Axel Rigaud
Transformation

City of Mirrors is a bold new collection of music from Chicago-based alt-Latinx band Dos Santos, which is comprised of bandleader / singer / lyricst / guitarist / keyboardist Alex Chavez, drummer Daniel Villarreal, percussionist Peter “Maestro” Vale, bassist Jaime Garza, and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Nathan Karagianis.Cinematic in its journey, the album was produced by multimedia artist and long-time friend of the band Elliot Bergman (NOMO, Wild Belle), and reflects sounds from across the Americas combined with Chavez’s compelling poetic narratives. Its 13 tracks consolidate the band’s unique identities, creative and cultural roots, and their penchant for honoring traditional Latinx music with contemporary compositional expressions and production techniques.

C’est ainsi que le regretté écrivain musical et critique d’art Greg Tate a commencé ses nouvelles notes pour ce numéro d’Americana. « LE PROJET MUSICAL DE KANE RETOURNE AUX ORIGINES DE LA MUSIQUE NOIRE, PARCE QUE LES EXPLORATIONS ET LES RÉALISATIONS MUSICALES DU GROUPE SONT EXCEPTIONNELLES, BIEN QUE VOUS NE LE SAUREZ PAS D’APRÈS L’ACCUEIL QU’ILS ONT REÇU. »Rudy Tambala et Alex Ayuli, les esprits musicaux derrière A.r. kane sont « deux aristos à peine légaux d’ascendance malawi/britannique et nigériane élevés à cockney-sprechen est de londres », comme l’a fait référence à eux : « deux dope boyz qui s’étaient revendiqués par télépathie comme meilleurs amis vers l’âge de 8 ans et qui, en 1986, ont revendiqué toutes les caractéristiques susmentionnées de l’aliénation noire, de la rage noire, du silence noir, du bruit noir et du ragga noir comme leur propre sonore et lumineux.il n’est pas exagéré de dire qu’A.R. kane était l’un des groupes les plus importants de la fin des années 80 et du début des années 90 : ils ont lancé la tendance shoegaze, ils ont inventé la dreampop…Et pourtant, quand est venu le temps pour les masses de se rallier autour d’eux, les grillons.L’industrie de la musique est dans une ère de redécouverte – nous regardons et écoutons tous, déterrons des chefs-d’œuvre négligés et reconsidérons leur importance maintenant. il est temps pour A.R. d’être reconnu.Les révolutions et les évolutions de Kane, des radicaux libres discordants et dissidents du rythme et du bruit noirs aux romantiques de la danse de chambre, des transformations audacieuses et autodéterminées.

After an extended hiatus punctuated by rare live performances, The Shaolin Afronauts returned on September 16th with The Fundamental Nature of Being, an epic five LP box-set release that expands the sonic vision of the ensemble to towering new heights of burning afro-funk alongside esoteric and ethereal new sonic excursions. This expanded musical journey further explores the wide spectrum of the...

French folk experimentalist Ernest Bergez has spent several years bringing his signature, singular sound to life in solo mode. At the same time, and despite this individualist streak, he’s a musician with a deep appreciation for communal exchange and collaboration. It’s with this in mind that L’herbe de détourne, Bergez’s latest album, sees him expand his most prominent project Sourdure from a one-man band into a four-person force, and modify the name. Say hello to Sourdurent…Bergez first released music as Sourdure in 2015, a few years after diving deep into the music and culture which has most influenced the project: traditional folk from the Auvergne region of France, sung in the Occitan language. While touring his last album De Mòrt Viva, he was joined live by Jacques Puech and Élisa Trébouville and then Loup Uberto to expense to Sourdurent. In the spirit of the tavern-backroom folk session L’herbe de détourne often resembles, the vocal harmonies or extra percussion you hear is a group effort.Bergez’s own lyrics are more polemical, addressing topics including patriarchy, autonomy, spirituality and the need to rebuild community. Metaphor and allegory abound; Chamin ne vòl pas spins a yarn that resembles a folk tale of centuries past. By choosing to deliver these thoughts and narratives in Occitan – an unstandardised, pan-European language whose very survival has been in the balance for decades – Sourdurent make a statement as important as any sentiment in the songs themselves.Occitan is part of France’s culture, not just in a historical sense but here in 2023. And if only a fraction of Sourdurent’s audience can understand the words, the band are staunch in their belief that their delivery can topple language barriers – Bergez bases this on live performances outside the Occitan region, indeed outside France itself. As for L’herbe de détourne, the Sourdurent founder hopes the album can play a part in directing curious listeners to traditional music in this language. It’s a release of enough stature to do that – and to be seen as one of the definitive folk recordings of the modern era.

JK Group are a powerhouse nu-jazz band fronted by Melbournesaxophonist Josh Kelly, best known for his work with future soul-jazzcollective, 30/70, and being the 2019 PBS Young Elder of Jazz.They sit in the crossover of raw, live jazz and electronic/danceproduction. At times synth-heavy, effected and soundscapey, while atother times hard hitting groove laden with spiritual jazz overtones andno-holds-barred improvising. Their sound nods respectfully to classicjazz traditions, whilst carving a path that unashamedly looks towards thefuture, embracing modern influences and production techniques.The album received a 5* review from Melbourne's own Mike Gurrieri, andhas garnered radio play on, BBC6, PBS, RRR, Worldwide FM, NTS and more.The debut LP 'The Young Ones' is due out on La Sape April 24th.(SAPE010)

Cheick TIDIANE SECKTimbuktu: The Music Of Randy WestonKomos FranceCheick Tidiane Seck's latest album is something of an all-star affair. It sees a banquet's worth of guest musicians (including fellow African music legend Manu Dibango) help the Malian music maestro send "an Afro-Jazz prayer" to the late, great Randy Weston - a musician whose unique Pan-African vision influenced so many of his contemporaries. The resultant set is vibrant and alluring, with Seck and company underpinning Weston's fluid jazz piano motifs with dense, heavy, intricate and often delightfully polyrhythmic rhythms. There are some more atmospheric and intoxicating numbers present, too - the version of "Timbuktu" is stunning, as is the bluesy "In Memory Of" - but the album's greatest calling card remains it's energetic and effervescent approach.