Search - Re Rooted :: Re Rooted

REROOTED is the CD­Title of a new compilation with Dance-World­Tracks coming from South Africa, produced by well­known DJ's and musicians. REROOTED reflects the Zeitgeist and also the proccess of democratizing South Africa again. It is music with roots lying in a very old tradition and also a political suppressing music history, that seamlessly melts into the technologies and cyber­culture sensibilities of the late 90's. REROOTED is an album for the new Millenium; a collection of artists who are deeply grounded in South Africa's unique past, yet with their eyes firmly on the music, which we are wanting to hear on the opening days of the 21st century. About the Artists and Producers: Baba Do is a fine example of this musical interweaving: Barry van Zyl and Andre Abrahamse (both accomplished jazz musicians and the centre of the Baba Do project) have drawn in two artists - Dave Birch of out-and-out rockband Squeal and Ismile of hip-hop act, Prophets of Da City - that could hardly be more musically polarised, and created an altogether new sound in the track Planet J which skillfully picks up on the bubbling mix of fear and excitment that is Johannesburg. On Noyana too, producer and remix wizard, Adrian Levi has merged the startlingly good vocal talents of gospel singer, Herman, with a dance beat of truly hypnotic proportions. Funky 'n Loose (mystic marimba mix) from hip hop act, The Original Evergreen, again trails a creative hand in the past with its use of traditional African instruments and solid jazz underpinnings. Led by multi-instrumentalist and drummer supreme, Ash Read, Colourfields (from Cape Town) take Marimbas and even didgeridoos right into the heart of rave on Energyroots, pointing the way to the future for this sometimes stagnant dance form. Similarly, the ethereal yet unmistakably African (in this case the Malawian dialect Chichiwe) vocals on Light Year's Dusk appear organically grafted onto a wholly 90s dance beat. Other tracks, like those from Egyptian Nursery, Naked and Ga'inja show a spread of innovative approaches to music here that will astonish even those listeners who have a sense of the greater South African musical terrain. What REROOTED also reveals is just how rapidly South African music has eased into the global arena. All the creative work on these tracks is outward-looking, showing a musical community far less insular than in the past. Outsiders are also looking here for inspiration. An outstanding example of this is RSL's take on the Ladysmith Black Mambazo song, Elungelo. R.S.L. is an English collective - Joe Botham and Martin Almond - who've long sensed the possibilities of merging new dance forms with roots culture and it's stunningly showcased in the way they've mixed a traditional Isicathamiya track with cracking drum and bass beats. Internationally renowned DJ and Producer Max Mistry has also added a new slant to Unofficial Language's Junk City, infusing the pioneering work done by Peter Sklair, Ian Herman and Paul Hanmer with a true dance sensibility. He's also the musical reconstructivist behind the Dubious 101 track. And the remixing hand on REROOTED is not just English. Adrian Levi puts a darker undercurrent of beats onto Sugardrive's Girl You Make Me Bad as well transporting the traditional New Age sounds of Tanana's into uncharted territories on Seven. Likewise, Neal Snyman demonstrates his substantial abilities with sound on Naked's Wash Your Hands (Stone cold remix) and Ga'inja's exquisite flute-led track, Flight. Dragg's sonically enhanced version of the track, Hlanganani, is also a particularly fine example of just what can happen when dance and roots music become one.