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CLE 014CD
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In the title-track of his second album, Malian guitarist Oumar Konaté shouts out to his sister, warning her about gunfire and violence in the streets. Konaté's Maya Maya comes from a country in turmoil. Shifting between acoustic melancholy ("Wango Maben") and hard rock ("Hinchi Hinchi"), Konaté and his power trio are 21st-century West African millennials slammed by geopolitics, shocked by an uncertain future, and stymied by fundamentalism, corruption, and failed economies. Known to friends simply as "le Maestro," Konaté is a guitar genius. Sought after as bandleader and performer, Konaté has played from Bamako to Gao (most Friday nights he can be found in residency at the Club Songhoy in Bamako) and from Europe to New York to Los Angeles. Drummer Makan Camara is perhaps the best in West Africa. Bassist Cheick Siriman Sissoko is also a well-known singer. These three are a power trio on the level of Cream or Band of Gypsies. The songs tell a story of hope for peace and normalcy despite the seemingly insurmountable challenges.
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CIRCLE 014CD
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Italy's Chris Venola began his musical journey in the mid-'90s. Starting with and inspired by the piano, he began his career in 2005 under the pseudonym Silentalk, when he remixed the French band Curl. Over the years, numerous EPs and remixes were released on various international labels, now Chris is working with Circle Music. Here he was given the opportunity to release Sixteen Miles, a successful tech-house debut. The album opens with the relaxed track "I'll Be There," which was created in collaboration with Andrea Introvigne & Kira. Slowly building up and featuring the vocals of Tania Furia, the breakbeat track "Break U" follows -- this lightweight touch of Berlin electro can also be found on the track "Stars." Actually, the whole album is very diverse in sound. Besides relaxing deep house tracks like "Illusion" or "You," there are also some tech-house tracks with a lot of drive like "Mountague Mastermind," right next to melodic house tunes such as "Everytime." All tracks have been arranged with passion, refined with vocals and produced with unique emotional and still clubby sounds and grooves. Contributing studio partners such as Frank Lee, Vinny Samuels and Tania Furia, Andrea Introvigne and Kira gave the album a strong song-character without losing focus on the dancefloor. This is the start of a new chapter for both Venola and Circle Music.
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