Toubab Krewe Back in NYC!
November 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Nov 19, 2009
upstairs
Doors @ 8 PM
$15.00 Adv
It was only four years ago that the Bonnaroo staple and culturally transcendent ensemble known as Toubab Krewe crystallized as a cult favorite of jam festival-goers and African music enthusiasts. While most of their classmates at Wilson College were having identity crises, the quintet was redefining the notion of identity altogether, earning a grant to travel to the Ivory Coast, Guinea and Mali to study traditional African instruments and techniques. They emerged having fully incorporated their African education with the folk and rock they grew up playing together.
The Krewe are two percussionists and three string players alternating between electric guitars, basses, the souk, kamel ngoni, and the kora. Their mostly instrumental, heavily improvised music recalls jam-bands like Phish, the Americana folk of Deer Tick and the Afropop tambours of Osibisa. Their 2005 debut LP, consisting primarily of re-arranged African standards, turned heads in the realm of “world music” and solidified their international, acclaim. Afropop Worldwide raved that the release “set a new standard for fusions of rock ‘n’ roll and West African music.”
Their most recent album Live At The Orange Peel is an on-location performance recording featuring all new material including the surf riffs of “51 Ft. Ladder” and the lush percussion of “Maliba.” The album is an incredibly layered and bountiful offering produced by the Grammy-winning Steven Heller (Chet Atkin, David Wilcox). At Santos Party House on November 19th, they will be resurrecting that magic on the best sound system for live music in the city. The coalescence of many musical strains will no doubt reach an unprecedented climax.
“A Toubab Krewe show typically begins in the past, with a brief percussive disquisition on West African rhythms; gradually picks up velocity as more surf, jazz, dub, and hip-hop ideas are stirred into the mix; and ultimately climaxes in a futuristic, psychedelic, neo-griot frenzy.” (THE VILLAGE VOICE)
TOUBAB KREWE HOMEPAGE
BREAK SCIENCE (closing)
BREAK SCIENCE ON MYSPACE
MAMARAZZI (opening)
MAMARAZZI ON MYSPACE
Tickets available at:
OTHER MUSIC
15 East 4th St
New York, NY 10003
Facebook Event
Global Hip-Hop and the People Behind the Tables (P.B.Ts)
November 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment
By Marissa A. Gutiérrez-Vicario
Global hip-hop was alive and well in New York City on October 29, 2009, during the famous annual CMJ festival. Like the opening to any other hip-hop showcase, the DJ (DJ Boo) spun a diverse mix of the old school and the contemporary. Slowly, hip-hop aficionados and curious CMJ pass holders began to flood the floors of the 92YTribeca, where the music was loud and the energy even louder. However, unlike any other hip-hop showcase, Nomadic Wax and the Bloom Effect brought together some of the world’s finest underground performers, spanning nine different countries and four different continents, from Amsterdam to Accra, all brought together by the evening’s boisterous host, Blitz the Ambassador, representing Ghana.
Unlike any other hip-hop aficionado, I found myself with two other Nomadic Wax supporters, behind the merchandise table, representatives of the ten-year old hip-hop record label. Benjamin Herson founded nomadic Wax in 1999 after an initial journey to Senegal where he stumbled upon a very vibrant and active local hip-hop scene in Dakar. Ten years later, the record and production company has expanded to include the work of over sixty different artists, now including many outside of Africa.
There are several advantages and disadvantages to being a merch girl. The advantage is that one feels completely immersed in the experience, being there from practically start to finish. I met up with the other volunteers right about when Nomadic Massive, a highly energetic nine band person from Canada, Haiti, and France was completing their sound check and later on in the evening, as the final act, saw them wrap up the showcase. Yet simultaneously, a “Person Behind the Tables” (or more affectionately known as, the P.B.Ts) get to enjoy concerts from a different perspective and have the opportunity to assess the crowd’s overall reaction to the performers. For instance, we were flooded with CD requests from Coolooloosh, a hip-hop duo from Israel who seemed to be a real favorite of the crowd.
Yet the best part of being a P.B.T, is the appreciation one receives throughout the evening. Blitz the Ambassador made sure to interject his commentary with shout-outs to the P.B.Ts and announcements to support the artists. The artists themselves were the most appreciative. At Versaris, making their first visit to the US ever from Spain, and who had commenced the evening, made sure to come through and greet us. La Melodia, a duo from Amsterdam, definitely one of the favorites of the P.B.Ts, gave us hugs and wished us well. By the end of the evening, all of us had collected the autographs of almost every set of performers for the evening, another unknown perk of being a hidden, yet respected, P.B.T.
As with anything, a word of caution: there is one great disadvantage to being a P.B.T. It is vital for anyone seriously contemplating becoming a P.B.T to take the following into consideration. While one can definitely attempt dancing behind a merchandise table, it is not advised. For instance, while the rest of the crowd was free to jump, sway, and stomp to the incredible beats of Morocco’s Alfaress, us P.B.Ts were confined to careful swaying. While others were partying with La Melodia, us P.B.Ts were selling CDs and Nomadic Wax t-shirts. Although we don’t regret it in the least and took our mission very seriously, on the extreme end, it can be considered a hip-hop lover’s nightmare. A nightmare where one is at an incredibly fun concert and being exposed to a diverse new set of underground performers, only to look down and find that your feet have sunk into the earth and you can no longer move in a way that the music truly deserves.
All in all, my first P.B.T. experience was well worth it: the six hours we were behind the tables felt maybe like one or two. There was never a dull moment — all of the artists in the showcase were well selected and were immensely enjoyed by the crowd. The crowd itself was fantastic; while they may not have understood the lyrics of each performer, they responded in the universal language of dance and cheering. Personally, I was exposed to the world of the P.B.T.s, whom I now know not to simply walk by, but acknowledge them for having some of the best seats in the house.
Waga Hip-Hop Wrap Up 2010
November 6, 2009 | 3 Comments
Written by Magee McIlvaine
-October ‘09, Washington DC.
Its a chilly 40 degrees outside…overcast, windy, its been raining the past few days. I keep asking myself- why don’t I live in West Africa?
I returned home to DC a few days ago from a 10 day trip to Burkina Faso. As I stepped off the plane, ominious NE winter winds greeted me, forcing me to pull a jacket up over my brand new Burkina Faso soccer jersey (of course i gotta rep!). Back in the US, cold, yet satisfied, and with a bag full of CD’s and footage.
I was in Burkina Faso for the 9th annual Waga Hip Hop Festival, held each year in Ouagadougou, the capitol city of Burkina Faso, West Africa.
The homeys at Stay Calm Productions and Umane Culture had organized two screenings of our film Democracy in Dakar. The screenings would be the West Africa premiere of the film. After a two day journey criss-crossing the continent with Air Ethiopia, I was picked up at the airport in dusty Ouagadougou by Mathurin aka Cool Matt J, co-head organizer of the festival. An amazing guy, Mathurin is responsible for most of the graphic and web work of the Burkina Faso hip hop community. His team and him have created an incredible hip hop festival that pulls in the best in International Hip Hop Talent each year, all in tiny Burkina Faso. Amazing.
We drove past the famous FESPACO Headquarters (the most famous and oldest African Film Festival. It was an honor for me just to be near it!), through the paved and not-so-paved streets, weaved around motorcyclists and arrived at Waga Jungle, a recording studio/house where I was to stay for the next few days. The studio is run by a former french paramilitary soldier and is one of the oldest and most well respected studios in the country. The studio has supported most of Burkina Faso’s artists at some point in their career. I said hello…and went straight to sleep (over 24 hours in a plane to get there. DC-Rome-Addis Ababa-Lome-Ouagadougou is not the most direct of flight-paths).
Several hours later, I woke up and took my first moto ride back into the city. The motorcycle immediately got a flat tire, so my arrival at festival headquarters was somewhat delayed. At the French Cultural Center, I got my first look at other Festival attendee’s and participants. I finally got up with Shivani of Big Up GB (Guiniea Bissau. Nuff respect). Was great to get up with her after so many emails. Peep the project we did together here: http://nomadicwax.bandcamp.com/track/big-up-gb-mixtape
I also got up with Abramz from the Breakdance Uganda project. What a great guy! Another guy I had been building with via email and whose work I had been admiring from a distance for a long time. It was a pleasure to finally build with him, and seem him learning french and tirelessly building with Burkinabe b-boys.
We moved on from there to my first West African emcee battle. The outdoor arena was filled to capacity, with people sitting on the walls that surrounded the theater. While most of the puchlines (in french), went over my head, the crowd enjoyed it immensely, the emcees were on point, and the freestyling was legit. The rule stands, even in Burkina Faso- spit a written in a battle and get booed off.
The next few days consisted of motorcycle, meeting, filming, motorcycle, meeting, filming, motorcycle…. I met with many different emcees, underground to famous (Ouagadougou Famous). Highlights included Faso Kombat. We shot an awesome video for their new single for their third album (to be released soon inshallah). I got to sneak peak their new album and its fire.
I got up with Burkina Faso heivyweight Smockey and we talked hip hop and politics. I saw revolutionary Thomas Sankara’s tomb, hidden away in an overgrown cemetery. I got up with international superstars Yelen and watched as they performed a unique, organic hip hop acoustic track together in multiple languages in their living room. I met up with many different groups. One of the other highlights was building and shooting the new posse cut video for Burkina Faso’s hardcore hip hop underground stars OBC. OBC, with its over 30 affiliate members, has a very Wu-Tang meets Africa feel, but don’t get it twisted. These guys are completely original. I really enjoyed shooting the video with them, each of the 7 verses in a different neighborhood of the whole city, each emcee with his own unique style of delivery and inflection. Watch out for that video, its going to be a banger.
In exploring the neighborhoods and meeting with all the members of the local Ouaga scene, I missed much of the days’ events during the conference.
Our two screenings of Democracy in Dakar were very well attended. The first night produced an extremely interesting post-screening discussion with local emcees comparing the scene in Senegal to the one in Burkina Faso. I trekked to each of the performances each night.
The highlights for me where Mic the 7th, currently based out of Toronto, and AmKoullel, representing Mali. AmKoullel put in more work for his set than most emcees I have ever seen. The post-show Sound System’s where dope, as the mic was opened up to the entire local scene (shout out to Fils du Ghetto- too famous). Moona from Benin also represented as one of the few female hip hop acts. Also, shout out to King Ayisoba (Ghana)’s snowshoe sandals. I’ve never seen anything like it.
A week in Ouaga heat and dust had me exhausted. But the ciphers, the energy of the hip hop scene there (so hungry!) kept me going. I was energized by the skills and unique styles represented by the different Ouaga emcees that I met. I can’t wait for Waga Hip Hop Festival 2010. Shout out to Mathurin, Renaud (Stay Calm Prod.), and Ali Diallo. Nuff respect.
