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)

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 - Lesa Fye (feat. Waina & Gilbert K)

Maajo - Èwañ (feat. Ismaila Sané)

Maajo - Makosaa

Maajo - Ndékété (feat. Ismaila Sané)

Maajo - Ti Mamzel (feat. Gilbert K)

Maajo - Water Of Life (feat. Waina)

An old remix I made of the Si Se Track, Cuando. Si Se is a downtempo and electronic group from New York City and toured with David Byrne and booked for Luaka Bop label, one of my favourites in the 90s.

This remix was released thru myspace and it´s time to upload it again!

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/l0m1ckf897944g1/Sise_-_Cuando_(El_Remolon_Remix)_FINAL_MASTER.mp3
 

Si Sé - Cuando (El Remolon Remix)

* Traxsource www.traxsource.com/artist/214644/fran-deeper
* Beatport: www.beatport.com/artist/fran-deeper/444728
* JunoDownload: www.junodownload.com/artists/Fran+Deeper/releases/
* Bandcamp: https://spaindisco.bandcamp.com/
* Soundcloud: @fran-deeper
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/frandeeper/
* Facebook: www.facebook.com/FranDeeperDj/

Buy On Traxsource

Moody Lion & Fran Deeper - Moonlight Beach (Original Mix) [Spa Club]

RELEASE DATE: 14.12.18

DOWNLOAD HERE: bit.ly/umojakogbc

Hard-hitting afro-dancehall from Accra to Haarlem via London.

A unique collaboration between Ghanaian MC+ singer K.O.G (Kweku of Ghana) and Dutch producers Umoja.

￼Born in Accra (Ghana) but currently resident in the Northern British ex-industrial city of Sheffield, K.O.G has exploded onto the European scene, slaying shows across Europe with afro-futurist outfit Onipa, afro-funk monster group K.O.G and the Zongo Brigade and as a guest with The Busy Twist, Afriquoi, Nubiyan Twist and Congo Natty.

This is the second in the series of one off collaborations with producers from around the world, following up on ‘Change’ with iZem (Lisbon) on Guts’ Pura Vida label, with forthcoming collaborations with The Busy Twist, Jus Now and more in the pipeline. With great responses to the latest Onipa EP on Wormfood/Mawimbi (September 2018), and many released in the pipeline for 2019 the K.O.G and the Zongo Brigade (Heavenly Sweetness) and guest features on Nubiyan Twist’s album (Strut), 2019 is definitely going to be his year.

Originating from Haarlem in the Netherlands, Dutch duo Umoja have over a decade of experience dishing out warm dusty grooves, unified by an intrinsic appreciation and understanding of world rhythm, the mechanisms of groove and contemporary electronic beats. Any attempt to pin down their sound is only a pipe dream: In the spirit of ‘Umoja’ a Swahili word meaning ‘Unity’, their approach to music is to unify grooves across the seven oceans, one record at a time.

“Kponyole” is a dark, brooding, digi-dancehall banger, with deep subs, hypnotic, rolling bass and sharp percussive undertones. Meaning ‘Be Careful’ in the Ewe language of the Volta region of Eastern Ghana, it warns of the dangers everyone must be careful of, from betrayal by close ones to spiritual pollution. Watch your back. Watch your brother. Watch out for bad spirits. Watch wear you tread. Watch your speakers too, that low end will do them some damage if you are not careful!

“Ayena” is much lighter, a traditional, hi-life style homage to the beauty of the female sex: shake for me, dance for me – with warm, bouncy, almost cartoon-like beats that will make any dancefloor bubble.

The Full EP comes with bonus instrumentals and a special Umoja VIP.

Umoja ft K.O.G - AYENA (Instrumental)

Pre-Order:  https://wonderwheelrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/one-ep

Japanese born Yukicito found his love for Brazilian music after moving to LA as a teenager & emerging himself in the samba schools of one of the biggest Brazilian communities in the country. Soon after learning all the instruments & songs, he became a teacher & started making recordings with vocalists & musicians. 

After several hit remixes on both Wonderwheel & Bastard Jazz, Yukicito drops his 1st original 5 track EP. A dance-floor fusion the African rooted music of both Brazil's Atlantic coast & The Pacifico music of Colombia's Pacific coast, we feel the roots & the thump of long running Los Angeles party called 'La Junta'.

Pre-Order EP

Yukicito - Yukizinho

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 - Makosaa

WONDERWHEEL Recordings

Recent comments

Irving SyKes

Related tracks