The innovative, radical soul of Guadeloupe explored across thirty years of contemporary gwoka music.

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As Guadeloupean vocalist and composer Marie-Line Dahomay writes in her liner notes to the compilation, gwoka is more than a style of music, it is “a way of living and thinking.”

Rooted in the social, musical and ritual practices of enslaved African people and their descendants on Guadeloupe, gwoka has always sought to express the spirit of independence and resistance authentic to the island.

Building on its traditional call-and-response form and the ideas of pivotal figures like Gérard Lockel and Christian Laviso, modern gwoka evolved throughout the second half of the twentieth century to include funk, jazz and electronic influences.

Defined by its propensity for innovation and experimentation, this compilation charts the most radical changes to modern gwoka, capturing a sensory riot of traditional répertoires, rhythms and makè techniques fused with a rich seam of genre-defying experimentation.

Whether heard in the deeply cosmic, spiritual music of Dao, Freydy Doressamy and Gaoulé Mizik, or the jazz funk inflections of Gui Konket and Horizon, the music here is united by the feeling of santiman ka, crucial not only to gwoka music but the identity of Guadeloupe at large.

As co-curator Cédric Lassonde writes: “What unifies these selections is the depth of the compositions, the experimentation around the santiman ka, and the spirit of resistance and liberation against slavery, be it modern or ancestral. With a thirst for innovation typical of the island’s creole culture, the ka spirit is deeply rooted in collective history and in a quest for identity.”

Co-curator Brandon Hocura continues: “The creative energy of these musicians is powerful and demonstrates a universal pursuit of resistance, freedom and identity. Their voices are distinct, but the chorus rises high and carries their message far across the sea.”

Released on double LP, L’Esprit Ka: New Directions in Gwoka Music from Guadeloupe 1981-2010 is the first compilation of its kind to bring the sound of modern gwoka to a wider audience, with many of the musicians features still active today.

Presented with typical attention to detail, the release features a specially commissioned essay by Guadeloupean musician Marie-Line Dahomey, and extensive liner notes from Cédric Lassonde and Séance Centre’s Brandon Hocura. 

True to the hybrid nature of the music, the compilation seeks not to provide a definitive sound, but express the variety of contemporary forms gwoka has grown to take. Just as Guadeloupean trailblazers Kassav fused gwoka with funk and cadence to create zouk, so did the musicians on this collection push gwoka in new directions rarely heard beyond its shores.

In the words of Gérard Lockel, “gwoka is the soul of Guadeloupe”.

Lèspri Ka : New Directions in Gwo Ka Music from Guadeloupe 1981-201

Dao - Chen'n La

https://www.nts.live/shows/guests/episodes/meghan-currier-2nd-march-2022

Meghan Currier - 020322

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Ghostly @ The Lot Radio 03 - 21 - 2022

the very latest FatCat radio show for your aural pleasure..

FatCat Records - 1BTN - June 2022

Dive into your dreams with this completely magic mix of j-pop, Chinese rap, and video game soundtracks from @shinamomoki 

1. Yoko Shimomura - Dearly Beloved 
2. MIYAUCHI YURI / 宮内 優里 - YACHIMATA_160515
3. Damacha - Finny 
4. Shinamo Moki - Artificial Beach [Instrumental] 
5. Akiko Yano - ラーメンたべたい
6. Tomggg - Sala
7. Takenobu Mitsuyoshi & Yuzo Koshiro - Christmas on Dobuita St. [Shenmue]
8. Luisine - Gravity 
9.  Kazumasa Hashimoto - Tokyo Sonata Theme 
10. Daisuke Tanabe - Origami 
11. Tycho - Spectre [Bibio Remix]
12. Shinamo Moki - Betamax [Demo]
13.  Minako Adachi - Lillie's Theme [Sun + Moon]
14. Howie Lee - Bei Hai
15. Metronomy - This Could Be Beautiful (It Is)
16. Shinamo Moki - Dating Sim
17. Cokiyu - Untitled New
18. Toshifumi Hinata - Passage
19. Noah - Do You Remember 
20. A.D. Police OST - My Beloved 
21. Foodman - Mid Summer Night (ft. Diskomargaux)
22. Throwing Shade - Underneath My Eyelids 
23. illtacc - 瘾
24. Wharfwit - Elbows 
25. Haruomi Hosono - Himendoka  
26. Mort Garson - Swingin'Spathiphylums
27. Boards of Canada - Davie Addison
28. OPN - No Good
29. Miharu Koshi - 逃亡者
30. Susumu Hirisawa - Gats [Berserk]

slumber session: shinamo moki

This is your autumn subtle shift.

Be kind and move with ease.

Phonic Mirror - Part 7 -- Helado Negro DJ Mix

This month we're so honoured to have Matthew Hayes (@matthewhayesmusic) step in with an hour-long mix. In last month's FLORA monthly newsletter, we sung the high praises of his latest collaboration with Joel Trigg, and now we're thrilled to have him contribute this mix. A huge thanks to Matthew for this beautiful mix, and we can't say this enough, but Elegant Universe, his album with Joel Trigg, is one of the best of this year. Go grab it on Bandcamp (https://kenoathrecords.bandcamp.com/album/matthew-hayes-joel-trigg-elegant-universe). He's also got a new, more dancefloor-oriented collaboration (with Ziggy Zeitgeist) on the way, and the first sounds from it are incredible (https://soundcloud.com/matthewhayesmusic).

Tracklist:

1. Kenji Kihara - Early Summer
2. Bazar Bla - Dalaimama Part 1
3. James Maloney - Intertwine
4. r beny - Fernwood
5. Khotin - Vacation
6. Zazz - Forever Is a Distance
7. Gian Slater with Will Poskitt - Creatures At The Crossroads
8. Joni Mitchell - Hejira
9. Rings Around Saturn - Anamnesis

FLORA / radio 3 ~ guest mix from matthew hayes

@kellyleeowens's mix of her favorite tracks of 2018 for Hype Machine's Zeitgeist. 

See the tracklist and explore the full feature here:  hypem.com/zeitgeist/2018

Kelly Lee Owens - Hype Machine Zeitgeist 2018 Mix

Visiting the Well is out March 26th on Orchid Tapes.

Video: https://youtu.be/32stOXR5Yn8 
Pre-order a copy of the 12" vinyl or cassette tape here: shop.orchidtapes.com/

Pleasure Systems - Blur

1. John Cage - Radio mix (00:00:08)
2. David Blair Stiffler - Maranao Lullaby (00:01:55)
3. Lituus - 10212016_2700_001  (00:04:56)
4. The Dead Mauriacs - Chalet polynésien à pignon pour séjour-club (00:09:16)
5. Broadcast and The Focus Group - The Be Colony (00:18:49)
6. The United States Of America - The American Metaphysical Circus (00:23:17)
7. Pacific 231 - Sol Invictus (00:28:14)
8. King Tubby - Tollbooth Dub (00:29:43)
9. Byron Westbrook - Heliocentricity(00:33:39)
10. Jane Arden & Jack Bond - excerpt from Anti-Clock (00:37:47)
11. Teleplasmiste - A Boy Called Conjuror(00:40:30)
12. Lamin Fofana - And All The Birds Sing Bass (00:44:23)
13. Insides - Subordinate (00:59:20)
14. Simon McCorry - Entanglement (01:06:23)
15. Lonnie Holley - In It Too Deep (01:14:14)
16. Stella Chiweshe - Tapera (01:21:48)
17. Rivet - Sooty Wing Flecks (01:26:44)
18. Julia Reidy - Shifting (01:30:24)
19. Yoshio Ojima - Entomology (01:36:20)
20. Dialect - Under-Between (01:39:32)
21. Delphine Dora - Loin (01:44:25)
22. Lyra Pramuk - Mirror (01:48:13)
23. Bessie Smith - Graveyard Dream Blues(01:51:15)
24. The Mothmen - Return Of The Mozabites (01:53:44)
25. Jane Arden & Jack Bond - excerpt from Anti-Clock (01:57:07)

130701 - A Dream Across The Border 19 - radio show on 1BTN  -  14.02.21

Sounds and visions from the depths of the Fraser Valley, in Beautiful British Columbia.

All inquiries: hello.flora.sounds[at]gmail.com