.
Preparing and warming up listening to listed performers' songs.
Dive in.

See full programme here: http://www.busaramusic.org/database/events.php
Photo of Thandiswa (2008, Sauti za Busara)

sauti za busara by dunia duara

Lyrics by April Knoll
Melody, acoustic guitar and vocals by Fernando Gonzalo
Violin, Slide guitar, acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, percussion, mix and master by Billy Playle

https://soundcloud.com/april-knoll
https://soundcloud.com/billy-playle

Hard to Forget

1st verse
The little girl lifts up her head
Looks at her daddy, smiles and says:
“Where ya going, don’t you love us anymore?”
Dirty tears roll down her face
Naïve eyes can’t see the pain
Or the reason why he’s walking out that door
Her mother tries to comfort her but it’s too late
She’s finding out her life is gonna change

1st Chorus
When she wakes up he won’t be there, reading the paper in his favorite chair
No good-bye kisses before work, or playing artist in his old shirt
The life she knew back then is something that will be hard to forget

2nd verse
Her mothers’ words aren’t making sense
They said “I do,” and now “I quit”
Don’t they know that family never gives up?
The first time she’d seen them fight
Turned out to be their last try
And the moment she wished her eyes had closed shut
Her father tries to comfort her but it’s too late
She’s finding out her life is gonna change

2nd chorus
When she comes down to eat she’ll see, only two plates at their table for three
Over the phone hugs to tuck her in and lonely stories read without him
The life she knew back then is something that’ll be hard to forget

Repeat 1st and 2nd chorus
When she wakes up he won’t be there, reading the paper in his favorite chair
No good-bye kisses before work, or playing artist in his old shirt
The life she knew back then is something that will be hard to forget
When she comes down to eat she’ll see, only two plates at their table for three
Over the phone hugs to tuck her in and lonely stories read without him
The life she knew back then is something that’ll be hard to forget

April Knoll
©June 2005

Hard To Forget (a collaboration with April Knoll & Billy Playle)

An old song about missing love...

Here are the lyrics:

Love is missing
My eyes are weeping
And my heart is full of tears

Love is hiding 
And I can’t find it
I keep on searching all the time

I don’t know why it should be so hard to find
I got no love and I don’t mind ‘bout what goes on around

Love is sleeping
I can’t stop thinking
It’s late at night and I’m awake

Love is missing
My heart is beating
And my eyes are full of tears


Love Is Missing

It's like a "Strong".....sound !!

Strong 

We are here.....because we are proud
It made us as strong as we are right now
We are here because of the thrill
That comes with every syllable 
You've uttered somehow
You have always been that way
You have always been that way

I am wasted....and you are the drug
You are right now woman the only one
That can shimmer like gold
And we will stay until the urgency is gone
I'll hold you down....and be strong
I'll pin you down......and be strong

Strong will make the hurt disappear until we go weak
Strong can heal as easily
Strong is all we'll ever need
Whatever strong we choose to be
Word and Music by Mark Manthei  copyright  May 31st 2013

Strong

Ethiopia  
Words & music: Pravinand Maharaj (Johnny Minstrel)

Your fear has overcome you
And faith is just a matter of doing what you really doubt
Your strength has slowly left you
And everything you lost are the only things you cared about

Your dreams in shattered jars of clay now
Scattered all across the world and everybody knows
You scream through another day now
But all you hear are echoes of yourself the valley throws

Chorus
So far you couldn’t remember Eden
So down the road you don’t know who you are
So close to the post of the one left scourged and bleeding
On the desert road back to Ethiopia

The light is slowly fading
Edges of the darkness are creeping on your soul
Your queen back home is waiting
Waiting for the gift that can’t be bought or sold

Chorus
A sound and your heart it freezes
Till a voice tells you be not afraid
Just be strong
There’s a man and he’s sent by Jesus
As your fears disappear
You ask him what took so long

Chorus




Ethiopia

I loved Emma's song from the first time I heard it. The bass-line jumped out straight away and the rest just fell into place. Possibly a future James Bond theme.. :)

Everytime I close my eyes (Me with Emma Shanley)

I was so glad when Jinx Jones allowed me to add some Jungle Atmosphere & Jungle Percussion to his great track which you can find here:

http://hearthis.at/jinx.jones.7/campfire-dance-2013/

THAT WAS GREAT FUN :-D
THANK YOU JINX!

Please also visit his cloud: @jinxjones

Campfire Dance (Jinx Jones with Hjerlmuda)

SUCCESS' is the first single from Blitz the Ambassador's forthcoming studio album 'Afropolitan Dreams' in stores March 25th.
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/de/album/afropolitan-dreams/id853817350

Video shot in Tokyo and Morocco: http://youtu.be/fFECQq9meXQ

facebook.com/blitzambassador
twitter.com/blitzambassador
facebook.com/jakartarecords
jakartarecords.de

Written By: Blitz The Ambassador
Produced By: Optiks and Blitz
Trumpet: Miki Hirose
Cabasa: Jim Bertini
Background vox: Kasiva Mutua

Recorded and Mixed By: Jim Bertini @ Galaxy Smith Studios
Mastered By: Chris Athens

Blitz The Ambassador - Success

Many of you know my love & appreciation for World Music, especially from India & Africa. 

Now a little while ago an already renowned african musician named Msafiri Zawose (http://msafirizawose.com/) somehow noticed me & asked me if I want to collab & eXPeriment a bit with his music. So this is my first try on one of his tracks from his last album "Mbotela" called "Ilima" (Original here: http://msafirizawose.bandcamp.com/track/ilima-2)

I feel very much honoured to be thought worthy to contribute to the continuation of this ancient Tanzanian "GoGo" music & hope you like it! :-)

This is what others write about him:
"Msafiri Zawose is renowned for his traditional Gogo style music, which relies heavily on the zeze & limba in combination with distinct lyrical harmonies. This rich musical tradition is from the Wagogo people Dodoma in Central Tanzania. Msafiri Zawose, son of the late Dr. Hukwe Zawose, continues this musical tradition while fusing with more modern styles, creating a truly distinct and unique sound."

Msafiri Zawose: Ilima (hjerlmuda remix - please click title for description)

Now this is my second collaboration with @msafirizawose (http://msafirizawose.com/), a fabulous musician from Tanzania, as you will be able to hear also on this track: http://soundcloud.com/experimentator/ilima-hjerlmuda-remix.
It is a great joy & honour for me to have him sing & play on my track https://soundcloud.com/experimentator/2012-jungle-disco

I always wanted to produce an eXTended version, so here it is: ENJOY!!! :-D

If you enjoy this track, please give it a like, repost or comment to support us independent artists! Thank you :)


support African Music

Jungle eXTasy reloaded by hjerlmuda feat. Msafiri Zawose (original)

Pre Order: http://jakartarecords-label.bandcamp.com/album/afropolitan-dreams
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/de/album/afropolitan-dreams/id853817350

Blitz the Ambassador releases his second single from the highly anticipated album 'Afropolitan Dreams' (Available April 28th). The song 'Make You No Forget' features Afro-Beat luminary Seun Kuti over classic HipHop drums and infectious African Highlife/Afro-Beat Guitars.

Afropolitan Dreams is the follow up to Blitz the Ambassador's critically acclaimed album 'Native Sun' and features Grammy-winning “queen of African music” Angelique Kidjo, German/Nigerian soul/hip hop songstress Nneka, Brazilian hip hop star Marcelo D2,  French/Malian lyricist Oxmo Puccino and more.

Video shoots in Accra, Ghana to be released next week.

Produced by Blitz The Ambassador
Drum programming by Optiks
Bass by Alexis Hountoundji
Guitar by Raja Kassis
Trumpet by Jonathan Powell
Sax by Ezra Brown
Trombone by Ron Prokopez
Percussion by Shawn Kelly
Background Voc by Amma Whatt
Recorded at Galaxy Smith Studios New York

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jakartarecords.de

Blitz The Ambassador - Make You No Forget Ft. Seun Kuti

A little while ago I created this Rhythm track trying to fuse some African Type of Drumming with a "normal" Drumset, and when @msafirizawose heard it, he spontaneously started some improvisation on it & sent it to me. When I heard his work it just blew me away; I had thought my track wasn't "African" enough......He just transformed it. Now I'm so happy, thank you so much Msafiri! :-D

If you enjoy this track, please give it a like, repost or comment to support us independent artists! Thank you :)

Yeah, I like world music very much, every culture has some musical gems to offer, and the roots can go very deep into the very origin of humanity itself. So for the sake of love & peace in the world I think we musicians should all try to unite in fellowship - kind of a huge Jam Session :-)

 So this is my 3rd collaboration with @msafirizawose, a fabulous musician from Tanzania, as you will be able to hear also on these tracks: https://soundcloud.com/experimentator/sets/my-collabs-with-msafiri-zawose


African Groove by hjerlmuda feat. Msafiri Zawose  (original)

For the last single from his upcoming album Afropolitan Dreams (Available April 28th), Blitz the Ambassador teams up with fellow African globetrotting chanteuse, Nneka for "Love on the Run", a hypnotic duet over big horns and lush guitars. 
Facebook.com/Blitzambassador
Twitter.com/Blitzambassador 

Pre-Order - 
France: https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/afropolitan-dreams/id844438139
U.S: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/afropolitan-dreams/id847594090
World: http://jakartarecords-label.bandcamp.com/album/afropolitan-dreams

Written: S. Bazawule & N. Egbuna.
Produce: Blitz the Ambassador
Drum programming: Optiks 
Bass: Alexis Hountondji
Guitar: Raja Kassis
Trumpet: Jonathan Powell
Sax: Ezra Brown
Trombone: Ron Prokopez
Percussion: Shaun Kelly 

Recorded and Mixed by: Jim Bertini @ Galaxy Smith, BK.
Mastered by: Chris Athens
Additional Recording by Cedric Moreau @ Pixel Room, Paris. 




Love on the Run Ft. Nneka

Order here: http://jakartarecords-label.bandcamp.com/album/afropolitan-dreams

Ghanaian-born, New York-based musician, composer and producer Blitz the Ambassador is poised to take the music scene by storm this spring with the release of his third studio album AFROPOLITAN DREAMS April 28 on Jakarta Records. 

The 12-track album is an intoxicating collection showcasing Blitz’s penchant for old school NY hip hop with the indelible influences of Fela Kuti and other Afrobeat icons and at the center of it all, his masterful lyrical flow. The album skillfully captures the immigrant journey as experienced by Blitz himself with the help of guests such as Seun Kuti, Nneka, Oxmo Puccino and Angelique Kidjo. 

facebook.com/oum.officialpage
facebook.com/jakartarecords
facebook.com/blitzambassador
facebook.com/oxmopuccinoofficiel

Blitz The Ambassador - AFRICA IS THE FUTURE Ft. Oxmo Puccino, Just A Band, Oum (Out today!)

Like a thunderstorm in the Jungle, so this "natural musical event" hits listeners right between the ears, passing by in a matter of minutes & leaving a spicy scent of the earth underneath in the air.....

This is the third track of my Jungle Series in collaboration with @msafirizawose from Tanzania

RockFire In The Jungle (hjerlmuda Feat. Msafiri Zawose)

This now is the fourth track of my Jungle Series in collaboration with @msafirizawose from Tanzania,
son of legendary Hukwe Zawose whose music you'll find on Peter Gabriel's @realworldrecords.
He is very keen on preserving the rich cultural heritage of his "Wagogo" tribe while also opening up to the modern music of the "West".
It is released on our first EP which you can find here:
http://hjerlmuda-msafirizawose.bandcamp.com/album/jungle-extasy-gogo

By downloading you directly support his MusicProject in Tanzania :-)

Tamasha (M.Zawose & Hjerlmuda)

facebook.com/blitzambassador
Check out the video:
http://youtu.be/TOJ1V38UiF8

Produced by Optiks
Horns Written and Arranged by Blitz
Trumpet & Flugel Horn: Josiah Woodson


Blitz the Ambassador returns to his native country Ghana to capture Bukom, a coastal town which has produced world renowned boxers like, Azumah Nelson, Ike Qautery and Joshua Clottey. Inspired by Muhammad Ali's trip to Africa in the 70's, the gritty images of amateur boxers juxtaposed over a banging Optiks production sets 'RUMBLE' as the perfect opener for Blitz's upcoming EP, Diasporadical. The project which is set to be released in March 2015 via Jakarta Records and will be preceded by a new single and video every month until release date.

Blitz The Ambassador - Rumble (Champion Sound)

Must have been the Autumn Atmosphere that inspired me in this Organ improvisation, spiced  with eastern & western ingredients. Enjoy :-)

Video here: http://youtu.be/QsvbXa9-eNc

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Dance of the falling leaves (VideoLink, free Download)

On Dec, 11, 2012, The GodFather of Sitar & WorldMusic left this world's stage to play with the heavenly orchestra. This is a little tribute to him who was an inspiration to so many, and to me to get hold of a sitar & try to play it. May he live & be blessed forever...

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/weekend/ci_22187123/steve-smith-springsteen-gaga-black-keys-join-stones

"Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar, who was responsible for bringing classical Indian music to the masses in the Western world via Beatle George Harrison's interest in Shankar, his instrument and his Hindu religion, died at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla last week. He was 92.

Shankar had been given heart-valve replacement surgery. A message on his website said, "Though the surgery was successful, recovery proved too difficult for the 92-year-old musician."

The three-time Grammy winner's final performance was Nov. 4 in Long Beach; it was a celebration of his 10th decade in music.

In 1952, Shankar began a musical collaboration with Western classical violinist Yehudi Menuhin but their work, while highly lauded, didn't bring about mass exposure to a Western audience. That would come a decade-and-a-half later.

In 1965, Harrison developed a fascination with the sitar and Indian music. The Beatle bought a secondhand sitar in a London shop and improvised a sitar part on John Lennon's "Norwegian Wood," marking the first time the instrument was used in a Western pop song (months earlier, The Yardbirds recorded a version of their hit, "Heart Full of Soul," with a sitar as the lead instrument, but that version wasn't released until much later).

In June 1966, Harrison met Shankar and asked to be his student. Shankar accepted. Interest in the sitar and other Indian instruments and the music spread through rock music like a wildfire.

His appearance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival provided his introduction to a young generation of music fans eager for diverse sounds and blending of musical forms. He also performed at Woodstock and in August 1971, he convinced his friend Harrison to stage rock music's first major benefit, the Concert for Bangladesh, that raised international awareness of the plight of refugees following a devastating cyclone and civil war in the south Asian nation. Shankar opened the two concerts (afternoon and evening) at Madison Square Garden.

Eventually, Shankar became mostly critical of rock's incorporation of the sitar because of its connection to drugs. He and Harrison remained the best of friends and collaborated often until Harrison's death from lung cancer in Los Angeles in November 2001. Harrison was 58.

Among Shankar's survivors are his wife Sukanya and two daughters, acclaimed sitar player Anoushka Shankar Wright, whose husband, Joe Wright, directed the recently released film, "Anna Karenina," and Shankar-Wright's half-sister, adult contemporary singer-songwriter Norah Jones."

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Ode to Ravi Shankar (who was my inspiration to try & play sitar), 12.12.12 (Free DL + Videolink)

http://soundcloud.com/kinehjeldnes made this wonderful song & opened it for Remix a while ago, and I have wanted to do this for a long time. Hope you like it!
The video also is beautiful : http://youtu.be/B3pvWbjPWrA
http://soundcloud.com/kinehjeldnes/father-vocal-stem-remix

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Kine Hjeldnes Father (hjerlmuda Raga ReWork, Video Link)

3 days ago @skye-milan produced the basic track which is here: http://soundcloud.com/skye-milan/flip-this-ship, and I thought 2 myself: Man, this cries out 4 some more drums, so here you are....enjoy :-)

Flip this Ship - Skye Milan & eXPerimentator hjerlmuda

Having started off as a drummer in a PopRock Coverband, passing through the eXPerimental & psychedelic stages of music of the 1970s, arrived in the New Millennium as a percussionist in the Berlin Band "Los Multikultis", privileged to play alongside brilliant musicians like Colin Bass of the Band "CAMEL", I now mainly produce WorldFusion music in my home studio in Berlin, Germany   
----------------------------
I'm a Hobby Musician (various drums, sitar, guitar, vox, plus now VST's & loops), Sound- & ComputerEngineer from Berlin/Germany.
Initially having been somewhat forced to "enjoy" a musical education of sorts as a child (playing sheet music on a recorder) I really started enjoying music with the appearance of The Beatles. So I started off my "career" as a drummer in the mid - 1960s here:

http://soundcloud.com/blackbirds-berlin/sets/the-blackbirds-live-on-stage/
 
After the Band dissolved, and inspired by the upcoming of psychedelic & electronic music I got into SoundExperiments together with the BassMan of our group. Of course, there is no way these can compare to the intricate "symphonies" being created nowadays in the age of computer music.

http://soundcloud.com/experimentator/sets/experimental-sounds-of-the-1960s/

Further following the path of The Beatles, esp. George Harrison, I travelled to India in 1971, getting myself a Sitar there, and upon my return trying to teach myself to play on it:

http://soundcloud.com/experimentator/sets/sitar-music

Later I found out that I also was able to sing, and so I also learned some Guitar playing

http://soundcloud.com/experimentator/sets/vocals-28/

In the mid-1990's I met my friend the BassMan again who had moved to Bavaria and joined another Band. The "Bavarian Power Jam" Session came about very spontaneously around 1995. Credits for anything but drumming go to http://www.dbusk.de

http://soundcloud.com/experimentator/sets/bavarian-power-jam/

Now, having seen the vast possibilities at hand, I have got into "it" again...and with a little help from my newly found and amazingly lovely SoundCloud & FaceBook friends I feel I could succeed...

http://soundcloud.com/experimentator/sets/new-stuff-2011-3/