The first post in a loooong time. Apologies for going underground, but underground is where the best work is done….
In a last minute switch up, our Vibe session this month happens a week early and will feature the heavy (yet somehow light) Ethio-Jazz vibes of the ABYSS QUARTET. Mulatu would be proud…
A few weeks ago, whilst looking for a venue with a mate, we met a certain Joshua in the streets. Luckily for us he was looking for the same place, however unluckily for us, by the time we found the location, the party was over. During this journey however, it didn’t take long to realize that Joshua was seriously into his music. From name-dropping jazz artists to quoting Common lyrics and to even sharing soulful online mixes that I later rushed home to download, it was pretty clear that this guy knew his stuff.
It eventually transpired that the reason we bumped into him was that he wanted to flyer at the event we couldn’t find. He also revealed to us that he’s in a band known as Benin City and runs his own poetry/music showcase nights, so I took home his promo EP and checked out his s**t.
I must confess that what I heard was not what I was expecting. Benin City seem to represent a time long gone where music could also be fun. All the online blurbs seem to talk about Benin City being “James Brown meets Outkast” and although I feel that this is a poor, inaccurate and lazy label for such a group, if it represents anything, it’s the lightheartedness they seem to encapsulate.
What you have in a nutshell is two wordsmiths (Josh and Musa) delivering social commentary via playfully witty lyricism. They are backed by some funky horns (Faye), a bass, electric cellist (Jon) and the beat (Theo).
On a personal level, listening to the EP took me back to an era where ska reigned supreme. Despite its lack of similarity with the genre’s sound, just like ska, the overwhelmingly happy vibes are so much in abundance that the permanent grin on my face continued to be present way after the final track had stopped.
This is not one for the musically highly-strung; Benin City’s nonchalant personality is epitomized by the name of their debut EP: “Invisible Cake.”
It would be easy to cast this approach as implying a general lack of depth, however all in all, the only thing I believe it is a testament to, is their unpretentiousness. Under scrutiny, the layers of poetic truths would have been overbearing if not delivered with an upbeat groove. Even then, the EP’s fourth track, ‘The Flight’ show’s the band’s ability to switch things up, displaying Benin City’s more fragile tones in a tale of affliction, personal growth and hope.
The event to catch Benin City live, is at Poejazzi on July 1st at E4 Udderbelly in the Southbank Centre. Poejazzi focuses on teaming poetry with live sets. For this edition, singer-songwriter Lail Arad will be hosting the night, whilst wordsmith Yungun (who has previously supported Slum Village and De La Soul) will be promoting his upcoming album “Middle Man” with his live band.
Inua Ellams, whose reputation as a maverick in the poetry circuit has been concreted by his 10 shows at the National Theatre, co-organises the event and will also be performing. Sounds like we’re in for a treat.
Following the general theme of not taking ourselves too seriously, Heads High will be giving away two free Benin City Invisible Cake EP albums with exclusive artwork to the two most creative explanations as to why Joshua was in a plastic cow outfit at his last performance at Poejazzi.
Please post your answers in the comments section below this blog posting by June 30th 2010. The selected winners will be contacted on the day of the show (1st July 2010).
Click here for event details and tickets.
Pic: Adam Shelton
When he released “Street Tuff” with Double Trouble (Michael Menson, Karl ‘Tuff Enuff’ Brown and Leigh Guest) in 1989, it was the first most people had heard of the Rebel MC. Truth is, he’d formed Double Trouble way back in the early 80s and Street Tuff was just the furthest reaching public display of his talent. Although frowned upon as a sell-out by the Hip Hop community, the cut has since been heralded as “the birth of UK Grime” by Dizzee Rascal amongst others. So, what has that got to do with Congo Natty? Well, everything. For those who don’t know (and I hope it’s just a handful), Rebel MC aka Michael West went on to record as Conquering Lion, Blackstar, Tribe Of Issachar, X Project, Ras Project and of course, Congo Natty. What is incredible is that since we saw him bounce on to the TOTP stage armed with fashion dreads, a backing track on DAT and his Double Trouble entourage playing dummy instruments, Micheal West has consistently released quality underground music with more than just money in mind.
Check ‘Black Meaning Good’(1991), a watershed release for the Rebel as his style evolved and his lightweight raps were replaced by conscious flows, Reggae, Techno and the emerging sound of Jungle. Guest appearances came from Barrington Levy, Dennis Brown and Tenor Fly….heavyweight business! Now the UK’s underground were on-side, and comparisons to the Ragga Twins (fellow Tottenham dwellers) and Shut Up & Dance were rife, the ‘Word Sound and Power’ (1992) collection cemented Rebel’s place in the Reggae tinged corner of the UK’s bubbling dance scene. Now a manifesting Rastafarian, West set up the Tribal Bass label in 1992 and it was this which gradually mutated to X-Project and finally into the Congo Natty imprint all old-school Junglists know and love.
So, almost 20 years on, and having recorded under an array of monikers, Congo Natty continues to roll out raw breaks, deadly deep subs and vocal performances from dancehall legends like Tenor Fly and Daddy Freddy to expectant audiences the world over. Now a fully fledged rasta living between the UK and Ethiopia, the conscious content and scathing attacks on our unbalanced sytems are stronger than ever. Even better, to add a fresh twist, the Congo Natty outfit now counts a full live band amongst its ranks. As somebody who recieved early musical tutilage from the Demon Boyz, London Posse, Shut Up and Dance and the Rebel MC (I think ‘Just Keep Rockin’ and ‘Street Tuff’ were among the first singles I ever bought alongside Public Enemy’s ‘Rebel Without a Pause’), I have to give my full respect to him for keeping it moving so strongly over almost two decades.
And the punchline, Heads High are in the zone with Congo Natty this Saturday 19th July. He’ll be accompanied by Connie Bell, Lady MC (Kool FM) and a full live band. Myself and Darren Judge will be rolling out selections spanning reggae, hip-hop and perhaps a few electronic, bass movements. It’s one to make time for….
Greetings people! A timely reminder that this Sunday 20th June will see the Vibe Bar play host to another epic meeting of musical minds as Cal Jader and Darren Judge represent Heads High as we create some new sounds in collaboration with the 12 Tone musicians. Our last session saw a departure from the norm as 12 Tone got all electronic marrying synths and effects with their usual sick rhythms and bubbling brass. It worked so well that this time they’re taking it there again….but perhaps with an MPC to boot. Runnings get underway from 6pm, entry is free and Vibe are screening the football too so no excuses. Click here to link us on Facebook and we’ll see you on Sunday….
I’m posting this pretty sheepishly as Darren Judge did one of thess podcasts for us a full 2 MONTHS ago. He left it to me to add the jingles and I moved house/studio and am still picking up the pieces. There are still no jingles for reasons i’d better not go into, but what there is, is two HEAVY mixes put together by the man currently garnering support from the likes of Solid Steel for his CLUBB ROCK project. #19 is everything you’d expect from a British born Jamaican. Tuff Hip Hop, raw breaks and some serious Kingston town leanings. #20 sees the Judge come over all smooth & soulful….in a ghetto style. Guess you can’t be raw all the time. He promises us there are more in the pipeline but for now, wrap your ears around these.
HH PODCAST #19:
As We Enter//Nas & Damian Marley
Yegelle Tezeta//Mulatu Astatke
Struggla//Skitz ft Rodney P, Kardinal Offishal & Skibadee
Born Inna System//Skitz ft Buggsy
Kill Em With The Flow (Remix)//Skandal ft Klashnekoff & P Money
Shutterbug//Big Boi
EMC (What It Stands For)//EMC
Twilite Speedball//Mos Def
Orange Murderer//Clubb Rock
Lit Up//Flying Lotus & Declaime
Geek Down//J Dilla
914//Pete Rock ft Styles P & Sheek Louch
My Aggin (Inst)//OhNo
HH PODCAST #20: Ghetto Love Mix
This Friday 11th June, fans of real black music are going to feel nice. The OKRA project has teamed up with Adesose Wallace’s Ibile and Dalston’s Passing Clouds venue to bring the people a night of tone, taste and texture spanning Africa, the Caribbean and South America.
Representing Africa, 11-strong outfit Ibile hit the stage with a serious blend of Afrobeat, Highlife and raw West African drums. For better or worse, there has been an exponential rise in the number of Afrobeat/Afro-Funk/Highlife bands in the capital over the last few years but be warned, Ibile is the real deal. If you read the excerpt from our interview with him, you’ll know that Adesose Wallace is as authentic as they come. He’s played with Geraldo Pino, the James Brown of Afro-funk, and the inspiration for Fela Kuti to transform his Hi-Life Jazz sound into Afrobeat. Ade has also worked with Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and a host of other African music legends and to this day, teaches West African rhythm and song to students countrywide – basically, he’s real.
Representing the Caribbean, OKRA presents Ras Happa and the Harambe Drummers throwing down a live set of pounding Jamaican roots drums and dance. Long before reggae music warmed its first amplifier and rumbled it’s first speaker cone, the island of Jamaica danced to the beat of Nyabinghi, Kumina and Revival drums. Rhythms and dances which are so powerful, they still emerge in the beats and sequenced movements of the freshest bashment dancehalls. Unfortunately, the dancehall didn’t assimilate the spirit of the culture with quite the same vigour…..that’s where we come in. To compliment proceedings Duke Etienne and Suga Kan’n keep it raw, roots and occasionally, savage with a DJ selection linking the past with the buzz of the afro-future.
Representing South America, Otto Nascarella takes a pause from the rootical, tropical funk of his Saravah Soul project to throw down a scorching selection infused with his Brazillian roots.
The flyer is here. We hope you can join us…
GB is something special. In a musical omniverse drowning in the throwaway output of countless copies of Ableton Live, his music speaks differently. Listen to his recent Xpander EP for his own GIFTEDandBLESSED imprint or his production on All City’s fifth installment of their Los Angeles 10″ series and you’ll know.
Our generation, to our detriment, has all but forgotten the true power of sound. GB has not. After studying the seemingly Salvia inspired sleeve of his latest release, I decided I had to make the link and dig deeper. This is what I found…
HH: So, I recently picked up the Xpander 12″ and was blown away by what it hid in it’s grooves. I looked you up and then realized that i’d been hearing your music for almost 10 years and just never made the connection! For those people who are in that position, who is GB?
GB: I write, produce and play music. GB is a moniker under which I’ve released much of my music. I’m an informal student of what I call “technoindigenous studies.”
HH: You’ve collaborated with Flora Purim, Airto Moreira, J*DaVeY, Steve Spacek, Baatin and a whole host of others. Listening back over your discography, your sound is diverse to say the least. Can you explain a little about your musical pedigree and the kind of sounds that have shaped your evolution?
GB: I enjoy music from around the world. I’m interested in exploring lots of musical territory. I enjoy drawing from many sources of inspiration, not to replicate a vibe someone’s already achieved by instead to see how I may be able to transmute, reconfigure, or add to that. At the moment, when working with others, I’m most interested in going places with them in which none of us have spent much time.
HH: Are you resident in LA? I once saw an interview with SaRa in which they talk about the energies and vibrations affecting the city and it’s inhabitants, creatively and otherwise. Is this a concept you can relate to?
GB: Yes I am currently a resident of L.A., so I suppose I relate to that in the sense that living here I’m subjected to the earth energies and social energies that are dominant. L.A. is the communication center of the world, something like Earth’s throat chakra. It adds up that there’s so much sound being transmitted out of L.A. But on the flip side, for my taste, all of my favorite music comes from throughout the world, from both likely and unlikely places.
HH: You record under a few other aliases too. Could you tell me a little more about them?
GB: I’ve released music as Julian Abelar, Frankie Reyes and the Reflektor. Keep in mind that GB is more of a “character” than anything. There is a sound that has come to be associated with GB. Julian Abelar, though related in vibration to GB, is a very different thing, more focused and intentional. Julian Abelar is an ode to the nagual Carlos Castaneda and his shamanic initiation with the nagual don Juan Matus as documented in his series of books. The name Julian Abelar is a name that comes from their lineage of sorcerers. So again, that project was intentional, and releasing it as Julian Abelar gave me the space to let it be what is was. Had I released it as GB, it might have been considered a disappointment to some who were expecting what they got out of Soundtrack for Sunrise. The Reflektor is a similar thing. And Frankie Reyes is a derivative of my actual name, emphasizing and paying homage to my Puerto Rican ancestry. If you spend time with the music, you’ll get a sense of the subtle variations.
HH: You seem to have a particular affection for analogue electronic equipment. What inspired you to evolve in that direction?
GB: I am most interested in a hybrid sound. My earlier releases were mainly sequenced digitally via computer software with a combination of samples and live instruments (I’ve never used software synths). I’ve played analog synths on most of my releases, but in recent years I’ve spent lots of time learning about the connectivity of these machines and how to use them in a configuration that allows the machines to speak to one another and keep in time with each other, like a band. And of course, this allows me to operate the entire band by myself in real time. Plus the sonic quality of analog synthesis is special. You can hear it immediately. There are many studies you can find out there on the compromises with digital vs analog. But that’s not to say that you can’t do interesting things with digital sound that you can’t do with analog. It’s only a matter of taste and understanding. But having said that, electronic music in general has a definite limit for me.
HH: Talking of inspiration, looking at the artwork on your most recent Xpander release and reading some of the copy on your site, there is a definite spiritual thread running though your art. Is this intentional, and if so, how do you relate art to spirit?
GB: Art for me is an attempt to make matters of spirit tangible. I use art to translate inspiration from spirit into a three-dimensional density-based experience. Art affects its audience, one way or another. My aim is to affect my audience positively, to inspire others to be inspired.
HH: To quote directly from your site you are ‘an active advocate and practitioner of therapeutic sound healing techniques’. Could you expand on this please? What role do you think music has in the human healing process?
GB: Sound health is a very real thing. You can input sensory data into any of the senses and have a healing effect, and just the same you can have a detrimental effect. Without being conscious of it (for most people, anyway), you’re either helping or hurting your body by what you give it. So in my Healing Tones: Inverted Listening release, I emphasized specific colors and frequencies using analog synthesis again with the intention of activating the body’s innate self-healing capabilities. I’ve used these principles in several yoga studios here in L.A. as well as university lecture halls and alternative healing spaces.
HH: The most recent offering i’ve heard from you is the Raices Africanas sound collage under the Frankie Reyes moniker. It features a lot of traditional african drum music. What are your thoughts on the traditional music of the African diaspora and what relation have these rhythms got to your electronic output? Do raw organic drum music and programmed electronic music share any common ground?
GB: African music is inextricably a part of who I am. My rhythms, be they human-generated or machine-generated, are very African in essence. The drum is the most primal universal mode of communication and vehicle for achieving higher mind states. I don’t think we’ll ever stray too far from the drum because it basically equates to our life force itself. And in our technological age, in this transitional moment in human history, electronics are in many ways as organic as hand drums.
HH: What projects are you working on at the moment? Anything we should look out for in the near future?
I will be putting forth more live electronic offerings, as well as more earthy human music. I am still a student of music in the end, so as I continue to learn and expand, the breadth of my output will continue to do the same.
What is Gifted and Blessed? What are it’s aims and objectives?
Gifted and Blessed is the outlet for my music. Nothing more than that.
GB Links:
Website//Facebook//Twitter//Myspace
Live performance is no doubt one of the most expressive platforms responsible for taking music from a unidimensional experience and intensifying its potency manyfold into a multi-sensory one.
Stunning sounds isolated from the company of visual performance, will always remain so, or simply put: ‘a good song is a good song.’ However, there’s a time for reveling in Grado audiophile geekiness and a time for collective celebration, on-going sonic indulgence and Funktion-One PA systems. More specifically in the UK, this time spans periodically from late May till early September and is more commonly referred to as the season of summer festivals.
Attracting sound-craving fans from all four corners of the Isles and beyond, British summer muddy music festivals are heralded internationally as some of the most impressive. Furthermore, to perform at, is for many musicians a validation that they have entered the upper echelons of their given genre.
As discussed previously, the UK continues to churn out new festivals on a yearly basis offering yet more variety for those seeking alternative experiences. A spectrum of choices appealing to the mainstream, genre-driven and even ’boutique’ crowd can be witnessed in all sorts of publications and targeted media/mass communication leading up to the summer months.
The problem is, it seems as if the UK scene has reached a saturation-point whereby there are just too many festivals, too many choices to be made and nothing really interesting, actually happening. For example, there are the people that will go to say, WOMAD on an annual basis. It’s a ritual, they enjoy the vibe and know what to expect (even though they don’t). They will look forward to hearing some random ‘Zulu string quartet’ and will share the good news in the aftermath upon return to their abode. Then there are the others who follow their favourite acts around. They check the line-ups of the festivals that relate to their genre/s of choice and only go to the ones that they recognise the performers they want to see*.
*Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club will be playing @ Standon Calling this year.
Excuse my generalisations, I’m not saying that there’s a problem with either of these strategies for deciding which festivals to hit. What I do find interesting, however, is how this sheds light on a key task of the festival producer. He must either book the biggest m*********kers within his scope and appeal to the masses that way. Or not bother at all – simply call the festival niche and book those that exemplify the ‘vibe’ trying to be portrayed as well as focusing all resources on ensuring the appropriate crowd, atmosphere, etc and get people in that way.
Whether you require tens of thousands or a couple hundred, fundamentally, it’s the people that make the festivals, so they must be catered for.
So where am I going with this? The point, is that as plentiful as the options may seem, the overall end products are limited. You can pretty much go to a handful of contrasting festivals and get the gist.
For people that have been going for years, the seemingly “growing” UK music festival industry has in actual fact, plateaued and is in decline. The few gems of small festivals that have recently dared to be game-changing, now cease to exist. On the same token, the self-cannibalisation of larger festivals continue to increase as organisers eat at each other’s predictable line-ups. This predicament inspires only the uninitiated youth; true festival aficionados are today’s real casualties, since the remnants of better times are now extinct in the festival scene (or at least much harder to find).
Apathy should be the last emotion summonsed when considering festivals of any sort. Yet lets face it, after many years of the same summer festival clichés, who can really be arsed for the camping, crappy sanitation and over-priced food if anyone less than your favourite artist is set to perform? Not me.
In order to reverse this downward spiral, many UK and mainland European organisers have shut up shop, set their sights further afield and emigrated to Croatia. More specifically to, the Garden, Petrčane. These collaborations on new soil were never an attempt to recreate Ibiza or Ayia Napa but to provide an antithetical retreat for those that have become apathetic to the aforementioned commonplace ‘music havens’. This formula seems to have solved more problems than it initially envisaged as the festival scene in Petrčane (a small fishing village in Zadar) has continued to grow exponentially since its inception (in the form of the Garden Festival) 5 years or so ago.
Regarding festivals, mainland Europe shares pretty much the same story as the UK. However, being outside of the Euro-zone, Croatia seems to be one of the more mysterious and least rinsed locations in the midst of festival-hogging countries such as Spain.
Succeeding in its underdog route, the Garden, Petrčane is now boasting 5 solid festivals that can hold their own amongst the very best with added perks.
THE GARDEN FESTIVAL: 2nd-11th July
SOUNDWAVE: 23rd-25th July
SUNCEBEAT: 13th-15th August
ELECTRIC ELEPHANT: 27th-29th August
STOP MAKING SENSE: 3rd-5th September
These festivals do differ from each other, but only slightly. Really, it’s all about being low-key in gimmicks, high-quality in music and all-round, good vibes. Petrčane takes the general festival template and tones things down. People that go, tend to stay in villas, spending a longer holiday duration in the village and only attending the festival as part of the weekend in-between. Sound-wise, the majority of the festivals cater to those that are into the kind of music you’d find at Southport Weekender (who are the organisers of Suncebeat), with quality yet not ridiculously famous live acts. The Garden Festival is about as commercial as it gets but is still not really. And then you have the dance music vibes at Stop Making Sense, Suncebeat and Soundwave that encompass the genre right from the hardcore electronic to the jazzy, down-tempo scale of the spectrum.
The location is picturesque, atmosphere unpretentious and yet rammed with musicians and DJs playing what they want. In the name of hedonism, every festival offers boat parties across the Adriatic Sea allowing partiers the opportunity to revel in the glory of the location.
This year, there are some sizeable names reaching such as Carl Craig, Jazzanova, Roy Ayers, Norman Jay, Francois K and Mayer Hawthorne, as well as many lesser-known artists to keep everyone on their toes.
Despite still being classified as ‘boutique’ (due to its size), the steadily growing and loyal fan-base are fast spreading the gospel of Petrčane and sadly enough soon, these festivals will find themselves at the brink of losing what initially made them the vibe to be at. As more dough is being pumped into the area, the once word-of-mouth policy has already morphed into a major marketing push that will no doubt attract the good and the lame. After all, everybody loves the sunshine. I personally give the location a few more years before it becomes the next ‘England with sun, sand, sea and sex’ all over again…
Catch it now before its too late.
World Cup fever is mounting steadily and despite not being a huge football fan, even I am beginning to succumb to the allure of what is to come. To those of you who are fans, have you ever wondered how so many African players come to be in our home leagues and teams? To be honest, I hadn’t, but after running into director Baff Akoto, at our most recent Heads High session, my curiosity is acutely awake.
I first met Baff through a mutual friend at one of many warehouse parties I was involved with way back when. I always knew he was creative, but was always to polite to admit that I didn’t quite know in which way. Reasoning with him in Brick Lane, it transpired that after a long and arduous process, his debut film ‘Football Fables’ was set to be released this week. The blurb reads something like this:
African football has more global stars than at any other time in history. Every youngster across the continent dreams of playing for glamorous European clubs to become the next E’to or Essien.
The award winning documentary “Football Fables” tracks Francis, a young Ghanaian hopeful as he comes to the UK for Premier League football trials whilst attempting to navigate the tricky terrain of agents & scouts back in Africa
“Football Fables” provides unprecedented insight into the workings of African football migration. This internationally acclaimed documentary’s unparalleled access sheds light on the middle men who earn a living making sure that it’s their cream rising to the top. A “system” which (although far from perfect and in spite of itself) manages to produce some of the best players in the world!
Truth time, I haven’t seen the full feature yet, but between the trailer and the write-up, I know its one I will have to make time for.
Us London dwellers are going to be spoilt for choice. There are 8 seperate screenings to choose from over the next two weeks in the capital….i.e. no excuse. Click here to make the jump to the Football Fables site where you can digest all the information about screenings and plenty more besides, and click here to join the 1000+ strong facebook group.
Peep the trailer here:
“Football Fables” Trailer from Baff Akoto on Vimeo.
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