San Francisco based women’s vocal group Kitka should be proud of this gorgeous collection of children’s lullabies assembled with a passionate sense of music’s sweet side. It’s certainly appropriate that the fans of the women’s vocal group was at the center of the urging and inspiration for collaborating these intriguing set of songs. While most people find lullabies cutesy and something that a mother would sing while holding a child to her bosom, some may find these songs to be rather challenging, dark even. Culled from the same Eastern European heritage that brought us tales from the Brothers Grimm and Romania’s Dracula, “Cradle Songs” is the perfect release in the post-Halloween fall time frame. But the songs hailing from far reaches of the Ukraine, Georgia, Macedonia, Russia, and Armenia are powerful bites of prose and poetry that lyrical weave this way and that, refusing to be categorized but amazingly catchy all at once. This winter holiday season I urge you to bring a different set of musical traditions to the stereo with Kitka’s “Cradle Songs”, you’ll find a great conversation piece and a narrative worth repeating.
We all know that one of Jamaica’s best exports this side of Red Stripe is reggae, but to New Zealand? Who would have thought that it would make its way to Auckland and beyond? So you may be surprised to find out that New Zealand is a new Mecca for Rastafarianism and its adopted music, even an MP, the Green Party’s Nandor Tanczos is a Rastafarian. Mighty funky bass chords rage on through dub and reggae tunes that are handcrafted for hipster appeal. Recording out of a studio called The Surgery that was once a karate dojo, the Black Seeds populate their sound with island funk, jazzy brass horns, dancehall rhythms, and retro pop off-shoots all packaged neatly with post-African rhythms. Respect indeed.
Eccentric music for eccentric listeners. That would be the byline that I’d postulate if I was a member of Tribecastan’s PR team. Indeed, “Strange Cousin” is a strange bastard stepchild red-headed cousin whatever of varied and sundry musical styles ranging from Middle Eastern to Croatian to Swedish to even elements of punk rock. Utilizing instruments as varied as the mandolin, steel drum, yayli tambur, Jew’s harp, fujara, hurdy gurdy, Bulgarian gaida, box fiddle, Uilleann chanter, chromatic tambourine, bender, mandocello, tupan, nyckleharpa, Kelhorn, and Pakistani taxi horn. Mixing up folk music from various region across the world with urbanized pop and cross-cultural ethnic jams, Tribecastan finds its roots in a small neck of the woods of Manhattan which is a cross-roads in of itself. Inventive, energetic, and vigorously different, “Strange Cousin” beckons to the world-traveled listener that is weary of standard pop fare.
Electronica can be born and raised in any venue or realm across this great plane of existence, even across fifiteen time zones. A remote corner of the Russian Federation founded Huun Huur Tu, they then joined forces with Carmen Rizzu known for works ranging from Paul Oakenfold to Seal, and was fine-tuned with instruments like the horse-hair fiddle, a vertical flute, and a fiddle with two sets of strings. Intricately woven and texturely astute while outstanding in nature.
Senegal’s own Seckou Keita has been renowned as one of the world’s foremost authorities and innovators of the kora which is an African harp-like instrument. Often referred to as the Clapton or Hendrix of kora, Seckou Keita has plenty of laurels to go around. Fortunately his music always lives up to the hype with this latest effort “The Silimbo Passage” providing a nice backdrop and introduction to this varied instrument—despite its popularity throughout all of Africa, each musical culture and bright spot seems to employ different tunings and artful playing. In fact the album features Keita’s own invention, a double-necked kora that allows for multiple tunings on a single instrument. Rhythm masters and students alike will find this album both compelling and intriguing.
Afro-Columbian electronic dance music that spans roots music with clubhouse beats. Get your boogie on? Oh yeah and much more. Groovy DJ work that’s not too flashy by British-born and band founder Richard Blair never muffles the traditional South American and Central American vibes that take flight throughout this magical journey of a dance album. Sidestepper was all started when Blair stumbled upon a recording session of Toto La Momposina, an Afro-Colombian musician. Featuring traditional Jamaica reggae sounds but mixed with African drums and Colombian club music, Momposina was an inspiration and muse for Blair. Funky salsa trembles alongside bass-bombs and wobbly kick drums with world-beat percussion rounding it all out.
