Creating globally smart music doesn’t always require a passport, but it never hurts if you have one handy. Just ask a handful of British blokes who’d been making music in London for years that hovered around the sometimes loved and loathed genre of Afropop. Considering Vampire Weekend gets shit for trying the same thing, the Londoners aspired to dig deeper.

So after hopping a flight to Kenya (the same country their nation used to colonize, ahem!) they found a generous and forgiving group of musicians who were willing to show ‘em a few things. The main Kenyan musician that helped get things going were traditional luo players Joseph Nyamungu and Charles Owoko who gigged and labored with the blokes until an album was created. So on May 2nd, be on the lookout for the Owiny Sigoma Band’s self-titled debut project hitting stores via Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordsing. And trust, if Gilles is putting it out, it’ll certainly be good.

For now, check out a fresh remix that Detroit electronic wiz Theo Parrish just dropped a couple of days ago. He’s pulled out all of the guts and reworked some serious melodic 313 grooves into this piece. Voila.
Owiny Sigoma Band // Wires (Theo Parrish Remix) by Brownswood

And after you take this track in, check out a mini album promo/documentary on how Owiny Sigoma Band sound while hanging in Nairobi.
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This past Wednesday’s Gilles Peterson Worldwide on BBC1 was a banger, and it’s well worth a Sunday afternoon/evening replay. The tastemaker’s tastemaker debuted some fresh, previously unheard material from a few of my personal, and LxNxM’s, favorites: Lunice, Tokimonsta, Flying Lotus and Raphael Saadiq. He also threw the new Little Dragon single, “Nightlight,” in the playlist and played an exclusive, short-but-sweet DJ set from Ms. “On & On” herself.  (If those aren’t enough reasons for you to listen, then you’re on the wrong blog, dude.)

You probably already know about my unrequited love for Erykah – no need to repeat myself too much, lest I come off as a creep-o.  But I gotta say, Erykah’s DJ sets are always on point.  She might not be a seamless mixmaster, but she knows how to get deep.  And I’m not just talking about the depth of her crates, but the depth of the feeling she’s able to convey with her song selection.  That’s why it’s also cool to hear Erykah and Gilles geek out on the music afterward. The love that these two have for the music is inspirational and infectious.  Turntables, here I come!

Download the mp3 or stream the two-hour program from the BBC (stream only available until Wednesday).  Playlist after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

As a long-time fan of Gilles Peterson, I’ll almost automatically click on anything of his that I can find since he’s got impeccable taste in music. The long-time BBC radio host and DJ is big on global sounds, so it’s no surprise that he took a swing at Keziah’s “Lagos vs. New York” joint and hit a homerun. For all of our London peeps, be sure to check out Keziah Jones performing tomorrow night, October 6th, at Barbican Hall alongside Tony Allen, Cheikh Lo, Pee Wee Ellis, Seun Kuti, Ty, and others to celebrate Allen’s 70th birthday and an independent Nigeria’s 50th. Read more on that here. And watch intimate YouTube footage of Keziah playing “Lagos vs. New York” live after the jump.

Keziah Jones – Lagos VS New York (Gilles Peterson Rmx) by ameliaideh

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If you’re a fan of digging for records like I am, then you’ll love this video. And if you’re a true blue vinyl collector and are far more advanced in the methods of digging than I am, then you might just cream yourself. One of my favorite radio personalities and DJs, Gilles Peterson, recently took a trip to Havana, Cuba to go looking for some of that island’s newest generation of music stars. Non-American DJs can do that very easily. Hint hint Obama — drop the travel embargo! Anyway, he naturally stumbled upon an old record store and hit paydirt. Check out the video below. And know that Gilles is dropping a new album, Havana Cultura Remixed, on June 7th on his own Brownswood Recording imprint. It’s a two disc album featuring remixes from Louie Vega, Carl Cox, Seiji, some of the 4Hero family, and lot’s more. And this is the dusty record shop where much of it began. For the love of music, drop the embargo!

If you don’t already know about Gilles Peterson, that’s your bad.  He’s an OG cratedigger and tastemaker extraordinaire coming outta London, England.  His roots are deep in jazz, but he’s not afraid to deviate from the beaten path, and everything he plays is butta.  Peep the podcast if you’re not familiar, but first check Theophilus London and Dam-Funk on Mr. Peterson’s show on BBC Radio 1.  Click here for the tracklist.