african music
Around the world in 80 raves – Hidden Junction
Coming very soon to a particular venue in Sheffield – Funky Town, upstairs in the old West Street Alehouse – is Hidden Junction a weekly thrusady night extravanganza, but not too extravagant, from Rite Trax. This is the outfit with whom I regularly perform. I will undoubtedly be providing visuals for this event as with the others, in addition I will be DJing a regular set – Around the world in 80 raves. This will provide something either in keping with the night or a useful contrast. The difference with these sets will be that they will involve either a different genre or sub-genre of music or a different point of origin.
The opening few sets are likely to include:
- nujazz
- nusoul
- broken beat
- balkan mashups
- italo house
- italo disco
- future kizomba
- zouk bass
- zouk love
- retro zouk – classics
- japanese lounge – shibuya kei
- canadian drum and bass
- french triphop
- african deep house
Let me know of any suggestions you have.
The whole Rite Trax experience is something that is growing. It may have a core of banging club nights but it is much more and will grow those extra features over the coming weeks, months and more. It may be useful for those with artworks, hand crafted materials, music and all such to get in touch with them.
RiteTrax CIC is a newly formed social enterprise based in Sheffield, aimed at providng a platform for underground creative culture.
Source: RiteTrax CIC :: A platform for underground culture
small business owner creating content, graphics, marketing, also dj, vj and more
Source: des bate (@f4mmedia) • Instagram photos and videos
Moving from the drudgery of everyday working and business life you search for something more, a new palette to enliven your imagination and find so much in just the ordinary and everyday.
Source: In search of lost colours | f4mmedia – Sellfy.com
a book of artful design and illustration, a ccompanied by wordy text looking at how we soothe and salve our everyday life through imagination and the world around us
Source: moments from a partially medicated life | f4mmedia – Sellfy.com
Time goes by – 2
Time has gone by since living in Africa, getting married there and conceiving my eldest daughter there. I still remember all those we spent time with – Francis (Thabiso Tamae), Lebo, Ipa, Motsi and so many more. I remember talking to the ANC refugees who came through. I remember the people, the views, living in Lancer’s Inn, laughing, playing, loving, crying, living. I wish all of you could see this and know that I still think about you, there and all the rest. It is music that brings it back to me as well as the photos.
It may seem like little but these times and memories have added so much texture to my life. These are things I carry with me even now, especially now. There have been times when I have revisited the music and I tear up. I wish I could go back and see all of them and there.
world flavours
You might just have guessed that I love my music. I also have fond memories of my time spent in Africa – lived there, worked there, got married there, my first beautiful daughter was conceived there. I also have such fond memories of the wonderful friends I made there. Out of that I gained a love of South African music, later expanded to include all sorts of African music, from West Africa through all sorts of other stuff:
- zouk
- afrobeat
- makossa
- kizomba
- kuduro
- all sorts from Cabo Verde
- kwaito
Here are a few of my other mixes along these lines … enjoy!
mixes for summer
hopefully these mixes will give us at least a taste of summer unlike the actual weather in the UK
There are days when I really wish I was back in africa. To you all of my old friends in Lesotho, to all of those friends I have made since, to those who gave me this love of music from the french caribean, the portuguese tuneage and more, for those who showed me zouk, zouk chouv, kizomba, kompa, kwaito, and so much more …
Africa, mixes and more – Futurhood Av | Mixcloud
world plus by Futurhood Av | Mixcloud.
via world plus by Futurhood Av | Mixcloud.
As I have said before I used to live in Africa – I spent some time living and working in Maseru, Lesotho. That time and the people I was with remain with me to this day – a big hello to Ipa, Francis, Lebo, Motsi, Teenie and all the rest …
I would love to go back and visit more … the music and those memories are all I can enjoy at the moment.
Music videos and more
Some people are a little surprised at my taste in music given my age and background. I enjoy music ranging from that music core to my youth – the soul, northern (DaveGodin was an old friend), ska, reggae, house of most styles, dnb, breaks, african music across the board, reggae of all styles, 2 step, chillstep and so on.
Here we have a series of the music videos I have enjoyed – a hipster, baroque pop, dream pop cum neo electroish pop type, a Belgian hip hop artists with roots on Rwanda, an Eritrean music video and a whole series of those created by me.
I had to search for music after popping into a local Eritrean restaurant. The food was good, the people great, and I enjoyed the music and tv playing. As I said at the time – I felt like going back to Africa.
It is interesting to note the differences in style between the various music videos. I would so love to make some videos with some of the Eritreans – seems it would be real fun.
new mixes – africa
For Francis, Motsi, Lebo and all the rest of our friends from Maseru 81-2.
From my time spent in Africa in the 80s it is really nteresting to see how the whole african music scene has moved on – it has managed a massive integration with major elements of the music scene in both Europe and the USA.
Okayafrica’s Top 10 African Songs Of 2013 Okayafrica..
via Okayafrica’s Top 10 African Songs Of 2013 Okayafrica..
50 favourite African songs | Music to die for.
Chilled electronica – aromatiq and the house of red
There is nothing like a good small venue – the Redhouse is all that is good in terms of such – with a range of music second to none. We always used to say that we played the widest range of music in South Yorkshire, if not beyond. On a personal note, I have played ska, breaks, drum and bass, house – minimal, tech, acid and more from all over the world, Balkan beats, a whole range of African music – zouk, zouk love, kizomba, kuduro, soukous, kwaito, as well as baile funk, 2 step, chillout, ambient, mashups, trance, techno, lounge, broken beat, nujazz, nusoul, northern, motown and the list could go on. We have put on audio-visual art events. I still VJ and occasionally DJ there. The live music offered is endless.
A patchwork history – 4 – the world and its music
international 2 step
Between 1981 and 1982 I lived in Africa, in Maseru, Lesotho. While I was there I did a few strange things. The biggest was to marry a Jamaican woman who became the mother of my children – Shakira and Monique. Something else that was acquired while I was there was a further appreciation of African music. To a slight appreciation of highlife I added a liking for Makossa, Kwaito, later having made friends with a few people from the french speaking Caribbean I added a liking for Zouk. Acquiring friends even later from Angola and beyond that love of Zouk had backing from Kizomba and Kuduro.
First of all – to Francis, Motsi and all of the friends we made, to those we lost, to those friends we still have to make … oareng! sala hantle, tsamaya hantle …
But Africa and the Caribbean are not the only areas covered – there is a wealth of music from Europe as well to look at and so here is a Balkan mix to swing through.
and more from a slightly mashed world
here music from all over the world flavours dancefloor interest – giving something new to funk, house, trance and the like.
Here on youtube