Antibalas (2012)

by Paul Clarke – BBC Music

 

Antibalas were the perfect choice of house band for the off- and on-Broadway runs of the Fela! musical, based on the life of afrobeat progenitor Fela Kuti. The 12-strong New York collective has spent the last 14 years spreading Fela’s afrobeat gospel across the globe with all-singing, all-dancing shows packing more energy than most musicals, let alone garden-variety indie bands.

But although they’ve performed plenty of Kuti covers, their own material has proven Antibalas to be much more than a tribute band. While there’s no shortage of bands capturing the sound of afrobeat, few have also captured its fury. Yet Antibalas’ previous albums, such as 2002’s Talkatif and 2004’s Who Is This America?, carried a righteous ire within their riotous grooves.

Studnitzky - Ky Do Mar (2012)

STUDNITZKY is widely known for transporting real emotions without sob stuff with his songs and trumpet playing. He masters this tightrope walk like no other with an unagitated finesse. His astonishing way of trumpet playing made him one of the most sought-after session players in Germany nowadays. That’s why he’s on the road now for years with Jazzanova, Nils Landgrens Funk Unit, Mezzoforte and Wolfgang Haffner and is playing at the biggest festivals worldwide. Probably it’s Studnitzky’s hectic cosmopolitan lifestyle between airports, hotels and stages that makes the grace of nature his biggest source of inspiration. It’s here where the full blood musician is grounded and is able to keep himself confident and concentrated about his very own cosmos of sounds.

The current album "Ky Do Mar" came together in Portugal and Iceland. You can pin down this road movie like soundtrack somewhere between Miles Davis and Neil Young.

The New Sounds of Nacional

One of our favourite labels has just issued a free 2012 sampler, unfortunately only for US Amazon customers. Still, it's a tour de force featuring some of the best artists from the already rich catalogue of the Californian label.

 The sampler features songs from Astro (who were featured in this Sunday’s New YorkTimes), Mexican Institute Of Sound (new video recently debuted at LA Weekly), Tom Tom Club (new video just launched at Rolling Stone), plus our two 2012 Latin GRAMMY nominees (which were announced yesterday): Ana Tijoux and Kinky.

Tom Tom Club - Downtown Rockers (2012)

'Downtown Rockers' features Tom Tom Club’s characteristic upbeat fusion of electro and funk.  The album was mixed by Ed Stasium, who also recorded and mixed Talking Heads '77 and umpteen Ramones classics. 

 Known for timeless hits such as "Genius Of Love" and "Wordy Rappinghood", Tom Tom Club was formed by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, two of the three founding members of Talking Heads. “Genius of Love” has been sampled countless times, most notably by Mariah Carey , who hit #1 with her version “Fantasy,” but also Grandmaster Flash, Tupac Shakur,  T.I. and the Black Eyed Peas. In 2002, Frantz and Weymouth were inducted at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  

Martha High & Speedometer - Soul overdue (2012)

'Legend' is a word so overused in the music business that it has lost much of its original impact. But Freestyle Records feel wholly justified in describing their latest signing, Martha High, as precisely that.

Martha High’s impeccable soul credentials are beyond question. She was a member of The Jewels, who in the mid 60s were part of The James Brown Revue, and also released two 45s produced by James Brown. Although The Jewels eventually disbanded, Martha continued to be a part of the live James Brown show for the next 30 years! She also recorded a solo album for Salsoul Records in 1979, also produced by Soul Brother Number 1, which added a touch of soulful disco to her enviable array of singing talents.