Amadou Ballake et les 5 consuls - Renouveau

A pulsing journey through echoes and shadows, How Dare Me?! blends deep dub textures with relentless techno drive. It’s a confrontation between doubt and defiance, a hypnotic spiral that asks — who sets the limits, and who dares to break them?

How dare me?!

Mystery

fun lil thang.wav

Remix I did for crazy electro-pop duet Larytta from Lausanne, Switzerland. Out on Creaked Records.

https://soundcloud.com/larytta/
https://soundcloud.com/cloudcreaked

Itunes

Larytta - Something Good (Rafael Aragon RMX)[Creaked Records, 2016]

El Regreso del Gallito (The Return of the Rooster) takes its inspiration from the sounds and landscapes of Paraguay, the small South American country unbeknownst to many outside its borders. Paraguayan composer and producer Santi and Turkish singer Tuğçe take listeners on a tantalizing journey into this “island surrounded by red coasts, in the heart of South America”. El Regreso del Gallito also marks the duo’s first time collaboration with U.S. based visual artist Scott Partridge, whose artwork perfectly captures the somewhat familiar and somewhat magical world of the album. 

The opening track, Gallito, begins with a bold, orchestral string section, and quotes the popular Paraguayan polka “Gallito Cantor”. The spoken poetry announces the return of a mysterious traveler, with a strange voice and burgundy crest, to his native land. This track, like the rest of the album, reveals the compositional approach that Santi takes to music production in which he writes and sequences every single note and beat for all instruments. Based on this opening track, Scott’s cover art for the album depicts the mythical Gallito, which- like the album itself- is a novel interpretation of the folkloric elements, in this case, gallinas de suerte or “lucky chickens”, of Paraguay. 

The second track, Doña Antonia, tells the story of a street vendor who travels each morning from her home in Yaguaron to the capital city Asuncion to sell her medicinal herbs that cure everything, from heartbreak to oblivion. The track is sensual, mystical, and up-tempo. In a “world that keeps spinning without compassion”, Doña Antonia’s song (and her ice cold tererê with lemon) reassure the poet, the dreamer, those who are disheartened, of possible relief and even transformation. 

La Revancha del Arpa, humorously named after Gotan Project’s debut album “La Revancha del Tango”, brings to the dance floor the intricate melodies and waterfall-like textures of the Paraguayan harp, the instrument that is at the center of the Paraguayan musical genre of the Guarania. Like Gotan Project’s “La Revancha del Tango” which gave tango its electronic sound and international revival, in La Revancha del Arpa, Santi extends the Guarania outside of its Paraguayan conventions and immerses it into Latin America’s vibrant electronic music scene and beyond. 

The fourth track, San Juan, is a grand celebration, based on the traditions of many other neighboring countries throughout Latin America. Weaving together polyrhythmic percussion, deep bass, synthesizers, the energetic accordion and the playful harp, this upbeat track is filled with fire, dancing, and daring games. Even the mysterious Gallito is back on the scene calling for community and musical innovation. 

In the last piece, the journey comes full circle, as Santi and Tuğçe give us their rendition of what is perhaps the most known Guarania of Paraguay, Recuerdo de Ypacaraí. Santi’s hypnotizing harmonies along with Tuğçe’s soothing vocals turn this timeless song into a lullaby which takes us back to a night by Lake Yparaci and invites us to remember and linger on. 

Follow the artists @ 

facebook.com/santi.production/ 
soundcloud.com/santi-productions 
soundcloud.com/tugce-kurtis

Buy on Bandcamp!

Santi & Tuğçe - San Juan

Another track form mu new album "nothing new under the sun"

Prophecy in motion

Barra Funda is something of a homecoming for Brazilian producer Spaniol. The EP takes inspiration from the neighbourhood (barra funda) in São Paulo where Spaniol (Felipe Torquato) grew up as a kid and rediscovered when coming back from a long year touring around the world. 

The music is inspired by Felipe’s walks down the streets of the neighbourhood, originally known for its community of Spanish immigrants, going to the local park, Agua Branca, or visiting the neighbourhood’s numerous strange bars.

Opener Moinho is the name of a favela in Barra Funda where, over the past year there have been increasing confrontations between the local community and the police. In February 2017 Felipe met a young kid called Everson while working on the soundtrack for a public theatre piece. The two bonded over their love of rap and poetry and the result is this heady mix of baile funk, deep-dark, organic electronica and Everson’s gravely rap verses.

The EP closes with epic instrumental Asturias, which features guitars played by Felipe (one of the first real pieces he learnt) and is a homage to the producer’s own Spanish heritage.

Agua Branca takes its name, and its inspiration, from a park just two blocks down from where Felipe lives and where he used to play as a kid. Today it has been transformed with an incredible café and has become a nature reserve.

Sale de Baile featuring Tugce & Cosmic e Damiao is a nod to the old-style saloons.

Lavradio is the name of Felipe’s street in Barra Funda and was written alongside Agustin (Barrio Lindo) when he stayed at Spaniol’s place. Agustín was one of Felipe’s first contacts in the scene and the two have built up a close relationship over the years.

Artwork: Clau Smith

Buy on Bandcamp

Spaniol Feat. Barrio Lindo - Lavradio

From the album "Enter The San"
Release date: April 22, 2019
Artist: https://soundcloud.com/supersanmusic
Vinyl / Digital
Pre-order: http://bit.ly/Supersan_BC
Supersan is https://soundcloud.com/panamacardoon and https://soundcloud.com/misterkentro
Read more about them: http://bit.ly/Supersan_GC

Guitars on "Argalios" by P-Gial 
Keys by Kuppo 
Mixed by Kostas "PS.K" Psathas for DiggingSounds 
Mastered at The Exchange, London UK

"Argalios" is also on YouTube: http://bit.ly/Argalios_YT

Enter The San

★GET SOME INFO★

PREMIERE: SUPERSAN - Argalios

https://wonderwheelrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/desert-to-douala 

An exploration of traditional Chadian music with an electronic twist... Chad is in many ways a blind spot on the map of today's global musical conversation. Overlooked, misunderstood and misrepresented, outside observers rarely concede the country an autonomous voice over its past, present and future. N’Djamena, the dusty capital of Chad with its well-kept stories of boundary-breaking musical collaborations and thirst for experimentation is a city that reflects the country's diversity: the arid North, bordering the Sahara, where nomadic tribes revere the endless desert with their handcrafted instruments. The lush tropical South, where the frenetic drumming of local initiation ceremonies blends with sounds of neighboring Congo and Cameroon. Right in the middle: N'Djamena, a forgotten melting pot of cultures and peoples bursting with unrecorded stories of life at the margins of the world's attention. Tackling this view is precisely one of the aims of Pulo NDJ. In May 2018, Nickodemus accepted an invitation from Hape Collective to travel to N'Djamena to teach a group of young adults DJ'ing and electronic music production, which resulted in the encounter between a group of talented artists from Cameroon, Chad, Congo and Togo. After a weeklong series of listening to original songs & demos, the recordings continued in a pop-up studio created by DJ Buosis & Nickodemus which culimated in Desert To Douala, an album featuring 11 songs, all originally written and recorded in N’Djamena. The project found its inspiration in the city's un-narrated diversity and seeks to explore the possibilities offered by technology to demonstrate how the country’s rich heritage connects with existing musical conversations. It strives to create bridges in a world of walls. It has been a yearlong creative process that built friendships and fostered understanding among people united by a passion for music and creation.

Buy individual songs

Pulo NDJ "Desert To Douala" 28 Min Album Mix By Nickodemus

Buy / Stream:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2RBFuat
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3a58yh3
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3en4lJ9

Bandcamp (Pre-Order LP): https://bit.ly/349B8M

----------------------------------------------

Populous, aka Andrea Mangia, is a DJ and producer hailing from Lecce, in Southern Italy, known for his global approach to music-making. “Soy Lo Que Soy”, the new single from his upcoming ‘W’ album, is a song about finding your true self. Populous teamed up with Mexico City digital cumbia mavens Sotomayor to portray the more femine side of his music. “Soy Lo Que Soy” is just that- being true to and embracing oneself on all levels, fusing strong dreamy melodies with deep synths and Latin beats. 

With a background in musicology, Populous has always been interested in disparate genres and styles of music, which is reflected in the output from the Populous project and its focus on Latin American sounds as refracted through a European lens. In 2003, Mangia made his first jaunt into the music world with the album ‘Quipo’ (via Morr Music), followed by ‘Queue For Love’ in 2005. Influenced by his reggae/hip-hop-infused surroundings (Lecce is known as Italy’s Jamaica, as reggae and dancehall are extremely popular there) he released ‘Drawn in Basic’ in 2008, which was well received by international critics, earning him a spot on the global dance music map. The 2010s have seen Mangia refine the Populous sound with albums like ‘Night Safari’ (Bad Panda Records) and ‘Azulejos’ (Wonderwheel Recordings), while also expanding his role as a sound designer for fashion houses such as Gucci, Vivienne Westwood, Isabel Marant, and Elie Saab, among others. 

‘W’ is out on Wonderwheel Recordings May 22nd.

Soy Lo Que Soy (SINGLE)

Buy / Pre-Order LP

Populous & Sotomayor - Soy Lo Que Soy

One of the amazing things about the deeply Jamaican music called Dub is its ability to act as a conduit. From its early days as stripped down versioning of popular Reggae tunes to its indoctrination into late 80 / early 90s UK Soundsystem & Dance Music culture, to its current massive mutation (with the “Step” planted firmly in its behind); Dub has shown itself to be not only a musical art form that stands strongly on its own, but also a vehicle of sorts that can transport and connect disparate musical universes. And it’s at the unique nexus of Dub and Arabic music that the Spy From Cairo sits the most comfortably. 

The Spy From Cairo aka Zeb is the kind of musician that fits perfectly in with the downtown NYC music scene – Italian by birth, Gypsy by heritage, and Brooklynite by residence, he has been closely associated with the Turntables on the Hudson scene for close to 12 years – producing dozens of albums as Zeb, the Spy From Cairo and the Organic Grooves project, as well as remixing for everyone from Baba Maal to Tosca to Billie Holliday to Novalima, steadily garnering a worldwide collective of fans and followers 

The Spy’s new album, “Arabadub” is perhaps his most realized vision of deep Middle Eastern and Jamaican sounds coalescing into something that sounds right and natural – because it was conceived and produced in just that natural way. There are no samples used on the album, and Zeb has programmed everything, as well as playing traditional Middle Eastern stringed instruments called the Oud, Chifteli and the Saz himself. Check the opener “Alladin Dub”, with its echoed out skanks, pulsing bassline, and majestic strings – and the deepness that is “Taksim Square”, complete with swirling, psychedelic accordion. Other highlights include the tense four-to-the-floor stomper “Desert Tears”, the rolling dub of “Sons of Hannibal” with it’s beautiful Middle Eastern vocal chants, the nostalgic “Egyptian Pulse” with its Steppers sound and melancholy vibes, and the dancehall vibes of “Prince Ahmed” – sounding like 3AM Kingston wrapped in a Bedouin Tent!
credits


Prophecy in motion

Zebda-The spy from Cairo