t’s been a long, strange trip for Johan Hugo and Esau Mwamwaya, the Swedish-Malawian duo behind The Very Best’s exuberant global pop. One which crosses continents as well as musical genres. It’s also a trip, according to Johan, with no end in sight. “We’re constantly evolving,” he says with a laugh. “Not just in the sense that we’re trying to change our sound. But we're constantly on a new journey which colours the music we make.”
This particular journey began in October 2013, following a performance at Malawi’s Lake of Stars festival when Johan stayed on in the capital Lilongwe to record some demos. Initial sessions were promising, but to really move ahead Johan felt they needed a change of scene. “When we were ready to get into writing and production we wanted to get away from Lilongwe and city life,” he says. “We found a house about five hours drive from the capital in a village called M'dala Chikowa. It was an amazing experience recording there, especially because the community is half Christian, half Muslim. In a world often divided between the West and the ‘other’ it was amazing to see people living in peace and harmony despite differences in religion and culture.”
Living and working in M'dala Chikowa also fed into the new record. Hearing that they were in town, local choirs and musicians would often turn up and perform for them, intrusions welcomed by the band who were keen to incorporate a new variety of acoustic and live instruments into their sound.
“This time we really wanted to make a record that could be played by a band,” says Johan. “Something really organic, so there’s not as many electronic instruments on Makes A King.
As well as the sounds of the lake, Johan and Esau again drew on a wide circle of contributors and guest artists. Local Malawian band Jerere can be heard sharing a joke with Esau on the infectious “Bilimankhwe” while anthemic single “Hear Me” is anchored by bass from Vampire Weekend’s Chris Baio and Senegalese superstar Baaba Maal adds his trademark vocal power to “Umasiye”. Yet whether tapping into a vibrant house groove (“Sweka”) or summoning lilting pop harmonies (“Mwana Wanga”), Makes A King remains a southern African album at its heart, with Esau not afraid to reference Malawi’s recent issues with endemic poverty and political corruption.
“The songs are pretty diverse in terms of what’s being said,” admits Johan. “But it does get harder to ignore problems in the world. ‘Hear Me’ was a very personal song for Esau and he wanted to express his frustrations about the lack of progress in Malawi since independence. We’ve always felt our purpose in music is to be a positive force and Esau's voice touches people without going too deep into political issues. So Makes A King is about celebrating the positive and the negative in life – and striving to stay happy through it all.”
With Esau’s visa issues now resolved, The Very Best should at last be able to play live dates in the UK. “It feels amazing to think about playing UK shows after so many years of Esau not being able to tour here,” says Johan. “After all, our whole project began in east London. Hopefully 2015 will see us come full circle – back home to where it all started!”
Makes A King will be released 6th April on Moshi Moshi Records
Available for the very first time, 'THE BEST OF CHIRON' through Wave Records Brasil will delight fans of both Chiron, and the original line up of popular cult dark wave band IKON! Formed in 1997 by vocalist Michael Aliani (aka Carrodus) after he left IKON, the original CHIRON line- up included legendary IKON bass player Dino Molinaro and members of Russian Rock band B2, Shura Bi-2 and Lyova Bi-2.
This release features tracks from Chiron's debut album, 'Eve', their second epic album, 'Slipping Away' and a number of rarities and remixes that are being made available for this release for the very first time. Add to this a number of tracks from the yet to be released albums, 'We own the Night' and 'The Sun goes Down' and this release will surely please lovers of high quality Darkwave music. Dark, dreamy, intense, and at times frantic. It is sleek, dark avantguard music that cannot be pigeon- holed to just one style. Though Chiron never set boundaries, one consistency remains, the deep spine tingling vocals of the extraordinary Michael Aliani.
We write the year 2015. One retro wave follows the next. Electro-Pop is bigger than ever. All around the world, current productions reference the sound that emerged from pre-reunification Germany. So where are the originals – the bands and artists of that time – today? Many can be found doing the rounds at eighties parties held by local radio stations. Others are investing the royalties from their back catalogues in the cultivation of organic vegetables. Not so for Camouflage. That's right – THE Camouflage – the masters of sadness dressed up in electronic songs. The band flitted directly from the small German town of Bietigheim-Biss- ingen all the way to the United States in 1987 with "The Great Commandment". Their music brilliantly combined the icy coolness of Kraftwerk, the pop of OMD and the melancholy gloom of Depeche Mode. Yet the temptation to indulge in nostalgia has always remained very feint with this band. So it's no surprise that Camouflage now emerge with their 8th album “Greyscale” – a strikingly current and compelling album, both musically and lyrically. The music on “Greyscale” sounds expansive and atmospheric, yet is simultaneously compelling and tight.
Once again responsible for the production is Heiko Maile, who has enjoyed success as a film music composer for several years now. Stylistically confident, he contrasts electronic elements, guitars, sonic experimentation and beats with acoustic instruments, such as the string ensemble of the Babelsberg Film Orchestra. Great support for the musicality and sound of the album came from renewed collaboration with two of the band’s most loyal companions: Volker Hinkel (guitar, production) and Jochen Schmalbach (production, mixing), both of whom have been involved with Camouflage over many years, as part of the live band and all other activities. In “End of Words” there is even a children's choir, which sounds as if Kubrick himself set it in scene. It’s nothing less than cinematic! The record sounds modern, yet Camouflage always maintain the connection to their own original sound, for which they became famous.
The beats and basses, synth arpeggios and pads all reveal their unmistakable fingerprint, equally as characteristic as the touchingly poignant voice of singer Marcus Meyn. Another great quality of this music: Camouflage is not just some superficial band that bases its existence on churning out dance stompers and love songs. Their music and lyrics touch on nothing less than the big questions of our time. Hope is also a theme. “Count on Me” is a declaration of unconditional love. Here Marcus Meyn shares the vocals with Peter Heppner of Wolfsheim. Together they sing: “The truth will set me free, I can always count on you, as you can always count on me.” You can also count on the band Camouflage. They refuse to stand still. They do not live in the past. With “Greyscale” they have created a beautiful, powerful piece of music for the here and now – about ourselves and our lives.
All-star Hong Kong extravaganza about patriots vs. traitors in 1930s Shanghai featuring Shaw Brothers veterans David Chiang and Ti Lung, and superstar Andy Lau (INFERNAL AFFAIRS);
from the director of FIVE DEADLY VENOMS and ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN
Synopsis:
Thirteen deadly warriors versus an entire army. During the Sino-Japanese war, a Chinese patriot steals damning evidence that exposes traitorous intentions within the government. Planning to bring the evidence from Shanghai to Hong Kong and break it to the public he becomes an assassination target. In order to ensure a safe passage he employs an elite ensemble of fighters - The Shanghai Thirteen to protect him on the mission. With obstacles ahead and pursuers behind, bloody battles ensue.
THE SHANGHAI 13 is directed by CHANG Cheh.
Starring
Andy LAU (INFERNAL AFFAIRS, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS)
Jimmy WANG Yu (ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN)
CHEN Kuan Tai (FIVE DEADLY VENOMS, GALLANTS, THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS)
Danny LEE (THE KILLER)
TI Lung (A BETTER TOMORROW, DRUNKEN MASTER II)
The film will come to DVD in UK on 09 February 2015.
Greek/Swedish melodic death metal band, Nightrage, has announced an April 24, 2015 release date for its sixth studio album, The Puritan, due out on Despotz Records. You can watch video for the first single “Kiss of a Sycophant,” here:
The Puritan – an uncompromising, eerie, dramatic and melodic death metal journey in its purest essence – welcomes new Nightrage vocalist, Ronnie Nyman, to the mix. Nyman joins founding member, guitarist Marios Iliopoulos, and bassist, Anders Hammer, after performing with the band last year on its Japanese and Russian tours. Album number six was produced by Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, Devin Townsend, Soilwork) and George Nerantzis at Dugout Productions in Uppsala, Sweden.
