Review: Four tracks here, albeit not all of them fall under the deep house umbrella. Of most interest to deep house lovers will be 'Lafa Mulanah', an Afro-house workout with chant-style vox in an unidentified language, organ parps and guitars/banjos that, curiously, sound almost country-ish (think 'Swamp Thing'), but 'Gnawawa', a percussion workout augmented by cavernous synth drops, could also work on more broadminded house floors. Elsewhere, 'Tempo' is pace-y and futuristic while 'Tempere' comes on like a drumming circle on Librium, with both much more likely to appeal to leftfield/experimental jocks than paid-up disco dollies.
Review: The Mawimbi label out of Paris introduces avid lecturer, blogger, DJ, radio host and cultural specialist of 'black music' James Stewart to their label with vocalist and instrumentalist
Ayuune Ayirizeme Suley in tow! Delving into the rich and thriving music scene of Lyon before this, James Stewart arrives on Mawimbi with two original cuts made with the aim of fusing an unheard crossover between traditional Ghanaian kologo music and contemporary styles that would appeal to both African crowds and a western audience. The result is "Atlantic River Drive" that put's Suley's vocals and unique instrumentation at the top of a downlow yet upbeat afro-centric form of Ghanaian kologo music. Some sensational house interpretations come from Simbad, aka SMBD, in the 'Earthy Mix' with an instrumental and chorus-laced 'People's Dub' of "Where Are You Going?" too boot too. And as the label say, Atlantic River Drive is a two-part journey that reminds us that we should care about each other and our communities as we head into a future unknown. Cruise control locked.
Review: Earlier in the year, Afro-fired dancefloor fusionists Afriquoi returned to action after a three-year absence with Time Is A Gift We Share All The Time, one of their strongest and most vibrant EPs to date. Here they present an alternative take on the EP featuring four new reworks from some of their favourite producers. Hagan steps up first to turn 'Acid Attack' into a deep, soulful chunk of Afro-bruk brilliance, before Bruno Hovart delivers a brilliant Afro-disco-meets-jazz-funk style Voilaaa revision of 'Ndeko Solo' that's full of densely layered percussion and jazzy keys. The Parce remix of 'Bayeke' is an up-tempo, bass-heavy Afro-house shuffler, while Village Cuts offer a more organic, tropical-sounding house revision of Congolese guitar showcase 'Sam Sam'.
Review: For this latest offering from Mawimbi, we welcome Burland who arrives on the scene ready for action with four super original creations, all rotating around a central funky theme. We kick off with a top notch collaboration with Zongo Abongo who layers his super authentic vocal flows over colourful percussive rhythms with some amazing results. Next up, 'Agbekor' lands with another bag of rhythmic power, driven by it's insistent grooves and sharp drum processing, before 'Riffin' On The Bow' picks up the pace with a quicker yet more minimal approach. Finally, Burland slows it right down with more fabulous vocal work and groovy, irresistible drum maneuvers on 'Me So Love Ya'.
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