Revolutionärer och revolutionärer

Han pratar om Tupac som sin stora förebild. Inte främst musikaliskt utan som revolutionär. Det är bisarrt, tycker jag, men säger ingenting. Det är besvärligt nog att intervjua via telefon och tolk, även utan att hamna i ett infekterat missförstånd. Och folk tenderar att ta illa upp när man säger något ofördelaktigt om deras idoler. Men ärligt talat, kan något politiskt ställningstagande i USA jämföras med att utmana en våldsam och våldsbenägen diktatur och mot alla odds gå segrande ur kampen? Här är en liten intervju med Hamad Ben Amor, El General, den tunisiske rappare som gav arabvåren dess soundtrack.

För er som är i Stockholm spelar han i kväll på Södra teatern.

Det kan den visst

Det är en anspråksfull, närmast pretentiös rad, men jag brukar få den på hjärnan ibland. "Sometimes even music can not substitute for tears." Det är Paul Simon i Cool River (och egentligen är raden innan, My life's so common it disappears, roligare). Men nu var det Esma Redzepova som fick mig att tänka på den, som närmare bestämt fick mig att tänka att det kan den fan visst. Musiken. Låten är Chaje Shukarije och redan inledningsskriket är bland det vackraste som spelats in. Eller jag menar, vacker, vaddå, det är ett skrik som täcker in alla de olika känslolägen som hittills registrerats hos människan, av litteraturen så väl som psykologin. De klipp jag hittat på nätet är tyvärr alla av sämre versioner, men jämför gärna den tidiga inspelningen i videon nedan med sången som den låter på samlingen Queen of the gypsies från 2001, och hör hur Esma växt som sångerska.
Eller kom och lyssna på henne i kväll på Södra teatern.
Det var det. Välkomna tillbaka och trevlig höst!



Chaje Shukarije på Spotify,

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. 

Timbuktu, not the city

In most of the the world Timbuktu refers to the former university city and metropolis in northern Mali, long since deprived of its glory. In England it's an expression for any place really distant. But in Sweden the first thing that comes to mind is the hip hop artist.

Yesterday he had an hour on Swedish radio in the annual summer series. A good hour, on racial identity, music and his first encounter with the city he chose as his stage alias.

Here's his talk. Unfortunately the music in the show (which most likely will prove to have been the best selection this summer) is reduced to short previews in the online version.

One interesting part is the one about the old Malian emperor Mansa Mousa's trip to Mecca, during which he singelhandedly started a financial crisis in Egypt by giving away huge amounts of gold, overflowing the local market. I mentioned the same episode (originally told by medieval Egypt historians) in a piece I wrote a couple of years ago on the history of the various Malian empires (in Swedish).

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