From Peru to Brazil, Ethiopia Between

NOVALIMA
Afro (Quango)

Using slave songs and the cajon – a wooden box drum originally created from shipping crates – as a foundation for this eloquent, minimal electronica project, four producers explore the longtime folk sounds of Peru. Connecting Africa and South America sonically and socially, this outfit catalogs bits of local lore with additions of synthesizers, congas and excellent vocal sections. Swinging between the vivid (the jazzy, downtempo “Chinchivi”) and club ready (the trucking “Candela”), extending the community work of singers like Susana Baca into future forays, Afro is at once artifact and testament, and more poignantly, a simply beautiful record.

BOLE 2 HARLEM
Bole 2 Harlem Vol 1 (Sounds of the Mushroom)

Throwing a futuristic headnod to classic Ethiopian jazz and funk, producer David Schommer stepped into the studio with a clear vision in mind. With the help of vocalists Maki Siraj and Tigist Shibabaw, as well as his incredibly clean programming abilities, he created one of the most unique takes on modern Ethiopian music this side of Bill Laswell. Hip-hop and soul vocal hooks are scattered throughout, but the overall effect is a caravan of nomadic spirits banging on heavy percussion, penetrative bass loops and catchy harmonies. When the horns come blaring in, the anthemic battle cry is complete.

CEU
Ceu (Six Degrees)

On her MySpace page Brazilian vocalist CeU claims her sound to be “like nothing you’ve ever heard before.” This is not in jest. Her debut uses samba as a platform, but the direction she takes it (along with the help of excellent producer Apollo Nove) is completely fresh. The soundscapes devised, pulling from jazz, Brazilian percussive traditions, Afrobeat and bass-heavy midtempo electronica, merit a record of their own. Here, however, it’s CeU’s voice, long, painfully sensuous syllables on “Roda,” upbeat bursts of poetry with “Rainha” and her catchy acoustic rendition of “Concrete Jungle,” that is the true diamond.