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Dub Gabriel: Raggabass Radical
“Music is always a healer, It doesn’t matter if it is mine or someone else’s. I have a real emotional connection with music and think the first step of making great music is being a fan of others music” — Dub Gabriel An Interview With Dub Gabriel Pushing the boundaries of rock, dub, world and electronic…
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Kode9 Interview on “Black Sun”
Kode9 Speaks on the release of “Black Sun” It’s been 5 years since South London based duo Kode9 & the Spaceape’s debut album. On this new disc, named after Kode9’s influential 2009 single Black Sun, the intensity and themes of their debut Memories of the future remain, but the delivery is clearer and more rapid,…
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Talking ’Bout a Nü Revolution: Les Nubians Interview
Growing up in two countries — Chad as children and France as teens — the women of Les Nubians, Hélène and Célia Faussart, were shaped by both cultures. On their third recording, Nü Revolution their pan-African vision remains as vibrant and clear as ever. Nü Revolution embodies, both through music and lyrics, a true sense of…
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Diego Garcia Interview on His Debut CD “Laura”
Diego Garcia, the former frontman of acclaimed garage rock band Elefant, may have been born in the wrong era: he wears his heart on his songwriting sleeve. But more likely he’s just continuing a tradition of strong songwriting, albeit with a romantic sensibility. On his solo debut album, ‘Laura,’ he explores his Latin roots with…
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Sounds of Afro-Peru: An Interview With Peña’s Cory Wong
Minneapolis based musician/producer Cory Wong is on a mission to spread the music of Peru’s coast as far and wide as possible. Last April, he traveled to Lima and assembled an ensemble to help document Afro-Peruvian music. The group was called Peña (a meeting place or grouping of artists/musicians) and two albums from the sessions…
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Just Good Music — The Disco Love of Al Kent and the Million Dollar Orchestra
Disco get a rebirthing by Scotland’s Prolific DJ and Producer, Al Kent. MundoVibe Interviews Al Kent on his long history in dance music and his groundbreaking disco recordings and his Disco Love series on BBE Disco never died. Some 40 years after its ascent up the charts its DNA is all over the myriad of…
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Songs of Gao: An Interview with Mali’s Sidi Touré
The worthy successor to Ali Farka Touré. — Bassekou Kouyaté Mali’s Sidi Touré sings the traditions of his Malian culture and beyond on his Thrill Jockey debut “Sahel Folk” Sidi Touré made his first guitar as a child, constructing it from his wooden writing slate in the ancient town of Gao, Mali. Once the heart of the…
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Urban Soundscaper: Velanche Stewart Broadcasts Deep Soulful Beats
Velanche is the host and producer of Urban Landscapes, the weekly radio broadcast showcasing jazzy and soulful club culture from around the world. The show dives into nu-jazz, broken beat, rare funk, soul, house, downtempo, and related variants thereof. Launched in January 1998, the show has evolved from its humble beginnings of ambient, downtempo and…
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Nostalgia 77 — An Interview With Benedic Lamdin on ″The Sleepwalking Society”
BY JOHN C. TRIPP There’s a gentle, organic and soulful spirit to Nostalgia 77’s fourth studio album “The Sleepwalking Society”. With vocalist Josa Peit giving a wistful and heartfelt voice to the band leader Benedic Lamdin’s organic compositions it’s an album that exhibits tremendous song writing and musicianship. Nostalgia 77 has masterfully crafted an…
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Les Nubians “Nü Revolution”
Les Nubians, consisting of Paris-born sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart, return to the world stage with the release of their third album, Nü Revolution, on April 19th via Shanachie Entertainment. The Grammy nominated duo fully delivers on the promise of their breakthrough efforts with a relentlessly enchanting and energized mix of R&B, hip-hop, African music…
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Ursula Rucker Talks About “She Said”
TALKING WITH PHILLY SOUL POETESS URSULA RUCKER ON HER FIFTH ALBUM “SHE SAID” As a poet and performance artist, Ursula Rucker has enchanted critics and fans across the globe with her diverse repertoire, captivating vocals and accessible poetic verse. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she began documenting her observations of the world when she was…
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Nick Luscombe Flo-Motion
It has been four years since ground-breaking DJ Nick Luscombe began hosting the Sunday evening XFM radio show, “Flo-Motion” a focus for cutting edge electronic music from around the world. His programme and DJ sets, including a residency at London’s ICA and appearances at Big Chill, vary from minimal house and techno to textural grooves.…
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Ursula Rucker Interview
Ursula Rucker Speaks with MundoVibe’s John C. Tripp on Her Fifth Recording, “She Said” As a poet and performance artist, Ursula Rucker has enchanted critics and fans across the globe with her diverse repertoire, captivating vocals and accessible poetic verse. Her fifth live studio album, She Said, is an organic live recording with a full…
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Moonstarr Interview
By J.C. Tripp Any serious underground beat junkie of the past decade has heard Moonstarr’s now-classic “Dupont” as well as his long list of remixes for such labels as Compost, Sonar Kollektiv, Jazzanova, Do Right! Music. The fact is, even though his demeanor is completely low-key, Moonstarr is one busy and prolific cat. While maintaining…
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Break Reform
By Velanche Stewart A couple of years ago, a tune on Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide show made me happy whenever it appeared. The tune was called “Perfect Season,” by Break Reform. Now granted, I wasn’t familiar with the group but I knew was that I was looking forward to hearing what goodies were to come. “Fractures,”…
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Ocote Soul Sounds
An interview with Ocote Soul Sounds Adrian Quesada
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Belleruche Bring the Scratchy Soul
‘270 Stories’ sees the trio hitting their stride, tying together their off-kilter mix-up of scratchy beats, bluesy guitar and soulful, honeycomb vocals with the unmistakable vibe of a band pushing forward.
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Nik Weston
This affair began with Weston’s role as a DJ back in his teens, almost by default: as any record collector knows, if you’ve got the biggest collection, you are the DJ. It was in 1995 with the monthly jazz/hip-hop event “Phony” at Ormonds in West London that Weston’s professional career gained steam. From there he…
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Tortured Soul: File Under Jazz Rock
An exclusive Mundovibe interview with Tortured Soul Interview by J.C. Tripp Rose and violet lights fall on three musicians decked out sleekly in skinny ties, pressed slacks, and starched white shirts. The mass of bodies gathered before them pulsates with a unified enthusiasm. Sweet soulful vocals rise from the man in the middle, an effect…
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Patricia Marx
BY ROSE PARFITT In Brazil they love their music; it’s in the blood and in the bones. But this bug is contagious, rather than hereditary: no one, it seems, is spared. Everybody loves Brazilian music – jazz musicians, classical musicians, rock stars, pop stars, DJs, producers, kids, cats, everyone; it is venerated, imitated and rejoiced…
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Paul Murphy
By Rose Parfitt Since Ashley and Simone Beedle founded Afro Art in the Nineties, the label’s had its fair share of ups and downs. However, in 1999 it sailed out of the doldrums that followed their split with two Black Science Orchestra smashes, “Keep on Keeping On” and Allison David’s “Sunshine”. Beedle also draughted in…
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Mélodie Lounge Medellín
Medellín Colombia’s Mélodie Lounge sets the trends for the city’s international crowd BY JOHN C. TRIPP Medellín Colombia’s upscale “El Poblado” district is not unlike any other trendy tropical “zona rosa” neighborhood. Green abounds, with plants and trees sprouting like an exotic salad, matched by a multitude of trendy shops and cafes lining its avenues…
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Norman Jay (audio)
An audio interview with Sir Norman Jay by Fabien Vouillon
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DJ Dmitry of Deee Lite
BY ROSE PARFITT Since Deee-Lite split in ’95 Dmitry has given full justification to his “Supa DJ” prefix, awarded DJ of the Year in 1998 for his pioneering mix of techno, electro, funk and new wave and remixing tracks for a numerous and unlikely collection of artists including Sinead O’Connor, Ultra Naté, The Jungle Brothers,…
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The Angel aka 60 Channels
Known for remixing hip hop and electronic artists like The Pharcyde, Spearhead, Towa Tei and jazz players like Donald Byrd and Urban Knights, Los Angeles based producer The Angel recorded the 1998, 60 Channels album “Tuned In Turned On” to brand her new sound, a mix of electronic dub, drum and bass and live instrumentation.…
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Adrian Sherwood and British Dub
Before there was dubstep (or whatever sound that encompasses dub), there was Producer Adrian Sherwood and his label ON-U Sound, one of the most influential labels of underground dance, dub and electronic music. BY JOHN C. TRIPP England has been a fertile breeding ground for reggae music since the late 1950s, when Jamaican music washed…
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Talking With Farout Records Joe Davis
Talking With London’s Farout Records Founder Joe Davis BY J.C. TRIPP The only possible explanation for why we connect with music that is of other cultures and global regions is that music truly is a universal language. Or that deep inside us all is a curiosity and love for other cultures. What else would could…
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Riovolt
RIOVOLT AND THE SOUNDS OF BRAZIL — “DIGITAL AUDIO BOSSA” AND “SAMBARAMA” By J.C. Tripp Listening and enjoying “world” music is one thing — actually going to the source and involving oneself in the music requires a passion that transcends mere appreciation. One must be obsessed and that is exactly what led German-born Norbert Küpper,…
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Paul Murphy and Afro Art Music
By Rose Parfitt Since Ashley and Simone Beedle founded Afro Art in the Nineties, the label’ s had its fair share of ups and downs. However, in 1999 it sailed out of the doldrums that followed their split with two Black Science Orchestra smashes, Keep on Keeping On and Allison David’s Sunshine . Beedle also…
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DJ Sabo
DJ, Sabo, Sol, Selectas by JC Tripp He may love Baile Funk but DJ Sabo’s heart is in New York City. DJ Sabo has the city’s melting pot sensibility pulsing through his veins and his blood is the color of many cultures. Sabo has been serving up spicy beats for a decade, gaining international props…
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Roy Ayers
From the day in 1945 when Lionel Hampton saw this ecstatic 5 year old jumpin’ with joy at what he had just heard, and handed him the gift of a lifetime, a set of his vibe mallets& his destiny was set. Today, Ayers continues to pack venues round the world, playing with the same energy…
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Mocean Worker
MOCEAN WORKER BRINGS BACK THE BOOGIE On the fifth album of his career, appropriately titled Cinco De MOWO!, Adam Dorn a.k.a. Mocean Worker (pronounced Motion Worker) has assembled the quintessential feel-good summer record of 2007. The opening number, quite simply, says it best: Shake Ya Boogie. In what has become the incomparable Mocean Worker sound,…
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Shrift
Nina Miranda and Dennis Wheatley come together as Shrift BY JOHN C. TRIPP Shrift are not just a group but a state of mind, where time melts and the subconscious is free to associate words and music. In recording their debut CD, the group’s two members, singer/songwriter Nina Miranda and multi-texturalist/producer Dennis Wheatley, let ideas…
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Up, Bustle & Out
By J.C. Tripp Hailing from Bristol, England, Up, Bustle and Out are producers Rupert Mould and ‘Clandestine Ein’ who met in 1989 while hosting the pirate radio show. ‘For the People’ radio boasted Bristol’s most inspiring DJs – Daddy G & The Massive Attack, Smith & Mighty. The pair produced an early single, “Une Amitie…
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Springfive Music Festival
BY ROSE PARFITT Stood in a hot cave holding minty Mojitos we were thinking up sub-genres for Nicolette. A glass elevator moved up and down behind us emptying fresh crowds into the hollows of the Dom im Berg, Graz’s small but perfectly-formed mountain. Chrome and plasma gleamed in the UV lights; enormous screens flickered above…
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Mark ‘Snowboy’ Cotgrove
Snowboy, DJ, Mark, Cotgrove, Jazz, Funk, Fusion, Acid, Jazz, UK, Jazz, Dance, Afro, Cuban, conguero, latin BY JOHN C. TRIPP Belting out hot and saucy Afro-Cuban and Jazz rhythms has been the sole (or soul) mission of London’s fast-and-furious Mark ‘Snowboy’ Cotgrove for nearly two decades. His fierce interpretations of Afro-Latin music have gained him…
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00 Soul Serve It Up Hot
00 SOUL SERVE UP SPICEY SOUL FLAVORS By J.C. Tripp Some things, like cocktails, food and music, are all about the mix of ingredients. And it´s the mix of its member´s musical histories, cultures and influences that makes Long Beach’s OO Soul (Double-O-Soul) the groovey outfit it is. Reflecting the cultural and racial mezcla of…
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Sasha Crnobmja aka Cosmic Rocker
IN FLAGRANTI + ORGANIC GROOVES + CODEK RECORDS SASHA CRNOBMJA BY JOHN C. TRIPP As a founding member of New York’s Organic Grooves, a stalwart of the city’s dance underground, and as a prolific producer, Sasha Crnobmja has explored the outer galaxy of dance and groove music since the ’80s. Growing up in Switzerland, Crnobmja’s…
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Rurals
The Rurals, House Music From the English Countryside An interview with the Rurals Andy Compton BY J.C. Tripp If fresh country air and deeply funky house music seem antithetical then you haven’t heard the Rurals. The Devon, England-based group, headed Andy Compton and vocalist Marie “Tweek”, have channeled their country life-style into a music that…
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Markus Enochson
Markus Enochson’s Techno-Soul Permutations Stockholm’s Markus Enochson is at the cutting edge of a new form of soul music that infuses classic soul with his techno- and electro-musical influences and impeccible production skills. Enochson has been an integral part of the house music culture in Sweden for years and his own productions like “I Am…
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Jaymz Nylon
It´s been rumored that New York based Artist-Producer-DJ extraordinaire Jaymz Nylon was born with a stack of vinyl in his hands. Whether it´s true or not, his youthful passion for music led his father to compile young Nylon’s favorite tracks on a tape when he was just 3. Even then Nylon exhibited a deep appreciation…
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Guidance Recordings
CHICAGO’S GUIDANCE RECORDINGS BY J.C. TRIPP Like many Chicago-based labels, house music was a catalyst for the launch of Guidance Recordings. But unlike the now-defunct house labels that never moved beyond the genre Guidance charted an adventurous course from its inception. Releasing pioneering compilations of dub, down tempo and lounge the label rapidly expanded far…
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Kokolo Afrobeat Orchestra
An audio interview with Kokolo Afrobeat Orchestra leader and vocalist Ray Lugo
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Ursula 1000
By John C. Tripp A DJ doesn’t have nearly the setup of a full live band, but there are certain technical requirements that are of utmost import, one being the mixing board. DJs live and breath by their mixers. Things get a wee tense when it’s learned that the contract-specified mixer never showed. No mixer,…
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Yam Who?
Yam, Who, Who?, Jon, Freer “You can get a groove going at any BPM”. Now that they’ve been commissioned for a deluge of legitimate revisions, will they still be rubbing artists up the right way without their permission? Will there be future offerings from their notorious ‘Yam Who’ imprint? Why haven’t they been sued yet?…
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Yukihiro Fukutomi
Japan’s Leading Underground Dance Music DJ and Producer Yukihiro Fukutomi Yukihiro Fukutomi started his career as a DJ during the late 80’s, at the dawn of the Japanese dance music scene at clubs like Gold, Zoo and Cave in Tokyo. At the same time he started working as a composer, arranger, programmer and producer. Fukutomi…
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Future World Funk
Future, World, Funk, Cliffy, Russ, Jones, Soundsystem BY JOHN C. TRIPP Six years ago music industry veterans Russell Jones and DJ Cliffy formed Future World Funk, channeling their enthusian for global rhythms into their own DJ soundsystem: an amalgamation of Asian beats, Brazilian d’n’ b, Gypsy bangers, latin licks, socca, bashment, reggaeton, afrofunk and beyond. It’s been…
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James Koehnline
James, Koehnline, surrealism, collage, Axiom, Laswell, Calendar, Jubilee, Saints James Koehnline (pronounced KEN-line) is a collage artist whose work has graced many anarchist periodicals & books as well as music CDs; has co-edited a number of books and had his work collected in Magpie Reveries. Designs and edits the yearly Autonomedia Calendar of Jubilee Saints…
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Clara Hill
Clara, Hill, Sonar Kollektiv, Jazzanova By John C. Tripp Clara Hill has been a seminal figure in the urban-electronic-soul scene since her teens. A the tender age of 17 the musically inclined artist founded the acid jazz combo Superjuice with her friend Funès. The duo gained a following in Berlin’s many dance clubs, laying the…
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Magazine: ROAM Issue 3
Issue 3 of ROAM travel and culture magazine, published by John C. Tripp in New York City. Tripp served as Editor and Art Director/Designer, overseeing all layout, design and production. Contents: Ernest Ranglin, Anoushka Shankar, NYC music promoters (Organic Grooves, Giant Step, Soundlab, Reyklavik’s Nocturnal Splendor, London Street Markets, Vietnam Emerges Anew, Negril Jamaica, Mali…
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Video: Orthos Liquid Systems
Video production and editing for OrthosOrthos Celebrates 25 Years of Excellence With Champagne Toast at WEFTEC23
John Tripp Creative 