A little more Roskilde, then vacation

Trying to have a vacation here, so this is likely the last post for awhile. I hope to be able to, remember to and feel like getting back to why cumbia had such a big spot at this year's festival, the truly awesome dj-set by Awesome Tapes from Africa and why John Grant gave a perfect concert but still failed to impress me.
But for now you'll have to do with two of my discoveries: When I first heard Yemen Blues from a distance I mistook them for Oudaden, due to the gnawalike rhythm. Here's a somewhat softer song by the Yemeni-Israeli band.



And Jagwa Music from Tanzania, who played late at night on staurday, after Fally Ipupa (whom you can read about here, in Swedish). The clip is not from Roskilde.

Friday at Roskilde, Rango, rain and the Kuti brothers

Short report from Roskilde in Svenska Dagbladet, covering Shangaan Electro, Rango and the Kuti brothers. I could of course have written more, much more, about the similarities and differences between Femi and Seun Kuti, and their bands, comparisons that would all be flattering to Seun. But I have already done that a lot and I also start to feel like an example of why fans are such bad critics.

Cumbia at Roskilde and in Stockholm

A humble start for the Roskilde Festival, Pj Harvey, Iron Maiden and rain. None of it too interesting. But before that, Frente Cumbiero from Colombia! Great concert and an interesting talk about cumbia afterwards with Mario Galeano, the band's musical director. More of that in a few days.

Bestiales 77 by FRENTECUMBIERO

There are quite a few cumbia bands at Roskilde this year and meantime in Stockholm Américo and Chico Trujillo are playing at the Selam Sounds mini festival. Here's a long article about chilean superstar Américo and some stuff about cumbia in general. And here's a couple of cumbia youtube clip. Just wish I had had the talk to Mario before writing it. 

Close reading the Roskilde spilleplan

Intended schedule. Perhaps a little optimistic.


Thursday:
Frente Cumbiero
Daniel Norgren
PJ Harvey

Friday:
Wang Lee
Bright Eyes
La Makhina del Karibia
Seun Anikulapo Kuti AND Femi Kuti
Shangaan Electro
Rango
M.I.A.
Juju
Gonga Sain

Saturday:
Shutka Roma Rap
Ililta Band
The Tallest Man on Earth
OFWGkTA
Ouaden
Calle 13
Congotronics
Ivo Papasov
Fally Ipupa
Awesome tapes from Africa
Jagwa Music

Sunday:
Tremor
Chancha Via Circuito
Afro Cubism
Anibal Valesquez Y Los Locos Del Swing
Big Boi
Justin Townes Earle

Seun to play with Femi at Roskilde

Stuck in heaps of Cumbia at the moment, but I just saw an interesting detail in the Spilleplan for the Roskilde Festival.

Yes, it is Femi Kuti & Positive Force, same stage and same time as his younger brother Seun and his (and before that their father's) band Egypt 80. The two have often been portraid as, if not enemies then at least rivals. That may have of course have been exaggerations, or simply a well established literary convention one could easily slip into, but it's still a concert not to miss. Apart from the Kuti brothers performing together, there are also the practical problems (and artistic possibilities) of two 15 man afro beat bands sharing one stage.

Stockholm Jazz Festival 3: Kuti and the wind

For the benefit of my swedish readers, here's the links to the reviews of Zap Mama's and Seun Kuti's concerts. If I seem a bit negative I, well I guess I was, but at least in the case of Kuti I just couldn't write about the concert without taking into account the impact of the wind, the cold and the seated audience. The show in itself was really good though and the simple fact that he played the here an example of how the jazz festival has become more interesting lately.

Stockholm Jazz Festival 1: A lost Ayisoba

The jazz festival has barely started but I already met the cousins (I thought they were brothers) Almou from the Festival au Desert, for a half hour talk about how to arrange a festival in the poorest part of one of the poorest countries in the world. Also said hi to Panji Anoff, Wanlov the Kubolor and King Ayisoba. Wanlov arrived barefeet, honouring his nickname The African Gypsy and defying the realities of Swedish summer (14 degrees and rain). King Ayisoba wore traditional garments and got lost at the airport, his pick up got the name wrong, maybe he was confused by the "king" part of it. Ayisoba still managed to get a ride into town somehow, waiting out the confusion at the hotell before the organizers were able to locate him.
But more of them tomorrow. Now the real festival starts. Tonight I will see, and write about, Zap Mama, who travelled far from her congolese roots. Too far? That's exactly what I intend to find out.

No visa for Yaa Pono... means Wanlov is coming

As always with african artists visiting, the visa procedure is a major factor. And that has nothing to do with third world bureaucrazy, only with Europe's fear of people staying here. A few hours ago I got to know that Yaa Pono had not been granted his visa in time. Which deprives Stockholm of one of the more interesting, up and coming hip life artists. But the replacement is quite good. Wanlov the Kubolor already have the required visa, since he's been touring in Europe until recently. So it will be King Ayisoba and Wanlov performing on saturday, first in the afternoon at the hotel Clarion Sign, after mine and Panji's hiplife-talk. Then, late at night, at the jam session at jazz club Fasching.

End of Clandestino

One more review from Clandestino. Here. Main character: Mulatu Astatke. Also starring: Khaira Arby. I've actually seen her once before, sic years ago at the Festial au Desert in Essakane, outside Timbuktu. But I don't remember much of that concert. I have a vague memory of a number of female drummers and singers sitting in a semi circle on stage. Quite traditional then and a lot different from the electrified performance in Göteborg. But it might well be a totaly different concert I remember.

A new Hindhi Zara

I never really understood why everyone was raving about Hindi Zahra. Or, I think I understood why, but found it ungrounded. Now I'm not so sure. Last night she made an awesome appearance at Clandestino festival, taking a big step away from the singer/songwriter esthetics that surrounds much of her work.

More surprises, good ones, were dub step dj Uzul and after him Gnawa Diffusion founder Amazigh Kateb, who doesn't only have a  name to die for, but also have incorporated elements (and some entire songs) of chaabi and raï in his repertoire.

More of all that in tomorrow's paper. And I wont link to any of Zara's songs, the studio versions don't do her performance yesterday any justice.

Here's the review in Svenska Dagbladet.

I morgon Clandestino

Känner ni till Baloji? Sannolikt inte, den belgisk-kongolesiska rapparen har hittills gjort väldigt lite väsen av sig i Sverige, men är en av de mest spännande akterna på årets Clandestinofestival i Göteborg. Imorgon börjar den. Tio över tio sitter jag på tåget.

För någon månad sen stötte jag på festivalchefen Aleksander Motturi i Göteborg, på samma café som vanligt,  snett nedanför Oscar Fredriks kyrka. Han pratade om ständigt minskade anslag och antydde att årets festival kunde komma att bli en storslagen svanesång. Det vore bedrövligt, för den lilla, ibland vimsigt arrangerade elektroniska festival Clandestino var i början av 2000-talet har utvecklats till den kanske allra mest intressanta vad det gäller utomeuropeiska akter i Sverige. De var tidiga med Bassekou Kouyaté, Staff Benda Bilili och Konono no1, och då kom de sistnämnda ändå ett år för sent eftersom medlemmarna av den kongolesiska skrotensemblen första gången de var inbjudna inte beviljades visum till Sverige.

Årets största namn, åtminstone ur ett svenskt perspektiv, är Mulatu Astatke, kungen av ethiojazz, och marockanska singer/songwritern Hindi Zahra. I sig fina bokningar men åtminstone Zahra har det inte direkt saknats möjligheter att höra på sistone. Är det överraskningar man vill ha ska man snarare sikta in sig på Khaira Arby eller just Baloji, som rör sig precis i den där brytpunkten mellan tradition och modernitet.

Eagerly awaiting Panji, Pono and Ayisoba

I know this is starting to seem like a blog about Ghana. It is not. But going there last autumn left so many leads to follow up. In this specific case though, they seem to have followed me up. A few weeks ago Clara from Stockholm Jazz Festival called after reading my hiplife text and asked for people in Ghana to invite for a panel talk and perhaps a concert. Leading to record company owner and producer Panji Anoff coming to Stockholm in a week and a half for a discussion about the music industries of Africa, traditional elements in modern music or, well, whatever we decide to talk about. See us at Clarion Sign Hotel Saturday 18/6 14.00.
I also mentioned Yaa Pono, King Ayisoba and Wanlov the Kubulor and the two first ended up accompanying Panji and will play after the discussion and are also supposed to appear in some way later the same night at the jam session at jazz club Fasching.
Also playing at the festival: Bobby Womac, Chic and Seun Kuti & The Egypt 80.
Also talking: Manny & Almou Mansar, the two touareg brothers who arranges the Festival au Desert at Essakane outside Timbuktu.


And here's Yaa Pono in a video apparently shot at the Anoff villa.