Steven Amechi & His Rhythm Skies
Wetin Mama De Do

MELODIES RECORD CLUB 002: BEN UFO SELECTS BY LAURIE SPIEGEL/OLOF DREIJERBen UFO is up next for volume two in melodies's new series of DJ and Artist curated 12” mini compilations, Here we have two tracks which have been staples in Ben’s DJ sets at different times, but neither were originally produced with a club setting in mind, which is why they’ve never been available in this format before. The first press comes with a folded A2 insert with words from and about the Artists.On one side, we have “Drums” from Laurie Spiegel’s 1980 experimental electronics album “The Expanding Universe”, a collection of tracks produced between 1974 and 1976 using a computer playing the actual sounds by controlling analog synthesis equipment under control of the GROOVE hybrid system developed by Max Matthews and F.R. Moore at Bell Labs. Drums is a percussive seven minute computer generated workout inspired by Laurie’s interest in African and Indian musics, and which brings to mind the most far out kosmiche music of the period to modern day techno. A connection Ben has tried to make explicit by including it in his first BBC essential mix back in 2013.On the flip we have a track by Olof Dreijer from the Swedish band the Knife who’s work you might also be familiar with under the moniker Oni Ayhun. Back in 2009 his artist friend Adnan Yildiz curated an exhibition called “THERE IS NO AUDIENCE” in Montethermoso, dedicated to public imagination. Adnan commissioned a single piece from Olof called “Echoes from Mamori”, that played on loop during the exhibition and was subsequently released only on CD. A contemporary piece more clearly indebted to house music, Olof built the track around arpeggios generated using sounds of frogs he recorded in the Amazon and birds around Berlin, fed into a sampler.

Nyami Nyami Records presents a reissue of a rare gem from the Gramma Records catalog , the historic Zimbabweean label. Dumisani Maraire, the leading creator of modern mbira, settled in the USA in the late 60s where he popularized the traditional music of the Shona people.Tichazomuona is the first album he recorded in liberated Zimbabwe, in 1986, with his wife Maichi and daughter Chiwoniso.You can hear the very young singer on lead vocals on the title track, long before she went on to perform solo on the international stage.We launched Nyami Nyami with her last recording Zvichapera and are happy to also release now her very first.

L'idéal ce serait un texte tellement bien écrit qu'on puisse se passer d'écouter la musique qu'il accompagne. Un vocabulaire poétique voire exotique, une syntaxe déroutante et une liste abracadabrantesque de références obscures. On pourrait aussi dire que c'est de la pop. Anglaise ? Américaine ? Name dropping : Brian Wilson ? John Lennon ? Big Star ? Mais peut- être aussi The Flaming Lips ? Tame Impala ? Air ? Non ? C'est chiant, déjà ? C'est vague ? Peut-être. Une histoire ?Monsieur Thibauld Labey écrit des chansons, depuis longtemps, à l'écart mais bien souvent en plein dans le mille, selon certains. Entre pure joie et désespoir, naïveté enfantine et aigre cynisme il trimballe tant bien que mal un spleen qui s'illumine aux couleurs de ses rencontres.Depuis A*Song et ses trois albums jusqu'à TRUMPETS OF CONSCIOUSNESS aujourd'hui, avec Thomas Chignier, Quentin Martinod, Sly Apollinaire, Noé Macary et Mathieu Larue. Après un premier LP éponyme sorti en 2016 (Le Pop Club Records / Echo Orange) le groupe monte sur scène, fait une série de dates au Canada et vend tous ses vinyles. Alors voilà un autre disque, il s'appelle Approximate, il y a deux titres en français, il sort en avril 2019 avec, à nouveau, une pochette signée David Sala.

A record-book proposition:- A 7inch vinyl record by Terakaft, produced by Justin Adams (Robert Plant, Brian Eno, Tinariwen…)- A novel by Philippe Brix written in English and French.Welcome to the fascinating world of Terakaft, one of the most legendary bands from the acclaimed Desert Blues / Tuareg Rock scene that’s been nurturing in the Sahara desert for the last two decades.A world made of light, dust, goats, tree shadows, gas, tea and fire.A world where teenagers don’t dream of being footballers but guitarists like Ibrahim of Tinariwen, like Sanou of Terakaft, or like Ousmane of Tamikrest.A world made of constant stuggles, of war zones, where getting a visa to tour is nearly impossible, where covering your face and head with tuareg turbans to face the desert winds will turn you into a potential islamist when boarding an airplane.A world that Philipe Brix knows damn well: he’s been managing those guitar heroes for the last two decades. 'Jagwar' is his coming-of-age story, a tale of resilience, of doom, of family, of utmost tensions and unrivaled peace, the adventure of a life time.His journey will take you from the deepest deserts of Mali, Morocco and Mauritania to the biggest music festivals all accross Europe and America.