Digital Africa 4
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Tag Archives: techno
Digital Africa 5
NGOMA Afro Tech
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.
Astro Love Machine
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.
NYEGE NYEGE Festival Official Mix
Nyege Nyege Festival in Jinja, Uganda, is about the infinite and timeless rhythmelodic traditions from the motherland and its myriad mutations around the globe, and their sometimes difficult to perceive but indivisible connection. It is my duty as rhythm ambassador to reveal the truth about these connections between ancient and future, between the so-called “East” and so-called “West”, in a visceral way on the dance floor; and it is what i have tried to do with this mix.
Acid Machine Temple
I’ve always loved Acid. Not only due to the squelchy palette of the misused TB303 being, for reasons i can not articulate (related to liking the smell of petroleum??), so endlessly delicious, sexy, and addictive, but also because Acid House and Acid Techno, ever since the beginning, have always been more overtly and unabashedly polyrhythmic than their bigger stylistic cousins.
Ngoma in Prague 13 / 14 March
MUTANT 05 Club Deconstruction
“Transcendence and beauty is possible during both the renaissance and golden-age of a culture, as it is during the decline of empire.” — Anonymous
MUTANT 4 – Meta House
Evil twin of the last MUTANT mix of brightly hued, sun-kissed club music for endless summer nights, Meta House is heavy, narcotic. Including lots of deep techy tracks, some jacking, bassline, healthy dose of ghetto, a touch of shuffling, and material which may be in the category of “House Not House” — but as abstract or bassy as any part of it may be, i made sure that all selections are primarily, unmistakably House – all steady kicks and offbeat hi-hats.
Berghain 0-3am: Polymorphism
0-3am on that perfectly situated function 1 system before Untold and 2562.
Tracklist? normally yes but sorry, too much work for this…
MUTANT 1 – Africanized Techno
bigup Afropop Worldwide for commissioning this piece.
Most definitely not for the faint of heart, made with Berlin’s Berghain Club in mind, this one needs the best sound system you have access to (preferably a Function One), as well as very loud volumes.
Dance Music’s So Called Progressiveness
Morgan Geist commented on a pretty scary NYT article on the commercial success of Electronic Dance Music. For now i will leave the numerous serious problems with the article itself aside, and focus on the quote of a quote:
“Let’s remember a quote from a Detroit techno pioneer (possibly Jeff Mills) that I think of often: “At rock concerts, people scream when they hear something they know and have heard before. With techno, people scream when they hear something they’ve never heard before.”
While on the surface it rings true, the much applauded and alleged “progressiveness” and “open mindedness” of electronic dance music culture, now nearly 30 years on, is debatable to say the least. A more accurate description would be:
“techno crowds scream when they hear something they’ve never heard before, but which bangs exactly in the same manner as something which they have heard many, many times before.”
FUSION 4 – Djinn Bass
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.
FUSION 3: house of Eshu
In Yoruba spiritual traditions (contemporary Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria) as well as its descendant Afro-diasporic faiths like Vodou, Santeria/Lukumi and Candomble, Eshu is the divine messenger between Gods and Man, the gatekeeper, protector of travelers, guardian of the Crossroads, offering choices and reveals possibilities. Often identified by the number three, and the colours red & black, Eshu represents the balance of nature, Day and night, creation and destruction, old age and youth. Yet more than conduit between this and other worlds, Eshu is also a spirit of Chaos and a devious trickster, playing games and serving up mischief with the ultimate aim of waking people up and teaching them lessons.
OR: STREAM: MIXCLOUD // 1 TRACK DL: MEDIAFIRE //SEPARATE TRACKS DL: MEDIAFIRE
So, in the spirit of Eshu, FUSION 3 represents the balance between traditional and modern, “east” and “west”, listening and dancing. This mashup album stands at the crossroads between the musical worlds of Yoruba talking steel drums, Cuban piano, Indonesian Gamelan, Cameroon Mbira (thumb piano), Black Panther poetry, South African Jazz, etc., and the House and Techno club sounds of today.
I think it will play a few tricks on minds which insist on seeing the world in discontinuously separate compartments.
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01 [Nigeria/Germany] Etubom Rex Williams – Uwa Idem Mi <> Maurizio – M1
02 [Pan-Africa/USA] Guem & Zaka – L’Abeille <> Oasis – One
03 [Indonesia/Cuba] Django Mango – the wisdom of the fool <> Fast Vision Soul – Babatunde
04 [Burundi/South Africa] Chant d’enfant accompagne d’un arc musical umuduri <> Spikiri feat. Hugh Masekela – Spiyanko Bonus Beats
05 [Nigeria/UK] Wahabi Arowoshila – Gbogbo Musulumi Ododo (Fuji) <> Hector and Bryant – Tension
06 [Cameroon/Germany] Frances Bebey – Africa Sanza <> Basti Grub – oma vovo
07 [Cameroon/UK] Frances Bebey – Bameda <> AudioFly – Sweeter Than
08 [Indonesia/Germany] Sambasunda – Sumimaula <> Liapin – BlackMamba
09 [USA/Italy] Sarah Webster Fabio – Glimpses / Nigger Sweat <> Double Dash – Mas
10 [Nigeria/UK] Madam Mujidat Ogunfalu & Her Waka Group – Ololo Nise Awo Won Ni <> Chris Wood and Frank Leicher – Into the Jungle
11 [South Africa/USA] Ricky Rimbiandarison – Imamohamana Dry (The Wake Up Drum) <> Cpen – African Jack
12 [Ghana/USA] Charles Kofi Amankwaa Mann – Funky Hi-Life <> Yonurican – Lucha Machete (Ricardo Miranda Drum Mix)
13 [Mali] Oumou Sangare – Yala (Zhao Fix)
14 [Ghana/Netherlands] Guy Warren – BUILSA <> Gregor Salto – Classic Beat
15 [USA/Nigeria] Sarah Webster Fabio – Boss Soul <> Osunlade – Native Tongue
16 [Mali/Sweden] Ahmed Fofana – Balani <> Jamtech Foundation – Too Fast (Zombie Disco Squad Remix)
17 [Ethiopia/Germany] Bole 2 Harlem – Home <> Booka Shade – Hide and Seek In Geishas Garden
NGOMA SOUND 