Eclectic Vibes
by Andrew Frey
Various 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 WikiKottarashky and the Rain Dogs - Demoni
Kottarashky and the Rain DogsDemoni
Label: Asphalt Tango
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.
• Kottarashky and the Rain Dogs Website • Kottarashky and the Rain Dogs Facebook • Kottarashky and the Rain Dogs WikiChoban Elektrik - Choban Elektrik
Choban ElektrikChoban Elektrik
Label: self
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.
• Choban Elektrik Website • Choban Elektrik FacebookView More
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