InternationalWaters

A few of my favorite uploads containing those sounds which remind me of Brasil. Calm, relaxing, beautiful music - which is why I truly enjoy listening to these transporting melodies.

Enjoy.

For quite a while now I have been delving into house music but the past couple of years have seen a new plateau in sound that has captured my ears, the sounds of the deep but also the sounds from the depths -- the depths of Africa. With its Tribal, Ancestral, and hypnotic beats, tones, and chants the sounds of South Africa has flourished and garnered praise from all corners of the Globe. From godfathers Vinni da Vinci and DJ Christos, to DJ Black Coffee, Culoe De Song, DJ Fresh, and DJ Cleo the world has been put on notice and notice the world has indeed taken.

House music took root in Pretoria, South Africa in the early 1990s, then spread to Johannesburg where it was slowed down and combined with local elements to form Kwaito. Years later the tempo has once again been upped while adding elements that ground it in the lived reality of South Africans. Thus you will sometimes hear lyrics in one of the local languages (of which there are 11 if you exclude English and Afrikaans), samples from real traditional instruments (drums, in particular, something integral to African music), and heavier basslines than you might find in House music from other nations. With an often used harmony or melody from an old South African song, the lyrics tie in with the South African identity and history, and transcends music.

This flexible hybrid is what you'll hear in South Africa's clubs and with growing hunger for the "foreign but familiar" the sounds of South Africa are now a main stay in club and house music alike. Whether the sounds of Trinidadian Deep, Abicah Soul, the Yoruba sounds of Osunlade, Boddhi Satva, or Rocco you're sure to have heard the deepness of Mother Africa in sound.

Today we take a journey into sound, South Africa. You are invited to the "Traveling Without Moving" experience above and beyond InternationalWaters.

If you have yet to visit Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban, or Johannesburg don't worry -- for the sounds of which you are soon to be introduced will serve as the appetizer and entrée. If you still have room for dessert afterwards, be sure to put in an order for some SA'lamode.


Cheers

Have you ever had a particular sound in your head and you're stumped as to what it is, why you can't shake it, and will you recognize it when you finally hear it?

Well it happens to me also. Just over a year ago my spirit sought the sounds of Devonshire, England - home of The Rurals. It was just my luck that a new album had just released and was I in for a treat. The standout voice on this new album was not the one I was accustomed to hearing however, it was a Beautiful introduction on behalf of Andy Compton. This Soulful voice, over lush backdrops, riding every measure as if weaved into each count, not only became a sonic priority but also a new favourite. The voice belonged to the Philippine songbird Jaidene Veda of Calgary, Alberta Canada.

Since this time I have been a huge fan of JaiVeda's music and I constantly look forward to her works - original songs, features, and/or re-works.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with her up until now, please visit her page to take in not only her visual beauty and style but also her visual creativity on camera.

I await the day she crosses paths with Jay Denes as a Blue Six album featuring her already has my money waiting...

www.youtube.com/user/JaiVeda
www.jaideneveda.bandcamp.com
www.twitter.com/jaideneveda

Thank You Jaidene for sharing your gift.

A few classic top shelf cuts from the man himself, Lil' Louis.

Selections taken from...
"From The Mind of Lil' Louis" and "Journey with the Lonely"