Interestingly, just as Steve Pile comes back from Gambia, where he heard the Combination remixes blasting daily on the radio (“Almost everyday they’d play 2 tracks after BBC news cast”), we received a very interesting new remix of the song by a certain Dabö, which we obviously can’t add to the existing release, so we all agreed we should just give it out for free. So here it is:

And of course you can still check out the existing remixes:

After running around Accra because of money, the FOKN Bois, of Coz Ov Moni fame (you haven’t seen it yet?!?!?!) left for Budapest, hungry, on a quest to find the finest duna (arse). They were kidnapped by the infamous Irie Maffia, a notorious band of musicians, singers, songwriters, deejays, producers, rappers…and fed only palinka and bread in a hot studio in the nippy Buda hills close to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s home (10 bedroom house, for sure they have a couch for you to crash).

The rest of the story will come, chale exercise patience… in the meantime feel free to gorge onto this fine minimix, the EP shall follow April 26…

We may not have made it very clear on the site, but if you’ve followed us closely enough, you may have noticed references to the move to Accra, Ghana. Well it is now in process, as our head dood Benjamin Lebrave just landed there, and is looking to set up shop in the very enjoyable Ghanaian capital. So expect a lot more of everything in the coming months, more movement on the site, more music, more collaborations… Chale move!

You can always trust DJ Zhao to deliver an intense blend of fine sounds from all over the world. He did an incredible job with his Chop Chop Supermix for us, and he’s back again with this amazing 2 hour set – yes, 2 hours – of transatlantic rumba bliss. With a heavy emphasis on Congolese rumba and soukous, some of our very favorite music. Make sure you check out his great blog Different Waters.

In Zhao’s own words:

“following the musical diaspora from Africa to the Caribbean and back again, the story of Rumba is one of the central narratives of modern music. This edition of Radio Ngoma explores amazing sounds from places like the Congo and Nigeria to Haiti, Guadalupe, Colombia — Soukous, Afro-Funk, Tropical Disco, Cumbia — timeless rhythms to warm the heart and move the feet.”

Tracklist:

01 Intro / Mulatu Astatke – Mulatu’s Hideway
02 Issa Juma – Ateka
03 M’pongo Love – Basonguer
04 Syran Mbenza – Adjoa Sawale Mbanda Kazaka
05 Bozi Boziana & Jolly Detta – La Reine de Sabah
06 Charlotte Mbango – Dikom Lam La Moto
07 Kanda Bongo Man – Zing Zong
08 Coupé Cloué – Bel Ti Ange
09 Les Kilimambogo – Sarah Ngungembeti
10 Kakai Kilonzo & Les Kilimambogo – Ngungu Na Muoi
11 Orchestre D.O.7 & Shirati Jazz Giko Piny – Nyiego Thiro Oganda
12 Makasi – La Vie Ya Lelo
13 Makasi – Mbati
14 Sofrito & Tropical Treats – Rift Valley Groove
15 Moussa Doumbia – Keleya
16 Manu Dibango – Souk Fiesta
17 Kabbala – Ashewo Ara
18 Shina Williams & His Arican Percussionists – Agboju Logun
19 Sofrito Specials – Tabou For the People (feat. I. Barrabas)
20 Fair Nick Stars- Arrete Mal Parlé
21 Ti Celeste – Popilation Basse Terrienne Au Abois
22 Frente – Cumbiero Pitchito
23 Corraleros Del Majagual – El Ascensor
24 Corraleros De Majagual – Los Sabanales
25 Los Golden Boys – El Elevao
26 Afrosound – El Eco Y El Carretero
27 Camille Feruz – Cha Cha Cha Bay
28 Los De Abajo – El Indio (Macaco Rmx)
29 Tiken Jah Fakoly – Ma Cote d’Ivoire

It’s out! Cop it first from us in our bandcamp shop. More info in our previous post. And here’s what Diplo does with it:

We’ve received a few messages from remixers asking for a bit more time to finish their work. Based on what we’ve heard so far, we have no reason to want to stymie their talent, and our past remix contest have run on African time anyway… so you got yourself an extra couple of weeks to finish up, DEADLINE: MARCH 15. Meanwhile, here are some of the top submissions we received:

Ruff N Smooth – Azingele (Daniel Klauser remix) by klwzer
Ruff n Smooth – Azingele (BitRedux Remix) by BitRedux 2
Ruff-N-Smooth – Azingele (Dance Kill Move Remix) by dancekillmove

And even a dubstep remix… Azingele (th0r Ruff Remix) by th0rmusic

And of course the original track and downloadable acapella:
Azingele Remix Contest by Akwaaba Music

Last Fall in Berlin, Akwaaba Music’ Benjamin Lebrave moderated a panel for All2GetherNow / PopKomm in Berlin. The panel looked into the specifics and opportunities in the business of music, in Africa. Joining him were Penya Africa‘s director and head producer Robert “Wawesh” Wawero. Based in Nairobi, Robert is responsible for albums by Kenyan heavyweights such as Sauti Sol, Muthoni the Drummer Queen, Dela and of course Just A Band. Also on the panel was Cynthia Torto, head of events and sponsorships at Vodafone Ghana.

A nice update from our good friend Steve Pile, the musician who made Jali’s album come to life. Steve is headed back to Konteh Kunda music school in Brikama, Gambia. He is bringing some gear with him to setup a functional recording studio there. Please read through to get the full scoop – especially if you have some old gear sitting around!! The story goes something like this: a few years ago Steve came to Gambia to learn the kora, an instrument he discovered by chance at a concert in London. He found his way to Dembo Konteh’s music school, and became his son Jali’s first kora student. Steve and Jali quickly bonded around their love for music, and the strong sense of community at the Konteh family compound. Since then Steve has made it his mission to give back to this musical family. First in 2008 by helping them raise enough money to install solar power. Then by recording Jali’s full length debut Konteh Kunda. Now Steve is goingback in March, here are his words about the next stages:

“I am returning in March 2011 with grand schemes. In the family compound, there is a half finished structure, long abandoned due to lack of funding. On my last trip, I suggested to Jali that the space would be a great music school. He agreed. After the success of a fundraiser to bring solar power to Jali’s compound in 2008, I knew we had the community support to turn this space into a proper music school.

The benefits of having a designated music school in the compound are many:

Economic: Tourism makes up 18% of Gambia’s GDP, but it is primarily based on the coast. Resorts are often owned by foreigners as well. This type of “musical tourism” brings people off the beaten path to villages and towns like Brikama, that don’t usually see those tourist dollars. Money is exchanged directly with your hosts and goes straight into the local economy.

Cultural Preservation: the preservation of culture is encouraged by the influx of travelers eager to learn traditional Mandinka music and art forms.

A Better Learning Experience: Though Jali is happy to give up his bed, it is inconvenient for him (he is a new father) and students often opt for staying in a hotel nearby, for their own comfort. Staying on the compound is a very enriching experience and a separate building would be mutually beneficial for both student and teacher.

The purpose of the March 2011 trip is to set the groundwork for the building of the school and film a documentary on Jali Bakary and the Gambian music scene. Joining me will be film-maker Jesse Wippert. Of course, we will be recording as much music as possible while we are there.

We are currently trying to raise money to cover the cost of this trip, including bringing more solar panels to Jali’s household to increase the power of the existing system.

The Studio

We are also asking for donations of another sort: Recording gear. There are only a smattering of recording facilities in Gambia. Part of the future plan of the school is that it will function as a working studio. We’d like to get it started now.

What we’re looking for:

A Digital 8 track multi-Tracker….(Fostex, Roland, Tascam, Zoom, etc. Perhaps someone has one sitting around…Something Easy to use and intuitive)

-transferring wav. files to a CD or DVD with ease would be a plus, as likely they’ll be sending songs this way for mixing and mastering.

OR Alternatively:

An old Mac laptop and Logic. (this way I could teach them how to  use it)

But, a PC laptop and Cubase or anything else would be fine. (I’m sure I can figure it out!)

I am happy to donate my pre-sonus Firebox, but if anyone has something better sitting around…

-Mic cables- any and all

- mics – multi purpose mics, 57s, a condenser of some sort would be great.

- headphones

Please contact Steve or Benjamin if you have anything that fits these descriptions.

If you hear a Western DJ playing music from Africa, 99% of the time he/she will either be playing old school afrobeat and afrofunk, or super high energy dance music. Unless maybe you find yourself in a Cape Verdian club we doubt you’d hear a lot of more mellow sounds. Well thankfully, as exemplified with his Chop Chop Supermix, there’s DJ Zhao. The man of the hour when it comes to digging deeper into music that will move more than your hips and feet. Perfect timing with Valentine’s day around the corner, some warm lovin’ music to kick off the week end on a bright note.

Last week, Benjamin Lebrave connected with DJ Rupture for his weekly show on New York’s WFMU. If you don’t know about Rupture… well, now’s a good time to learn more about the hyper active producer / journalist. The two had connected last fall in Tilburg for Generation Bass‘ Incubate event. Fast forward a few months, and there was still plenty to share about what we’ve been up to, and what we’re cooking up with our imminent move to Accra, Ghana. Listen below, and/or subscribe to the podcast to download the full show.