Sound of Berlin meets Rhythms of the mother continent: NGOMA envisions dance music of a future society that we would want our grand children to live in. Imagining a decolonized polycultural drum machine constructed from the plurality of our various life experiences and multiple sonic perspectives, NGOMA fuses the best of many worlds for maximum mind expansion, soul elevation, and body intoxication.
There are African histories of egalitarianism and democracy independent of, and predating, modern Western progressive movements. It is time we revived them from systematic displacement and erasure, because they may hold the key to our collective future.
contemporary Northern Ghanaians holding council. Photo courtesy of Marc Becker
Indigenous Democracy
An epiphany of cosmic proportions dawned upon me during a taxi ride from Kampala International airport to the city last year. My incidental travel companion was the Ugandan film maker Dolman Dila; and in his unhurried, quiet, and measured tone, this is what he said:
“Of the 53 major “nations“ in the region today known as Uganda (name arbitrarily taken from one of them, Luganda, by the British), only 10 featured any kind of hierarchical political structure. The majority of them, with population size from 1 to 3 million, lived in entirely egalitarian organizations, voluntary cooperatives, and share/gift economies, without centralized political power, high levels of inequality, or warfare. For instance, Acholi, the 2nd largest society in Uganda, lived in communal, collaborative, and mutualistic arrangements. In these societies elders and experts were respected, and held influence, but did not have exclusive decision making power over others. In fact, the people of these societies having almost entirely no concept of power, control, domination, and subjugation was a significant factor for the ease with which Europeans conquered these lands. When an Englishmen said to them „I will rule this territory from now on“, they probably looked at each other, shrugged, and with such trust toward their fellow men, as strangely dressed as these were, said something like: “We don’t know exactly what that means, but why not, it should be fine.‘“
Familiar club sounds of Berlin meets the Drum Sciences of the mother continent: NGOMA presents dance music of a future society that we would want our grand children to live in. Imagining a decolonized polycultural rhythm machine constructed from the plurality of our various life experiences, multiple sonic perspectives distilled, NGOMA fuses the best of many worlds for maximum mind expansion, soul elevation, and body intoxication.
A new series of Polyrhythmic Bass and Afrocentric Techno is born at this sweet underground spot by the spree near Schlesisches Tor with big sound.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1589940924667453/
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Lamin Fofana (Sci-Fi & Fantasy)
dj zhao (Ngoma Soundsystem)
Qumasiquamé (Through My Speakers)
Sheikh (SOUL FUTURE BASS)
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A borderless multi-genre set for here and now: from the Tech House giant Kompakt Köln to Awesome Tapes From Africa, from Hugh Masekela to Sofrito: Tropical Discotheque, from Spiritual Jazz to Tropical Bass, from Afro Funk to Hip House, from Bollywood Acid to Cosmic Disco, a continuous deep river of polyrhythmic groove which flows through all times and places:
With a strict focus on intimate dancefloors, this mid tempo mix (along with its faster sister which will soon arrive) connects Afro-Jazz and Techno, Soul and Bass, Highlife and Electro, Disco and Ancestral drumming in ways you’ve probably not heard before.
A dope night in Lithuania frozen in wav form: a set of Africanized Bass music for cool kids in the club
Mixing and blending songs from the Indian Ocean, Yoruba Muslim ritual music, Ugandan percussion, Haitian Vodou lullabies, Lebanese Dabke, Tazania Taraab, Egyptian mystical jazz, music of the San people from the Kalihari, even some Kraut psychedelia, with grimey bass and beats. Richly layered tapestries of indigenous music and deep dub ebbs and flows, swelling into fiery bass and drums toward the end.
Baauer and RL Grime trapping fraternity kids
On a train going through the Czech Republic, random young Swedish travelers enthusiastically told me of their love for Trap music. Kids in Ho Chi Minh City are turning the f*** up to Trap. Vice magazine has made a documentary about Trap music and the ghetto streets from where it came.
Sorry about late notice but this is very important solidarity event for refugee rights in the very cool concert/club venue Zukunft am Ostkreuz. Bands start at 6pm, dinner for all (Ramadan fast break) at 9pm, And i play from 2am!
Laskerstr. 5, 10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany
Fusion Festival: Dj Zhao — Friday June 26 // 1-3am // Seebühne Stage
Post-Fusion high life:
Friday, June 12at 11:00pm – 6:00am
Le Malibv — 44 rue Tiquetonne, 75002 Paris, France
UMOJA (INI Movement / Piri Piri Music ; Amsterdam)
https://soundcloud.com/umojaworldwide
Around The World (Paris)
https://soundcloud.com/atw0rld
dj zhao ( NGOMA SOUND Berlin / Berlin)
https://soundcloud.com/djzhao
Mawimbi
https://soundcloud.com/wearemawimbi
June 14 – June 15 Jun 14 at 12:00pm to Jun 15 at 12:00am
Jardin Monplaisir 1 Bd Monplaisir, 31400 Toulouse, France
☀ Dimanche 14 juin – Midi-Minuit – Jardin Monplaisir (centre ville) ☀
ZHAO – [ALL / Berlin] – (Ngoma Sound)
RAFAEL ARAGON – [FRA / Paris] – (Caballito / Latino Resiste)
DJ NO BREAKFAST – [FRA / Tlse] – (Guachafita)
YEAHMAN! – [FRA / Tlse] – (Ghetto Sonido – Muundial Mix)
par le Collectif Volubile ( Ambre Caziers / Loren Coquillat / Pauline Lavergne / Cassandre
► PONG 1D & LEVITATION ◄ http://fauxdepart.com/
►FRAGILE !◄ http://kinourendfou.wordpress.com/
► FRESQUE ◄ http://www.donoteat.fr/Munoz / Agathe Thevenot & guests)
Next Sunday, Dec. 28th, I will do a set with the mighty Hoodz Dj Team at Wendel Cafe.
and on New Year’s Eve:
Feierabend Poetic Cumbia (Argentina/Berlin)
Latin Swing, Cumbia Wet Dreams
dj zhao (Ngoma Soundsystem – Berlin)
Tropical Bouncement, Fire In Your Pants
A wild wild night of fiery and naughty rhythms to boogie, rumba, swing, polka, waltz, foxtrot, salsa, azonto, dagger, bounce, jerk, twerk, and booty clap into 2015!!!
last weekend was fun:
10pm – 6am all night hunt for the purrrrfect beat!
Warming up for MUTANT 2, Ngoma Soundsystem featuring Pharoah Chromium will take you on an intimate mystical journey through the kaleidoscopic valleys and crests of your mind in the center of the omni-verse, joined by special guest musicians later in the evening. Expect psychotropic flavors and ancestral-futurist rhythms from every corner of the earth.
21h
Kiki Sol — Lindower Straße 12, Wedding, Berlin
Musiksalon Berlin: 50 Jahre IITM / Projekt für transtraditionelle Musik
14. /15. November 2013 im Vortragssaal des Ethnologischen Museums
Thursday 14. November 2013
18:00 Strahlkraft – Erbe nach Schließung des IITM 1996
Transtraditionelle Musikszene: Aktuelle Situation – Politische und mediale Kulturarbeit
20:00 Nordindische Ragas im Dhrupad- und Khyal-Stil
Pt. Ashok Pathak, surbahar & sitar
Tabla: Sandip Bhattacharya
Tanpura: Shamika Pathak
Freitag, 15. November 2013
20:00 Hommage an Alain Daniélou: DIASPORAGAS
Amelia Cuni: Gesang, Tanpura, Mirliton
Werner Durand: selbstgebaute & adaptierte Blasinstrumente, Elektronika
Ray Kaczynski: Mridangam, Perkussion
Federico Sanesi: Tabla, Pakhawaj, Perkussion
21:30 Dj Zhao
Something wicked this way comes… a new monthly series in the heart of Neukölln:
While the brightly lit gallery spaces of SAVVY Contemporary above focuses on the visual, cerebral and Apollonian aspects of cultural enquiry, BLACKBOX below is a Dionysian shadow world of hallucinatory sound and rhythm, of ritual and technology, of bodies in fluid motion.
A direct extension of SAVVY’s global outlook of contemporary art and culture, BLACKBOX celebrates music of the subaltern, of groups who are socially, politically, and geographically outside of hegemonic power structure; focusing on modern electronic bass and club music and traditional rhythms of Africa, South America, and Asia; fragmenting and dispersing an outdated Eurocentric “cultural center” of the world to encompass the entire globe.
BLACKBOX 1: NGOMA TIMEWARP
Saturday, November 9, 2013 / 11:00pm / ENTREE: 5 EU
SAVVY:ETC – Richardstraße 20, 12043 Neukölln, Berlin
PARTY TIME: 11PM // ENTRY: 5 EU
