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Afro-Finnish band Maajo makes their debut on Wonderwheel Recordings with “Better Days,” an old school, upbeat disco cut with nods to reggae and funk. Featuring the soulful voices of two new band members, Mauritian drummer-vocalist Gilbert K and Zambian singer Waina, “Better Days” pays homage to 70s African and Caribbean Disco. Fusing a dance-floor-ready beat with live horn arrangements and yearning vocals, the track is ready for the club or Sunday morning listening. The lyrics, sung in English, Creole, and Nyanja, are a global testament to hope and positivity: The “Kumba” chant pleads for the strength to get through the bad times. 

Hailing from Finland, Maajo is a tropical breeze from the cold north; their musical explorations lead from equatorial soundscapes to the woods and moods of their native Scandinavia. African influences, electronic beats and organic rhythms, ethereality and the sounds of nature all make up the patchwork sound of Maajo. Not only is Maajo’s music a way of traveling to faraway places, the songs themselves have traveled all over the globe. 

Maajo has evolved from a sample-based electronic music project to a full-sized band, including African vocalists and musicians. The group has put out two full-length albums and three EP’s on Queen Nanny records, in addition to releases on German label Permanent Vacation. Maajo has also written a soundtrack for the 1920’s silent film Lost World, received the remix treatment from artists such as Luke Vibert and Call Super, and toured festivals and clubs around the world. 

“Better Days” is out on Brooklyn’s Wonderwheel Recordings May 20th, with an album due Fall, 2022.

Better Days

Maajo - Better Days (feat. Gilbert K & Waina)

https://turntablesonthehudson.bandcamp.com/album/nickodemus-the-remix-machine

The Remix Machine has been in constant flow pumping remixes since the late 90's until today. Thanks to all the artists who gave me the opportunity to take their music in another direction... mainly the dance-floor direction. Special thanks to Zeb aka The Spy from Cairo & Chris Annibell aka Osiris who I started working on remixes with since the beginning. Thank you to Marcus Tupi Visual Lab for the original design taking the idea of a Remix Machine being a pizza & negroni filled heart & all the labels who helped me get this compilation together. Please check the entire digital compilation at turntablesonthehudson.bandcamp.com and even more comprehensive list of remixes not on this compilation at Nickodemus Spotify page. *Only tracks 1 - 8 are on the vinyl.

Buy on Bandcamp

Atropolis - Gaita Flute (Nickodmus Remix)

Buy Here

Maajo - Better Days (Radio Edit)

At the nexus where modern/future dub/club science meets the wisdom of the griots through the centuries lies "Horizons," a Sicilian-meets-Senegalese collaboration that digs up magic from deep in the seas that separates continents. Jah Sazzah's signature dub productions meet head-on with Senegalese musicians and singers such as the cousins Abramo Laye Senè and Bara Gianie on the track "Ndaga," which is only the tip of the iceberg of the dancefloor magic achieved on these very successful Africa-meets dub/house collaborations. Music without limits where the horizon is only the beginning.

Horizons

Jah Sazzah - Eh!

Over the pandemic, Fred would check in with me ask what I'm working on & how I'm handling the situation. We both started with the ASR-10 sampler & we discussed trading unfinished tracks & sample discs & finishing each others tracks. In the meantime, I made him this 2 record mash-up on my turntables as part of that series I was keeping myself & record collection busy with. He loved it but I never dropped it, so here it is for our B-Boy extRedAstaire R.I.Beats Freddie uniting  with some heavy hitters up in the Hip Hop Heavens - I hope you're feeling all this love Worldwide. Condolences to the whole family, I want you to know we tried getting him to NYC many times but he loved you guys so much he never wanted to leave home. Love from NYC, Nickodemus

Red Head Nod Factor

Hailing from Tampere, Finland, Maajo returns to Wonderwheel Recordings with the second single from their upcoming “Water of Life” LP. “Unelmissani” (Finnish for “in my dreams”) takes a more laid-back approach to the band’s signature Afro-Electronic sound: A subtly complex mix of percussion fills out the rhythm with a lilting swing while crisp guitar and synth lines provide the track’s melodic and harmonic backbone. One of Maajo’s lead singers, the Zambian singer Waina takes center stage as vocalist. “Unelmissani” is an end-of-the-night cruiser, equal parts optimism and nostalgia.

Maajo is a tropical breeze from the cold north; their musical explorations lead from equatorial soundscapes to the woods and moods of their native Scandinavia. African influences, electronic beats and organic rhythms, ethereality and the sounds of nature all make up the patchwork sound of Maajo.

Maajo has evolved from a sample-based electronic music project to a full-sized band, including African vocalists and musicians. The group has put out two full-length albums and three EP’s on Queen Nanny records, in addition to releases on German label Permanent Vacation. Maajo has also written a soundtrack for the 1920’s silent film Lost World, received the remix treatment from artists such as Luke Vibert and Call Super, and toured festivals and clubs around the world.

Pre-order Album Here

Maajo - Unelmissani

Afro-Finnish band Maajo return with their third album, “Water of Life,” a fluid celebration of various influences. Supported by two preceding singles, “Better Days” and “Unelmissani,” the album is the group’s first release with the Brooklyn, NY-based tastemaker label Wonderwheel Recordings. Maajo’s signature Afro-Balearic sound meets late eighties new age and fusion, with touches of modern soul. The addition of two band members, Waina and Gilbert K, as well as featuring artists Issiaka Dembele and Ismaila Sané, has rooted the album’s stories in a diverse range of backgrounds, featuring vocals in no less than six different languages. 

Gilbert K’s drum grooves pay tribute to the late Tony Allen’s legendary heritage and the percussion experiments on a more melodic and atmospheric tip. Cold synth pads and 303 squeaks blend with warm guitars, fretless bass, and Issiaka Dembele’s sublime kora harps and balafon mallets. “Water of Life” shows a band at its maturation point, reaching the cross-cultural coalescence of Finnish-African sound that’s ready for the dancefloor or home-listening. 

The three vocalists take centre-stage on the album: Waina hails from Zambia and sings in Nyanja, English and Finnish; a renowned musician in Zambia for over two decades who now calls Finland home, Waina wrote a song that reached the finals of the 2020 Afrimusic contest. Gilbert K primarily sings in his native Mauritian Creole while comprising part of the percussion line. He made his way to Finland by way of South Africa and China, eventually winning the Voice of Finland show. Gilbert K has played with such legends as Tony Allen, Andy Summers, Diana King, and Suzanne Vega. Ismaila Sané is from the Casamance region of Southern Senegal and sings in Wolof (a widely-spoken language in West Africa) on “Ndekete,” and in Jola (a smaller language in Casamance) on “Èwàn”. 

Maajo is a sonic, linguistic, and cultural melting pot that has come together in Tampere, Finland, like a tropical breeze from the cold north. Their musical explorations lead from equatorial soundscapes to the woods and moods of their native Scandinavia. African influences, electronic beats and organic rhythms, ethereality and the sounds of nature all make up the patchwork sound of Maajo. 

Not only is Maajo’s music a way of travelling to faraway places, the songs themselves have travelled all over the globe. Maajo has evolved from a sample-based electronic music project to a full-sized band, including African vocalists and musicians. The group has put out two full-length albums and three EP’s on Queen Nanny records, in addition to a release on German label Permanent Vacation. Maajo has received the remix treatment from artists such as Luke Vibert and Call Super, and has toured festivals and clubs internationally. The band has built a dedicated international following having been championed by the likes of Gilles Peterson (Worldwide FM), Tom Ravenscroft (BBC Radio 6), and Tim Sweeney (Beats In Space), while they’ve been featured by KEXP (Song of the Day), Resident Advisor, Ransom Note, and Pan-African Music. 

“Water of Life” is out on Wonderwheel Recordings October 14th, 2022, both digitally and as an exclusive, limited-run 2xLP.

Buy LP Here

Maajo - Balafon Compagnement

Maajo - Ti Mamzel (feat. Gilbert K)

This is our little label out of Brooklyn NYC. Homegrown music with lots of diversity for speakers EVERYWHERE! www.wonderwheelrecordings.com Alsarah and the Nubatones, Chancha Via Circuito, Nickodemus, El Búho, Thornato, Novalima, The Spy from Cairo, Gitkin, Populous & more...

Maajo - Better Days (Radio Edit)

WONDERWHEEL Recordings