Eclectic Vibes
by Andrew Frey
Systema Solar - System Solar
Systema SolarSystem Solar
Label: Chusma Records
These guys throw down when they party in Columbia. Colliding a countless number of influences, ranging from scratch and hip hop, to dance, to spacey electronica with Afro-Columbian and Latin traditions, makes for an album full of surprises and rhythmic diversity. Taking time to be visually colorful and striking is part of their charm. Live, they present a powerful well rounded and innovative experience. (9)
• Systema Solar WebsiteBrendan Perry - The Ark
Brendan PerryThe Ark
Label: Cooking Vinyl
When Dead Can Dance danced no more, the musical world was an emptier place. But there is hope once again. This key former Dead Can Dance member has unleashed a truly solo effort. He played every instrument, wrote all the lyrics, and recorded The Ark in his own amazing studio in Ireland. The result is a wonderfully haunting and dreamy gothic synth-scape, blissed by Perry’s compelling lyrics and stunning vocals.
• Brendan Perry Website • Brendan Perry Facebook • Brendan Perry WikiVarious Artists - Putumayo Presents Bossa Nova Around The World
Various ArtistsPutumayo Presents Bossa Nova Around The World
Label: Putumayo Records
Bringing some heat and passion into the cold part of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, we are treated to 12 toe-tapping Bossa Nova tracks from Brazil, France, Norway, South Korea, Serbia, and beyond. They show off the global appeal and popularity for a sound that started in Brazil in the late 1950s.
• Various Artists WebsiteElikeh - Adje! Adje
ElikehAdje! Adje
Label: Azalea City Records
Groove heavy and politically active Afro-rock spawned from the unlikely country of Togo. Singer, guitarist, composer and founder of Elikeh, Massama Dogo, was born in Togo, but immigrated to Washington, D.C. in 2000. His D.C. based ensemble fuses indigenous Togolese elements with a contemporary flavor in a powerful and memorable manner including noteworthy guitar work and vivacious horns.
• Elikeh Website • Elikeh FacebookLa Cherga - Revolve
La ChergaRevolve
Label: Asphalt Tango Records
La Cherga is a group of cross cultural sonic recyclers now based in Australia, but they draw from pan Balkan influences. Founded by a Croatian punk gone dub DJ, this release binds Macedonian Gypsy brass with haunting flute melodies and hip-hop accents in addition to integrating the substantial deep grooving funk, dub, rock, pop, reggae with multiple vocal styles.
• La Cherga FacebookWatcha Clan - Rebel Radio
Watcha ClanRebel Radio
Label: Piranha Musik
A multicultural band singing multilingual lyrics who has as much in common with Afropop and Balkan brass as with drum’n bass and hip hop. Their aim is to destroy boundaries everywhere with ‘Rebel Radio.’ This visionary musical eclecticism beams brightest when they connect the European and Middle Eastern worlds.
• Watcha Clan Website • Watcha Clan FacebookChopteeth Afrofunk Band - Chopteeth Live
Chopteeth Afrofunk BandChopteeth Live
Label: GriGri Discs
Infectious big band sounds driven by funky Afropop that pays homage and tribute to this ‘70s style mega dance sound. The live recording really shows off the versatility and dimension of the band while compelling the listener to jump up and shake their bootay.
• Chopteeth Afrofunk Band Website • Chopteeth Afrofunk Band FacebookTarun Nayar - 22 Degrees of Beatitude
Tarun Nayar22 Degrees of Beatitude
Label: Chaiwalla’s Boombox
Culminating 10 years of DJ experience and influence have brought us to this multifaceted outpouring. These recording sessions from around the world show off layers of ethnic ambiance, which melt through culture after culture, while spurning a new branch of emotive electronica. Each song is fairly laid back and tells a story which represents a chapter in the artist’s life.
• Tarun Nayar WebsiteKaminanda - Gateways of Consciousness
KaminandaGateways of Consciousness
Label: Kaminanda
As our collective consciousness evolves, we seek new and noteworthy landscapes of reflection. Kaminanda provides a playground for this with their confluence of trip hop, dub, downtempo, tribal and chillout atmospheres in a structure that is invigorating and inviting to all seekers.
• Kaminanda Website • Kaminanda FacebookKayla Scintilla - Dance the Spiral Never Ending
Kayla ScintillaDance the Spiral Never Ending
Label: Kayla Scintilla
Claiming to be “a benevolent being incarnate from the star system womp” this Australian outfit manages to convey to mere earthlings the many wonders of life by displaying a musical combination of Gypsy, Middle Eastern, Tribal, Dubstep and Glitch Hop electronica in a most seductive manner.
• Kayla Scintilla Website • Kayla Scintilla FacebookFilastine - L00T
FilastineL00T
Label: Muti Music
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!
• Filastine Website • Filastine FacebookBoban I Marko Markovic Orkestar - Golden Horns
Boban I Marko Markovic OrkestarGolden Horns
Label: Piranha Musik
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.
• Boban I Marko Markovic Orkestar Website • Boban I Marko Markovic Orkestar Facebook • Boban I Marko Markovic Orkestar WikiView More
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