Eclectic Vibes - September 2010
by Andrew Frey
Wookiefoot
Septembers To Remember!
September brings many good things to the Midwest. I am partial to Wookiefoot’s Harvest Festival at Harmony Park in southern Minnesota 9/9-11. This year it features Xavier Rudd, Beat’s Antique, Trevor Hall, Heatbox, and Euforquestra to name a few. Better get tickets early though, cause they have downed attendance this year and there will be no gate sales. www.wookiefoot.com/festivals/harvestfest/home.
The other Madison staples coming 9/23-26 are the Willy Street Fair as it ties to and overlaps the Madison World Music Festival held at the UW Memorial Union. Both events are FREE and host way more music than I can begin listing.
www.uniontheater.wisc.edu/Season10_11/musicfestival.html
MICRO REVIEWS:
This Month's Rating Scale is from 1 is TURGID thru 10 is ELEGANT
Junior Toots - Reggae Got Soul
Junior Toots
Album title: Reggae Got Soul
Record Label: Crown Of Fire Records
Rating: 8
If you are looking for a rising reggae artist that hasn’t gotten over the novelty of auto-tuning his voice, then look no further. Son of Toots Hibbert (Toots and the Maytals) and a Jamaican native, he forms his soulful, lyrical content around socially conscious issues and Jah. A lot of Jah.
(3304) Page Views
Junior Toots online:
• Website
• Purchase Reggae Got Soul on Amazon
Klavar - Dark and Dirty Bastard Beats
Klavar
Album title: Dark and Dirty Bastard Beats
Record Label: Klavar Recordings
Rating: 7
This is a duo from England that has spent the last 10 years working towards their debut release. They have crafted a quirky techno journey reveling in the nooks and crannies. They are exploring a wide variety of input, output, samples, and styles all aimed at helping the party to thrive.
(2825) Page Views
Klavar online:
• Website • Facebook
• Download Dark and Dirty Bastard Beats from Amazon
Mike Kukin - Obsessed with Black
Mike Kukin
Album title: Obsessed with Black
Record Label: Headway Music
Rating: 9
This album includes terse and formidable electronic music from an artist based out of Moscow, Russia. Featuring a number of guest artists, including Gisu, Lady N and Eva Kade, he takes us on wild rides through the full spectrum techno realms of break beat and drum ‘n bass.
(2845) Page Views
Mike Kukin online:
• Download Obsessed with Black from Amazon
Mohammed Alidu and The Bizung Family - Land of Fire
Mohammed Alidu and The Bizung Family
Album title: Land of Fire
Record Label: Black Eye Watching
Rating: 9
Rich, Afro-pop rhythms are woven with proverbs and ancient history by this master drummer and his fellow Bizungs (hereditary talking drum masters of Northern Ghana). The sublime rhythms are bolstered on some songs with funky rock interjections and other contemporary craftwork.
(3192) Page Views
Mohammed Alidu and The Bizung Family online:
• Website • Facebook
• Purchase Land of Fire on Amazon
Oreka TX - Nömadak Tx
Oreka TX
Album title: Nömadak Tx
Record Label: World Village
Rating: 9
Unless you are an avid fan of Basque music, you probably have never heard of the main instrument utilized here. It was banned (along with the Basque language) under the harsh Franco rule in Spain. The txalaparta, (pronounced CHOLL-uh-PART-uh) is comprised of wooden planks laid over trestles and struck with sticks held vertically. Although it sounds kind of like a steel drum at times, the driving duo behind this project pushes the boundaries to include throat singing and other folk infusions in their unique compositions.
(3208) Page Views
Oreka TX online:
• Website • Facebook • Wiki
• Purchase Nömadak Tx on Amazon
Shye Ben Tzur - Shoshan
Shye Ben Tzur
Album title: Shoshan
Record Label: EarthSynch
Rating: 8
Shye ben Tzur is a Hebrew Qawwali singer that has been busy cultivating mystical experiences into contemporary songs. “Shoshan” is a successful experiment employing Hebrew poetry with Flamenco guitars, plus soaring Rajastan vocals in addition to the flavorful Indian and Afro rhythms. The music sways from trance to ecstatic while retaining its open awareness and devotional nature.
(2898) Page Views
Shye Ben Tzur online:
• Facebook • Wiki
Toussaint - Black Gold
Toussaint
Album title: Black Gold
Record Label: I Grade Records
Rating: 10
With smooth soul vibes with an Irie mindset, an all star band provides the flowing funk, rippling rock, and hip-swaying hip hop which. These are beautifully buffeted by the socially conscious, incredibly blissful, and heartfelt vocal offerings of this former Soulive singer.
(2833) Page Views
Toussaint online:
• Website • Facebook
• Purchase Black Gold on Amazon
Chico Trujillo - Chico de Oro
Chico Trujillo
Album title: Chico de Oro
Record Label: Barbes Records
Rating: 10
I received this CD after I saw their kickin’ set at the Marquette Waterfront Festival earlier this summer and had to spread the word. This release does what it can to relay the exuberance, depth, and passion of their live performance. Their feisty splashy Cumbia explores the boundaries of this encompassing Pan-Latin genre in so many wonderful ways.
(3621) Page Views
Chico Trujillo online:
• Website • Wiki
• Purchase Chico de Oro on Amazon