Friday, November 18, 2011

Afrolicious - Dub For Mali EP

Hear The Track Here


Now that I have decent source for decent reggae and dub (step forward Juan at Press Junkie) I am duty bound to bring some of it to your attention. As you know this is a genre very close to what I laughingly call a heart and I am a producer of the genre myself so my interest is a given. According to the accompanying blurb A Dub For Mali is 'a taste of the wide spectrum of sounds that have been cultivated weekly at the San Francisco based Afrolicious party, hosted by real life brothers Pleasuremaker and SeƱor Oz' and bloody good it is too with its mix of African and Caribbean rhythms.

Don't take my word for it though, just dive in...

Dub For Mali features three tracks, each of them excellent in their own way so let's start with Foolin'.. Billed as 'electro-Dub, reggae and down-tempo' it features some killer rimshots of the kind I have dreams about, a touch of jazzy horns (from Billy Magic and Aaron Lebowitz ) and a ridiculously infectious groove that is absolutely guaranteed to have you nodding with the first ten seconds. Vocally perfect too, thanks to a spirited performance from Trinidad's Fresh is Life. Righteous!! Dub For Mali is definitely the standout track, at least for me, and not just because of the killer vocals contributed by Burkina Faso's Yacouba Diara but by the laid back, yet energetic authentic African tone. A perfect piece of world music.

Thursday Night Kinda Swings rounds out the set and it's a magical blend of jazz, funk, electronica that swings in a way most indie musicians would kill to achieve. Again featuring a stellar vocal performance from Baba Duru Of course, we are talking about somewhat higher class of presentation, performance and production from all the musicians I have mentioned, as well as mainman Joey "Pleasuremaker" McGuire and producer Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation. In a world where just about everyone and his dog can make music is good, yeah, but not like this. If you live in San Franciso it would be a good idea to check out Afrolicious live methinks; judging by this it would be a very handsome night indeed. Awesome stuff.

MUST HAVE world/reggae/dub/electronica/everything.

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