Infinite Late Junction by BRITify.com - 12

Witchdoctor's Son

Magwaza (feat. John Tchicai, Dudu Pukwana, Alfredo do Nascimento, Luez "Chuim" Carlos De Sequaira & Mohamed Al-Jabry)

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

Horizon - Ti Malo

Fort Dimanche

STRIKE

Here I Am

Marina Herlop - Pripyat
Label: PAN
Cat.No. PAN 128
Format: DL
Release Date: 20 May 2022
Purchase: pan.lnk.to/Pripyat

Marina Herlop is often described as a pianist, a lingering remnant of her classical training. But what strikes the listener on Herlop’s breakout track miu is the intricate trickery of her voice, tracing rhythmical clusters around the subtlest of musical beds, in a technique inspired by Carnatic music of Southern India. 

miu, the opening track of Herlop’s new studio album Pripyat, was among the first songs that the young Catalan artist made on a computer, after two albums - 2016’s Nanook and 2018’s Babasha - that brought spectral elegance to the sound of piano and voice. This spirit of adventure continues into Pripyat, Herlop’s first full album produced on a computer, and her most intensely emotional work to date. 

Listening to Pripyat you can feel the emotional toil and creative endeavour that went into the record. Fans of Nanook and Babasha will recognise the combination of melancholic piano and elegant vocal lines that is found on Pripyat tracks like abans abans. But Pripyat has a far fuller, almost chaotic sound when compared to Herlop’s previous work, with the addition of electronic drums, electric bass lines and a wealth of sublime production effects. 

Added to this production expertise are songs of incredible grace and poise. Kadish is a spectral torch song rendered in emotional 3D by Herlop’s gorgeous voice; ubunto has a feeling of deep longing and lingering sorrow; and shaolin mantis is like a pop song refracted through disorienting production effects and percussive vocal cut ups. Pripyat is the perfect combination of computer production trickery and intimate emotional release. 

Songs composed, produced and performed by Marina Herlop. 
Mix: James Ginzburg 
Mastering: Joker 
Mix and mastering of 'miu (choir version)': Borja Ruiz 
Ukulele and ending synth in 'shaolin mantis': Adri González 
Electric guitar in ‘lyssof’:Òscar Garrobé 
Electric bass in ‘ubuntu’ and ‘miu’: Òscar Garrobé

shaolin mantis

little-gasparilla's-glow

In the Heart of the Moon

Monsieur le Maire de Niafunké

Moonshiner b/w Bridge to Gaia

Bridge to Gaia

original music -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A0VXjKwYHs  The Touré-Raichel Collective is a musical group led by Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré and Israeli singer and pianist Idan Raichel. The group's debut album, The Tel Aviv Session, was released on Cumbancha in March 2012.
In 2008, after a chance meeting at an airport terminal in Berlin, Germany, Raichel and Touré forged a friendship with an intention to perform together in concert. This came to fruition in November 2010 with the duo performing at the Tel Aviv Opera House. The following day they entered a recording studio in Tel Aviv. Joining Vieux and Idan in the studio were Israeli bassist Yossi Fine and Malian Calabash player Souleymane Kane. According to Raichel, the group "recorded a mix of Malian rhythms mixed with Israeli melodies — all originals, but very influenced from both our cultures." This spontaneous and improvised acoustic recording session lasted for three hours and marked the birth of The Touré-Raichel Collective. The group's debut album, The Tel Aviv Session, was released by Cumbancha on March 27, 2012. The group toured in North America, with Amit Carmeli on bass, in March and April 2012. The Touré-Raichel Collective completed a European tour in Fall 2012 and another European tour is planned for Spring 2013.

The Touré-Raichel Collective released their second album, The Paris Session, in Fall 2014. This album was supposed to be recorded in Mali, but political and religious unrest prevented this from happening. Instead, they recorded in Paris, France, informing the name "The Paris Session". Songs on this album are sung in French, Bambara, Songhai, and Hebrew, blending the two men's traditions.
https://soundcloud.com/thetoure-raichelcollective

Unofficial remix
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The Touré - Raichel Collective - Azawade (jack Essek Edit)

Ali & Toumani

Ruby

Ancestor Boy

Vous et nous (feat. Bonnie Banane)

Jardins migrateurs

Soutouro

New Album 'Sun Without The Heat’ Out Now On @antirecords. https://leylamccalla.ffm.to/swth

Fort Dimanche

Leyla McCalla

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