2007 AFRIQUE
RHYTHM FEST
Sept 15th & 16th @ Truman
College (outdoor mall)
Broadway & Wilson in Chicago
This FREE two day outdoor music
festival celebrates modern
rhythm music and its African
origins. A world class cast of
live performers and DJs have
been assembled to offer a
continuous groove of music each
day of the two day festival
consisting of traditional
African music, afrobeat, soul,
jazz, reggae, soca, afro Cuban
funk, conscious hip hop, house
music and more.
With help from the Chicago World
Music Festival and sponsors such
as Vigo Money Transfer, Esntion
Records, and Insurance Brokers,
Inc. we have been able to bring
performers from as far as
Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mali,
Trinidad, and Miami.
This unprecedented event will
feature food vendors serving
culinary delights from the many
cuisines of the African
Diaspora. For vendor
applications or sponsorship
proposals email
jseraphine@afriquenewsmagazine.com.
Lekan
Babalola
http://www.myspace.com/lekanbabalolamrbongo
Lekan Babalola is one of the
most extraordinary
percussionists in jazz and world
music today. He started his
career playing in the Yoruba
Christian church owned by his
father, Olayiwola Babalola. As
his skills as a master
percussionist grew, he was
invited to join Gasperlawal in
1980. His career continues with
performances with the likes of
Fela Kuti, Ernest Ranglin, Roy
Ayers, Tony Allen, Branford
Marsalis, Queen
Salawa, Axelle Red, and Jean
Toussaint. Songs of Icon is an
unique recording that draws its
musical influences and
inspiration from Santeria, an
Afrocuban version of 'IFA'. The
album will be a double CD
featuring remixes of most of the
original songs by the top names
in the broken beat/ leftfield
scene.
Louis
Mhlanga
http://www.louismhlanga.com
Louis Mhlanga, the "African Axe
Man", is another in a long line
of excellent Zimbabwean
guitarists. Better known today
for his work with South African
stars, he is sometimes mistaken
for a South African guitarist.
Although his career is currently
fuelled south of the border,
Mhlanga has had a lasting effect
on Zimbabwean music. His lengthy
career began in the 1970s.
Fronting many bands on the
domestic scene, Mhlanga mixed
American and Zimbabwean
influences into his music.
Mhlanga became renowned for his
guitar skills, and worked with
Zimbabwean acts such as Shaka,
Talking Drum, Ilanga, Mudzimu,
and the legendary Oliver
Mtukudzi. Louis eventually
headed to South Africa to pursue
different musical opportunities,
leading to collaborations with
artists such as Hugh Masekela,
Ray Phiri, Sipho Mabuse,
Mlunhgisi Gegane, and Busi
Mhlongo. Mhlanga returned to
Zimbabwe in 1997 to record Musik
Ye Afrika with bassist Jimmy
Indi and drummer Iethro Shasha.
Louis has recorded two solo
albums to date.
Mhlanga is a man of many hats,
not only as a performer, but
Louis is also a reknowned
producer. He has produced albums
by Thomas Mapfumo, Nigerian King
Sunny Ade, South African
musician Vusi Mahalasela, and
many other artists. A former
director of musical theatre,
Mhlanga also ran Zimbabwe's
Ethnomusicology Trust, where he
was handed the task of
developing national teaching
programmes for traditional and
contemporary Zimbabwean music.
He also spent a year in the
Netherlands. As the
musician-in-residence at the
Royal Dutch Conservatory of
Music, Mhlanga taught African
guitar courses and eventually
recorded an album with bassist
Eric Van Der Westen. He recently
appeared on Dutch jazz pianist
Martin Fondse's latest album,
singing an African poem.
Balla
Kouyate
www.ballakouyate.com
Balla Kouyaté is one of the
greatest balafon players from
the Djeli or “griot” tradition
in Mali. The Kouyatés were the
first djelis in the Mandé
Empire. The balafon (ancestor of
the xylophone) was given to
Balla's ancestors by nobles in
the 12th century and has
remained in his family ever
since. Balla has been called on
to play with many African
artists touring in the United
States and his superior
musicianship has been featured
on at least 35 albums. Currently
he works with kora master
Mamadou Diabaté playing venues
such as Lincoln Center Outdoor
Festival, Symphony Space and
festivals around the country.
Lenky
Don
www.myspace.com/lenkydon
Lenky's latest projects as on
"RADIOACTIVE" are refined to fit
more definitive underground
sounds, opting to MC over U.K.
dub-step, drum & Bass, party
breaks, deep house, dub and even
reggaeton. After enhancing his
skill-set as a
singer/songwriter, Lenky scored
a #1 hit in Panama featuring
Heather Headley with "Make You
Say Yo" consequently after
touring the country in 2004. A
feature on Macy Gray's latest
album and a vocal part on Sony
Playstation's multi-platinum
selling video game "PaRappa the
Rappa" sprung him into action.
Now with releases out on major
and several indie labels LENKY
DON is ready to meet you in the
club with some wild get-down
electro bass funk- island style!
And for all you dub heads, cuts
like "Musical Murdah" and
"Gallantry Version" will def
smooth you out on that thinkin'
man's tip. Thanks for listening!
Lenky's first stop on the promo
tour will be in Chicago next
month at the World Music
Festival and Sonoteque, more
details on all dat and future
events at
www.myspace.com/starlightbeats
or
www.myspace.com/lenkydon.
DJ
Le Spam
www.spamallstars.com
DJ Le Spam & the Spam Allstars
blend improvisational electronic
elements and turntables with
latin, funk, hip hop and dub to
create a sound that is unique –
an electronic descarga. It’s
not a known genre. It’s hard to
describe. It attracts many
types of people. But as we look
out and see people dancing
salsa, next to break-dancers,
and festival-goers driving for
hours to catch a show -- we know
something very special is going
on. Spam Allstars are road
warriors -- a touring band.
Perhaps one could say they are
taking an “old school” approach
to sharing their music. For
each performance they have,
every music lover they meet,
every time they bring yet
another musician into the fold
for a collaboration – Spam
Allstars celebrate their
opportunity to work as musicians
and be creative each day.
Chicago
Afrobeat Project
www.chicagoafrobeatproject.com
Chicago Afrobeat Project (CAbP)
is a dynamic musical collective
rooted in '70s funk and
jazz-infused afrobeat. CAbP
mixes traditional afrobeat with
other dance-invoking musical
motifs such as Chicago’s
electronic house music, complex
West African percussion rhythms
and upbeat funk. At each
performance, the polyrhythmic
groove and sharp horn lines of
CAbP stir up energetic momentum,
sweeping listeners directly to
the dance floor time and time
again.
The
group began in late 2002 in a
third-story loft on Lake Street
in downtown Chicago. What began
as a simple experiment turned
into sifting through unique and
colorful musicians literally
from around the world. One by
one, at a series of loft
rehearsals in downtown Chicago,
like-minded musicians joined the
project, until members of the
current band felt an undeniable
chemistry. Today, the
ever-morphing 7- to 14-piece
CAbP consists of a full
percussion section, a full horn
section, keys, guitar, bass and
African dancers (at select
shows) -- and is still growing.
Pugslee
Atomz
www.myspace.com/pugsleeatomz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRfzCtR_NRw
He
is Pugs Atomz, a dedicated
member of Chicagos extraordinary
Hip Hop scene. Sincethe early
90s Pugs has been out and about
Chi City as a fan , graffiti
artist, battle rapper,
freestyler, party thrower,
promoter, Radio/TV personality
and the list goes on. He came up
the ranks in the traditional
way, earning props from corner
ciphers at places like The Point
(south side gathering place for
teenagers hungry for hip hop in
the mid 90s) and Navy Pier. 1993
was the year he started a
collective called the Nacrobats
with far too many members to
list but a legacy of artists
making a name for themselves in
their respected fields. With the
strength of the collective, Five
albums were made, numerous
parties and battles were had and
it pushed Pugs to take his music
and art more serious. His first
solo album was Thanks For Not
Rhyming on Galapagos4 Records.
It boasted production from the
Molemen, Kenny Keys, Vtraxxx, Polyphonic
and others, receiving a warm
response from the underground.
The nineteen track album 24
Years Later followed, released
on his own co-founded label
Birthwrite Records with
production handled by Molemen,
Vtraxxx. Overflo and others.
This album has taken Pugslee
touring all over the United
States, Germany, Paris,
Amsterdam and London. Hip Hop
Canada says “Pugslee is most
notoriously known for his clever
wordplay and hungry delivery...
[He] is the type of emcee you
discover then slap yourself
upside the head for sleeping on
over the years... guaranteed to
sooth the listeners ears.” In
the summer of 2004, Pugslee
teamed up with Audio 8
Recordings to release his third
album Playing With Matches, a
tale of the trials and
tribulations of a Chicago tagger
in the 90s and featured
production from Polyphonic and
Vtraxxx with appearances by Seel
Fresh, Binkis Recs , DJ Intel,
and commentary from some of
Chicagos top graffiti artist.
2006 you may have heard
a compilation for Raptivism
Records entitled Pugs Atomz
presents CTA Radio Chi City Hip
Hop. This cd is basically an
exerpt of the Cta Radio show, he
has been a part of every
Wednesday night from 9-12am for
the last seven years. This is a
definite must to anybody digging
the Chicago sound.(Featuring
Common, Lupe Fiasco,Rhyme fest
etc.) Pugslee's newest project
with Gravel
records "Conversations with a
Chameleon" is his most solid to
date with production from Hitek,
Vtraxxx, and introducing Colin
Response among others.
Guest spots from Capital d of
AllNatural, Dave Ghetto, and a
few more surprises on
this journey into the many
sides of life.(Father, son,
lover, Villain popstar, teacher
etc...) Besides music, Mr. Atomz
is an accomplished visual artist
with work appearing in
film/print media ("Light it
up"), a fashion designer for
Afro Wear clothing, and the host
of Barbershop hip hop an
internet and local tv show.
Slacky
J
www.reggaenice.com
Music is my life...I use to DJ
all type of different music like
house, hiphop, jungle.....I
guess I finally found myself
doing mostly reggae! I started
the reggae vibes show on 88.7fm
wluw and we still going strong
after 8yrs. Well I open up djing
and hosting for some of the
biggest name in the music like
Barrington Levy, Buju Banta,
Capelton, Sean Paul, Damien
Marley are just a few of them. I
have also hold residency at
numerous clubs all over town,
playing and spreading the
message of reggae music. The
best way to catch me is to check
my site at www.reggaenice.com
and please feel free to drop me
a note! "Remember the race is
not for the swift, but those who
can endure it"....Love and
Respeckt!
Mr
A.L.I.
www.myspace.com/mralismusic
his
band was created with the
intention of bringing back a
live element to the world of
soulful dance music. Put
together by dance industry
veteran producer Jere McAllister
and his partner Vick Lavender,
it features an ever-changing,
multi-cultural melting pot, of
musicians. Anchored by the vocal
stylings of, singer/songwriter,
Carla Prather, the group
showcases everything from
Afro-Latin rhythms to soulful
harmonies to a touch of Jazz.
All contained within a package
that is made to get your dance
groove on. The core of the band
is Jere McAllister (Keys, MD),
Carla Prather (Vox), Clyde Davis
(Drums), Lamar Jones or Dave
Hiltebrand (Bass), Chris Greene
and Mike Levin (Sax), Rick
Gehrenbeck (Keys), Joe Rendon
(Percussion), Gerey Johnson
(guitar), & David Risque (The
Groove Guru).. Jeremiah "Jere"
McAllister started his music
career, at the age of 19, with
DJ International records. He
recorded 3 releases for DJI
(Never Let You Down, Breathless,
and What I Do) before leaving
the label to join up with Steve
Silk Hurleys ID productions.
During his DJ International
period, he wrote the music for
Let The Music Use You by the
NightWriters. This record was
produced by the Godfather of
House, Frankie Knuckles, and was
a big underground club record in
the UK (and Europe), during the
Summer of Love of 1988. A song
that has been described by some
(UK Journalists) as defining
Deep House Music. Jere started
out, with ID Productions, as
keyboard player for, Grammy
Nominated, Eric E-Smoove Miller.
He lent his talents to remixes
for such artists as Michael
Jackson, Janet Jackson, Marvin
Gaye, INXS, Diana Ross, Taylor
Dayne, Simply Red, Black Box,
Keith Sweat, and the list goes
on. Also, during his time
working with E-Smoove, Jere
co-wrote, We Got a Love Thing
for CeCe Peniston, Are You Gonna
Be There for Shay Jones (later
redone by Up Yer Ronson), and A
Little Bit More for Kym Sims,
all records which saw quite a
bit of chart action, worldwide.
After E-Smoove left ID, Jere
joined with producer Marc M-Doc
Williams, to form InDaSoul. They
collaborated on remixes, songs,
and productions for such artists
as Madonna, Mint Condition,
Princes New Power Generation,
Sounds of Blackness, Tanya
Blount (from Sister Act 2), and
more, even a song for the movie
To Wong Fu . As well as
providing mixes for the Tom
Joyner Morning Show as part of
"Silk and The Soul Crew". One of
their productions, Never Gonna
Let You Go by Tina Moore, was a
top ten hit and big part of the
2-Step Garage scene, in the UK.
Vick Lavender was a member of
Glenn Undergrounds Strictly Jaz
Unit. While with the SJU he
recorded an EP call PM Blues,
which is still pretty popular
among Deep House DJs around the
world. Carla Prather is quickly
becoming a veteran of Chicago’s
music scene. She has worked
with, Grammy winner Maurice
Joshua, House Legend Byron
Stingley, plus many more, and
she is also a singer for the
group Poi Dog Pondering. David
Risqu, the Groove Guru, was one
of the early promoters of the
Chicago House scene. His parties
were the starting ground for
some of Chicagos House
DJ/producer pioneers. One of the
most notable was Steve Silk
Hurley. I guess you could say
that his events were responsible
for exposing thousands of
Chicagoans to the sounds and
feel of House. The rest of the
band is comprised of some of
Chicagos best musicians. Some of
the people that have performed
with the band have played with
such artists as Miles Davis,
Destinys Child, R. Kelly,
Monica, John Legend, Common,
Twista, Patti Labelle, Roberta
Flack, Will Downing, Byron
Stingily, Colonel Abrams,
Patrick Adams, Leroy Burgess,
just to name a few.
Andre
Harris
www.andreharris.com
Andre Harris' love of house
music inspired him to journey
into djing at the age of twelve
beginning with talent shows,
school dances and basement
parties. His enthusiasm for
music and talent carried him to
the club circuit, where at the
ripe age of fourteen, he spun
his first residency at the
Rainbow Roller Rink in Chicago.
Being by no means an average dj
he then began promoting events
putting him side by side with
other talents like Lil Louis and
Farley Jackmaster Funk. Andre'
was being influenced heavily by
these and other well known DJs
in Chicago. Andre decided to
pursue djing seriously.
After graduating high school
and attending college the call
to DJ was once again a priority
in his life bringing him to the
world of loft parties, after
hours and raves. Sparked by this
new found life in Chicago's
music scene Andre Harris was
determine to be deeply involved.
Then in 1993 he earned a Friday
night residency at Club
Medusa's, where he was
recognized for his skill and
knowledge of the soulful and
harder side of house music.
After working there it wasn't
long before patrons and
employees started getting him
guest appearances at various
venues around the city like Red
Dog, Neo, Cairo and Smart Bar to
name a few, all the while still
promoting events. In 1996 Andre
earned another residency at Club
Elixir on Friday nights. Yet
this was not enough, Andre
Harris was ready to produce
music so in 1997 his first
project "Pecking Peace" was
released on Cajual Records to
rave reviews in Mix and XLR8R
magazines. That year would prove
to be a good year for Andre with
two weekly residencies and many
guest appearances around town
plus the Chicago Tribune naming
his Friday night gig as one of
the "Hottest nights in the city
of Chicago." In the following
year he released "I Cant Take
It." This received more good
press with Mix Mag naming Andre
as one of the "Hardest working
men in House Music." Soon after
that review the single was
licensed for the "Taste of
Cajual" mix CD mixed by good
friend Mark Grant. Now Andre had
begun to make his mark on the
world music scene.
While still working at Elixir
and now Spy Bar during the next
three years Andre will have
clicked up releases on Cajual,
Nervous, Whitebeard and then
finally London based Estereo
Recordings with the release of
"TO MY LOVE." The single was a
favorite at new York's Body &
Soul this and other singles
getting excellent reviews and
even charted by "Everything But
The Girl's" Ben Watt, as one of
his top five picks in Muzik
Magazine. This brought London
calling for Andre's djing skills
as well as Toronto, Canada and
various other cities around the
U.S.
Andre Harris is widely seen as a
Chicago House legend in the
making with amazing releases on
Cajual, Nervous, Whitebeard,
Estereo, Large Music, and
Revolutionary Music
DJ
Monna
http://www.3degreesglobal.com/monna.htm
Monna grew up with house music.
His DJ sets and production work
reflect both his progressive
thought and his coming of age
while House music was evolving
from Chicago's disco scene. His
sets resonate with the same
feelings he felt while listening
to pioneering DJ such as Ron
Hardy, The Hot Mix 5, and
Frankie Knuckles. However,
Monna has taken his sets a step
further through his record
selection. His style of house
music fuses old school energy
with futuristic ideals creating
intoxicating sound scapes
grounded by rugged, melodies
that grab your heart. In the
early 90's Monna began his
career with such DJ's as Sneak,
Derrick Carter, Mark Farina, Diz,
and
Ron Trent. His skills soon
earned him residencies at every
major spot in Chicago. By the
mid-nineties he was making
regular trips to Winnipeg,
Manitoba while maintaining his
place in Chicago's underground
scene. As the 90's came to a
close, Monna joined with
Chicago's DJs "the Mad Thinker"
and
Jeremiah Seraphine to form
3°, a Chicago member-based
organization dedicated to house
music and its culture. As a 3°
resident DJ Monna gained a
weekly spot at the 3° Ultra
Lounge in Chicago and a monthly
residency at the 3° Foundation
Party in San Francisco. Monna is
apart of the production
collective Lake Street Project
that was responsible for the
billboard dance hit “Forever.”
DJ
Top Donn
www.topdonn.com
D.J TopDonn Started his career
way back in digz right aroung
1992. In '96 I interned at a
Radio Station, K.Z.U.M 89.3 F.M
for about 2 years before i got
my own show every Friday night
playing African and World Music.
I did that for 2 years .
I got my first big break when
one of the radio guys got me to
work and Lincoln's premiere
spot, Primetime Nightclub on
College nights. We called it
Thursday Night Hype and it was
pretty successful for the first
year or so. I then graduated
into spinnin on Fridays and
gradually became a household
name in the whole Lincoln/Omaha
club scene. After this I
parlayed my skills into gigs for
the African Community, mainly in
Omaha. I started the monthly
Afro Groove Nights in Omaha,
which were hugely successful up
till my move to Chicago.
In the Chi Town I have continued
the movement with shows geared
at exposing East African Music
to the world.
I
also have gigs out of town in
Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Kansas
City, St Louis, Atlanta,
Detroit, etc, so look for Top
Donn in a city near you.
