the hop

niko schabel assembled a collective of berlin-based musicians, notably the unmistakeable and unforgettable bajka on vocals to put forth their first release, berlin serengeti. the work is fueled by 'jazzy, earth-shaking tropical dub and snake-charming soul, channeling mulatu and coltrane in a dub shack studio with a barrage of big horns blasting blacksploitation flavors with an eastern funk twist...'

try it out. climb into your ride and crank up 'the hop' as you fly on the street. as the sun goes down, snake charm your partner with the dub infused groove on the sweetly whispered 'el cielo', so warm and buttery...

radio citizen - the hop (featuring bajka):


radio citizen - cielo (featuring bajka):


related:

• nneka - africans
  
• bonobo - walk in the sky
  
• derek vincent smith / pretty lights - finally moving remix
  
• nostalgia 77 - seven nation army

get this at amazon

ego tripping

a very special post for a very special lady on a very special day.

a few years ago, i walked into the office of the only vision educator i could find in the city, looking for miracles. i can honestly say, that day, she put those miracles in motion.

honouring a great teacher of mine on her 65th birthday, i can't think of anything more fitting than this. also celebrating her birthday, nikki giovanni is an african american icon who has inspired millions through her words and her actions. happy birthday elizabeth and nikki. may you continue to touch millions with your smiles, your wisdom and your magic!

never forget...
"i am so perfect, so divine, so ethereal, so surreal
i cannot be comprehended except by my permission
i mean, i can fly
like a bird in the sky...."
nikki giovanni - ego tripping:


related:

• nneka - africans
  
• marie queenie lyons - see and don't see
  
• derek vincent smith / pretty lights - finally moving remix
  
• nina simone - sinnerman

get this at tru thoughts records

free

very rarely does it happen that a music video takes a perfect piece of music and makes it better, makes it come to life, makes it reach out and grab you.

this is one of those rare times.

"i think there are very few people on this earth that are totally free. i'm not free but i'm working on it." - stevie wonder



find this here

related:

• finley quaye - even after all
  
• geoffrey oryema - makambo
  
• miriam makeba - malaika
  
• stevie wonder - as/another star

seven nation army

ahhh the city is getting ready for a whirlwind of activity as leaders from 8 and 20 of the earth's nations come together for the big talks.

yeah that's right - getting ready for the g8 and g20 in canada and right here in toronto. and i feel the way this track sounds.

counting down until it's happening
and when it's happening
we'll be counting down until it's over.

sometimes i feel like alice russell-
trapped in a grant phabao remix-
of nostalgia 77's cover-
of the white stripes' seven nation army.

and there you have it. superbly belted out by ms. russell. love how it maintains the rock and blues integrity of the white stripes' original, even with a roots reggae element and then adds a little russell to infuse it with just so much sweet soul!

nostalgia 77 feat alice russell - seven nation army [grant phabao mix]:


related:

• nneka - africans
  
• marie queenie lyons - see and don't see
  
• derek vincent smith / pretty lights - finally moving remix
  
• nina simone - sinnerman

get this at tru thoughts records

even after all

i finally finished masaru emoto's hidden messages in water. i think the guy's on to something.

emoto ran extensive research about the effects of words, music and environments on the quality of water. he found that water molecules emulate the beauty of positive words, melodic music and healthy environments by forming flawless crystals when frozen. you can only guess how water reacts to polluted environments, nasty messages and crap music!

so from emoto's findings and knowing that the adult human body is 75% water, we have pretty good reasons to be discerning about the quality of the music we listen to... even the voices we surround ourselves with!

and with that, i present to you... finley quaye.

finley quaye - even after all:


related:

• bonobo - walk in the sky
  
• nneka - beautiful
  
• stevie wonder - as/another star
  
• peter gabriel - with this love

get this at amazon

heligoland dream

when i was in south africa a couple of years ago i went to the home of a traditional healer, or sangoma. there were several of them gathered, throwing cowrie shells, chanting and calling to the sprits. it was fascinating watching them at work.

one approached me near the end of the night and asked me if i dream. "no", i told him, and if i do, i don't remember them. he advised me to blow my nose before sleeping.

and so i did. and i dreamed...

paradise circus, off of massive attack's latest album, heligoland captures the feeling of my dreamland, where even the most surreal scenes are met with a level head. nothing seems extraordinary, not until i wake in a daze and recall the twists and turns of events.

funny, more and more my dreams give me perspective. to remember them in all their fantastic imagination, is surely to understand life so much better.

dedicated to the sangomas in kwa zulu natal...

massive attack - paradise circus feat. hope sandoval
(feat. hope sandoval):
and for the dreamers... video
scenes taken from tarsem singh's surreal film, the fall. full of dalí-esque visuals sure to make you feel like you are dreaming:



related:

• sonar kollektiv orchester - rej
  
• nina simone - sinnerman
  
• lhasa - on the living road

get this at amazon

aussi beau que bon... bonobo

pure bliss...

there is something deep inside simon green that understands the relationship, the dance, the interplay between a guitar and double bass played in parallel, between the bass and drums played in tandem, and between the horns and xylophone played in turns.

then there's the relationship between simon's instrumentation and that magical, sensual, sweet voice that is bajka. you'll hear her throughout his third album, days to come.

it's on 'walk in the sky', that he creates a world that exists in the twilight, a world where i happily live, dance, dream and love... where words describe a private little utopia and where the percussion - that sweetly syncopated drum, triangle, and cowbell make my temperature rise higher and higher. but it's not just the pure attraction of complimentary sounds, it's also the substance that reels me in: the bliss, the universal truth:

"they live happily
for they know from the past
life simply doesn't last
so they live for today
for tomorrow they may
not be able to walk in the sky..."

bonobo - walk in the sky (feat. bajka):


the whole album is masterful. pure musical genius, aussi beau que bon! if you wanna shake the spell off... read 'between the lines', "we can't change the world but we can change the way we live"...

bonobo - between the lines (feat. bajka):


and finally, off the bonus CD... 4 minutes and 22 seconds of pure instrumental jazz-induced sonic breakdown...

bonobo - hatoa:


related:

• sonar kollektiv orchester - rej
  
• heliocentrics - sirius b
  
• yonderboi - riders on the storm

get this at amazon

lhasa on the living road

a little something for my travels....

lhasa de sela is a montreal-based wandering soul who grew up traveling with her family between the us and mexico in a converted schoolbus, listening to everything from eastern european folk tunes to traditional arabic odes and old mexican standards.

anything but ordinary, lhasa sings in no less than three languages: english, spanish and french. she took time from her music to tour with her sisters and perform circus acts. and then there's her music... everything from marimbas to ukulele and accordion.

her voice and style are anything but typical too. long, drawn out syllables, a unique lyrical poetry and throaty, breathless crooning make for an interesting combination.

just when you think everything has already been done, along comes lhasa.

the living road is a beautiful album to soundtrack the more reflective moments of driving through the mexican countryside... perfect for a train through las barrancas del cobre - mexico`s deepest and most striking canyon system.

lhasa - con toda palabra:


lhasa - para el fin del mundo o el ano nuevo:


related or unrelated to this:

• up, bustle and out - all out king
  
• andre désilets - mission apollo
  
• amadou + miriam feat manu chao - senegal fast food

get this at amazon

footnote on my return from mexico - i was saddened to hear while in was in the yucatan that the beautiful lhasa lost her battle with breast cancer. she lives on in our heads and hearts...

phoenix

and now for a little fun! i'm about to traverse mexico with no set schedule.

first stop: phoenix, arizona.
so i propose: how's a little phoenix for phoenix?

the band is a brilliant french alterna-rock foursome, with four releases to date. the first two here appear on their debut album, united. the last is a pretty remix of a track on their 2009 wolfgang amadeus mozart. and i have yet to hear their live in mexico bonus tracks on the mexican release of their third album, but perhaps i'll pick it up down south.

until then...

phoenix - too young:


phoenix - if i ever feel better:


related or unrelated to this:

• the black keys - busted
  
• payolas - eyes of a stranger
  
• andre désilets - mission apollo
  
• amadou + miriam feat manu chao - senegal fast food

get this at amazon

nneka

on first look, in her baggy jeans and hoodie, a haze of coils almost hiding her trademark scowl... you'd think she's just some pretty teenage girl from philly or atlanta... but on first listen, it's clear: she's got the melodies of the universe flowing through her body.

with two albums under her belt already, twenty-eight year old nigerian/german nneka egbuna is a study in contrasts, betraying that youthful look with messages of truth, all conveyed through that signature soft voice, fine and melodic like a flute.

while often compared to fellow nigerian sade or hip hop maven lauryn hill, nneka is still young in her career. she weaves through traditions and styles, having been influenced by anita baker, marvin gaye, fela kuti, bob marley, afrobeat and hip hop, singing in both her native igbo and english. on her first two genre-defying releases, victim of truth and no longer at ease, it's clear the continuity is her voice, which floats through like a butterfly and yes, stings like a bee.

already having dazzled nigeria and europe, her first US record, concrete jungle, is set to release in february 2010. she's going to take the place by storm.

nneka - africans:


nneka - beautiful:



related to this:

• nina simone - sinnerman
  
• marie queenie lyons - see and don't see
  
• derek vincent smith/etta james - finally moving
  
• little brother - atari 2600

oh and big thanks to cam at giantstep for tipping me off to the pounding, rhythmic nneka and j.period collaboration "the madness" (onye-ala) mixtape released yesterday. download here

get this at amazon