Out Of Nations
In a world without borders, humanity comes before nationality. Such is the founding sentiment and raison d'être of the Berlin-based Out Of Nations collective, a message the seven-piece wishes to spread through its music. "Out Of Nations is a dream for a future world, where people take each other as humans before they see each other as members of a certain nation," the band's bio reads.
Inspired by the global repercussions of the Arab Spring, including a dramatic increase in xenophobia, border security and violence, their music reveals a different narrative and shares a new vision of World Music: "The band's futuristic take on world music challenges the normal custom that musicians performing music from non-Western parts of the world emphasise the difference of their home countries through traditional, exotic dress and performance. Out Of Nations instead performs in sleek futuristic garments, reflecting a post-racial, post-national future world."
At the centre of it all is reeds player and composer Lety ElNaggar, who herself was "born to Egyptian and Mexican immigrant parents in suburban America". Alongside producer Khalil Chahine, she decided to envelope her international heritage and experience in modern sounds, fusing organic and electronic elements from the Middle East and Latin America with pop, rock, funk, jazz – "a soundtrack to match the visual wonderland they create on stage".
The group's wonderful debut album "Quest" releases at the end of August on Riverboat Records / World Music Network. They perform live in Berlin on August 14th at ufa Fabrik. Click here for more details.
Feel free to check out "The Out Of Nations Story" below or listen to album track "Fiebre (feat. Juan Ospina)" in the SoundCloud player above.
Out Of Nations are:
Lety ElNaggar (reeds)
Jonas Cambien (keys)
Charis Karantzas (guitar)
Fabian Timm (bass)
Ayman Mabrouk (percussion)
Christian Tschuggnall (drums)
Khalil Chahine (producer, engineer)
More posts
Quebra Cabeça
What a coincidence! So yesterday we walk by the Bixiga 70 poster in our office from their Berlin performance at YAAM in June, 2016. And we wonder if it wouldn't be about time for a new album. We visit their Twitter page, don't see any apparent news and move on to the next artist on our list. Then today, while browsing our timeline, we discover a post by Glitterbeat Records, announcing the collective's upcoming fourth album, to be released on October [...]
Black Noise 2084
Though rooted firmly in organic sounds and archaic rhythms, many of DJ Khalab's mind-warping productions have a futuristic feel to them. You might feel the urge to call it afro-futurism or future base or even jazz. Or how about "Black Noise 2084"? That should fit quite well.
"Black Noise 2084" is the title to Khalab's stupendous new album. Born Raffaele Constantino, a "renowned Italian radio host, producer, writer and artistic director", he decided to take on [...]
A.E.I.O.U.
While picking up another batch of records recently, we happened to grab a copy of legendary Brazilian singer Roberto "Di Melo" Santos' dangerously catchy new single "A.E.I.O.U". Recorded in collaboration with French jazz pianist Florian Pellissier and his able combo Cotonete during a tour to Brasil, "A.E.I.O.U" drops fourty years after Di Melo unveiled his classic self-entitled samba/soul LP.
“We had a few days off in Sao Paulo and I really hoped to make a [...]
Afrodyssey Orchestra
On a recent visit to Berlin's FreakOuternational Vinyl Market (which featured a live performance by Ghana's Guy One), we reached the stand of Sergi Roig and his independent label Altercat Records. While sifting through the crates, one particular record caught our attention with its gorgeously patterned, die-cut artwork and elegant foldout sleeve.
This record was Athens-based Afrodyssey Orchestra's latest album "In the Land of Aou Tila" and, just like its cover, [...]
Pour Une Poignée De Dinars
Aälma Dili are a charismatic four-piece from the Eastern Parisian suburbs of Montreuil, who've made a name for themselves with their energetic brand of "Balkan Power Western". We first covered them almost three years ago to the day, when they released their spirited track "Kenaro Narvalo" off their sophomore album "Fush Fush". Late last year (2017) they dropped the latter’s follow-up "Pour Une Poignée De Dinars" (For a Handful of Dinars) and are currently [...]
Moulay Ahmed El Hassani
Once again digging deep into its musical treasure trove is Brighton imprint Hive Mind Records, who, after posthumously releasing a stunning vinyl ode to the late Morrocan singer and guimbri master Maalem Mahmoud Gania, now return with a 30-minute cassette tribute to fellow Moroccan legend Moulay Ahmed El Hassani.
Originally hailing from Béni-Mellal in the mid-Atlas, El Hassani went on to release more than 50 albums over the past 30 years. A master of the [...]
Hello World!
After releasing his superb self-entitled debut LP on Tel Aviv's Dead Sea Recordings late last year, Gili Yalo has been on the road, including standout performances at last year's Trans Musicales in Rennes and at London's Royal Albert Hall (with Balkan Beat Box among others).
Just recently, he announced several more upcoming dates on his Facebook page, featuring shows in Israel, Portugal, Poland, France, Austria, the USA, Canada, Hungary and Turkey.
See below [...]
Don't Hold Onto The Clouds
It's hard to image the multi-talented Israeli producer and one-man think tank Ophir Kutiel, aka Kutiman, not having his head up in the clouds. After all, he has already released such a wide array of exhilarating, intoxicating and thought-provoking compositions, that we are having trouble keeping up and permanently wondering, what's next?
Just a bit over a week ago, Kutiman hit us with his latest four-track longplayer, fittingly entitled "Don't Hold Onto The [...]
Nozi Nozi
If you are not yet a fan, you will be in about five minutes, trust us. Israeli actress, model, singer and songwriter Liraz made her first appearance on Greedy back in 2016, when she first introduced her Rejoicer-produced debut single "Nozi Nozi" on Tel Aviv's Dead Sea Recordings; an enchanting nod to her Persian roots.
Continuously seeking to "provide a voice for silenced Iranian women", she recently unveiled the single's official companion music video, [...]
Back To Budapest
It has been a while since we last updated you on the current state of affairs concerning our jolly Jewish Monkeys, not since their tour support for Shantel, the Shantel remix of "Fever" and their last tour of Germany at the tail end of 2017 that is.
But the boys have not been monkeying around. Far from it: The band has been back in the studio readying new songs for album number three, the follow-up LP to their well received sophomore effort "High Words" [...]
An Island Story
UK-based Strut Records have gained access to the archives of one of the most prolific French Caribbean labels out of Guadeloupe, aka Henri Debs' Disques Debs. Founded in the late '50s, the imprint went on to release over 300 7" singles and 200 LPs, ranging from "early biguine and bolero to zouk and reggae", while "Debs played a pivotal role in bringing the créole music of Guadeloupe and Martinique to a wider international audience".
Volume 1 of the three-part [...]
Introducing: Victoria Hanna
"The concept of being a singer is very boring. It’s much more interesting for me to feel that I am a sculptor, I am a painter in sound. The space is my canvas, my voice is the paint. The letters are my buddies." –Victoria Hanna
While she is not new to our journal, we at Greedy for Best Music are more than happy to welcome the one and only Victoria Hanna to our musical family! You may have heard her on the catchy Balkan Beat Box track "Adir Adirim" or seen [...]