Rolling Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2014 Thread Formerly Known as World

They meshed together trad Haitian sounds with funk and more

yeah that description fits most of the comp

Haitian music (classical, folk etc. (guitar works preferred)) s/d

The Haitian thread never gets many posts

just heard this segment on npr and thought it was pretty brilliant (+ beautiful) - excuse me while i crosspost it to the 2014 china thread too:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/01/28/265468566/remaking-all-that-jazz-from-shanghais-lost-era

i love this track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LLMBJntfV8

oh, that's not the one i thought it was - it's this one:
http://open.spotify.com/track/04cPsJ4iXU5JHspgdwdXOc

Would love to get hold of this "electro chaabi" release but it's vinyl-only (and expensive!): http://thequietus.com/articles/14300-eek-islam-chipsy-dj-sardena-review

Short YouTube sample sounds absolutely banging:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Z7MegmZH4

wow no kidding

Ester Rada lp out!!!

http://esterrada.bandcamp.com/album/ester-rada

http://f0.bcbits.com/img/a2047931644_2.jpg

She was on my list of folks I should listen to, and I still haven't gotten to her yet. But I will.

I'm liking the new Angelique Kidjo album

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jan/30/ibrahima-sylla

RIP. 57 is too young. That's horrible. Dude was an awesome producer. I once wanted to interview him and it never happened and now never will.

A case in point was his nurturing of the collaboration between the Senegalese singer Thione Seck and Indian and Egyptian orchestras on the album Orientation (released in 2005, but recorded a few years earlier), an idea later taken up with equal success by N'Dour.

This was a great cd as were the Africando albums he worked on. He loved Latin clave sounds as well as West African ones and nicely made them work together.

And on the Thione Seck one showed he could work with Egyptian & Indian sounds as well

A couple of listing on my P&J Top Ten, perhaps right for this thread--from P&J comments archived inhttp://thefreelancementalists.blogspot.com/2014/01/ive-seen-bootage-pazz-jop-13-pt2.html
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou, Volume Three---The Skeletal Essences of Afro-Funk 1969-1980 is
Analog Africa's third collection of tracks from Benin's primo movers of "traditional Voudon rhythms to funk, sato, Latin, sakpata, psychedelia, and Afro-beat" includes reel-to-reel, one-or-two mic recordings in houses, and even outdoors: conditions which might have suggested the "Skeletal Essences" advisory. Still, the reel-to-reel was a Nagra, the outdoors settings were gardens, the sessions often nocturnal; the results are fully charged. They seem like a response to late-night Bay Area FM and UK pirate stations, who maybe turned on those trendy Voice of America and BBC World Service headz to Hendrix, Santana, Meters, James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone, then dialing in electric Miles, P-Funk, Stevie Wonder, the expanding Talking Heads: trace elements, as filtered/reduced by these gray rockhead American ears, of Cotonou's ricochet path around the encrusted periphery of textbook popular music history. Peripheral visions, flickering lightning, skeletal filaments: like Miles slipping in, stealing the scene on his own records, as the background becomes the foreground---not in a New Age sense, or anything rarefied; more like oops upside the head, as the searchlight and spotlight merge. Back in the day, these guys are still re-writing the books, the future----as now, Daddy-o. Keep 'em coming, Analog Africa! (Cotonou's founder passed in 2012, but think there have been some reunion shows in the fairly recent past?)

Jazz didn't make the list this year, in terms of obvious titles, but as usual (always?), it was a crucial ingredient of several selections---made a difference with Cotonou, the way I hear 'em, and Guerilla Toss even, as we shall see--but right now should mention the inclusively, still inadequately-titled Underground Sounds of Modern Brasil: Hip-Hop, Beats, Afro & Dub. The excursions that first swept me up were the penultimate-to-ultimate grooves cruising off Disc 1, both very reliably informed by kosmic Krauts and Miles Davis (most likely). And all of Disc 2 has something to do with various kinds of jazz, as only the Brasilians/Brazilians can iterate ( yes, getting essentalist with it, but there's your classy 2013 buzzword or meme or whatever it is, too).

This was in the Top Ten too:
Key point in the p.r. pitch for Rough Guide To African Disco: "Creative scenesters put their own spin on the disco sound, mashing together the rhythmic pulse of funk, soul and Latin with African grooves; soukous, Afrobeat, township jive and more." Yes! There are a few let-downs, like the very first track, I think, but mostly amazing. Some of my faves are ones I wouldn't have thought to tag as disco, but no prob.

That's all old stuff on that Rough Guide to African Disco, or recent stuff? I can google later but thought I'd ask since you like it. Either way, its of interest, just curious re more details.

It's all older, don't remember the cut-off date. Def check the two-disc version (on Spotify).And a couple of Right Hon. Mentions:

National Wake---Walk In Africa 1979-1980: Music made by young South Africans, of various RSA racial classifications: punk-funk-reggae-dub, reminding me of Australia's Us Mob, No Fixed Address, Coloured Stone, early live Police, some of Tom Robinson's combos, Bad Brains kinda. The finale, a dub workout, is over 17 min long, like over three times as long as any other, but despite my habitual editorial fantasies, wouldn't part with a particle so far. Would have Top Tenned this set, but already got all those reissues on there already….

Bombino---Nomad: None of Tinariwen's occasional late-night campfire acoustic ruminations, which is okay by me. Electric and maybe acoustic guitars, always plural, over and around bass, drums (usually a full kit), an organ, which is sometimes almost subliminal, but always at least flickering; I'd miss it. First few tracks have a distractingly buzzy, grainy midrange squeeze; whether it's the quality of the source, the stream, my usually okay headphones showing their limitations, I dunno. But then the mix of desert harshness times deftly. sometimes boldly applied fluidity kicks in, the latter taking over quickly enough, but never complacently. Some tracks seem a little, brief, ending abruptly; I'll have to check his concert links from this page too. Closes with maybe a little mellotron on the Garcia/Costello-ish voice, def hand drums and steel guitar, at times like uh T.Rex jamming on "Lively Up Yourself", ha comparisons. Wild set still here: http://www.npr.org/event/music/204500938/bombino-live-in-concert-newport-folk-2013

+1 on the bombino album

Oh yeah, and this for sure:
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba---Jama ko: Language proved not nearly as much of a barrier as it might have, mainly cos I can tell all the tracks apart right off, not a given to this non-ethnomusicologist, even w that Mali vibe. So, so far this is my guitar album of the year, even though it's generated by little ol' electrified lutes (which also provide sufficient bass), looking like something from the local produce market. Sharp-edged and fluid as wine, elegant yet never pissy, drawing rough-edged male and bold female vocals into further focus, landing and spinning on a dime, at times, but nothing too showy. Wonder if they ever work with drummers? Sneaky grooves anyway.

i was hoping jama ko or bombino or traore would show up in the ilx top albums thread

I'm getting the debut album by a Sarahawi singer named Aziza Brahim in the mail soon; can't wait to hear it. I'm totally obsessed with the only other Sarahawi singer I know, Mariem Hassan. Her voice is just phenomenal. Her last album, El Aaiun Egdat from 2012, was surprisingly jazzy at times; my favorite is still her debut, Deseos, from 2005.

x-post -I got swamped with stuff, and missed the Ilx deadline to vote. Wonder if my possible votes for African albums and tracks would have made a difference...

x-post to Wonder if they ever work with drummers

Kouyate had one when I saw he and his family band in a great DC gig last year

Mariem Hassan is another name I keep meaning to check out

this looks cool:
http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/item.asp?Item_id=107&cd=Radio-Niger

I should've voted in the ilx poll. Also hoping to receive the xpost Brahim album soon; here's the pitch:

Voiced with passion and grace, Aziza Brahim's music adeptly travels the expanse between her Western Saharan roots and Barcelona, the European cosmopolis where she now lives. Aziza is both a contemporary sonic poet and a prominent and eloquent spokesperson for the Saharawi people and their ongoing struggle for recognition and justice. Born and raised in the Saharawi refugee camps lining the frontier between Algeria and Western Sahara, Aziza's life has been marked by both daunting hardship and inspired will. Fleeing from these camps and the regime of political oppression that followed Morocco's 1975 invasion of Western Sahara, as a young teenager Aziza travelled to Cuba for her secondary school studies. There she experienced first-hand the deep Cuban economic crisis of the 1990s and the subsequent denial of her request to pursue a university degree in music. Music had been Aziza's passion since she was a small girl and despite this setback, she returned to the Saharawi camps in Algeria and began singing and playing in different musical ensembles, a process that continued when she moved to Spain in the year 2000. There she founded the eclectic Saharawi/Spanish band Gulili Mankoo with whom she released two acclaimed self-produced recordings: the EP Mi Canto (2008) and an album Mabruk (2012), both on Reaktion. In recent years Aziza has performed extensively, appearing at major festivals and venues including WOMAD Cáceres (2012) and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London (2009). Aziza's album Soutak (trans. "Your Voice"), her debut for the Glitterbeat label, is her first recording to predominantly focus on the cadence of her majestic voice and the soulful critique of her lyrics. The album was produced by Chris Eckman (Tamikrest, Ben Zabo, Dirtmusic) and was recorded live and direct in Barcelona in June of 2013. In the liner notes to the album, Aziza describes her vision for Soutak: "Feeling the need to make an acoustic record, I imagined a somewhat modest musical outline, which would not involve too many instruments and in which the voices would take the expressive emotional lead. I wanted to further explore the range of possibilities found in the Haul, the Saharawi's traditional rhythmic sources, played on the tabal and a source of inspiration for the desert blues." The hand-picked band she assembled for the album consists of Spaniards Nico Roca (percussion) and Guillem Aguilar (bass), Malian Kalilou Sangare (acoustic lead guitar), Aziza's sister Badra Abdallahe (backing voice) and in addition to singing, Aziza contributes acoustic rhythm guitar and the tabal, the traditional Saharawi hand-drum. The music on Soutak is a powerful and nuanced mixture of musical cultures and features Malian, Spanish, Cuban and contemporary Anglo-European motifs all held together by Aziza's deeply rooted knowledge of traditional Saharawi song and sound. Though the songs on Soutak can be unsparing in their details of oppression, Aziza Brahim has delivered an empowered flight to freedom; an alternative world where hope is imminent and dancing is justified.

While I saw a few African dance songs and Bunji garlin on the ILM tracks list, I didn't see much non-Us non-European on the ILM album list...Omar Souleyman and ???

william onyeabor placed

oh yeah

Onyeabor at 49, Souleyman at 95, John Wizards at 186, Rokia Traoré at 231. Also some K- and J-Pop.

I was the only voter for Tal National :(

I knew I shoulda voted. That would have given Tal National 2 votes!

No se equivoquen, es COHUICH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M68vRJi-yY

cumbia!

I'be been listening to that psychedelic and meditative like Hailu Mergia reissue where he plays an electric Rhodes piano; accordion; and Yamaha DX7 synth with a Moog filter

Plus Angelique Kidjo's new one which is less crossover than I recall of a the last cd of hers that I heard (where she was trying for an r'n'b/funkier sound). This is a bit more West African

OMFG that EEK/Islam Chipsy upthread. I need to get myself a record player so I can buy that record.

http://africaindc.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/the-old-man-is-being-crazy-now-ned-democracy-fellow-thiat-on-hip-hop-and-activism-in-senegal/

Senegalese rapper Thiat is behind a desk for now as a think tank fellow in DC

I guess I haven't heard all of the Kidjo album--I liked the opening track with the Benin choir but I see she also has collaborations with Kronos Quartet, the Luxembourg Philharmonic and Dr. John. Haven't heard those tracks yet

http://www.npr.org/2014/01/25/265246056/ang-lique-kidjo-shares-the-shiver-of-hearing-a-beautiful-voice

plus a book

I've seen good reviews of this (from Strut news)

http://downloads.openimp.com/tid/1996970155e0d6510164b75e0cc30e20945ec04a/enercvo/cuwamkbtas/15212395650054.jpeg

Various Artists - Haiti Direct - Big Band, Mini Jazz & Twoubadou Sounds, 1960-1978

"A fascinating document that swings like hell." Mojo ****

"The first in-depth survey of the Caribbean country’s unique and varied musical history... sure to make a huge impact." Vinyl Factory

Hugo Mendez from Sofrito presents the first ever retrospective of the golden era of Haitian music from the big band sound of compas direct in the mid-'50s to the inspired mini jazz scene of the '60s and '70s. The album covers influential bandleaders such as Nemours Jean-Baptiste and Webert Sicot and the wave of smaller bands that followed in their wake, many building ultra-loyal audiences from their local neighbourhoods. Tracks also cover the more folk-based and acoustic twoubadou style, popularised by artists like Coupe Cloue. Many bands would later make the move to the States and enjoy further success among the Haitian ex-pat communities including Tabou Combo, Shleu-Shleu and Ibo Combo. 'Haiti Direct' tells the full story.

Note: the 2LP vinyl version includes CDs containing all album tracks
Tracklisting
12" Vinyl Album (STRUT093LP)

Ibo Combo - Ti Garçon
Les Vikings - Choc Vikings
Les Animateurs - Ti Machine
Trio Select - Ensemble Select En Action
Les Loups Noirs - Pile Ou Face
Tabou Combo - Ce Pas
Les Fantaisistes De Carrefour - Panno Caye Nan Bois Chêne
Ti Paris - Cochon St. Antoine
Super Jazz Des Jeunes - Coté Moune Yo
Les Ambassadeurs - Homenaje A Los Ambajadores
Les Frères Déjean - L’Artibonite
Caribbean Sextet - Suspan’n
Les Pachas Du Canapé Vert - Désordre Musical
Bossa Combo - Line
Scorpio Universel - Ti Lu Lupe

CD Album (STRUT093CD)

Ibo Combo - Ti Garçon
Les Vikings - Choc Vikings
Les Animateurs - Ti Machine
Les Loups Noirs - Pile Ou Face
Rodrigue Milien Et Son Groupe Combite Creole - 6ème Leçon
Bossa Combo - Line
Les Fantaisistes De Carrefour - Panno Caye Nan Bois Chêne
Ti Paris - Cochon St. Antoine
Groupe Les Chleu-Chleu - Compas X
Râ Râ De Léogane - Gadé Moune Yo
Les Difficiles De Pétion-Ville - An Septième
Tabou Combo - Ce Pas
Les Pachas Du Canapé Vert - Désordre Musical
Scorpio Universel - Ti Lu Lupe
Raoul Guillaume Et Son Groupe - Mal Élevé
Super Jazz Des Jeunes - Coté Moune Yo
Pierre Blain Et Orchestre Murat Pierre - Jouc Li Jou
Ensemble Meridional Des Cayes - Calma Pèlerin
Ensemble Etoile Du Soir - Messe Quatre Heures
Nemours Jean-Baptiste - Ti Carole
Orchestre Septentrional - Baptême Ratt
Trio Select - Ensemble Select En Action
Les Ambassadeurs - Homenaje A Los Ambajadores
Les Frères Déjean - L’Artibonite
Caribbean Sextet - Suspan’n
Djet-X - Jive Turkey
Orchestre Webert Sicot - Ambiance Cadence
Orchestre Tropicana D’Haiti - Poun Paciance

Download Double Album (STRUT093D)

Ibo Combo - Ti Garçon
Les Vikings - Choc Vikings
Les Animateurs - Ti Machine
Les Loups Noirs - Pile Ou Face
Rodrigue Milien Et Son Groupe Combite Creole - 6ème Leçon
Bossa Combo - Line
Les Fantaisistes De Carrefour - Panno Caye Nan Bois Chêne
Ti Paris - Cochon St. Antoine
Groupe Les Chleu-Chleu - Compas X
Râ Râ De Léogane - Gadé Moune Yo
Les Difficiles De Pétion-Ville - An Septième
Tabou Combo - Ce Pas
Les Pachas Du Canapé Vert - Désordre Musical
Scorpio Universel - Ti Lu Lupe
Raoul Guillaume Et Son Groupe - Mal Élevé
Super Jazz Des Jeunes - Coté Moune Yo
Pierre Blain Et Orchestre Murat Pierre - Jouc Li Jou
Ensemble Meridional Des Cayes - Calma Pèlerin
Ensemble Etoile Du Soir - Messe Quatre Heures
Nemours Jean-Baptiste - Ti Carole
Orchestre Septentrional - Baptême Ratt
Trio Select - Ensemble Select En Action
Les Ambassadeurs - Homenaje A Los Ambajadores
Les Frères Déjean - L’Artibonite
Caribbean Sextet - Suspan’n
Djet-X - Jive Turkey
Orchestre Webert Sicot - Ambiance Cadence
Orchestre Tropicana D’Haiti - Poun Paciance

Yeah it's really good.

(with some Haiti Direct tracks)https://soundcloud.com/strut

Was briefly discussed upthread. Tabou Combo have a number of albums of their own that are worth checking out

http://www.afropop.org/wp/16464/benin-transforming-traditions-youtube-exclusive-music/

Was listening to that new Angelique Kidjo album again-- maybe I wasn't listening close enough as Dr. John was barely noticeable on the cut he is listed as being on; and the same for the Vampire Weekend guy Rostan Batmanglij. But she also has cuts with less known Benin singers. I am liking this. If she had a remix made by the right Afrobeatz producer she could a new audience I think.

http://newsandnoise.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/iran-vs-israel-an-interview-with-sahand-sahebdivani/

How does the music sound?

My proudest musical moment in this show is when we mix a Hebrew prayer with an Iranian partisan song. In rehearsals we realized that these songs, while completely different in feeling, have more or less the same rhythm and chord progression, so a new song was born. While Raffa and I play along, all music credit goes to our brilliant team of musicians Anastasis Sarakatsanos and Bas Kisjes.

How is the interaction with the music?

Anastasis professionally makes music for film, so he has a keen ear for when music should be there and when it should get out of the way. His interaction on Piano and Kanun is very subtle. The same goes for Bas, a jazz bassist who’s done a lot of storytelling shows with me. I also have a band with him, so as musicians we know each other very well. In fact, we met when we where the musicians for a show of two other actors.

He’s also the coolest guy I know, never says no to an idea. So when we ask him to open the show while singing a Leonard Cohen song he of course does it, even though he’s not a singer. At all.

Interesting. I have mentioned somewhere on ilx hearing Iranian (classic Persian style) vocals that reminded me of the male cantor davening at my synagogue high holy day services when I was in my teens

http://www.okayafrica.com/2014/02/03/elijah-wood-african-mixtape-earbuds/

Cool, he's got good taste. I like the tracklist:

TRACKLIST
Afro Express “Lahilah Ill-Allahu” [Nigeria (?)]
K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas “Kyenkyen Bi Adi Mawu” [Ghana]
Osakpamwan Ohenhen and His Feelings “Owman Ghe Ma Wme Ye Wmen” [Nigeria]
Cos-Ber-Zam “Né Noya” [Togo]
Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maestroes “Ekassa 28 (Ebibi)” [Nigeria]
Thierry Boco “Divorce De Cecilia” [Benin]
Bongos Ikwue & The Groovies “Baby Let Me Go” [Nigeria]
Bella Bellow “O Segne” [Togo]
Sonny Okosun “Ozzidi” “Steady & Slow” [Nigeria]
Victory Uwaifo “Destiny” [Nigeria]

Tinariwen's new one recorded in the Joshua Tree desert is out and NPR has it on first listen, and the ILM Tinariwen thread is getting comments. I haven't heard it yet

elijah with the lijadu sisters shout out, who would thunk it

for some reason they took the ester rada lp down from bandcamp, but it's back up today fyi

http://museke.tumblr.com/

African dance music site