New Music is always the cause on Monday's when Sound Travels hits you at noon. And I knew I needed to act fast to beat Tarik to the punch on the new Red Hot & Rio 2 comp. No worries though as we gravitated to different ends of the CD. I preferred the Curumin cut "Ela" with its riding-rhythm bounce and expert reggae vibes, rolling with vintage precision produced by a favorite Brazilian musician(who I pray comes back to Milwaukee). Alborosie again! back-to-back weeks for the Italian dancehall artist whose talent is undeniable here on a song that may burn quick, but brightly, as it bounces the vintage Wendy Rene hit a la Wu-Tang, but with a reggae vibe.
Theivery Corporation has always had an element totheir sound that is reggae, and that is because of a long-running collaboration with See-I, an MC duo that is making some of the best American reggae period. Their DC shows are typically packed and more-diverse-than-you-think type of scene. "Dub Revolution" is a nice tune from their very nice and very deep eponymous debut that's about ten years overdue. Lastly, my favorite Swedish hip hop crew comeing through with another nice tune fresh from the success of the American debut just last year. Movits!, whom I discovered on The Colbert Report, turn up with a high energy cut that I find irresitable and so it ends day one of a long week of Summerfestin' Sound Travellin.'
Monday:
Curumin "Ela" Red Hot + Rio 2
Alborosie feat. Wendy Rene "Tears (After Laughter Comes Tears)" single
See-I "Dub Revolution" See-I
Movits! "Sammy Davis Jr." single
The week began in earnest with Tuesday's ST-- more of the new with Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara's excellent project called JuJu, that explores the future of blues by giving it back its old-school feel. And Gyptian's super-chanty "Duggu Duggu" is a deep personal favorite even though it is a bit shiny on the production side. J Boog is excellent, from Compton California, and blessed with the sweetest reggae voice I've heard in a long time; not all of his songs are this good, but boy this one is. Easily a match to his 2007 hit "Ganja Farmer". And the finale, classic funk flava from Benin's best kept secret (or marketing tragedy), Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo who have been releasing music since the 60's, and it always sounded like this--relentlessly funky Afrobeat at quick clip. They should be far more well-known, but that's still a good story.
Tuesday:
JuJu "Nighthawk" In Trance
Gyptian "Duggu Duggu" Reggae Gold 2011
J Boog "Coldest Zone"
Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo "Gbeti Madjro feat. Angelique Kidjo" Cotonou Club
Wednesday, I came back with more desert rock, from Ali Farka Toure's son, Vieux Farka Toure; a scorcher on the excellent new release The Secret, that also has collabs from Dave Matthews and Derek Trucks. A one-hit dance masher from Wio K & Tash Rozes ,relative unknowns gets the reggae vibe going. And Bootsy Collins has an odd Latin funk jam on his new album The Funk Capitol Of The World; yes, THAT Bootsy. Cumbia from Benny Bazz, one of the hottest cumbia tunes I've heard this year on a great little comp.
Wednesday:
Vieux Farka Toure "Borei" The Secret
Wio K & Tash Rozes "Foot Loose" Dread & Alive's Lost Tapes
Bootsy Collins "Siento Bombo feat. Olvido Ruiz & Ouiley" The Funk Capitol Of The World
Benny Bazz "Cumbia, Tobacco y Ron" Cumbia Bestial
Thursday's ST reminds me that I'm officially an Alborosie fan-boy; I just dig tthe work, what can I say but that I play. And Adrian Quesda's Ocote Soul Sounds picks up the awesomeness that was also their last album as well as all of his solo work and the Groupo Fantasma stuff too. Seun Kuti, Fela Kuti's youngest son wins out in the informal battle of the brothers. His Africa With Fury release on the heels of Femi's has me wondering what Femi's album was called anyway...
Magic System, from the Ivory Cosat in West Africa, has perhaps my favorite jam of the year thus far. "Dodo," on their newest release Tout Kalle is irrepressibly upbeat and dynamic in a way that's as big as any band's sound I've ever heard. Highly recommended!
Thursday:
Alborosie "La Revolucion" 2 Times Revolution
Ocote Soul Sounds "En El Temblor" Taurus
Seun Kuti "Mr. Big Thief" From Africa With Fury
Magic System "Dodo" Tout Kalle
I've written a lot about Guadalupe Plata already; listen, like and download it already!The Sway Machinery are another band like Guadalupe Plata, that I debuted earlier in the year and play fairly regularly; they simply rock, in a Malian way. Movits! again because this song is that good. And lastly, Orquesta with an off-tempo baile funk masterpiece simmering hotly with rising star
Friday:
Guadalupe Plata "Boogie De La Muerte" Guadalupe Plata
The Sway Machinery "Youba feat. Khaira Arby" House Of Friendly Ghosts, vol. 1
Movits! "Sammy Davis Jr." single
Orquesta "Dona Sandra feat. Zuzuka Poderosa" Dona Sandra EP