Global SoulJah and BBE Records Radio Show November 7, 2009

Straight in at the deep end this week with one of my new Womex music discoveries, Kouyate & Neerman. I was fortunate to see this due live a couple of weeks ago and the project with Kouyate on Balafon and Neerman on his vibes linked to an effects unit and distortion pedals is great forward thinking Afro Jazz fusion. The Jazz Chronicles album is out and although some of the beats are a bit rigid at times they really did the business with the One For Joe track. Portformat is a great new intergalactic hip hop project with an amazing roster of vocal talent including Dudley Perkins, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Shaunise amongst many others.

Robert Strauss is coming through with some nice new material with a future soul touch but using the decidedly old school vocalist and previous collaborator, the evergreen Leroy Burgess. Kylie Auldist has been given an amazing edit by Ashley Beedle to turn her In A Week, In A Day track into an end of night soul diamond. Tony Allen is working on more projects than your average government this year and his latest is a couple of tracks soundtracking an imaginary blaxploitation movie, deep afro funk flavour.

Soundway have just released a new compilation focusing on the vintage sounds of the French Caribbean and I'm happy to report it is up to their usual impeccably packaged and selected standards although the Biguine and Creole rhythms will be news to a lot of listeners, check it for some vintage global freshness. Another discovery at Womex was Cacique'97 a great Afrobeat project from Portugal taking the sound in interesting new directions with some pan African flavours and even the sound of Brasil, great project and top guys.

Debruit is going from strength to strength as I drop one of his new tracks on Civil Music, with nods to his Congo Whoomph track earlier this year but with some great more melodic African touches. Incidentally I saw him live last night in Barcelona and he rocks the party as well! Pinch has just dropped a new track with the vocals of Yolanda which I've dispensed with by playing the dub as the dirty tribal dubstep rhythm doesn't really need any help. The King Midas Sound album is on it's way this month so I give you a little taste with a great vocal track called Earth A Kill You. Look out for the album it's a really diverse bassline offering.

Scuba can always be relied on to deliver some bassline deepness and with his new EP on Hot Flush he's done just that with some nice tempo variations as well. I close the show with another of my Womex discoveries in the form of the Basque group Oreka TX who are single handedly reviving the old traditional regional instrument, the Xtalaparta - a great sounding wooden percussion instrument a bit like an oversized vibes played with wooden circular blocks rather than mallets - check it!

Kouyate & Neerman - Niokome (No Format)
Jazz Chronicles - One For Joe (Futuristica)
Portformat - Life Water feat Thesauras Rex (Tokyo Dawn Promo)
Robert Strauss - Love & Self Respect feat Leroy Burgess (BBE promo)
Kylie Auldist - In A Week, In A Day, Ashley Beedle Streetsoul Edit (Tru-Thoughts promo)
http://crammed.greedbag.com/buy/black-theme-from-the-film-1/">MC Jean Gab'1 & Tony Allen - E Nan Mian Nuku (Crammed Discs)
El Rego Et Ses Commandos - E Nan Mian Nuku (Soundway Records)
Debruit - Nigerian What? (Civil Music promo)
Pinch - Get Up Dub (Tectonic promo)
Kind Midas Sound - Earth A Kill You (Hyperdub promo)
Scuba - Ice Tx (Hot Flush promo)
Oreka TX - Ice Tx (World Village)

Check out another Cacique'97 track from their album and it's nice little video here: