ADVENTURES IN NIAMEY (DAY 1)

So, here am I. At Casablanca Airport, waiting for my correspondance to Niamey, drinking mint tea and watching the Clasico Barça - Real Madrid.

It all started the sunday before last when I got that phonecall from Niamey : "We're happy to invite you to come here and give workshops to 12 West African Dj's". I laughed at first. And I'm pretty sure that, out of 12, at least 8 are technically better than I am. But anyway, I never refused such an experience. I love sharing my knowledge. I love meeting new faces. I love discovering music I don't know. And most of all, I love West Africa. Here is an offer I couldn't refuse !

After all the hustle related to travelling (Visa, Vaccines, etc), I'm now hitting the road leading to one of the hottest places in Africa, at the crossroads of the Sahara Desert and the entrance to Central Africa. I was told the temperatures are above the 50° Celsius. Which is verified. 47 degrees yesterday and in the shadow. The body needs liquid. May it be beer or water. The local beer is quite good. There are 2 brands that I tried. Niger Beer and Flag (an old friend of mine from my days in Burkina Faso).

What never fail to amaze me in these countries in the colour of the soil. A plain beautiful "ocre" colour. The streets are very crowded. Niamey has 1.2 million inhabitants. More than 90% of them are muslim, the rest shares between animists and christians.

I met one of the dj's yesterday, called Bruno Coulibaly and hailing from Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso. Seems like a nice guy. This morning, we were on national television, promoting the Festival accompagnied by Nicole, our hostess. The rest of the guys should be arriving today. Coming from all over the region : Benin, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Mali. the aim of my presence here is to be jury for a DMC style competition in between those cats.

We sleep in a beautiful hotel called Les Roniers (named after the huge trees shown in the next picture).

My room is a bungalow, not far from the River Niger; the pool is surrounded by magnificent trees and a beautiful garden.

Allow me to go and try it out.

More to come.

Peace.

BROWNSWOOD ELECTRIC PART 2 : TEASER MIX

Here is the teaser mix for the forthcoming Brownswood Electric compilation to be released around mid-june if I'm not mistaking. The mix was made by Gilles himself, who never fails to amaze me when it come to putting light on new and upcoming artists.

Enjoy.




Brownswood electr*c 2 // Album Teaser by Brownswood


TRACKLIST :


01. Ta-ku - Hey Kids
02. Monky - Drunkerdz
03. Anenon - Shifts
04. DJG - Automatic
05. Frederic Robinson - Mood Swings
06. Synkro & Indigo - Knowing You
07. mfp - Future Hopes
08. Jus Wan - Miles Away
09. DJ Dials - Pillowforts
10. Funk Ethics - Step In
11. Jack Dixon - By My Side
12. HxdB - Savage Pets
13. Stray - Break Your Legs
14. AEED - Under The Alps


Via Okayplayer

FATIMA : INNERVISIONS (VIDEO)

You know I fully support the Nuts Gang aka Eglo Records and its artists like Fatima, Floating Points, Funkineven ... They're all very talented, and will survive once the hype surrounding them has disappeared.

STRICTLY NICENESS WELCOMES DJ FORMAT

Inviting Dj Format was an idea given to me by our good friend Florian Keller. Format is from England, Brighton to be precise. He is known as a fierce crate digger and a ferocious mixer. Through the years, he produced a certain number of excellent records, filled with soulful samples, obsessive beats and lyrical dopeness from the likes of Chali 2 na of Jurassic 5 fame, SureShot La Rock, Edan or long time collaborator MC Abdominal. Format’s records are a celebration of the music he loves and that passion is shared with a growing audience. Format is currently busy recording a new album.
Needless to say, his dj sets are a joyful celebration of all things soulful; may it be funk, psych rock, boogie, hip hop, latin beauties and more. To be convinced, check his Fabric Live Compilation, his Fania mix or the “European Vacation Mix”.
Expect timeless classics and discoveries in funk, soul and beyond.
Welcome to Strictly Niceness Mister Format.

LINKS

Site
Wikipedia
Discogs

LISTEN TO "HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PART 2" BEFORE IT'S RELEASED

Well, the beastie Boys are known for their advanced use of available technologies ... You can listen to their new album Via their Soundcloud Page.
This sounds hot as hell with at least 2 potential worldwide hits ... It has all the ingredients of a proper Beasties records ... crazy sounds, punk tracks, distinctive voice treatment, etc ...

Quite impatient over this one.

Hot Sauce Committee Part Two by Beastie Boys

Via KD Buzz

LOOKING DOWN THE BARREL OF A GUN

To celebrate the forthcoming release of the next Beastie Boys album (early next month, I believe), I'm giving you this awesome track from the classic "Paul's Boutique". My favourite from the Boys, the most complex, sample filled record they made if you ask me. The record was recorded in Los Angeles after they parted ways with Def Jam and signed with Capitol Records.
"looking down the barrel of a gun" sounds like Slayer on acid doing hip hop and eating burgers. Or something like that.

Enjoy

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RIP GIFTED UNLIMITED RHYMES UNIVERSAL

"The good die young, that's what the old folks say"

© Defari

QUANTIC DJ SET AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

Here is the dj set Quantic made in Brussels last friday. He gave me his authorization to offer it to you. So, thank Will for this. No playlist available of course.

Will is an outstanding dj who doesn't fear to go deep when the opportunity allows, also capable of spinning more obvious stuff when needed. I hope we can book him again in the future; For a Strictly Niceness for example. If you want to put images onto this mix, please go THERE and watch the party pictures through the eye of the mighty Kanfu.

The sound quality is MP3 256kbps.

Expect cumbia madness, reggae delights, afro heat, funk bangers, and more.



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