Episode 24 – Wednesday, September 15 7:00 PM On Mixcloud and 8:00 PM on VoicEd Radio
Haska, Salif Keita – Madan
Whitehorse – Strike Me Down
Whitehorse –Strike Me Down from 2021 album Strike Me Down
This is the second album from the Hamilton based duo this year. From the early 2000’s, Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland were both recording and touring artists with numerous recordings under their belts. They married in 2006 and since have collaborated under the banner , Whitehorse. Here are two versions of this week’s selected song.
Matt Mays – NYC Girls (Acoustic)
Elvis Costello $ The Attractions & Nina Diaz – No Action
Salif Keita, Angelique Kidjo, MHD – Itarafo
St. Etienne – Pond House
Natalia Lafourcade – Tú Sí Sabes
Lucy Dacus – Gone Gone Gone (edit)
Claudia Sierra, Los Macorinos, Clayton – Voy
Haska, Salif Keita – Madan
Very hard to find much information on Haska, but Salif Keita is a legend in Africa and we feature him on two tracks for this show.
Haska – Madan (with Salif Keita) Visualiser
Taken from the website Inflyte
Blending their love of music from across the globe with progressive production, they kick off their catalogue with a massive statement.
Centred around the infectious vocals of Salif Keita, described as the ‘Golden Voice of Africa’, ‘Madan’ sees Haska weave together intricate rhythms, edgy synths and pulsating bass grooves to create an uplifting and inspiring modern classic.
Inflyte website
The story of Salif Keita’s royal heritage is interested and is quotes here from Wikipedia
Salif Keita was born a traditional prince in the village of Djoliba.[1] He was born to the Keita royal family, who trace their lineage to Sundiata Keita, founder of the Mali Emp ire. He was cast out by his family and ostracized by the community because of his albinism, a sign of bad luck in Mandinka culture.[2] He decided to pursue music in his teenage years, further distancing him from his family as that was against occupational prohibitions of his noble status.[3] In 1967, he left Djoliba for Bamako, where he joined the government-sponsored Super Rail Band de Bamako. In 1973 Keita joined the group, Les Ambassadeurs (du motel de Bamako). Keita and Les Ambassadeurs fled political unrest in Mali during the mid-1970s and subsequently changed the group’s name to “Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux”. The reputation of Les Ambassadeurs Internationaux grew internationally in the late-1970s, leading to Keita pursuing a solo career in the following years.
Matt Mays – NYC Girls (Acoustic)
Album Twice Upon a Hell of a Time
Love this acoustic version of an earlier song on Once Upon a Hell of a Time 2017
Twice Upon a Hell of a Time is the seventh studio album by Matt Mays, released on October 19, 2018.[1] It comprises acoustic rerecordings of the songs from his 2017 album Once Upon a Hell of a Time
Yes, this may repeat those same thirteen songs, but as an acoustic offering, “Twice…” sees everything reimagined in a completely different context. And instantly apparent upon the first listen is just how different these songs appear to be. “Once Upon a Hell of a Time … is a Saturday night record,” says Matt. “This version is for the hangover on Sunday.”
With “NYC Girls,” for instance, the up-tempo beat is toned down significantly through a simple drum rhythm and piano, that accompany some multi-vocal harmonies to provide a choir-like rendition much more in the spirit of Sunday morning church. “I think if a song has meaning and is played with heart it can be done in a million different styles, tempos, time signatures and colours,” offers Mays when asked about his willingness to take these original compositions and reconstruct them this way.
Elvis Costello $ The Attractions & Nina Diaz – No Action
this is such an amazing song!!
Ever the pioneer , Costello along with producer Sebastian Krys, have taken the classic 1978 album “This Years Model”, removed the vocals and invited artists from across the Spanish-speaking world to adapt the songs.
With Krys’ contact list, it wasn’t an insurmountable feat to sign up a guest list that includes Juanes, Luis Fonsi, Draco Rosa, Cami, La Santa Cecilia’s La Marisoul, Jesse & Joy, Morat, Jorge Drexler, Fito Páez, Gian Marco, Vega and others, representing Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, Peru, Puerto Rico and, yes, even the mainland U.S. Underneath all these star turns remains the thrilling work accomplished in the late ‘70s by as great a backing band as ever lived, the Attractions,
San Antonio singer Nina Diaz of the group Girl in a Coma lends her vocals to the opening track, “No Action”
Salif Keita, Angelique Kidjo, MHD – Itarafo
Album – un autre blanc 2018
Such a powerful collaboration, you can listen to it here
I actually didn’t write up any notes for this track, but I love to see the collaboration that is going on in a whole collection of albums by various new and established groups.
A littler note on MHD who is the young one on this great track.
…stage name MHD, is a French rapper from Paris, who is known for blending trap music with music of West Africa; a genre he coined as “Afro Trap“.[1][2][3] He was previously part of the rap collective 1.9 Réseaux.
Born in Vendée to a family of West African extraction, MHD began his career as a rapper in Paris at the age of 18. He found success in the mid-2010s through material he published on social media (notably music videos on YouTube) and in 2016 released his debut album MHD, which sold more than 200,000 copies in 6 months.[4][5][6] He later received international recognition, and toured in Guinea[citation needed], England, Senegal and Morocco.[7] His second album, titled 19, was released in September 2018.
St. Etienne – Pond House
Saint Etienne are an English band from London, formed in 1990. The band consists of Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They created a buzz in the UK in the 90’s which really didn’t translate to this side of the Atlantic.
According to Wikipedia, “their work has been described as uniting 1990s club culture with 1960s pop.” Since the nineties they have consistently released new music. Stanley and Wiggs also have been responsible for curating interesting compilations for UK reissue label Ace Records.
Pitchfork reviews Saint Etienne’s latest.
On their 10th studio album, the UK electro-pop heroes look back on the end of the 20th century, when hooks and choruses dissolved into blissed-out loops and vibe became paramount.
Pitchfork Magazine
Tú Sí Sabes – Natalia Lafourcade with Los Macorinos
a bit of an interview with Natalia Lafourcade and Los Macorinos who I featured on my last two tracks. I wish these guys would put out their own album.
Lafourcade has made a career out of her search for new sounds to adorn her melodies. In each of her efforts, she demonstrates a deep love for melody in all its forms, exploring it every way she can, and garnering a huge following in the Spanish-speaking world. Throughout the years, she has evolved into one of Mexico’s best songwriters and singers, thanks to her deep knowledge of music history and her ability to craft picturesque songs.
You told me you wanted to collaborate with Los Macorinos, but what was it like to finally have them in the studio with you? You also have a duet with Omara Portuondo. How was that experience?
I have collaborated with so many awesome people, but then I had this idea of making every collaboration much more deep and focused. They have to bring something new to me. In this case, it was a completely new experience to have Los Macorinos with me in the studio. We reached a whole new level because it wasn’t a very comfortable choice to work with them. How was I to play with these gentlemen? They have so much more experience.
Natalia Lafourcade – Tú sí sabes quererme (en manos de Los Macorinos)
Lucy Dacus – Gone Gone Gone (edit)
Lucy Dacus – Gone Gone Gone from 2021 album, Home Video
Dacus is an American singer-songwriter She is also a member of boygenius with Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. Here’s a really nice live version of this selection.
To quote Dacus From Pitchfork, “When I wrote this one, I didn’t like it so much because it had that campfire vibe, and I thought it was too twee. For a long time, I’ve tried to establish myself in people’s minds as Not Americana, because people go to such lengths to show girls with guitars as country adjacent. People have called me alt-country… Genre is dead, and yet, I make rock music. But I felt more comfortable doing whatever the song wanted this time around. So if it’s a campfire song, then let’s get people on the refrains, and let’s do it with acoustic guitars and make it super cozy. My favorite moment is the talking at the end. I like that it’s the exact center of the record because it feels like an intermission.”
On a final note, we aren’t the only Old Fellas enjoying new music! From The Guardian
Claudia Sierra, Los Macorinos, Clayton- Voy
Another one of the many collaborations by Los Macorinos
Nostalgia Entre Amigos 2 – 2018
And that’s all I have, I actually could find no more information about this singer. Any leads? Please let us know.
Whole-Hearted 