“The drum is closely linked in African philosophy with the word… The original utterance which created life of nothingness and chaos, and then established order in that creation. The drum is therefore a divine tool of the Supreme Being, a womb or beginning of created life.” – Maureen Warner-Lewis
“The drum encloses a womb of space in which silence and identity will emerge out of the darkness and the void.” – Wilson Harris
“God is dumb, until the drum speaks.” – Ancient African proverb
neocolonialism. exploitation. corporate greed. systemic oppression. global warming. over population. rising oceans. resource depletion. military conflict. economic collapse. mass extinction. hurricanes. famine. disease. hunger. war. annihilation.
01 Amina Alaoui & Jon Balke – Itimad X L-Wiz – Smogged
02 Ora Sittner & Youval Micenmacher – Dror Iqra X Scuba – Sleepa
03 23 Skidoo – G-2 Contemplation X Marc Ashken – Roots Dyed Dark (Skream Remix)
04 Kambarkan Folk Ensemble – Jygach Ooz Komuz X Dj Distance – Nomad
05 Sarah Webster – A Lesson Twice Learned / Drum Talk X Pinch & Loefah – Broken
06 JilJilala – Unknown X JuJu – Iroko
07 Fawzy Al-Aiedy – Milad X Toasty – Like Sun
08 Hossam Ramzy & Phil Thornton – Immortal Egypt X dj quest & eskimo – Speakers Corner (Instrumental Death Edit)
09 Unknown – Arab Flute X Zen Militia – Pull of Guilt (Scuba Remix)
10 Unknown – Morocco Belly Dance X Substep Infrabass Monotonium
11 Guem – Royal Dance X Shed – Panamax Remix
12 Unknown – African Tribal Drums X Unkown – UK Grime
13 Reda Darwish – Raqset El Banat X Headhunter – Drop The Waste
14 Remko Scha – Machine Guitars Slam X Skream – Backwards
15 Andy Moor – Uganda Fly X Loefah – Fire Elements
16 Sir Richard Bishop – Blood Stained Sands X Tunnidge – Face Melt
17 Sijano Vodjani – Dedication X King Midas Sound – Earth a kill ya
OR: STREAM: MIXCLOUD // 1 TRACK DL: MEDIAFIRE // SEPARATE TRACKS DL: MEDIAFIRE
Grounded in the rhythmic traditions and tonal language of North Africa and the Middle East*, Djinn Bass fuses Sufi Ritual Music and Club Beats, Sacred Egyptian Hymns and Abstract Dub, Classic Rai and Dubstep, Turkish Taqsim and Tech House, Moroccan Chaabi anthems and Tribal Electro. Ouds, Flutes, and Darbukas mix and blend with electronic pulse; vocal refrains underpinned by digital bass, sometimes chopped, looped, and dubbed out. Decidedly anti short-attention-span, as the FUSION series have increasingly become, the tracks are long because duration is essential for the ecstatic and immersive nature of this music.
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01 Georges Kazazian-Sagate Tassabih + Moritz Von Oswald Trio – Pattern 4
02 Salam E Varzesh – E Bastani + Sideshow – African Cherry (Zhao Extended Edit)
03 Farhang Sharif – Pishdaramad Homayoun + J Kenzo-Conqueror
04 Yaşar Akpençe – Kings of Tomorrow + Jason Cheiron – Afrotastico
05 Unknown – Sultana + Doomwork-Isla
06 Flutes Gasba Du Nord – Est De L’Algerie + Uncle Bakongo – Makonde
07 Es’lam Yfattar_VS_Dj Gregory-Elleeol Ritual (Zhao Percussive Mix)
08 Cheikha Rimitti – Mohammed Ay Sidi + Dj Jeroenski – African nights + Roska – Squark
09 Tabla Voyage – Tablat Barhum + Roska – Jackpot
10 Nass El Ghiwane – Salif Albattar + Zombie Disco Squad – The Dance
11 Nass El Ghiwane – Iahmami + Raw Artistic Soul-Keep On Shining
12 Scarab – Fall of The Towers of Convention + Dead Can Dance – Saldek + Foiledtorsos – The Specialist
13 Ali Hassan Kuban – Walla Abshero + Malente & Dex – Bangkok (James Braun & Dan M Remix)
14 Birol Yayla & Şenol Filiz – Outro
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*for a different take on North African and Arabic flavors, get into NGOMA 9.
NGOMA 9 focuses on North Africa and the Middle East: on the other side of the Sahara, African rhythms become more angular, colder; and the tones deeper, ominously darker, in what we in the west call “minor keys”. Mostly comprising of killer classics from several different eras and regions, sometimes re-fixed and mashed up: Egyptian darbuka meets Kraftwerk, Palestinian electric oud spiced with Afro drums, Israeli folk music with the moonbah treatment. Also included are some relatively contemporary groups like the unique pan-Arabic electro-dub outfit Checkpoint 303, as well as diasporic sounds like Algerian expat Hiphop made in France.
OR: STREAM: MIXCLOUD //// DOWNLOAD: SINGLE TRACK OR SEPARATE TRACKS
Algerian and Moroccan Rai is central to this mix, including Cheikha Rimitti’s huge hit Ana Ou Ghzali, and 2 awe inspiring pieces by Cheba Fadela which were re-issued by Factory Records (Manchester) in 1986. Songs by Hassan Houssini, Reda Taliani, and Cheba Zahouania in a more traditional desert tribal style are more energetic, and make up the ecstatic frenzied peak. Rai is an immersive experience: once you are in the grips of this music and its trance-like states, it is a force which will not let go, but keeps spiraling, like the dervishes, for ever — music non stop.
The Arabic title means “Eternity”, and it describes both the timeless quality of these grooves, as well as the mystical feeling they sometimes encompass: transcending the here and now, and touching, if for but a few fleeting moments, something outside our human limitations, constant and without end.
01 [Morocco] Nour Eddine – Talaa Albadrou Alaina (The Full Moon) (intro)
02 [UK] Muslim Gauze – Afghans (Rev. V.01) (transition)
03 [Palestine/Tunisia] Checkpoint 303 – Hawiya Dhay (Dj Zhao Afro Drums edit)
04 [Egypt/Germany] Hossam Ramzy + Kraftwerk – A Step in Time (Dj Zhao Non Stop Edit)
05 [Israel/France/Unknown] Ora Sittner & Youval Micenmacher – Debqà Rafiah + Peter Bucci, Sammim – Hay Consuelo (Obeyah Edit)
06 [Algeria] Cheikha Rimitti – Ana Ou Ghzali
07 [Egypt/Germany] Hossam Ramzy – Fallahi Rhythm (Desert Rhythm) + Furesshu – Tel Aviv
08 [Morocco] Oriental Angel – Jammin With the Snake
09 [Thurkia/Unknown] Harem – Darbouka Solo + Band Apach – Desert Energy
10 [Lebanon/Australia] Wadih Mrad – Da3 El Hawa + Sampology – Piggy Bank (Gnucci Swick Remix)
11 [Unknown] Unknown – Saida
12 [Iran] Yasmin – Kalil I Hila
13 [Lebanon] Said Mrad – Esmerim
14 [Algeria] Najim – Raha Walete
15 [Algeria] Rohff ft Mohamed Lamine – Trop D’energie
16 [Algeria] Reda Taliani – Partir Loin
17 [Morocco] Rayan & Rima – Dana Dana
18 [Algeria] Cheba Zahouania – Yana Yana
19 [Morocco] Hassan Houssini – Eleil Eleil
20 [Algeria] Cheba Fadela – Ateni Bniti (Part One)
21 [Algeria] Cheba Fadela – N’Sel Fik
22 [Algeria] Warda Djaou – Lamouni
23 [Morocco] Nour Eddine – Talaa Albadrou Alaina (The Full Moon) (outro)
Traditional and contemporary music from 5 continents, 25 countries, mashed up, refixed, and dubbed out.
Whereas the first Fusion volume was global traditional music fused with Dubstep and Grime, this second one clocks in at 105 BPM and explores the marriage of ancestral sounds and mid-tempo dancehall/moonbahton/hiphop derived beats. Some of the juxtapositions include Mongolian Throat Singing with screwed Techno, Uzbek vocal pop with Norwegian Skweee, Tribal African chanting over Hiphop, and Brazillian tinged percussion with Angolan Urban Beats. The mood is often overcast and cloudy with occasional bursts of heavy thunderstorms.
The FUSION series is decidedly more for listening compared to the dancefloor oriented NGOMA series, but there are certainly some bangers in here for you to scrunch up your face to, alongside more tripped out and lyrical numbers.
OR: STREAM: MIXCLOUD // 1 TRACK DL: MEDIAFIRE // SEPARATE TRACKS DL: MEDIAFIRE
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01 [Ghana] Gordon Odametey – Flying Gods (Zhao Edit)
02 [Liberia] Seku Bundah, Troupe, and Townsmen of Jonjah – Topical Song (Zhao Edit)
03 [Cameroon/France] Francis Bebey – Binta Madialio >< Agoria – Solarized (dub mix)
04 [Turkey/UK] Yaşar Akpençe – Dreams >< Demdike Stare – Haxan Dub
05 [Unknown Africa/SA] Unknown – Patricia >< Sibot – Famon Nigiri
06 [Malaysia/Germany] Anggi anak Alang, Entirong Bayang , Enggang anak Sandom, Kira anak Rabong – Serunal/Taboh >< Log – Out 2
07 [Colombia/Spain] Cumbia Moderna De Soledad – Shacalao >< Lerosa and Donato – acid snake
08 [Algeria/USA] Flûtes-gasba du Nord-Est de l’Agérie – Hwa Mrabet Did Chabbi >< Omar D – Busaru Beats
09 [Nubia] Al-Nûbatiyya – Mann Koudoud Toa Yaa Naas (Zhao Edit)
10 [Morrocco] Unknown – Unknown (Zhao Edit)
11 [Egypt] Ahmad Adaweya – Salametha Omm Hassan (Zhao Edit)
12 [Algeria] Unknown – Danse Bédouine (Zhao Edit)
13 [Nigeria/Angola] Guem & Zaka – Nostalgie >< Dj Maginho – TarraxO 100 percent Agressivo
14 [Brazil/Angola] No Sapatinho – Batugue >< dj nuxito – nova inspiracio
15 [UK/Japan] Ian Middleton – Cycle AND Sakuteiki – Viewing Infinite Space
16 [USA/Japan] Dubadelic – Rise of the Fall >< Sakuteiki – Viewing Infinite Space
17 [Syria/UK] Lena Chamamian – Sariri Hovim Mernem >< King Midas Sound – I Dub
18 [Mongolia/Spain] Black Horse – Chingges Khaanii magtaal (with huumii) >< Lerosa and Donato – Gas Snake
19 [Uzbekistan/Sweden] Yulduz Usmanova – Schoch Va Gado >< Daniel Savio – Tough Guy Music
NGOMA SOUND 