Upcoming Gigs:
The Sol Power All-Stars are twice-monthly residents at Tropicalia in Washington, DC
Booking:
info [at] solpowerdc [dot] com
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Family Atlantica - Manicero: Live @ Passing Clouds
Check Family Atlantica’s debut on Soundway (very?) soon. And listen for them in a Sol Power All-Star set near you.
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http://www.soundwayrecords.com/ Ondatrópica’s debut album is released on 16th July on CD, 2xCD, 3xLP & download through Soundway Records.
Conceived by Colombian musician Mario Galeano, the force behind the band Frente Cumbiero, and English producer Will ‘Quantic’ Holland, Ondatrópica brings together an all-star cast representing both the classic and modern styles of la musica Colombiana.
Over 3 weeks in January 2012 at the famous Discos Fuentes studios in Medellín legendary figures from Colombian music joined a group of younger Colombian musicians that included members of both Mario’s band Frente Cumbeiro and Quantic’s Combo Barbaro. The plan; “to re-interpret the tropical musical heritage of Colombia with new approaches in composition, arrangement and production in a classic and mythical setting.
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Global indigenous music curators Soundway Records are dropping an album this month from KonKoma, a Ghanaian outfit formed around two members of seminal British afro-pop band Osibisa.
Learn more here.
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Soundway’s Colombian music treasure map
Soundway just posted this really dope infographic of some of the semi-lost Colombian obscurities they have unearthed over the years. I strongly encourage you to check out all the interactive features on this bad boy — live footage, video interviews, and sound clips.
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Nigerian funk rock BOMBS
Soundway Records just unleashed a one-two-three combination reissue bomb onto the masses. First up is MonoMono’s debut LP, Give the Beggar a Chance from 1972. The title track is the lead track on this here mix and, in my opinion, is the strongest of the set. I scored a copy in Nigeria, and out of about 50 LPs I brought home, it probably gets the most play. A lot of Nigerian LPs have a lot of filler with one or two good tracks, but this LP is front to back tasty afro funk rock goodness. Lots of organ and fuzz guitar. It’s funny — I thought someone drew the little red lightning bolts on my copy. Turns out that’s the original design!
Layipo - MonoMono (VINYL ONLY BONUS TRACK) by Soundway
Next up is MonoMono’s second LP — Dawn of Awareness. I was lucky enough to find a copy of this a few months ago at the DC record fair and goddamn, it cooks. This one is a little more American blues rock oriented, but is still undeniably an African record at its core. Mine has a different cover (but I think I have the South American pressing?). I assume the reissue art is the Nigerian original, but I could be wrong about that.
Finally, we have Joni Haastrup’s solo offering (he was MonoMono’s band leader), Wake Up Your Mind. This LP, from 1978, is a much slicker, polished disco funk affair. I prefer the gritty MonoMono sound, but check this one out for yourself.
Cop all three, on LP, CD, or digitally, (the two MonoMono LPs come with a bonus 12”) over at Soundway Records.
Also be sure to check out this really good interview with Joni Haastrup on PRI’s The World. Joni talks all about the birth of Afro beat, MonoMono and the Nigerian funk scene. So dope!
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Classic Ghana Sound
Stylus’ Modern Ghana Sound post had me thinking about some classic Ghana sounds. There has been an over saturation of West African reissues in the past 5 years, but I think the Ghana Soundz series on Soundway pretty much nailed it perfectly (what’s up with a volume 3??). Both releases are end-to-end burners, but I especially like how they enlisted a couple of big dogs (Quantic & Natural Self) to remix the classic tunes for a modern dancefloor. The remixes are not on the comps themselves, but were released as 12” singles alongside the full long-players. Here is one of my favorites from Ghana Soundz 2 followed its 12” only remix:
Ogyatanaa Show Band - Disco Africa
Now peep Quantic’s take on the same tune (ignore the image on this video — the song is NOT on that comp):
Both tunes are available on this out of print 12” if you can find it, or you can cop the original here. The remix surprisingly doesn’t seem to be available to purchase anywhere digitally, but it’s also on Quantic’s One Offs Remixes and B-Sides double CD, which is available.
