Music Mashup
Hello Scenesters! The snow has melted away and the sound of spring is hopefully, on its way! This month I give you reviews of new albums from Franz Ferdinand and the Guillemots, I take you on a trip into the delights of Nigerian R‘n’B and I line up a few top dates for your diaries! Busy times indeed.
Story Highlights
- Dance Music For Young Africa
- Album Reviews
- Dates For Your Diary
Dance Music For Young Africa
You might have noticed that there’s a more international feel to my column of late and this month I’m steering towards a recent introduction to the world of Nigerian party music, which is very R‘n’B and Hip Hop influenced, but also incorporates traditional rhythms and beats. Sang in both English and Nigerian dialects, this is party music at its best and it forms part of the soundtrack of third generation Africans in the UK. Look out for the hugely followed mix cds, mainly by DJ Two Face. The classics are Dbanj, Pere, P-Square, Get Squared, 9ice, Gongo Aso and Kolomental by Faze.
Album Reviews
Tonight, Franz Ferdinand: This is Franz Ferdinand’s third album and I have to say that I’m disappointed. Out of twelve tracks only six made me listen for more than a minute, there was a distinct lack of originality and most of the tracks stick to the same formula. There’s hardly any growth in their sound bar - as exemplified by tracks like Twilight Omens, Can’t Stop Feeling (featuring an 80s synthesised piano) and Katherine Kiss Me (a confusing acoustic - almost Folk song). On the whole the songs were only resuscitated by clever lyrics and word play, such as - Where do you see yourself in five minutes time - typified in What She Came For. Disappointing. In their own words, lads you could do so much better.
Red, Guillemots: In contrast to Franz I was pleasantly surprised by Red. I personally feel that music should experiment because let’s face it - Indie dronings can get monotonous after a while. Red is a flamboyant album that has facets derived from Dance, Pop and power ballads, and this scope delights the ears! First track Kriss Kross sounds like it should be a song in a musical, but that doesn’t detract from it being a good tune. My two favourite tracks are Big Dog with its inexplicable line - big heart, big hug, big dog, that’s what I want - and the great Cockateels, an unashamedly poppy, shiny and happy song. Clarions, Falling Out of Reach and Don’t Look Down also showcase their diverse music influences.
Dates For Your Diary
OneTaste - March 8 and 13, 2009: It’s all go, go, go at the OneTaste headquarters with not one but two great nights lined up in March. First they’re at the Bedford on March 8 and then there’s a special Jazz Café date on the March 13. Both will have the usual eclectic mix of music, poetry and shenanigans, and I’m yet to be unimpressed with this consistently good night.
Franz Ferdinand at Hammersmith Apollo - March 9, 2008: Despite slating their album, I will be in attendance at what will hopefully be an electrifying performance - that’s if their past gigs are anything to go by. I’ll fill you in next month.
Iluvlive at Cargo - March 9, 2009: Given that my favourites Sway, Mpho Skeef and Ghetto are all performing at this night - it’s a shame that I have to miss it but I guarantee it will be worth the trip. Be sure to check out Ava Leigh who will also be performing.
Breakin’ Bread at Jazz Café - March 27, 2009: If you like your Funk, Soul and Hip Hop, and you have a penchant for break dancers, then this could be the right night for you. Run by the crew - Breaking Bread, this night has become a staple for those in need of a funk injection.
Festivals: There’s not enough sun for me to start blathering on about festivals but for the uber organised, you can now buy tickets for both the Big Chill festival in Herefordshire (August 7 to 9, 2009) and London’s Love Box (July 18 to 19, 2009).
- DJ Michelle
No comments were found
