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European ska flavour of better known
RussenDisko-niks Leningrad, but delivered
with a lighter touch.
B-Style sets out their stall from the off
with stop-start ska rhythms, tongue-in-cheek
growled vocals and romping brass. These are
contemporary immigrants’ songs, some of
which are sung in English, including Sovieto-
blaster (“And everyone here/ Drinks vodka
and beer”), Berlin-Barcelona, which tells of a
Russian immigrant’s encounter with a beauti-
ful young Spanish woman, and Red
Mercedes, a musical suicide note put to a lop-
ing reggae beat with a tune that sounds sus-
piciously like Those Were the Days! There’s
polka, there’s tango, there’s even (as the title
suggests) some ragga.
On paper this should all be gimmicky,
throwaway and more than a bit irritating in a
sub-Gogol Bordello kind of way, and yet
somehow it’s not. I suspect this is because the
quirks aren’t there in order to cover up any
musical deficiencies. This band can play,
switching from Russian folk to rap to klezmer
to rock in the blink of a beat. Also, the funny
stuff is actually funny and feels a little bit
heartfelt too. Any CD which borrows from
both Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Mary Hopkins
and manages to get away with it has got to
Cirrus
be worth investigating.
www.myspace.com/rotfrontberlin; dis-
that on the recording that brought Flaco orchestrated passages, rolling over circular
tributed in the UK by Shellshock. worldwide attention in the first place. You
hoddu phrases and call and response vocals.
sense that the great man is taking things rela- Culture Musical Club Of Zanzibar meets Afel
Jamie Renton
tively easy – there are no real finger-busters Bocoum – it’s surprising and stirring stuff on
here – but it is nonetheless musicianship of an otherwise gritty and ear-opening album.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
the highest quality and invention, allied to a
www.homerecords.be
good band (the duets between box and alto
Analog Africa No. 5 – Legends Of Benin
sax are a particular treat).
Con Murphy
Analog Africa AACD065
A Dutch import, not listed on Flaco’s
website, but available through Amazon and
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Samy Ben Red-
CIRRUS
other online traders.
jeb, more discoveries from the ancient vinyl
Mama Please Iris Music 3001 999
mines of Benin – “rare and highly danceable Brian Peters
masterpieces” as he puts it, originally released
Here’s a great
between 1969 and 1981. Four composer/
French acoustic
singers are featured: El Rego, Honoré Avolon-
ISSA SOW
band with a distinc-
to, Gnonnas Pedro and Antoine Dougbé. Of
tive Euro/ North
these, the late salsero Gnonnas Pedro is the
Doumale: La Musique D’Issa Sow Home
African sound and
most famous. All the music here fits some-
Records 4445057
energy to spare. Founding guitarists Alex
where between highlife, Afrobeat, funk, local
Issa Mbaye Diary Sow is a 62-year-old Fulani,
Hetzel and Remy Laurent go for the riffs and
and Latin, and Pedro was high on the Cuban
originally from Senegal but now based in
big chord gestures, there’s violinist Maëva Tur
end of the scale, going on to be a member of
filling out textures with a hint of Balkanism,
Brussels, who learnt to play the nianiooru
Africando until his death in 2004. But though
high energy djembe/ darbouka pounder
(one-string fiddle, also known as a riti) when
he didn’t compete in the same league of
Sebastien Dousset taking no prisoners, and
working as a shepherd, before going on to
renown, Antoine Dougbé, who pointed more
Tunisian/ French female singer Nawel Ben
play with many of his country’s big names,
towards the Congo, made the more interest-
Kraïem ranging from a throaty purr to a full
including Youssou N’Dour and Baaba Maal.
ing music on this album. It’s not just dance
tilt wail, occasionally in accented English as
Issa contributed some haunting high-pitched
energy that he conjures; there’s a multi-lay-
well as French and Arabic.
moments to Malick Pathé Sow’s well-received
ered effect, swirling flights of guitar, call and
Maayo Men album of traditional Fula music
They’ve got a trancey, almost Led Zep-
response vocals, generally a higher intensity,
earlier this year, but Issa’s sound is rawer and
pish sense of dynamism to drive it all along –
and vocal delivery just like a junior Franco.
even more traditional than that. Issa Sow has
with modulations and gear changes that are
An excellent fat booklet accompanies
a dextrous, rangy approach to what is by
sometimes almost unnerving: ‘normalised’ CD
the CD with great feats of research and
necessity a limited sound, pulling out long,
level expectations make us unused to such
enthusiasm on each page. It’s altogether
scratchily melodic notes (as opposed to the
jumps. The lengthy, spellbinding Ila El Jena
quite remarkable, the depth of music pro-
harsher, short attacking style of Gambian riti
adds thundering cello down in the mix and
duced in this little country, pretty much
sees the guitarists eventually switching to
player Juldeh Camara, for instance) which
unknown and ignored by music-fanciers until
bouzouki. It all sounds like the makers have
bounce along on the sparest underpinning of
the arrival of Analog Africa.
largely gone for a dry, upfront, uncluttered
percussion, tinkling hoddu lute and acoustic
http://analogafrica.blogspot.com
live sound and if it has captured that reality
guitar (and occasionally kora).
then they’re going to be sensational (if possi-
Rick Sanders
Unfortunately the French-language (and
bly exhausting!) live. It would be great if we
hard to read – tiny font on black background
could get the chance to find out.
is a no-no!) sleeve notes give no clue as to
Distributed by Harmonia Mundi.
FLACO JIMENEZ
who sings on which track, but five different
www.myspace.com/cirruslegroupe
singers are utilised, all relatively unknown but
He’ll Have To Go Me & My Americana
very impressive (Malick amongst them),
Ian Anderson
Records MMACD 1033
whether it be a seasoned, commanding earth-
An unusual recording for the Tex-Mex
iness or something smoother, more melodic.
accordeon master, in that the tracks include
It’s all very appealing, but made all the BRUCE COCKBURN
just one instrumental. Flaco’s fans will need
better by the enhancement provided to
Slice O Life True North Records TND 520
no reminding that the fills he squeezes into about half the 13 tracks by stabbing, sweep-
songs display his virtuosity to the full, and this ing string arrangements in the style of a fully- This double CD of live solo performances
is amply demonstrated on this collection of fledged Egyptian orchestra. I’m not sure how includes lots of familiar songs from his huge
canciones in a selection of rhythms from polka much a true part of the Fula tradition these back catalogue like Lovers In A Dangerous
and waltz to cumbia, and slightly schmaltzy splendidly realised Arabic strings play, but Time and Mama Just Wants To Barrelhouse
performances of country standards (Crying they add a drama and depth and are totally All Night Long, but some completely new like
Time, Lonely Letters). Fans of Cooder’s Chick- convincing despite being arranged and The City Is Hungry. Some of his song introduc-
en Skin Music may recognise the squeezebox played by north European musicians. Issa tions are included as are a couple of extend-
work on the title track, which follows closely Sow’s nianiooru dives in and out of the ed anecdotes and even a soundcheck…
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