Pon Di Wire: Elephant Man In Africa, Bounty Banned, Johnny Osbourne Reissued
New York Governor David Patterson (whose family background is Jamaican) and Mayor Michael Bloomberg are calling this Sunday, May 4 a “Day of Reggae,” coinciding with the 27th Annual International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA). The event takes place at the Apollo Theater and will feature performances and award presentations from Beenie Man, Ky-Mani Marley, Doug E. Fresh, Tarrus Riley, Freddie McGregor, Etana, Buju Banton, Macka Diamond, Lady G, Tony Rebel, Lady Ann, Dean Fraser, and Junior Reid.
Speaking of reggae in New York, a big Mothers Day concert will take place May 10 at Madison Square Garden with headliner Buju Banton, a.k.a. Gargamel. The now annual Mother’s Day Reggae Festival also features performances by Super Cat and Barrington Levy.
Can Bounty Killer and Mavado perform anywhere anymore? One wonders, after Mavado was denied entry in N.Y. a few weeks back and Bounty Killer’s shows in the U.K. were postponed. Now comes word that Killer is banned from performing in neighboring Caribbean nation Guyana (on the South American coast). According to the Canadian Press website, Interior Minister Clement Rohee says Bounty Killer is no longer welcome because gunfire erupted at an April 19 concert. He says Bounty Killer’s lyrics promote violence and celebrate criminal behavior. Rohee also banned the Jamaican singer Mavado.
In further developments, YardFlex.com reports that Beenie Man has instead been scheduled to take Bounty’s performance slot in Guyana. Word from Beenie’s camp also reveals a new collaboration with Ce’Cile called “So Fly,” produced by hit-maker Scott Storch (Nas, 50 Cent, Beyonce).
Elephant Man, Harry Toddler, and other members of the original Scare Dem Crew touched down in Africa recently–Kampala, Uganda, to be exact–to perform at the Smirnoff Rave Street Jam. Toddler told One876 news, “Uganda was crazy, mi ah tell yu, Kampala, right now, mad, dem block off the street and at least 25,000 people or more, the whole city lock off! Big up Ele, Dandimite, and Nitty Kutchie.”
Cambridge, MA’s Heartbeat Records will reissue a deluxe version of Johnny Osbourne’s Studio One 1979 classic, Truth and Rights, an album noted for its memorable songs and American soul influences. Known for hits “Buddy Bye,” “No Ice Cream Sound,” and “Water Pumping,” Osbourne is one of Jamaica’s finest vocalists; U.K. electronic outfit Zero 7 has also covered the album’s title song, “Truth And Rights.” The reissue includes remastered original recordings along with six bonus tracks, including a deejay version by Jah Jesco featuring Jucey Bravo on “West Gone Black.”
Lyric DVD will release its new DVD magazine, Reggae Street Wars Part 2: Babylon on July 1. The mixtape-style DVD features clips and interviews with Bounty Kiiler, Mavado, Serani, Demarco, Sizzla, Norris Man, Ninja Man, Munga Honorable, Lady Saw, Bugle, Michael Rose, Deva Bratt, and Tanya Stephens. A forthcoming issue, titled Sound Killa, will examine what it takes to be the number one sound system performer.
With Busy Signal’s next hit, “Unknown Number,” bubbling just below the top 10 in Jamaica this week at number 11 and the U.K. listing Stephen and Damien Marley’s “The Mission” at number 1, here’s what’s hot in Jamaica, courtesy of Hot 102’s Richie B.
Jamaica’s Top 10 Reggae Singles
1. Courtney John “Baby Tonight” (Taxi)
2. Little Hero “Praise God” (Inspire)
3. Etana “Warrior Love” (Freemind)
4. Queen Ifrica “Mi Nah Rub” (Down Sound)
5. Daville “Yesterday” (Fashozy)
6. Queen Ifrica “Daddy” (No Doubt)
7. Courtney Melody “Just Like Rain” (Reggae Vibes)
8. Lutan Fyah “St. Jago De La Vega” (Mac D)
9. Tarrus Riley “Lion Paw” (Cannon)
10. Black Judah/Warrior King “Mercy Please” (Teflon Blood)
Warchild
Strangers
Strangers
James Pants to Tour with Jamie Lidell
The musically divergent, Spokane, Washington resident James Pants will leave home next week to play several dates around North America, the majority of which are part of the Jamie Lidell tour soon to be making its way around the country.
Dates for the shows below will see the man born James Singleton manning the turntables, with DJ sets that will likely be as diverse as his own production work. Stay tuned for July, when Singleton is rumored to be taking a live show with a full band on yet more dates.
His Stones Throw debut, Welcome, will drop on May 27.
Dates
05/08 Los Angeles, CA: La Cita
05/09 San Francisco, CA: Amnesia
05/25 Vancouver, BC: Richards on Richards*
05/27 Portland, OR: Berbatis*
05/28 San Francisco, CA: Bimbo’s*
05/29 Los Angeles, CA: El Rey*
05/30 Los Angeles, CA: El Rey*
05/30 Los Angeles, CA: In-Store @ Turntable Lab
05/31 Tuscon, AZ: Rialto*
06/02 Denver, CO: Bluebird*
06/13 Toronto, ON: Wrongbar
06/14 Chicago, IL: Sonotheque
* w/ Jamie Lidell
Photo by Darcy Caputo.
Claro Intelecto Metanarrative
Manchester resident Mark Stewart’s work as Claro Intelecto fuses his hometown’s wintry austerity and vibrant Haçienda legacy into a mesmerizing, memorable sophomore album. These are thoroughly British techno songs: refined and melodically grounded with nods to Detroit’s and Berlin’s early-’90s sound as well as Warp’s warm electronic output. Aphex Twin and Black Dog cast shadows over the misleadingly titled “Harsh Reality,” a gentle track with watery synths that amble along like a country creek. Likewise, blissful numbers “Innocence,” “Operation,” and the spectacularly dubby “Dependent” instigate rhythmic hypnosis. Stewart’s arrangements retain a rueful, distant tone, like choir hymns drifting from a faraway cathedral. Metanarrative is a mysterious techno album that doesn’t have to be figured out to be enjoyed.
Kidz in the Hall The In Crowd
Pushing substantial hip-hop to the public can be a tricky undertaking, which the Chicago/Jersey act Kidz in the Hall is well aware of. With their sophomore set, MC Naledge and producer Double-O spare some of the righteousness exhibited on their debut without necessarily dumbing it down. The bass-centric “Drivin’ Down the Block” makes for the ideal summertime cruising anthem while the jazzy “Snob Hop” is a straight shot of lyrical flossing. Despite not making the most thought-provoking tracks, the Kidz accomplish exactly what they set out to do with style. The duo doesn’t always hit their target–which is painfully clear on the messy, R&B-tinged “Love Hangover”–but overall they’re one step closer to achieving mass appeal.
K’naan “Strugglin'”
K’naan, born K’naan Warsame in Mogadishu, Somolia, emigrated to the U.S. in 1991 on the last commercial flight out of his civil-war-torn home. For others, arriving in New York during the early ’90s would have made an excellent introduction to a seminal era in rap history, but K’naan already knew how to rap. Listening to CDs sent by to him in Somalia from Stateside members of his family, he learned to imitate New York rap verses and rhythms before he understood a word of English or stepped out of East Africa. Fittingly, his music is informed by a life split between North America and Africa, occasionally taking stylistic cues from Mos Def or Lil Wayne, along with dropping some lyrics in Somali. The Dusty Foot Philosopher, to be released in the U.S. on June 24, features tracks like “What’s Hardcore,” which offers the violent reality of Somalia as a comparison to the hyperbolic gangster image in American hip-hop. This track, “Struggling,” is a melancholy but articulate coming-of-age gem. Wyatt Williams
Brazilian Girls, DJ Bitman, and Ticklah Headline LAMC
New York City will host the ninth annual Latin Alternative Music Conference this summer from July 8 – 12. Tying together artists who share the Spanish language and sometimes little else, the conference presents a spread of artists both geographically and stylistically diverse.
Highlighting the event are two outdoor concerts: the first in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, featuring New York’s own Brazilian Girls, Argentine electro-pop act Miranda!, and the dub sounds of Ticklah, The second show will be in Manhattan’s Central Park and will feature DJ Bitman from Chile along with Plastilina Mosh and Julieta Venegas from Mexico.
The event is a major draw for industry-types, as well, who will be attending panel discussions at The Roosevelt Hotel. Nueva York won’t be the only location for this meeting of musical minds, though–satellite events will follow in Mexico City and Buenos Aires later this year.
