World Hip-Hop Women

This first appeared in The Guardian’s African Network at the end of January. Presented by US based media/social change platform Nomadic Wax, the World Hip-Hop Women Mixtape is a global journey taking in some of the most stellar and socially conscious female rappers from South Africa to Chile, from the US to Singapore. As well as highlighting Hip-Hop’s global appeal, the mixtape is also a testament to genre’s power as a mode of social expression.

 ”You will hear nothing but strong, insightful verses. The sounds are native to locations on opposite ends of the globe, and yet the sonic journey will be familiar to anyone who has a heart for great music. Whether you understand the language or tonal origin of any song in the mix, the flow will guide the expansion of your mind and the movement of your body.”

Covering 18 countries, the mix features tracks by Soultana, a member of Morocco’s first all female hip-hop crew Tigresse Flow, Palestinian MC Shadia Mansour, the first lady of Arabic hip-hop and Cuban mestizo, feminist activist group Krudas Cubensi amongst others. A global mixtape that breaches borders, shows Hip-Hop’s as a global platform for expression and shines the spotlight on some of the world’s most interesting female MCs.

Batida – Tirei o Chapéu Mix (Paris DJs)

Batida – Tirei O Chapéu Mix (Paris DJs)

I have been a long time fan of Batida, the creation of Angolan / Portuguese DJ Mpula aka Pedro Coquenão, for their mix of traditional Angolan music with modern electronic styles. This mix, released through Paris DJs, is another fine example of this fusion with old school artists like Elias Dia Kimuezo, Paulo Neto and Matadidi Carlos (any more info anyone?) paired next to Batida and fellow producers making waves in modern, electronic Angolan music such as DJ Znobia and Bruno M. The link that has built up between Angolan and Portuguese producers is also evident on the mix, most notably on the unreleased remixes from Lisbon based Beat Laden (great reworking of Puxa) and Octapush, who takes on my favourite Batida track, Alegria.

The mix ends on the wonderful Angolé by Teta Lando as remixed by Brazilian Maurício Pacheco, taken from the Comfusões 1: From Angola To Brasil album. The mix is one to dance too, led along by that familiar Batida bounce and scratching, up-beat percussion, a fantastic showcase for the diversity of Angolan music, past and present. Batida’s self-titled debut album, is out now on Soundway Records and, if you haven’t already, I would highly recommend it!

Download Mix

Rhythm & Roots Volume XIII

It has been a while and in that while lots of new music has been buzzing around my ears. This is the 12th edition of Rhythm & Roots mix series. This mix criss crosses from deep Brazilian Dub from Digitaldubs, South African spiced electronics from LV, swaggering digital cumbia (new El Buho preview), Angolan house, Soulection hip-hop take on baile funk by Sango and everything in between! Stream the whole thing via Mixcloud below. Tracklist after the jump.

New Cumbia Calling!

Somehow cumbia is one of those genres that just keeps reinventing itself geographically and historically. Though “digital cumbia”, “nu-cumbia” or whatever you want to call it exploded a few years back and was a little swamped with generic cumbia “versions”, fresh sounds keep emerging. Producers mixing their own influences into the rhythm, nodding to folkloric roots or digitalising completely. These three musical gems released over the past week are testament to exactly that:

Dengue Dengue Dengue Mixtape Volume II

All the way from Peru, Dengue Dengue Dengue‘s second mixtape is a psychadelic journey through their digitalised cumbia world. It mixes classic cumbieros with original material and hard-hitting 21st century Cumbia/Cumbiahton. Looking forward to their future releases.

Future Sounds of Buenos Aires

Almost like a Best Of ZZK with a few added bonuses thrown in. This album is the perfect introduction to the vibrant scene which revolves around the Buenos Aires based club/label. It is a diverse mix of electronic folklore mutations, cumbia futurism and sounds you just wont hear anywhere else. Fresh as ever. Get it here.

Sonido del Principe – Nueva Cumbia Ronda 2

It has been a while since we last heard from Dutch based producer Sonido del Principe but these four heavy Cumbia cuts released this week are well worth the wait. What’s more, you can download them for FREE via Mediafire.

Kumbia Queers – Daniela

Last but certainly not least, the new video from our favourite all-girl cumbia punks Kumbia Queers. This time it is all about tennis and, as pointed out by Canalh, a tongue-in-cheek nod to Martin Solveig & Dragonette’s massive hit Hello?

Punk in Africa: A selection (DJ Zhao)

Punk in Africa is a documentary currently touring cinemas and film festivals which looks at the history of punk rock music in South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Kenya from the 1970s to the present. The film examines the fascinating social and political context behind the music’s emergence in the different countries and it subsequent evolution to today’s scene.

To coincide with the film’s promotion, worldy-wise DJ Zhao has put together a really great and rather lengthy (75 minutes) mix journeying across the different interpretations of punk music “demonstrating the connectedness between Rock and Roll and its African roots, between power chords and dance beats, between decades past and today, between defiant youth in London and defiant youth in Zimbabwe.” The mix is nicely put together and features some cheeky edits and mash-ups along the way and even includes a few contemporary global bass sounds for good measure. The film offer a great insight into a previously under exposed piece of African musical history and DJ Zhao’s selection is the perfect accompanying soundtrack.

DJ Zhao – Punk in Africa Selection

 Tracklist after the jump:

VA – El Rave Azteca (Choles Records)

First off, apologies for the recent blog slowdown. We return with a slice of international 3ball for your ears showing how the tribal rhythm continues to reverberate around the world. Choles Records is a cross-border netlabel: based in Texas but stretching its musical tentacles across the Rio Grande into the Aztec heartland.

After two EPs of Cumbia explorations/deviations from Chico Ye and DJ Charly de Chicago, their third free-to-download release consists of 14 cuts of global 3ball Guarachero made up of “Nahuatl vocal samples, dubby bass slurps, Ibiza-like breakdowns, and guarachero drumming.”(Ft. Pacheko, Mexicans with Guns, Meneo etc). Take a listen to a preview mix of the release below, download it for FREE here and then go check out Choles Records‘ previous two releases.

CR003 – El Rave Azteca – Compilación – Preview Mix 

 

Will Eede – Cosmic Serpent Mix

Will Eede is one third of the  WEPA! crew, a trio of DJs/producers (alongside Self Evident and Gameboy) who are doing their best to ‘tropicalise’ Vancouver with their parties/remixes and releases, exploring the various electronic mutations of Latin music.

WILL EEDE ◊ COSMIC SERPENT

Will Eede’s Cosmic Serpent mix, put together for the Caballito netlabel/blog/fiesta, is a psychadelic journey through cumbia inversions and tropicalismo digital all spliced and reworked in a patchwork fashion. The result is an entrancing and unique slice of, for want of a better term, deep cumbia. Tracklist, or rather a list of contributors, is after the break.

Antartek Records Podcast 3: El Buho

A small bit of self-promotion here. The latest Antartek Records podcast has been put together by myself (El Buho) and mixes Latin American folk with electronica from across the spectrum. The mix combines one-off mash-ups, original material and re-edits/tempo alterations. Tracklist follows the music. Enjoy!

Antartek Records Podcast 3 – El Buho – Fraternity Winter

Tracklist

1. Intro (Cutumay Camones – Farabundo)
2. Mercedes Sosa – Guitarra Dimelo Tu (El Remolón Remix)
3. Mock The Zuma – Ome/Sayanta – Bailando la Saya
4. Oh Maik – Gj581 (Remix)/Llajtaymanta – Brujita
5. Dauwd – Ikopol/Simón Díaz – Mi Querencia
6. Cholita Sound – Choquechinchay (Bigote RMX)
7. El Buho – Pavonine Quetzal
8. Matanza – Temazcal/Ukamau y Ké – Autonomía No

9. When Saints Go Machine – Kelly (Shlomo Edit)/Kike Pinto – Utushkuru

ZZK European Tour & El Remolón Mixtape

To promote ZZK‘s forthcoming tour of Europe the label has commissioned electropical-cumbiero El Remolon to put together a little mixtape. New music from the Argentine producer/remixer extraodinaire is always welcome and the mix is scatterd with fresh remixes (Nicolas Jaar and Los Destellos) and new material (including a tribute to Argentine cumbia/pop legend Gilda!) – tracklist and ZZK tour info after the music.

El Remolon – ZZK Fall Tour Mixtape

Tracklist

1. Mercedes Sosa – Guitarra Dimelo Tu (El Remolón Remix)
2. Nicolas Jaar – Keep Me There (El Remolón Refix)
2. El Remolón – Cuelgue que te cuelgue
3. Los Destellos – Lamento de la Selva (El Remolón Remix)
4. Fauna – Para Mi (Prod. por El Remolón)
5. Air France – Max Le Daron Remix
6. Lorna – Papi Chulo (Javier Estrada Remix)
7. Daniel Klauser – Circuito Americano
8. La Portuaria – Selva (El Remolón & Le Freak Selector Remix)
9. Analogik – Don Texas (El Remolón Remix)
10. Os Paralamas Do Suceso – Alagados (El Remolón Remix)
11. El Remolón – Se me ha perdido un remolón (Gilda Tribute)
12. El Remolón + Super Gachin vs MC Caco – Los Guachines
13. Los Reyes de La Milanga – No Me Mires Más
14. El Remolón – El Preferido
15. El Remolón + Lido Pimienta [aka Remolido] – Atrás

The tour will bring a large portion of the ZZK stable to European shores (Fauna, Tremor, El Remolon, Mati Zundel (Lagartijeando), El G and the VJ Mariela Bond) so check them out in a town near you! And if there are any UK promoters out there…book them! Dates and details after the jump.

Red Bull Mixtape Volume I: Toddla T

The idea behind the Red Bull Mixtape was to take nine upcoming UK producers/artists/vocalists/MCs and put them in a studio with the affable and very able Toddla T for nine days. The result is a 28 minute mixtape of nine exclusive tracks highlighting new sounds in the British music scene.

Red Bull Mixtape – Toddla T

The mixtape starts off with a jump-up soca track from Bare Traina ft. MC Trigganom‘  and from there manoeuvres into grime territory via Lukey & MC Buggsy, stopping by at Star One’s funky snared ‘Power Riddim’ before diving into some techy business courtesy of Glasgow’s Clouds. Toddla T brings it back down with the great ‘Work for Me’ from Ms.Nicole, swerving into a hip-hop inspired instrumental from 18 year old Melé which fades into verses from another Glaswegian, MC Kobi Onyame featuring the sweet vocals of Cleo Sol. The mix is brought to a close by what could be described as an “auto-tuned folk” tune from Toy Face. This work doesn’t only highlight a handful of promising new artists but also Toddla T’s own production skills and his support of new music. Grand!