Eclectic Vibes

Filastine - L00T

Splitting his time between activism and artistry, Filastine has melded together a blanket of polyrhythmic input assembled at street level from Bangladesh to Bornio. Using gritty acoustic inputs and modded-out metal shopping carts as “the perfect modern instrument”, he rides the intersection of unabashed globalism and bass music as an audio-visual nomad and percussionist. Whether bringing a spectrum of instruments into a low-frequency dubstep grind or sampling multilingual tales of environmental implosion, this artist has a lot to say and says it his own way. Brilliant! 

Boban I Marko Markovic Orkestar - Golden Horns

In a flutter and flurry of horns, this Balkan brass band takes the centuries-old sounds from generations of Romani musicians and infuses it with contemporary flair and a danceable direction. This release serves as a career encapsulating ‘best of’ from Boban Markovic with his son, prized protégé Marko, and shows off their Southern Serbian Roma roots which are then spiced up and blended with jazz, soul and disco to produce a sensational sampling of their craft.

Kottarashky and the Rain Dogs - Demoni

Intent on creating a sonic collage and not some dance floor revolution, this minimalist ethno-electronica from Bulgaria is centered around Nikola Gruev aka Kottarashky who has joined forces on this release with a live crew of old friends and noted Sofia musicians, The Rain Dogs. The eclectic tracks found here are built from folksy samples spun out of traditional Bulgarian singing and are occasionally mixed with overblown flute and whirling clarinet.

Choban Elektrik - Choban Elektrik

Although Brooklyn is their home, this progressive power trio finds their musical roots in Albanian, Macedonian, Greek, and Armenian folk melodies. Choban Elektrik means “Electric Shepherds” and is a name that fits them sublimely. ” Vintage Hammond organs and Fender Rhodes are harnessed along with guitar and bass to further bend and blend genres and global visions within their improvisational platitudes.

Nickodemus - Moon People

From hip hop to Afropop to jazzy funk to flamenco among a multitude of other influences, the Brooklyn based Nickodemus connects an endearing amalgamation of world beats, electronica and worthwhile innovation by utilizing and orchestrating his network of collaborators ranging from Puerto Rico to Beirut and beyond. A surprising complexity of approaches and fresh musical infusions.

Niyaz - Sumud

The album title, pronounced “soomood,” translated from Arabic means steadfastness, which also represents the thematic lyrical philosophy of this release. Continuing to evolve the contemporary sound of Middle Eastern music, this superstar trio composed of Azam Ali, Loga Ramin Torkian and Carmen Rizzo splashes us with electronically-infused Arabic melodies and entrancing vocals that every global citizen will find mesmerizing.

Putumayo Presents - Arabic Beat

Once again, Putumayo has put together a well-picked eclectic selection of lesser-known world class artists, this time with a focus on Arabic musicians of today. By incorporating certain Western influences, today’s Arabic music’s upbeat, danceable grooves have an undeniable universal appeal. Get to know Morrocco’s Jalal El Hamdaoui or Algerian performer Cheb Amar along with 8 others.

Samite Mulondo - Trust

A world-famous humanitarian and musician who plays flute and kalimba, Samite presents us with a charming platitude of bright and flowing instrumental melodies born from East African roots.  Beyond this, Samite has dedicated his life to helping others through music. In 2002 he founded Musicians for World Harmony, a non-profit organization that sends musicians and instruments to poverty stricken parts of Africa. Bravo!

niceFingers - Intercontinental Beat Collection

The beatslinger duo of Nick Waterhouse and Dave Schneider is niceFingers. The intercontinental part of their release is just that, collaborating musically across continents. Dreamy soundscapes are lushly decorated with pulsing bass and a fresh outlook.

Staff Benda Bilili - Bouger le Monde!

Filled with high energy and enthusiastic optimism, this group, originally formed by paraplegic street musicians in a half abandoned zoo in Kinshasa, Congo, takes their experience to the next level by showing off exquisite rhythms and lush harmony vocals provided by their seven singers. Energetic and invigorating!

Bomba Estereo - Elegancia Tropical

Bogota’s hottest band infuses highly danceable cumbia with pleasant doses of electronics, allowing their take on Colombia’s Afro-Latin roots and beats to be unique and memorable. Their explosive moniker, named for the monster sound systems that power the local parties in Bogota is the perfect attention getter and sets the tone for the amazing cross pollination of influences and energies, jumping from chicha and champeta to dancehall vibes and beyond. 

Beats Antique - Contraption Vol. II

I’m pretty smitten with this prolific (7 releases in 5 years!) group. Dreamy alluring Middle Eastern and Gypsy melodies are married to equally intriguing electronic infusions. Add in violin, belly dancing, live drums and special DJ Pizazz, and viola! Brilliance. 

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