New Music, Old Music, Audio Equipment & More
Bleeks Song of the Month
A dreamier, rolling rmx of DRS's Bun Ya which tore up the dance floors in 2013. It features some of the UK's finest MC's, including Strategy and Chimpo to name but two. The rain in Manchester may have been awful, but it may have resulted in some amazing MC's staying in to hone their craft!!
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'Bun ya too' - ft Marcus Intalex, Chimpo, Fox, Rolla, Skittles, & Strategy |
IBEYI - 'IBEYI'
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Naomi and Lisa-Kainde Diaz are French-Cuban twins in the duo Ibeyi. Their debut album of the same name is a Yoruba word which means ‘Twins', they combine traditional Yoruba chants with minimal hip-hop beats as well as ethereal elements that combine to form an arresting album, thats slightly haunting.
‘River’ released as a single is easily their most catchy tune, as their contrasting voices express the desire for rebirth and cleansing calling on the Goddess ‘Oshun’ to wash away their shame. 'Mama Says’ is a powerful song demonstrating the confusing mix of emotions during grief, sharing intimacy of their loss through song. The stripped down feel to this song resonates with the raw and exposing feelings that can come with the death of someone close to you.
Ibeyi are signed to XL recordings, are currently touring and are well worth a listen. Check out a couple of their songs below:
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The Harlem duo and former Def Jux signees Cannibal Ox return after 14years with their 19 track album - ‘Blade of the Ronin’ . The anticipation of this album was huge, Cold Vein was always going to be a hard act to follow, and without EL-P on production too. Lyrically nothing really sticks, I can still recite some of my favourite lines from cold vein - “you were a still born baby, mother didn’t want you but you were still born” and “what you figure, that chalky outline on the ground is a father figure” - nothing like that jumps out from ‘Blade of the Ronin'. Nor does the production grab you, like on 'Iron Galaxy' - I can still remember the chills on hearing that first strange distorted siren as Vordul Mega and Vast Aire take you on their lyrical journey. Production has been taken over by Bill Cosmiq who tries but fails to capture the dystopian disjointed atmosphere of their first album, its got a more conventional Hip Hop sound, good in its own right, but not fresh and bold. Something distinctly sci-fi is missing from this album, it tries to recapture the feeling of "other worldliness" on ‘Gotham’, the closest its gets to the glory of Cold Vein, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. I’ve listened to it three times from start to finish to give it a fighting chance, because I have so much love for Cannibal Ox, but I can't help but feel disappointed at their second release together.
I give it 3 stars.
Meklit - 'Kemekem' (I like your afro)
‘Kemekem’ (I like your Afro) is an Ethiopian love song, sung by San Francisco based songstress Meklit. It features the awesome pianist Samuel Yirga of 'Black Gold of the Sun’. The song and video are beautiful, Meklit’s voice takes you on journey of admiration of the Afro, it's a true celebration of natural hair. I’d never come across her before, but this song as catapulted her into the fore front of my psyche, I haven’t been able to stop playing it! The video with a rough translation of the lyrics are below:
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"You with the beautiful afro,
Someone could ransack my house and not find a trace of you. That’s how discreet I could be with our love Woy la la, child of my country Woy la la, you who shares the river with me You with the beautiful afro, You are driving my heart like a cattle herder drives the oxen Woy la la, child of my country Woy la la, you who shares the river with me You with the beautiful afro, You’re delicious like injera and sweet like tej A homeboy is just like that too." |
