Album Review: Gente-Sambadá

Gente, the new album from Afro-Brazilian fusion collective Sambadá, set for release February 23, 2010, is an exhilarating, feel good collection of songs that will make you want to get up and dance. With a strong framework of Afro-Brazilian bloco-afro polyrhythmic percussion, every song on the album has a very danceable beat. Add a multi-faceted horn section, the harmonized voices of Dandha da Hora and Papiba Godinho, funky guitars and hot bass lines, and you’ve got a party.

Similar to bands such as Nation Beat and Toubab Krewe, Sambadá fuses Afro-Brazilian musical characteristics with American funk, rock and jazz. They tap into the same commonality shared between musical genres that dates back to the same original source—Africa. They use Brazilian instruments like the pandeiro, timba, and agogo bells mixed with electric guitars and saxophones to foster a uniquely original sound.

Perhaps Sambadá’s greatest strength is Dandha da Hora’s voice. Singing in Portuguese, her voice glides over the polyrhythmic backdrop beautifully. I find myself listening to the album repeatedly just to hear her. Sambadá has a great balance. They know how to play with each other and lock together like a puzzle, which is very important for Afro-Brazilian music since it depends on polyrhythmic interlocking sections to create an ensemble sound.

Sambadá is based out of the Bay Area, Santa Cruz, CA to be exact, so if you’re in that part of the world (which I wish I was), definitely check them out. Their live performances feature Capoeira demonstrations, and a lot of live percussion. Listening to their music at home can start a dance party spontaneously, so seeing them live only increases that effect exponentially.

Marc Gabriel Amigone Interview

I recently did an interview with Nigerian journalist Tony Ogaga Erhariefe. Check it out:

Tony Ogaga Erhariefe: As a genre, how is Afro beat thriving in the USA and on the internet?

Marc Gabriel Amigone: Afrobeat is on the rise in the US due to a combination of factors. While I'd like to take some responsibility for the rise of the movement due to my blog, my podcast, and advocacy for the genre, I think the band Antibalas Afrobeat deserves a lot of the credit. They got the ball rolling in the late nineties and introduced the genre to a lot of people. In the last couple years more specifically, Bill T. Jones' play FELA! has given the movement a huge shot in the arm, bringing the legacy of Fela Anikulapo Kuti and afrobeat music as a whole into the mainstream.

TOE: What inspired your blog and your decision to search for and promote 'lost' african sound?

MGA: I started my blog in 2008 while I was working as a free-lance writer in Brooklyn, NY. I started posting all my work on a website as a portfolio and most of it was afrobeat related. People started requesting coverage on it, so I started The Afrobeat Blog to give purveyors of the music publicity and express myself musically and otherwise. I found that afrobeat music and most other contemporary African musics were not getting nearly the attention they deserved and I wanted to do whatever I could to change that.

TOE: What are the challenges you face promoting African music especially afro beat?

MGA: I think the biggest challenge in promoting afrobeat is introducing people to the music. While afrobeat is definitely on the rise in popularity and familiarity in the mainstream is growing, most people still do not know who Fela is, or what to expect when they go to an afrobeat show. Once that initial barrier is broken, however, people can't get enough of it.

TOE: Did you ever dream of being an artiste?

MGA: I've always dreamt of being an artist and am proud to be one.

TOE: How did you become such an avid lover of African sound

MGA: My uncle first introduced me to African music and Fela specifically. Once it got into my blood, it spread like a disease and I've never looked back.

TOE: As an African in the Diaspora, what's your view of the black continent?

MGA: I think Africa is a diverse, beautiful place. It has many faces and many facets that are rarely visible from the outside. I think it can be very duplicitous--inviting and hospitable while at the same time intimidating and dangerous. I think it's one of the most culturally rich places in the world, but I also think it's one of the most tragic. As Femi Kuti says, "Africa is the richest continent, and the poorest continent".

TOE: How can Africa use its unique brand of music to rebrand itself?

MGA: I honestly don't think Africa can use its music to rebrand itself. Africa has been exporting its music for a long time but western mainstream culture has a way of extracting the entertainment value without bothering to look past the exterior. For example, when King Sunny Ade plays in Central Park, the crowd loves it and dances like crazy, but when the show is over, 90% of the people don't go home and even bother to read about Nigerian culture on the internet. What Africa and African musicians should do to help themselves and the continent, in my opinion, is re-invest their success into their communities. There are too many people like Tony Allen who left Africa their first chance and barely looked back, and not enough people like Femi Kuti, who tour the world annually, but return every time to contribute to the community from which he came.

TOE: What drives you?

MGA: I'm driven by my passion for the music and my drive to contribute to the world. I'm driven by people like you who find my blog and validate my efforts to publicize this music and contribute to the growth of the afrobeat movement. I'm of the opinion that African music is one of the most beautiful things in the world and I've taken it as my mission in life to spread it as much as possible. My uncle, who turned me onto African music, was famous for sharing music, knowledge, art, etc with everyone he knew. When he died a little over a year ago, his good friend Michael Veal (who wrote THE book on Fela and was originally introduced to the music by my uncle) and I decided it was up to us to continue his legacy of sharing and promoting the gift of music and knowledge. So I'm driven by my mission to continue my uncle's legacy.

TOE: What are your dreams?

MGA: I dream someday of pursuing a career in Ethnomusicology, writing books and making films about African music. I dream of marrying a beautiful African woman, making beautiful music, and living a happy life.

Afro-Funky This Thursday Night

Afro-funky, the new afrobeat monthly that brings the funk like nobody's business, is goin down this Thursday night at Cameo featuring Zongo Junction, Ikebe Shakedown, and The People's Champs, three seriously tight bands that feature some of the hottest up-and-coming musicians on the Brooklyn Scene. Formerly at Public Assembly, Zongo Junction has been throwing down in Williamsburg for a few months now on a monthly basis. This is the first installment of their new party at their new venue. If you're in BK and looking to get funky, check it out.

New Album from Akwaaba

Kilamu is a pioneer of Kuduro, a hard hitting style of music hot on the streets in Angola. His new album, A Minha Face, came out yesterday on Akwaaba Records. With a slew of hits behind his name, Killamu has become an unavoidable producer on the kuduro circuit. But as this album shows, his versatility allows him to explore sounds beyond kuduro, starting with kizomba (Angolan zouk), but also, and perhaps most importantly for Western audiences, his experimentations into more instrumental, electronic kuduro beats have definitely set him aside within Angola’s kuduro community.

Akwaaba is a fair trade record label. They provide access to music that is not available through mainstream channels, and they insure the artists are compensated fairly. These are the causes we need to support, so that they continue to provide their service and fill their much needed role.

Check out the album on Itunes, and support fair trade music.

Akoya @ Southpaw Tonight!

Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble, the premier afrobeat group in North America, is throwin down tonight at Southpaw in Park Slope, BK along with The Revelations ft. Tre Williams. As Chris May of All About Jazz put it so eloquently, very few bands can create the gargantuan, multi-layered sound that not only pays homage to Fela's innovation but expands on his legacy. If you consider yourself even a casual fan of afrobeat, you owe it to yourself to see Akoya in their natural habitat, tonight.

The Afrobeat Blog Best Albums of 2009

Ready or not, 2010 is upon us. While revising my list of goals for the new year, I took a minute to look back on 2009 and all the great music that was created throughout the year. Last year, I made a top ten list for 2008 of African music. This year, I'm taking a more expansive approach, including 15 albums and not limiting my selection to any one continent. If you haven't heard any of these albums before, I strongly suggest checking them out:

1. Mulatu Astake & The Heliocentrics-Inspiration Information 3
2. Oumou Sangare-Seya
3. Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara-Tell No Lies
4. Extra Golden-Thank You Very Quickly
5. The Very Best-Warm Heart of Africa
6. Chico Mann-Analog Drift (Muy...Esniqui)
7. Aphrodesia-Precious Commodity
8. K'Naan-Troubadour
9. Staff Benda Bilili-Tres Tres Fort
10. Pax Nicholas and the Nettey Family-Na Teef Know De Road of Teef
11. Ikebe Shakedown-Hard Steppin'
12. Ocote Soul Sounds & Adrian Quesada-Coconut Rock
13. The Superpowers-Trance for Nation
14. The Black Seeds-Solid Ground
15. Gokh-Bi System-Voice of the Jeli

Here's to even more great music in 2010!

Book Review: The Tao of Wu-The Rza

The Tao of Wu, a memoir by a founding member of The Wu-Tang Clan and music industry mogul, The Rza, is a deeply profound collection of stories, lessons, and thoughts. The Rza not only gives readers an insider's perspective on how The Wu-Tang Clan came to leave an indelible mark on the music industry, but he weaves the teachings of Taoism, Islam, and his own hip-hop philosophies into his story.

The Rza presents very meaningful, profound teachings through his own unique language and perspective. Using the common denominator of knowledge, The Rza is able to present truths taken from Taoism, Islam, the game of Chess, and a variety of other philosophies from different parts of the world. In using broadly accepted principles, he is able to let readers relate to his experiences, which is no small feat considering he has seen and done things of which most readers will only have dreamt.

For anyone who is a fan of the Wu-Tang Clan, this book is a must-read. The Rza details exactly how the group came to be from the Kung-Fu movies that piqued his interest in Eastern culture, to the strategies he employed to market and promote the individuals in the group to become stars and lift the profile of Wu as a whole. His heartfelt memories of the events leading up to Ol Dirty Bastard's death as well as his description of how he prevented Method Man from being shot to death in a housing project in Staten Island are both moving accounts.

This book is informative on many levels. It permeates knowledge both ethereal and material. The Rza is a perfect example of why hip-hop culture deserves much more credit than it gets as a legitimate, thought-provoking art-form.

Help The Sway Machinery Make Their Pilgrimage to Mali

As I mentioned in my article in The Huffington Post, The Sway Machinery have been invited to perform at The Festival in The Desert, a music festival in Northern Mali featuring some of the best musicians in the world. They're also planning on recording an album in Bamako, Mali at Ali Farka Toure's studio. They've enlisted an Emmy Award winning documentarian to go with them on their trip to share their journey with the world.

I'll let Jeremiah Lockwood, The Sway Machinery's frontman, tell you the rest: "The missing ingredient is not passion or artistic achievement or even opportunity...we have already received the invitation to perform at one of the largest music festivals in Mali on the same stage with the legends of West African music! The missing ingredient, sadly, is money. At this moment, I come to you all with open hands, wishing that you will open yourselves to our passionate desire to see this project to fruition and that you will help us in any way you can!"

If you are willing and able, please donate what you can to make this amazing journey possible.

Zongo Junction w/ Meta and The Cornerstones Tomorrow Night @ Public Assembly

If you're in BK tomorrow night and looking to get funky with some afrolicious flavor, check out Zongo Junction, the monthly afrobeat party at Public Assembly featuring Meta and The Cornerstones this month. This party is dedicated to showcasing the freshest afrocentric talent in the city, so take advantage of the opportunity and show some support to some of the freshest cats on the scene doing big things for the afro-community.

Film Review-Throw Down Your Heart

Throw Down Your Heart tells the beautiful story of Bela Fleck's journey to Africa to find the true history of his instrument, the banjo. Traveling from Tennessee to Uganda, Tanzania, The Gambia, and Mali, Fleck finds what he's looking for on a deeply spiritual level transcending language and cultural barriers along the way.

This film is more than documentation of Bela Fleck's trip across Africa. It is a testimony to the amazing power of music to unite and act as a universal language. The filmmakers and sound engineers do a spectacular job of capturing the process by which Fleck is able to connect musically and otherwise with musicians and people across the continent. The moment in The Gambia where he sees the akonting for the first time (the instrument most widely regarded as the banjo's direct ancestor) is truly priceless.

My favorite segments of the film were in Mali and Tanzania. Having spent time in East Africa myself, I could relate especially to the culture and scenery of Tanzania shown in the film. The city of Bagamoyo in Tanzania gives the film its name. Bagamoyo translates to Throw Down Your Heart in English. The city got its name from the East African Slave Trade. Slaves would be taken to the Tanzanian coast on the Indian Ocean. After seeing the beautiful ocean, the ships, the sand, the waves, they would never return to their inland village. They would, "Throw Down Their Heart" and never return.

Fleck's trip to Mali will make any African music enthusiast extremely jealous. He is greeted at the airport by Oumou Sangare and given an ambassador's welcome. He then collaborates with Malian musical legends Djelimady Tounkara, Basekou Kouyaté, and Oumou Sangare with the help of Brooklyn's own Banning Eyre (shout out to Afropop Worldwide) to make some beautiful music that bridges the gap across the Atlantic Ocean seamlessly.

This film and the album to which it gave birth, are not the first of their kind. American musicians have traveled to the motherland to get in touch with their musical roots many times before. I've reviewed albums and read books that all detail the same experience, but this film and album especially are different for several reasons.

First of all, Bela Fleck isn't just your average musician. Regarded as one of the best banjo players in the world, Fleck shows why in this film. His magically swift fingers glide up and down his fret board throughout the film which mesh perfectly with the African style highlighted especially by Djelimady Tounkara in Mali. Not just any musician could speak the African music language so fluently. A key element of the film was Fleck's experience time and time again, stunning people in new countries or towns with skill on the banjo. It's exactly that skill that allowed him to gain people's respect so instantly.

Second, because of his status, experience, and success as a musician, Fleck is able to go on a trip of which most musicians can only dream. He has the money and connections to go exactly where he wanted to go and connect with exactly the right people to make beautiful music everywhere he went. Having traveled in Africa myself, I can say from experience, it's not cheap or easy to fly from New York to Kampala, Uganda, to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, to Dakar, Senegal, to Bamako, Mali, back to New York. Overall, that must have cost over $50,000 at least for him and his entourage, and that's just travel expenses.

All that money spent is definitely worth it. This is a beautiful film and album that give credit where it's due. It's not particularly common for established American musicians to travel across the Atlantic just to pay homage to Africa and its historical contributions to American music. This film will inspire you to make a pilgrimage of your own or simply to look at music of the American south from a new perspective.

Two Afro-Jams This Weekend

DJ Afro-Marc will be throwin down this Friday night at The Knitting Factory for Ikebe Shakedown's EP Release Party. Mamarazzi and Zongo Junction will also be hitting the stage in a night full of Afro-funk. Combining traditional African rhythmic textures with melodies and grooves steeped in American funk, soul, & jazz, Ikebe Shakedown offers a unique & powerful sound. The 8-piece, Brooklyn-based band formed in early 2009 and, after a slew of dates around NYC, recorded their debut 7” single and EP, Hard Steppin’, at Dunham Studios in June.


If you didn't get enough afro-funk on Friday, Saturday night, Makossa International is the summer dance party you needed: Highlife, Soukous, Afrobeat, and some hot new styles--bringing together some of the highlights in Brooklyn's equatorial music scene. The event takes place at Studio BPM, located at 237 Kent Avenue between Grand Street and N. 1st Street. Makossa International warms up at 10 P.M. with a DJ set from Awesome Tapes From Africa. King Expressers, on at 11pm, features players from Antibalas and Akoya Afrobeat. They bring a new style spun off of their favorite African dance music with soulful and exciting horns and harmonies.

Mandingo Ambassadors hit at midnight: led by legendary Guinean guitarist Mamady Kouyate, The Ambassadors play an entrancing, endlessly grooving style that is 100% Manding. The party continues into the night with more Awesome Tapes. There is a suggested donation of $10 at the door.

Bawku West Collective

Bawku West Collective is a loosely-knit group of musicians based around the community of Zebilla in the Bawku West District of northern Ghana. Luke Bassuener volunteered there in 2003 and incorporated some field recordings into an album for his Indie Rock band This Bright Apocalypse. He went back in 2008, and with the help of Charles Braimah (a.k.a. DJ Bones), made more field recordings and incorporated them into an album to benefit the artists that helped make the album.

Fair trade music production is a cause I whole-heartedly believe in. The music industry has a long long history of exploiting musicians, especially African musicians. Efforts such as these are a great start towards tipping the scales back in musicians' favor. Not only do the proceeds go back to the musicians and their families, but the beats are pretty tight as well. The album is available on CdBaby and Itunes. Do your part, and get a dope album for a good cause.

Album Review: Coconut Rock-Ocote Soul Sounds & Adrian Quesada

Sometimes music has a way of transporting your mind into another world, creating a new environment in your imagination, furnished with the perfect soundtrack/theme music. Coconut Rock, the album from Ocote Soul Sounds & Adrian Quesada set to be re-released on ESL Music December 8, 2009, contains that transcendental property to a higher degree than any music I've heard in a long time.

Ocote Soul Sounds is a collaboration featuring founders of two supergroups, Martin Perna of Antibalas, and Adrian Quesada of Grupo Fantasma. Perna drew his inspiration for the project from his experience living in a fishing village in Michoacán, Mexico. He sought to create music that was accessible without a 12-piece ensemble and a baritone saxophone. He began writing guitar music with more "intimacy and immediacy".

Perna and Quesada first collaborated several years ago when Perna passes through Austin, Texas on his way to Mexico. It was when his bio-diesel car broke down on the way back that their collaboration entered its second iteration, giving them the time to finish their first album, El Niño Y El Sol. Their complimentary styles have allowed them to create soundscapes made up of interlocking melodic and rhythmic elements that foster a Latin-psychedelic backdrop, transporting listeners to a funky Latin dreamworld.

Certain tracks allude to different Afro-Latin genres. Tu Fin, Mi Comienzo has a distinctly cumbia feel. Vendendo Saude E Fe has an Afro-Brazilan feel with Portuguese lyrics. Marcos Garcia of Antibalas and Chico Mann is featured as a vocalist on several tracks as well, lending his signature electro-afro voice to the cornucopia of styles present on the album.

Coconut Rock is the type of album you need to listen to more than once. It's a densely layered, intricate collection of compositions that blend influences and styles from track to track. I'll admit, the first time I listened to the album, I was expecting something other than what was there. Being a huge fan of Antibalas, I was expecting more afrobeat, more instantly gratifying grooves that hook you instantaneously. Going back and listening to the album for a second time, I've realized this is an album you that takes time to digest. It's deep. Once you gain access to what Perna and Quesada are saying, you'll connect on a much deeper level. That's when you'll gain access to their world.

DJ Underdog-Africa Plays On 5

He's back again. Africa Plays On, the recurring afro-heavy mixtape from D.C.'s dopest beatmaker, DJ Underdog, has reached Vol. 5 status. If you missed the first four, all will be forgiven if you snag this juicy chunk of rhythmic flavor.

Zongo Junction @ Public Assembly-11/19

Zongo Junction, the new monthly afro-jam at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, is going down this Thursday night. No Small Money Brass Band and Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds are hitting the stage along with Zongo Junction. It's about time afrobeat grooves started emanating from venues other than Zebulon on a regular basis. Zongo Junction is leading the charge, carrying the afrobeat torch, breathing life into the music on a monthly basis. Come out and support a band that's on the cusp of the afrobeat movement.

Public Assembly-Front Room-Thursday Night

New Single from Toumani Diabaté and Ali Farka Touré

Kala Djula is the new digital singe taken off the forthcoming album from Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté, Ali and Toumani. The slow, enchanting song will be released with the rest of the album in February 2010, but is available via Amazon and Itunes in the meantime. The collaboration between the two icons of Malian culture was the second and last album they recorded together. Cachaito Lopez is featured as well.

Booty Crisis at Public Assembly this Saturday Night!

It's that time again party people, Planet Rump is throwin down at Public Assembly this Saturday night in a legendary night of electro-funk that will be sure to make history as one of the craziest parties to hit Brooklyn in years...

Planet Rump presents BOOTY CRISIS, the monthly dance party devoted to showcasing funky-fresh electro acts that will make you shake your ass HARD. This month they present flavors from around the world: Chico Mann the king of instant-vintage electro-freestyle-Latin-Afrobeat, Tayisha Busay ---glitter-garnished fly-girls armed with synths, drum machines and live percussion, and Hiro Tha Jap---fashion icon spinning booty-shaking club music all night. Planet Rump will perform their infectious brand of live electrofunkrap. DJ A-ko will get the party started on the ones and twos. Plus the National Breakin' League will present a special dance showcase. It's a futuristic party from the past, every month at Public Assembly.

In partnership with Sound Liberation Front & AfroMarc Productions.

BOOTY CRISIS
Saturday, November 14th10pm-4am$10
Public Assembly-front room

70 N. 6th St. (between Kent and Wythe)

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

(718) 384-4586

L to Bedford

Public Assembly

New Single from Kokolo-Afrika Man

Kokolo, one of the dopest afrobeat bands that's been doing it the longest on the international scene, recently put out a new single, Afrika Man. Get the track here. If you're reading this from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, or Turkey, look for Kokolo at an afro-spot near you, as they're touring Eastern Europe in the month of November. Check out the video below.

The Best of the Black President-Best of Fela Reissued by The Knitting Factory

As I mentioned in my article in the Huffington Post about FELA! the Broadway show about the Black President, The Knitting Factory is re-mastering and re-releasing all 45 Fela Kuti titles - his entire catalog - in unique digi-packs with the original artwork over the next 18 months. The reissue series marks the first time that all of Fela's titles will be released on vinyl in North America, as well as the first official release of the entire Koola Lobitos catalog, Fela's 1960s highlife band.

The first release, the Best of The Black President, comes with a dvd, A Slice of Fela. This dvd is jam-packed with amazing concert footage, segments of documentaries, and interviews with Bill T. Jones, Carlos Moore, and Sahr Ngaujah. As someone who considers himself pretty knowledgeable about Fela Kuti, I gained a lot of insight and information about Fela's life and music from the footage on that dvd, a reason to get the re-issued album alone.

Fela, and afrobeat, have been picking up considerable steam over the last several years due to the work of several artists and dj's like Antibalas, Akoya, Rich Medina, and host of other people too numerous to name here (see my Afro-links section). This reissue series will only give that revival a serious kick in the ass. Get T-Shirts, tracks, ringtones, and a whole bunch of other Fela related goodness here.

EarthRise Sound System-The Yoga Sessions

Any aspiring yogi knows that when channeling transcendental energy, nothing helps focus the mind like music. Especially music that is downtempo, deep, and steady. EarthRise Sound System, Derek Beres and David “Duke Mushroom” Schommer, have put together an album of remixed chants and percussive elements that will definitely help the mind channel its energy.

Derek Beres is a writer, yoga instructor, and dj. He blends those three elements of his personality with his production partner Duke Mushroom—a producer, writer, and performer who has played on over 50 records in the past two decades. Their objective with this record is to move you inside and out. They channel elements of their multicultural experiences seamlessly to create a deep expressive collection of songs.

Derek Beres and Duke Mushroom are two multi-talented cats are capable of making great music. The album doesn't officially drop until January 2010, but you can check out the tracks on their myspace in the meantime.