Ranil
It didn't take much convincing, but we've come to the following conclusion: When the going gets tough, we need to turn to music to soothe our souls, swing our moods and act as an antidote to whatever is weighing heavily on our minds. Enter Analog Africa and Ranil, who, in light of the ongoing global pandemic, decided to share a selection of ten more tracks to accompany the latter's recently released project "Ranil y Su Conjunto Tropical (Limited Dance Edition)".
"We´ve prepared a little something for you," Samy Ben Rejeb's label announced. "A selection of tunes that had been pre-selected for the second Ranil project. And since we all need a little comforting [...] it's free. Just put zero and add your email address. So download this when you feel like it and share the selection with as many friends and loved ones as possible [...] because it's good for the soul and eases the stress!"
Peruvian singer, bandleader and entrepreneur Raúl Llerena Vásquez, aka Ranil, is considered "one of the central figures of Amazonian music" whose "extraordinary output has remained one of the best kept secrets among collectors of cumbia and psychedelic Latin sounds." Originally from the city of Iquitos, nicknamed the capital of the Peruvian Amazon, Ranil used to work as a school teacher in neighbouring towns, surrounded by "the criollo waltzes of his youth, carimbó rhythms from nearby Brasil and crackly broadcasts of cumbia from Colombia picked up on transistor radios."
Upon returning to Iquitos, however, he decided to assemble a group of musicians, thus giving birth to his unique style of Amazonian cumbia in the early 1970s, led by "galloping rhythms and trebly, reverberant guitar." He soon took his band to Lima, to record at the renowned MAG studios, but quickly decided that he wanted to take musical matters into his own hands and founded the first record label of the Peruvian Amazon, alias Producciones Llerena. "In recent decades, he has concentrated his considerable energies on his radio and television stations, and become involved with local civic politics. Yet his legacy has continued to grow," the release notes read.
A few weeks back, Analog Africa released a singular 14-track compilation of Ranil's productions entitled "Ranil y su Conjunto Tropical (Limited Dance Edition)" and now decided to follow that up with a free download selection of ten more tracks to dampen the effect of the current global pandemic. Click below for a rare taste of the magical musical powers of the Peruvian Amazon and the indelible guitar grooves of Ranil and his tropical ensemble.
More posts
Maghreb K7 Club
Geneva-based 'fournisseur' of contemporary underground releases Les Disques Bongo Joe has just hit big in our books with its latest release, a sizzling compilation composed of Maghreb music straight from the cultural melting pot of – who would have guessed – Lyon. While we were well aware of France's colonial pursuits in North Africa and subsequent migration from these territories, this release positively blindsided us. It also happens to bear an incredible [...]
Yewoulen
Truly uplifting, just like a new day's first rays of sun, trees and flowers in bloom or an unexpected window of opportunity. Even with the current lockdown situation, one thing is certain, spring is in the air and musically heralding this change of seasons is the new studio album by London's Awale Jant Band on ARC Music.
Led by Senegalese singer Biram Seck and composed, engineered and mixed by French band leader/guitarist Thibaut Remy, "Yewoulen" (which [...]
L'Orchestre National de Mauritanie
Late last week, with artists and labels worldwide already feeling the economic effects of COVID-19, Bandcamp decided to renounce its fee for a day and relay all revenue directly to the artists as a form of financial support. All day emails flooded our inbox, teasing new releases and vying for attention. This week, Bandcamp announced that the fundraising campaign had been a success: "On a typical Friday, fans buy about 47,000 items on Bandcamp, but this past [...]
Green Dogs of Dahshur
The COVID-19 quarantine days are slowly but surely creeping up on us and putting our sanity to the test. In a 'Black Mirror'-like scenario our screens have become a welcome escape and the internet a friend in need, as we tirelessly scroll the web in perpetual search of new music to get us through these taxing times.
Enter Cheb Gero's Akuphone imprint, always leading the way in terms of highly engaging, off-the-beaten-track releases, e.g. Kink Gong, Gamelan [...]
Wono
With so many great collaborative projects surfacing the world around, this one had us locked in from the start. It was actually the magnificent artwork by Berlin-based artist Denis Faneites that reeled us in and then of course the Olindo Records seal of quality (see also Betsayda Machado, Isaac Sasson and Insólito UniVerso). But back to "Wono".
Building on the success of their eponymous 2019-released EP with remixes by the likes of grandmaster Osunlade and [...]
Jajouka
Upon listening to this recording, our first reaction was to turn down the volume. However, we were also quick to realise that, although this may not be one for the faint of heart or faith, may not be what we would categorise as 'easy listening', it is most definitely an essential if not iconic piece of work, bound to widen our musical horizon. And if that doesn't convince you, it was recorded and produced by the master of 'collision music' Bill Laswell. No? [...]
We Are All Migrants
It's March 2020 and, once again, we find ourselves negotiating the fate of thousands of men, women and children, seeking refuge and asylum in the European Union. People remain on the move and 'Fortress Europe' seemingly continues to believe that paying money to foreign powers to keep the proverbial floodgates closed is not just an option, but an actual solution. And then, to our great surprise, it is not. Wars in faraway lands keep on waging and waves of [...]
Refrakto
This one here has got us super excited, so bear with us. As part of the upcoming Luminale Biennial for Light Art and Urban Design taking place in Frankfurt this week from March 12th-15th, the acclaimed Danish composer duo and sample wizards Den Sorte Skole will bring their mind-bending audiovisual performance and installation REFRAKTO to the city's St. Katharinenkirche. The show was created exclusively for said venue and in close collaboration with Danish [...]
Heavy Hearts
Today is a very sad day for us and Jewish Monkeys fans all across the globe, especially those in Germany. In an ironically 'catastrophic' turn of events and due to ongoing precautionary measures taken by governments around the world in an attempt to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Tel Aviv-based band announced today that it would not be able to embark on the second leg of its "Catastrophic Life" tour through Germany next week. The outfit took to social [...]
Jubiiilæum
Denmark is admittedly not one of our most frequent purveyors of extraordinary releases. So you might guess just how excited we were to hear about this truly spectacular reissue of "a rare Discogs gem from the early 80s by the legendary Danish composer and music educator Lotte Kærså and her band of young musicians, alias Græsrødderne," on trailblazing Copenhagen-based electronic music imprint Tartelet Records.
The "Jubiiilæum" (transl. Anniversary) LP is [...]
Saluf
Hot on the heels of a busy 2019 for the ever-busy and multi-talented Israeli producer, including a pleasantly psycho-active jazz funk five-tracker, Kutiman jump-starts 2020 with his latest limited edition 7" release. The sleek new "Saluf" EP features two highly desirable desert funk burners, e.g. the fan favourite title-track as well as "Badawee" on the flip side.
"Saluf" is "an irresistible hypnotic Middle Eastern brain melter that is steadily building and [...]
Marching On
With just a bit over two and a half weeks to go, our very own Jewish Monkeys have laced up their sneakers and ironed their matching sweatsuits as they prepare to hit the Autobahn once again. That's right fans, your favourite band of 'jewiatrics', Tel Aviv's self-proclaimed grandfathers of punk will be back in Deutschland shortly, bringing their current third studio album to life, "Catastrophic Life" that is.
This time, the band will be performing live in the [...]