Music with Bob Duskis artist info. for February 20, 2004
Artist: Jazzanova
This Berlin-based group is comprised of six people: three musicians and
three DJs. They operate under a creative banner called the Sonar
Kollektiv. After developing a huge following through many high-profile
remixes and individual tracks, they have finally released their first
full-length studio recording. They are considered to be the leading
exponents of a dance style called "broken beat" or "nu-jazz."
The interesting thing about Jazzanova's music is that it sounds very
much like organic music, with lots of live players, when in fact the great
majority of the sounds are programmed and sampled. As an example, the
band says: "Everybody kept asking us who did the percussion on our
tracks. We always told them we don't have a percussionist -- it's all
programmed -- but they don't believe us. It was always like, 'Yeah, yeah,
come on, who's the percussionist?' So, in the end, we gave up and said
it's this guy called Halfless."
The two tracks reflect the breadth of the release, from more traditional -sounding jazz styles to more of a modern hip-hop sound.
Artist: Mari Boine
Mari is considered to be a Norwegian national treasure. Hailing from the
Arctic part of Europe -- so far north that it is often missing from
weather maps -- Boine is a member of the Sami people, an oppressed
minority that have been known in the past as Laplanders. The Sami region
stretches over four countries, from Norway to Sweden, Finland and
Russia. Boine's vocal style and chants sound almost reminiscent of
Native-American vocal music. Her powerful voice, poetry and the stories
she tells of her people have received international acclaim through many
album releases, making her a champion and a bit of a hero to the Samis.
Her music has also attracted the ears of electronic DJs from around the
world, and the two tracks we are featuring are from a remix collection
that features her music re-interpreted by a worldwide cast of
producers.
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