Cairo Rising Music Project

We are huge fans of American musician Jef Stott and we love middle-eastern music - so here are details of an amazing musical project Jef is involved with in Egypt.

A video explaining the project and details of how you can support the project are available HERE.

Jef says this:

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Cairo Rising Recording Project

We are planning on documenting the democratic protests and revolutions in the Middle East by creating a collaborative music project and a series of short documentary films. We hope to humanize the changes in the Middle East through the presentation of music and youth culture of the region.

The musical component of the project will be will be a compilation album of revolutionary Arabic fusion artists in collaboration with other Arabic musicians and American and European remixers and producers. The project will focus on young Arabic rock musicians, rappers and singer/songwriters. We seek to find musical artists who express their desire for a more just and democratic world through music and song. We plan on recording mostly in Cairo, Egypt and the project will include artists from Tunisia, Algeria and the Arabic disaspora as well.

Using mobile recording technologies, we will set up temporary recording sessions in cafes, private homes and schools to quickly capture songs and performances that express the desire for freedom in the Middle East. Once the sessions have been recorded, the files will be brought back to San Francisco for editing, arrangement and final mixing.

Once the mixes are complete, the album project will be pitched to larger cultural institutions for world wide distribution. The list of organizations we plan on contacting include: National Geographic, Peter Gabriels Real World label, Six Degrees Records, Sterns Africa, Wrass Records, etc. In the event that one of these larger organizations does not pick up the project, the Embarka Record label, owned by project founder Jef Stott, is prepared to release the project world wide.

We will also be creating an elaborate website to document the projects progress and it’s results. The site will include interviews, blogs, photos, video clips, artists biographies and music excerpts from the new recording sessions.

Additionally we will be producing a series of short films to further document the creative process and insights into the artists point of view on the current situation in the Middle East. These short films could be compiled into a longer feature length film, but that would be another project for a future date.

The project coordinator and producer will be composer/producer Jef Stott, who has been working with Arabic and Northern African musicians (as well as Turkish, Persian and Balkan artists) for many many years and has released dozens of musical projects. He holds a degree in cultural anthropology and is an accomplished Middle Eastern musician in his own right. Mr Stott will handle all recording duties, editing and final mixing of the projects musical compositions. His reputation in the world music industry will be an asset to the success of the project. He has a wide professional network of colleagues at large record labels, journalists, film producers and cultural institutions and Universities.

All profits will be shared evenly with the participating artists. All performances and artistic contributions will be documented through contracts and written agreements to ensure payment and transparency of accounting. Pre-existing songs used in the project will be non exclusive to the project allowing the artists to maintain control of there compositions. Collaborations between Arabic artists and the project producers will be co-published by both parties.

Financial contributions to the project will be used for the following:

• transportation of the producer to and from Egypt
• producer accommodations in Cairo for 3-4 weeks
• initial contributing artist payment
• recording session fees in Cairo (if any)
• additional recording and editing in San Francisco
• mixing fees in San Francisco

We sincerely hope that you will be able to help us with this project. It seems extremely timely and important that the artistic expression of post revolution Arabic culture is documented at this time.

Thank you in advance for your interest in the Cairo Rising project!

~Jef Stott

Musical rickshaw

We've known DJ Pathaan (a little bit) for many years , since we first met him at club Stoned Asia in Brixton. Back in 2008 we featured on his late, lamented, BBC Asian Network show, providing a World Odyssey mix.

He's released many excellent compilations over the years, all of them very much to our liking.

He has a new release, a double CD in an era of downloads. He is to be congratulated for that - some of us like the option of decent sound quality as well as the option of more portable mp3s.



It's called Musical Rickshaw with Pathaan, after his old BBC show. I will review it at a later date when I have time to give it my full attention but for now, you can buy it HERE or HERE. Or probably several other places.

Muslimgaze - Zionist Juice

I came across what I thought was new Muslimgauze release; despite Bryn Jones being dead for several years, Muslimgauze was so prolific that labels could be releasing 'new' material for ages, so I wasn't surprised. When I listened, though, I thought that although the musical style was similar to Muslimgauze's, it wasn't quite the same and it sounded too modern. When I looked closer I realised the artist name was MuslimGAZE, not MuslimGAUZE.


Muslimgaze is a tribute project Vampiir Of The North. He has released a free download album, Zionist Juice, on the netlabel Haunted Klinik.

He says: This album is dedicated to the people of Palestine, as well as other Middle-Eastern countries terrorized by the Zionist empire, to all who died trying to help and protect the Palestinians from Israeli destruction, like Rachel Corrie, and to those who are still fighting for freedom of the Palestinians and other victims of Zionism, like Ken O’Keefe and many others.

You can find details and download the album HERE.

Justice For Smiley Culture - a song and some thoughts

Broken Drum Records artist Talking Dog shares his thoughts on the recent mysterious death during arrest of Smiley Culture.

I would like to begin this probably rambling piece by expressing my respect and condolences to the family and friends of David Emmanuel, better known to many as Smiley Culture. Smiley Culture was a much loved British icon following his hits in the 80s with Cockney Translation and Police Officer.

He broke new ground in the UK with his sharply intelligent and often hilariously funny lyrical dexterity as an MC. He was at his best telling vibrantly gritty and amusing stories of multicultural life in London mixed in with sly and subversive social and political observation. In many ways Smiley was a forerunner of contemporary UK Grime and Hiphop artists. His work stands the test of time and is well worth seeking out on YouTube.

He died on 15 March 2011 during a police search on his house in Surrey, from a single knife wound to the heart. The police have stated that he committed suicide in this fashion whilst they allowed him out of their sight into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. He was due to appear in court later in March on charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine, but his family strongly refute these allegations and say that evidence against him was minimal and that he and his legal team were confident of acquittal.

Those who knew him best find it impossible to believe that he would take his own life, let alone in this highly unusual fashion. It also seems very peculiar, for many reasons, that a suspect would be allowed to wander around in this fashion while a search was being executed. Consequently his death, and the bizarre circumstances in which it occurred, have shocked and angered many people. This tragic event has prompted accusations of murder, manslaughter - or at best, negligence - by the police. Fears of a cover up by the police are widespread and there is a lack of confidence in the forthcoming investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Given the long and troubled history of the policing of the black community in the UK it is unsurprising that the floodgates have opened. This brings back a tide of bad memories of racism, violence, injustices and cover ups that extends back decades. This catalogue of individual and institutional racist behaviour resides strongly in the collective consciousness of the communities who suffered from it, and from those of us who have been observers of it. For us this does not exist as an isolated incident. Institutional racism has officially characterised the culture of the London Metropolitan Police for a long period of its history of interaction with the black community. Macpherson’s report following the bungled (or subverted?) investigation of the murder of Stephen Lawrence publicly acknowledged what the community itself has known all the time. Much has changed since the Macpherson report, but not enough to eradicate the lack of confidence that is felt in the way the police handle themselves. It is a sad indictment of the breakdown in the trust and confidence that citizens feel about their police force that, on hearing about the death of Smiley Culture, the suspicion of wrongdoing by the police and a disbelief in the story as it has been told is the IMMEDIATE reaction of so many people. Not just those who might be felt to have some kind of vested interest, but by ordinary people who are not black, not part of that community, and have no connection with the individuals involved. This lack of confidence often also extends to the forthcoming IPCC investigation. The expectation of many is that the conclusion will be that there is no culpability for any police involved in the incident, and that the events will not be scrutinised or subjected to the same level of rigorous analysis and investigation as might be the case if such a violent death had occurred in the presence of people who were other than police officers. The cries of 'cover up!' are being made before it even begins.

This highly charged atmosphere makes it very difficult to view matters dispassionately and objectively. This is to be expected on all sides of the issue. It will be necessary for a highly scrupulous, thorough, forensic and transparent examination of events to take place. Justice needs to be done, and justice needs to be seen to be done, and it needs to be demonstrable that police officers do not enjoy some kind of different status under the law compared to ordinary citizens. Sadly, it is no longer the case that the testimony of police officers can be automatically accepted as undiluted truth, simply by virtue of their profession. Trust has broken down that the police will act with integrity where some of their number may be suspected of criminal acts. This makes the task of justice being perceived to have been done much more difficult. The likelihood that the outcome of any investigation will not be deemed acceptable or truthful, no matter how scrupulously carried out, is very real.

I did not know Smiley Culture personally. I do not know whether the charges made against him have any basis or not. I have heard some say 'he was a drug dealer, he had it coming to him'. He has been denied his day in court to defend himself against the accusations made, so I will never know. At one level, what he did or did not do is irrelevant to what happened. He was alive before 'a visit from the police', and he was dead afterwards. He would almost certainly be alive today had they not visited and conducted themselves in whatever manner they did while they were in his house. Something went very, very wrong that morning.

Only Smiley, the police present at the scene, and the Almighty know what that was. The rest of us have to endure the distress and turmoil of the IPCC investigation. I don’t know what really happened and probably never will with utter certainty. I find the events as portrayed strain credulity, given the seriousness of the charges and the highly unusual way in which this purported suicide is meant to have occurred.

I might be wrong, but it seems to me that the burden of proof rests with the police at this point in time, and there is a lot of damage to undo – not just surrounding this event, but for all the stacked up history that, in some ways, it has come to represent. People don’t just want justice for Smiley Culture. They want JUSTICE. For everyone who didn’t get it in the past, for everyone who doesn’t get it in the present, for everyone who they fear might not get it in the future.

I wrote my own musical response, Justice for Smiley Culture within a couple of days of hearing the news of his death.

 

It is a raw expression of the churned up feelings I was experiencing at the time, some of which I have sought to explain further in this blog. I believe it is the role of conscious artists to reflect prophetic analysis and critique of what they see happening around them. I have sought to do this in this song, and hope that I have in some partial way captured some of the emotions, questions, and issues that are being keenly felt by so many others. I would like to see justice being done and for some measure of healing and closure to be able to come to those who are angry and grieving. I would like to see truth prevail and equal rights for all. I would like to see good relationships between police and community where nobody gets abused simply because of the colour of their skin or the uniform they wear.  

David Emmanuel deserves justice not because he was Smiley Culture – not because he was black (although the events have extra resonance and amplification for black people in the UK) – and not because he is believed by many to be innocent. He deserves justice because this is an issue for ALL UK citizens, of all colours, races, nationalities and communities. We want – and deserve – to be able to have confidence in the police and in our legal system, to know that no other people will die in bizarre circumstances during police engagement, that the same rule of law applies to all citizens including the police and those who make the rules for the rest of us. I will wait with very close interest for the findings of the IPCC enquiry. I hope they do a proper job, because if there is even a whiff that possible culpability of police officers in Smiley’s death has been excluded from serious consideration them this one won’t go away.

You can receive updates on the Justice for Smiley Culture campaign at

http://www.facebook.com/Campaign4Justice4SmileyCulture

and  

http://twitter.com/Justice4SmileyC

Secret Archives of the Vatican - Video Podcast 3

5 Years of Chillin' 5 Years of Chillin'

5 Years of Chillin' is a free compilation of chillout tunes that have been played during the first five years of the excellent podcast, The Chillcast.



Since 2006, Anji Bee has released nearly 300 episodes of her popular chillout music podcast and 55 episodes of her vidcast, promoting nearly 1,500 bands and artists from a wide range of electronica genres (including Secret Archives of the Vatican). She's compiled an hour long compilation featuring previously unreleased tracks by MoShang, Chill Factor-5, 7 Day Visa, Lovespirals (her band with Ryan Lum) and much more. It's an international mix of electronica with heavy jazz and soul influences.

You can find more details and download it from HERE.

H2Z#1... Welcome To The Hip Hop Zone...

We like hip hop. Not your mainstream American gangsta crap, though. We like it a bit more musical, a bit more intelligent. Dare we say it, we like it not American.

H2Z, also known as The Hip Hop Zone is a new podcast series from the UK's leading podcaster, Mr Pete Cogle. Cunningly entitled, it features hip hop.



Episode one has some music from Ireland, Germany, Australia and Morocco as well as the UK.

• Details HERE
• Direct download HERE.

Tracks

1. Angry Mob - Conspiracy Of Mind (Just1 and Nevahmind)
2. Rampant Zoo Sex Orgy - Cube
3. Cheeky Bastard - wAgAwAgA
4. Wha - Jimmy Penguin
5. All I Want Is To Forget - Ganga
6. Let Them Know - Rotes
7. Belong - Thallus
8. Freestylofanko - DJ Titoff

Nihon Kizuna

Worldwide artists contribute to Nihon Kizuna music compilation in aid of Japan disaster relief effort

Over 40 international artists have donated music for the Nihon Kizuna compilation in aid of the Japan disaster relief effort. Nihon Kizuna, or 日本絆 in Japanese roughly translates as ‘bond of friendship with Japan’.

Following the earthquake and tsunami which devastated the northern coast and prefectures of Japan on Friday 11 March 2011, a small group of Tokyo-based artists (from Japan, Ukraine and France) and one visiting London-based journalist (from Italy) decided to pool their efforts and contacts together to do the only thing they could to help the country and its people – sell music to raise awareness of the devastation that hit the area and raise money for its people and the relief effort.

The motivation behind Nihon Kizuna was simple: in face of the feeling of helplessness many felt here in Japan in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami this compilation seemed like the best way to express our support and love for the country and its people. Amid widespread scaremongering and panic from the foreign media it felt only right to stand tall alongside the people of Japan who have always welcomed foreign artists and musicians with open arms and hearts.

The compilation was put together in five days thanks to the internet. Every artist and/or label on the compilation donated a track, either previously released, unreleased or created especially for the occasion. Many of the tracks, artists and labels on the compilation have a direct relation to Japan, further highlighting the connection many people outside of the country feel towards Japan in the current situation. It’s no small thing to say that many of those involved feel a kinship to the country regardless of whether or not they’ve ever lived in or visited the country.

Nihon Kizuna is released on Friday 18 March using Bandcamp as a selling platform and with payments handled via Paypal. This will be followed by a release on iTunes Japan in the week of 21 March – as many Japanese residents do not use Paypal.

The compilation will cost £10, $15, 1,500Y or 12E and there will be the possibility to donate more should people want to via Bandcamp. The compilation will be available on iTunes Japan until the end of March, while the Bandcamp page and this website will stay up for the foreseeable future.

All proceeds from the compilation will be given to the Japan Red Cross directly.

Artists and labels involved in the compilation include Kode 9, Kuedo, Rudi Zygadlo, Broken Haze, Circulations Records, All City Records, Daisuke Tanabe, Yosi Horikawa, XLII, Memory 9, Ninja Tune, Kid Kanevil, Om Unit, Paul White, Illum Sphere, One Handed Music, BD1982, Fink, Emika, Mux Mool, Ernest Gonzales, Paper Tiger, Sesped, Jay Scarlett, Elliott Yorke (Royalty), Kan Sano, Onra and many more.

Represented on the compilation are over 7 countries, 40 artists and 10 labels.

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More details, including the tracklist, may be found HERE.

The Diatribes of a Dying Tribe

If you listen to our podcast, you'll know we're big fans of an Arab Canadian hiphop artist called the Narcicyst. He's publishing a book this month! His website says this:


The Diatribes of a Dying Tribe by Yassin ‘The Narcicyst’ Alsalman

Release date 21 March 2011

Diatribe of a Dying Tribe is about the jumbled reality of North American life. The destructive components of juxtaposing cultures, the birth of immigrant internationality and the resilient art that comes out of struggle and oppression.

It is the story of four young Arab men who joined forces to create their own representative governing meeting. Excentrik, Ragtop, Omar Offendum & the Narcicyst spent two weeks in California and endless hours on a computer crafting Fear of an Arab Planet; an examination of the heightened anxiety towards Islam, the Oriental gaze towards the Arab face and the ever-growing paranoia of the ‘other’, all over some bangin’ beats to rock to. As a post-analytical view of the making of an album, this book serves as a document on the burgeoning Arab poetry scene, and how the two mother cultures of a migrant society coalesced through a modern hyper-culture called Hip-Hop. From TSA agents to ABC rappers, The Arab Summit were on a mission to be heard… and that is exactly what happened.

With writing by Suheir Hammad, Omar Offendum, Ragtop & Excentrik
Exclusive Interviews with Cilvaringz, Malikah, Eslaam Jawaad, Members of AK, DAM and Soul Purpose.

You can buy the book from HERE.

You can download Fear of an Arab Planet by The Arab Summit HERE.

Secret Archives of the Vatican Podcast 46 - Songs of Freedom

Episode 46 of our fine podcast is now available for download from:

Libsyn

MixCloud

iTunes



Tracks

1. Battle Toad
   Blunt Instrument
   http://www.myspace.com/bluntinstrumentofficial/
2. Wiseman
   Distance & Skream
   http://www.myspace.com/ringorecordings
3. Sword Style
   Myztical Ninjah
   http://soundcloud.com/myztical-ninjah
4. The Day Fungus Took Over
   Timonkey
   http://timonkeymusic.com/
5. Eastern Prophet
   Pessimist feat Vega
   http://soundcloud.com/buriedaudio/pessimist-feat-vega-eastern-prophet-clip
6. Heat Stroke
   Marco Beltrami
   http://www.marcobeltrami.com/
7. #Jan25
   Omar Offendum, The Narcicyst, Freeway, Ayah, Amir Sulaiman
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCbpiOpLwFg
   http://www.usershare.net/6cjtbiapu5y8
   Lyrics: http://www.facebook.com/notes/omar-offendum/jan25-lyrics/10150093099861500
8. Dance City Boy (Dankiri)
   Invisible System
   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Invisible-System/46460854245
9. Mighty Metro Monk
   Photophob
   http://www.laridae.at/releases.php?release=laridae060

Axe Man Dub

There's a new episode of The Dub Zone podcast available.TDZ#94 can be downloaded from HERE. This episode includes a dub from our very own The Talking Dog.

Direct download HERE.



Tracks

1. Dub for Alicia - Mikus
2. Aldubb - Dubmatix & Mighty Howard
3. Rainy - JoNe
4. A Strong Minded Dub - Mackajahno
5. ABC Dub - Nicola Lionfish - as dubbed by The Talking Dog
6. Mistic Fire - Shamrock Sound
7. Axeman Dub - Drummie Dan
8. Nucular Wheapons - Tony Dubshot
   

Cafe Noah - the music of Jewish Arabs

Here's a charming short film from Al Jazeera about Jewish Arabs and their music in the early days of the Israeli state.