Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa

The 2010 FIFA World Cup has attracted nationalists the world over to Johannesburg, South Africa, for a month-long party, marked by the occasional soccer game and punctuated by everyone’s favorite new instrument: the plastic vuvuzela horn that’s become this summer’s unexpected soundtrack.
A few miles down the road, in the township of Soweto, there’s another South African sound earning international notice — and this one’s a lot easier on the ears. Soweto is one of the hubs for Shangaan dance music, a hyperactive hybrid of the traditional mbira, or thumb piano, and synthesizers that can reach 180 beats per minute. For comparison’s sake, Shakira’s “Waka Waka” World Cup theme song clocks in at 127 bpm. This is the cheetah of African music.
Perhaps not surprisingly, then, Shangaan music — like those who dance to it — is remarkably light on its feet. The bursts of bass frequencies one would naturally associate with dance music are almost entirely absent, the songs making up in speed what they lack in heft. The approach is almost the polar opposite of Soweto’s better-known dance export, the hip-hop-inspired kwaito.
Shangaan may yet catch up to its slower sibling, thanks to the new compilation Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music From South Africa, which collects 12 songs released by the Nozinja Music Productions studio in Soweto between 2006 and 2009 and makes them available worldwide for the first time. The album features six of the most popular Shangaan producers of the moment, including the sister duo Tiyiselani Vomaseve, which won Best Female Artist at last year’s South African Traditional Music Awards.
By Otis Hart
WATCH DANCE VIDEO

Somali Sisters’ Journey From Civil War to New York Fashionistas

Two Somali women are making a splash in the New York fashion scene, designing a range of clothes that take their inspiration from Africa. Identical twins Ayaan and Idyl Mohallim were born in Somalia, but
left for the United States aged nine to escape the civil war.

They grew up in Washington D.C. before going to college — one in Boston and the other in Michigan. After graduation they headed for New York City and set up fashion label Mataano — the Somali word for twins. Seeing that New Yorkers were wedded to wearing black, the Mohallim twins were determined to brighten up the city with a splash of African color. Ayaan told CNN, “We came into this industry and realized that with
a lot of the clothes that we saw, everything was black. “You know in Africa, with everything you wear it’s almost like the peacock theory — people want to be noticed, they want to stand out.

“So the world’s taking notice. It’s not about designers going to Africa for a safari and coming back with an animal print and big bangles and saying ‘here’s your one trick pony.’ “Africa is not a homogeneous place — it has different cultures. So now there’s a medium for it and there’s more designers that are traveling abroad and bringing that aesthetic to this market.” The pair have been in business for less than two years, but they
are taking inspiration from the entire continent of Africa, drawing on the traditional dress of specific regions and subcultures. Their childhood in Somalia has left a lasting impression that can be seen in their designs.

“The Somali woman has strength and we want to evoke this through our collection,” said Ayaan. “So we design really flowy, beautiful dresses that have a nice strong print that showcases the strength these women really have.”"For our Spring 2010 collection we also used Somali references and inspirations,” said Idyl. There was one silhouette that’s worn by every woman in Somalia, called a ‘dirac.’ We didn’t want to recreate it too much, we just wanted to introduce that and say ‘it’s relevant and you can wear it in a western culture.’”

But while they are fusing traditional African clothing with modern Manhattan sensibilities, they have to be sensitive to cultural differences in their more conservative homeland. “We got a lot of feedback from Somalis everywhere,” said Idyl. “A lot of our consumers and fans are writing us and saying ‘you guys are making beautiful clothes but some of them are not modest enough, especially not for the Somali culture and Somali woman.’ “So that’s something that we really had to pay attention to and try to create something for everyone, while staying true to the collection.” The twins’ new collection will debut on runways in South Africa this summer during Africa Fashion Week. They say it’s a big step in the right direction, but they have their sights set on expanding even further. 99-year-old graduate fights Africa’s brain drain “In the next few years we definitely want to expand our business,” said Idyl. “We want to go global. We want to be in Europe, the Middle East, and especially Africa. “We want to speak to the global consumer — and not just for women
– we’ve been getting a lot of requests from men.”

As they grow beyond the boutiques of Brooklyn and Manhattan, the twins believe their story is one that resonates with people from all backgrounds. “We’re bringing a positive story and people connect with that
because we’re following the American dream and we’ve overcome a lot of obstacles,” said Idyl. “We’ve had to assimilate, but at the same time there are so many immigrants, so many different individuals doing that throughout the Diaspora, throughout Africa, so there is a positive story that needs to be told.
“I think it’s really refreshing to hear a different side of Somalia … that we’re not all pirates!”
By Isha Sesay, CNN

WATCH THE CNN VIDEO OF THE SISTERS

Akon’s Video Considered Blasphemous To Buddhists, Sri Lankan Visa Denied

Singer Akon has postponed his April concert in Sri Lanka after the island nation’s government said they planned to deny his visa on Tuesday..

Their announcement followed a violent incident on Monday, when more than 200 protestors in the city of Colombo threw rocks at the offices of Capital Maharaja, Akon’s concert promoters. Chevan Daniel, Maharaja broadcasting’s head of news, told The Associated Press that the mob - some carrying signs that read “Stop Akon Now” — broke windows and hit cars parked near the building. Four employees were reportedly injured.

The protestors were incited by Akon’s video, “Sexy Chick,” the #3 hit song he recorded for Dave Guetta’s One Love album. The video features bikini-clad women dancing suggestively in front of a Buddha statue during a pool scene. The clip “triggered a lot of disappointment among Buddhists all over the world,” a government spokesperson said in a statement. Online dissension emerged as well. The “We Hate Akon” page on Facebook has more than 12,000 members. They posted a flyer featuring screenshots of controversial images from the video.

“I was not aware that the statue was even on the set of the video until now,” Akon said in a statement Wednesday. “I would never set out to offend or desecrate anyone’s religion or religious beliefs.”

More than 60 percent of Sri Lanka’s population is Buddhist. The nation’s Buddhist clergy are influential, and protestors have previously resorted to violence when they felt disrespect had been shown towards the religion. “I myself am a spiritual man, so I can understand why they are offended,” the singer added. “But violence is never the answer and I am disheartened.”.

American Talent Agency, Akon’s international booking company, is hopeful the singer’s concert will still happen..

“Akon is looking forward to performing for the people of Sri Lanka and we hope to have this situation resolved in the coming weeks,” the firm said in a statement.

Billy Johnson, Jr. Yahoo music

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

Although he was born in St. Louis, MO, Aliaune Thiam — aka Akon — grew up in Senegal before he and his family (including his father, jazz percussionist Mor Thiam) returned to the United States and settled in New Jersey when he was seven. There he discovered hip-hop for the first time, as well as crime. He was eventually jailed but he used the time — three years, he claimed — to work on his musical ideas. Upon release, Akon began writing and recording tracks in a home studio. The tapes found their way to SRC/Universal, which eventually released Trouble, Akon’s debut LP, in June 2004. The album was an interesting hybrid of Akon’s silky, West African-styled vocals with East Coast- and Southern-styled beats. The success of the song “Locked Up,” a Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 hit, made Akon a star and desired collaborator. After appearing on Young Jeezy’s “Soul Survivor,” his number of guest appearances seemed to multiply each month. Konvicted, his second album was released in November 2006. Soon enough, two of the album’s singles, “I Wanna Love You” and “Smack That,” made their way to the upper regions of the Billboard charts. The surprisingly Euro-pop-flavored Freedom, his third album, followed two years later, and it repeated Konvicted’s chart success by peaking within the Top Ten of the Billboard 200.

Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

THE SEXY CHICK VIDEO

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