Beat Making Lab Congo just released first music video. A massive bass beat, flawless flow in French, English and some Congolese dialect (I’m not expert enough to name it – anyone?) and an awe-inspiring video from a local break dance contest.

Get it here:

But that’s not all. Beat Making Lab is a vision. Vision of how music can change the world. Two profs from the University of Noth Carolina are creating an open source beat making software that kids who can’t afford expensive licenses could use. They also fundraise to give those cats “student’s backapacks” with all the music making essentials. And of course – they do the mentoring, during two to three week residencies in different countries, setting up the studio local kids can’t afford and teaching them how to use it. Congo was first, but they ain’t stopping there.

This is What we’re really looking for here at The Imported Goods: change that music – or broader: culture – can make in the world.
This is what really moves us. Music that transforms individuals and communities. And that’s exactly what Beat Making Lab is doing. Like it? Donate!

Free EP from Beat Making Lab is coming out later this week on Latino Resiste. Stay tuned!

“I’m 19 years old and I play cello. This cello is made from an oil can and wood that was thrown away in the garbage”, says Bebi, a young musician playing in a n orchestra. Quite special one: all kids play on instruments made out of trash.

Documentary Landfill Harmonic, a movie that describes a captivating story of an orchestra from Paraguay. Quite special one: all kids play on instruments made out of trash.

In a remote village of Cateura, violin costs more than a house according to Fabio, teacher lecturer who works with kids from landfill area and shows them how to transform trash into music. That’s why making music in these harsh conditions sounds more like a whim than a true story. However this whim came into reality. Full documentary by Graham Townsley will be released in 2014 but take a look at the trailer now:

Landfill Harmonic film teaser from Landfill Harmonic on Vimeo.

These kinds of initiatives got also popular in our backyard. Everything started in 2011, when a group of local musicians and cultural educators decided to combine ecology with music and learning. They created a project called Recycled Sounds. Out of can canisters, wire strings, wooden and metal elements they created brand new and original instruments. In 2012 they recorded a full album with support of children from Nadodrze district (let’s call the place being a developing one).

Based on what guru of musical avantgarde did, we were trying to give to all these “trashy” instruments a unique value, using their accoustic possibilities – wrote Paweł Czepułkowski, Michał Litwiniec and Paweł Romańczuk, musicians who took part in the project.

In fall 2012, during one of the sessions of Dźwięki z Odzysku/Recycled Sounds went beyond their local aspect. Our guest musician, the global bass guru, Maga Bo was trying to find “sounds of the city” of Wroclaw with another group of kids. Walking around the city, they were animating benches, lanterns and gutters to find the perfect sound. Listen Maga Bo talking about his work and including this project:

Since today (Feb 6th) is Bob Marley’s 68th anniversary im going to have to share some of my favorite bob marley tunes

New Releases

“Dont Stop Jammin” from Biga Ranx’s new album dropping this march, this tune is produced by MAFFI out of denmark

Dreadsquads latest EP featuring RDX is an instant hit, my personal favorite is “Smoker” Kickstarting his india tour tomorrow #Poland2India

From the upcoming album Morgan Heritage – Here Come The Kings [VP Records]

Canadian badman Poirier returns with a remix EP of the main tune of his “Alert Riddim” EP, “Gal U Good” feat. Natalie Storm

Two of my favorite future reggae artist Jah Sun & Kabaka Pyramid pon di Bizzari Records Riddim

Mixtapes

5th of feb 2009 Bob Marley brought Reggae Rajahs together here we are 4 years later celebrating our 4th anniversary with a 4 city tour featuring Polands top notch sound system Dreadsquad and the talented Kasia Malenda, this mix highlights some of the bigges tunes from our 2012 sets also 5 unreleased dubplates for them dub addics :p

Here is also a Dreadsquad production sampler mix which i made for the Wildcity family in celebrations of #RajahsTurn4 for tracklist and more info on the tour read here

Protoje Sampler Mixed by Yardcore for the Reggaeville Year Book

Family Tree is a powerful showcase of Marley music with the voices of Bob’s children as well as his wife, Rita. It is also peppered with the music and words of the legend himself speaking on various subjects, including the divinity of Haile Selassie I and the use of the sacred herb. For Reggae collectors, Yaadcore’s mix is a worthy addition that displays the range of a greatly revered musical family.

A wicked mixtape by Jah Rich released in celebrations of 50 years of jamaican independence inna rootsman style

Riddims

One of the hottest riddims of the year so far straight from france out of the flash hit records lab feat. Kabaka Pyramid, Pressure, Million Stylez, Maikal X , Sara Lugo, YT, Jah Marnyah, Ricardo Clarke, Skarra Mucci, Jahnett Tafari, Virtus, Raphael, Jah Rain, Nico D

First Riddim Produced by Damalistik for Roots Survival Records featuring artist like Luciano, Turbulence, General Levy, Cutty Ranks , Macka B , Solo Banton, Chevaughn, Peppery , Polyfamous and jaggy D , George Fyah

2013 Re-work of Jean Knight’s Mr Big Stuff is now Gyal Season Riddim

Another big release from the Bizzari Records camp, this time a riddim featuring two of my favorite upcoming european reggae talent Deliman & Sara Lugo

Free Downloads & Remix’s

Blend Mishken all ways dropping that fresh reggae/hiphop fyah this time with Jamalski on the microphone duties, Limited free download till 30th march get it now!!

7FT Sound system out of cape town refix Cocoa Tes’s “We Do The Killing” inna digikal styleee

Kalbata vs Kartel – Mi Gun gets nuff rewinds inna international dance’s #WatchItSoundboy


“A revamp of the “Taxi Riddim” and our own little version of J Boog and Jah Maoli Rasta’s “Hawaiian Pakalolo”. This was recorded as part of the upcoming “Rooftop Session” EP by Josh Heinrichs but did not make the final cut and instead of not using it or releasing it, we decided to give it away free” Josh Heinrichs

My Favorite ganja smokers outta Missouri

ONDUBGROUND inna remix stylee

Refix of jamie jones remix to “hungry for the power” By Danny Neville’s Latest project Dubnetikz featuring Taranchyla on the vocals

Video of the month

Burning Spear present The Sound Four Live 365.com

Berlin is definitelly one of the capitals of tropical music in Europe. Meet the latest addition to the city’s global bass scene – Checkpoint Guanabana

IG: What’s the story behind Checkpoint? What brought you together?

TEFFY: The fact:  ”Waiting for a place and time to experiment with”.

HERMANO SIMON: Yes, we wanted to experiment mixing latin music with beats… we know us from the latin scene in Berlin, we played in different projects before (electronic projects and latin bands) but never together… one day I spoke with Pol (our producer) and with Alejo (Keyboards) and asked them for an experiment like Checkpoint Guanabana… they found it interesting and all began… Jimmy (our Dj) and Teffy came to enjoy the band and we were ready to work…

IG: You define your music as Afro Tech-Funk, but what does it really mean? Where do you source inspiration from and how do you work on your sound?

HERMANO SIMON: Basically we play Afrolatin music (for Example Cumbia, Salsa, Merengue etc etc) with electronic beats (influenced by Techno and House) and Funky… that’s AfroTech-Funk

TEFFY: There isn’t “something” we got inspiration for…is like a big brainshake of a guy who grows up with funk music, a piano genius, a lonely Dj and a german women in an Afro Body.

TEFFY: Really?, Tropical Bass is maybe the “new R&B” sound.

HERMANO SIMON: Ja Ja, I don´t know… maybe… but you`re right, there’s a big Tropical Bass scene in Germany, especially in Berlin… but I think it´s normal in an important capital like Berlin, where a lot of people comes from the “tropical countries” or is influence by the “tropical music” and they mix that with electronic music… It’d be normal in a multicultural capital like Berlin, Paris or Madrid.

HERMANO SIMON: ”Maria Majao” is coming soon!… a bailar merengue!

IG: Thanks for the interview, good luck!

This Friday we gonna have a pleasure of hosting in Wroclaw Daniel Haaksman, founder&head of Man Recordings .  We’ve taken advantage of it and asked him to prepare a short mix for us.

Imported Go(o)ds Mix 007 – Daniel Haaksman by Theimportedgoods on Mixcloud

Daniel: The mix is a short introduction to Tecno Brega and also Eletromelody. The latter is the more speeded up, “harder” version of Tecno Brega, both genres are big right now in Belém, in the Amazon area of Brasil. I really love the energy of Eletromelody and the sometimes pretty cheeky pop sounds. The Bonde Do Rolê remix of Major Lazer´s “Get Free” shows really nicely how well this sound can be applied to any kind of big pop tune. Also the reggae chords that are many of the Eletromelody tunes give this sound a real caribbean feeling. This is pure tropical party music!

We’ve done a pretty extensive interview with Daniel last year followed by presentation of Man Recordings, so you can refer to it to find out more about this awesome Berline based label, so now we’ve only asked Daniel what has he recently been up to.  Here are some first  hand updates on Man Rec and his own work.

Daniel: Coming up on Man Recordings is the “Gal U Good” remix EP by Poirier which will be released tomorrow featuring remixes by Astronomar, Bert On Beats and Chong X. Early March will see a new release by Bert On Beats called “Piano Loco”, a heavily bassed up, samba salsa tune. In April Man Recordings will release the debut EP by Banda Westfalica, a student percussion ensemble from the city of Bünde in North-Rhine-Westphalia who have made live Marimba versions of various songs from Man Recordings such as “Carimbo” and “Tulum” by Schlachthofbronx, my track “Hands Up”, the So Shifty Version of “El Toro” and others.

I´m currently working a compilation called “Lusotronics”, to be released in May, which will accompany a two-day festival I´m organising in Berlin on May 18th/19th. The festival will focus on electronic, urban music from Portugal, Brasil, Angola and Mosambik. “Luso” is the term for the culture of Portugese speaking countries. “Lusotronics” will feature live performances by Batida, Bonde Do Rolê, Titica, Dama Do Bling, Edu K, Throes & The Shine, João Brasil and many others, plus there´ll be panel discussions and film screenings – all during the weekend of Berlin´s “Carneval Of Cultures”. Moreove, in June I´ll release my new EP, in the meantime some remixes will be released I made for Bonde Do Rolê, Scottie B and Coréon Dú. Parallely, I´m having my weekly radio show “Luso FM” on Funkhaus Europa, also focussing on, electronic, urban music from Portugal, Brasil, Angola and Mosambik. You can listen to the first shows here: https://soundcloud.com/daniel-haaksman/sets/luso-fm. 2013 is looking good!

Galang! See everyone who is (or can be) in Wroclaw this Friday here.

This is the last day of January so I still can wish you an excellent 2013 year. I’ll bring you some cumbias to begin the year dancing and moving on during the cold winter in the North hemisphere.

The year 2013 is quite special for me, better to say for my city, Marseilles, because this year is European Capital of Culture in conjunction with Kosice, Slovakia as Wroclaw, Rat’s dear city, will be in 2016. Unfortunately, this special year for Marseilles will not be as cumbiero as I would like. But because of the beginning of the cultural year in Marseilles this round-up will have a small French accent.

As always, I’ll bring you the new Captain cumbia remix. He’s beginning the year with a new Cumbia Contest, this time hip-hop and cumbia mix contest. It’s the third contest they do with his buddy the French-Argentinean Pedrolito. The previous contest were first, Cumbia Soundclash between them, and then the Cumbia Video Clip Contest. The first track presenting the contest is done with a cumbia of Lucho Bermudez a great Colombian cumbiero.

To stay with Paris and cumbia, here you have a Andres Digital cumbia remix of a song of a big French band of the 90s called “Les Négresses Vertes”, I love Paris. It’s quite original to mix a French song with cumbia. He already work with Captain Cumbia in Paris, visiting him in one of his Mama Cumbia Sound System party.

Next, I’ll stay in French with the Volume 1 of a mixtape called Mix Pal’apero done by the collective P18. The collective was founded by Tom Darnal, an ex-member of the Mano Negra, one of the first Manu Chao’s band. This mixtape is not exclusively cumbia but you’ll find some goods cumbia sounds. It’s more lounge and chillout than o dancing mixtape.
You can freely download the mixtape.

A free EP just for you ! from Caballito Netlabel and done by Rafael Aragon, “The cumbia Piu Piu”.
Rafael Aragon grew up in Paris and still living there.
The original track is quite dub, but you’ll a vocal version composed with ElMayonesa and Mc Chocolate del Caribe, for me the best track of the EP.
The EP is a complete musical journey thanks to collaboration of artists from Guadeloupe, Spain, Paris, Argentina, Netherlands, Italy and Mexico.
You also have the remix of the remix of the vocal version remixed by Cafe de Calaveras.

Here you have Bigote’s version of the Cumbia Piu Piu.

Rafael Aragón – Cumbia Piu Piu (Bigote Remix) from Caballito on Vimeo.

You can freely download this fresh digital EP here : http://caballito.org/post/41352246573/cbllt043-rafael-aragon-cumbia-piu-piu-ep

Albert Dj Style is coming back with a remix of Lisandro Meza’s cumbia, “Cumbia Pa Oriente” (Cumbia for the East). The words says that the cradle of the cumbia is Colombia and that the Colombian spirit is always present when someone plays a cumbia. He says that the cumbia is exported to Japan and China it always be Colombian. Albert Dj always respects the spirit of the original version in his remixes, he feels the cumbia spirit from Colombia.

“La cumbia de los efectos especiales”, another remix of a Colombian cumbia by Albert DJ. The original is “Tercera de los toquecitos” by Eduardo Zurita.

And as always, just for the fun, the cumbia version of the Tacata song done by Rescate DJ based in Buenos Aires and clearly influenced by the Colombian cumbia as his profile picture shows.

Cumbially yours,

New design of our blog is finally up. It still needs some tweaks here and there, but finally the blog looks more or less how we wanted and we’re super excited about it. To celebrate it, we have something special for you: an awesome, exclusive mix by the one and only Benjamin Lebrave aka BBRAVE aka brain at Akwaaba Music. (Yes,you’re right  the mix cover is also our fresh design !)

Imported Go(o)ds Mix 006 – BBRAVE by Theimportedgoods on Mixcloud

Benjamin  has been with Imported Go(o)ds since the very beginning. You could even say – he was there before it all began, when this name meant only a fairly young and eclectic genre wise set of parties in New Delhi, and an idea of a blog spanning continents didn’t even cross our minds yet.

He’s a DJ but most of all – a founder of one of the most trendsetting labels out there in the global bass circuits: Akwaaba Music, ghana based outfit specialized in diggin out musical gems from African soil and discovering them for the world. We have already presented what he’s doing with Akwaaba in an in depth interview  a while ago, but recently we’ve neglected them a little. Now – since we have this great pretext – it’s time to make up for it a little. Here’s a bunch of news from Ghana we have missed out on recently.

Biggest thing for Akwaaba at the moment is the coming up early march Art Melody’s album. First single Yamb Sabaab has been making waves since two weeks already (grab it for free below) and the  2nd single comes out February 6.

Another fresh banger from Akwaaba you can download for free is Bradez’s “Wossop” remix feat. Kwaw Kese.

What’s next? Benjamin reveals, that Edoheart ‘s”Sosomoneycockplease” batch of remixes are in the making, including such names as: Boddhi Satva, Batida, Aero Manyelo, DJ X-trio, Max Le Daron & DJ Mellow amongst other.

European Promoters Alarm! Keep your eyes&ears open, as he’ll be touring here in May. If you want to get a hold of Bbrave, here’s where you’ll find him:

twitter: @akwaabamusic

e-mail: bbrave (at) akwaabamusic (dot) com

Very interesting document about house scene in Johannesburg. By one and the only – Resident Advisor.

South Africans are the biggest consumers of house music in the world, and Johannesburg is the beating heart of their scene. If you’re looking for proof, there is no need to visit a nightclub. In turning on a television, listening to the radio or walking down the street, it’s clear that a 4/4 pulse is the metronome of everyday life. The city’s preferred sound—vocal-led, percussive, melodic—is largely at odds with what’s popular in other international markets; this coupled with cripplingly slow internet speeds goes someway to explaining SA’s absence from the global house music conversation.

But although the scene’s stars hold ambitions that extend well beyond the country’s borders, the reality is that they’re thriving on home turf. Johannesburg has written—and continues to write—its own narrative. It has tales of hardship. The fight to free itself from the brutality of apartheid, and the role music played in that struggle. In a city still rife with poverty, house music can offer a way out. For our latest Real Scenes film we journeyed to Johannesburg and its outer lying townships, meeting the DJs, producers, promoters and record labels who are central to its story.

Real Scenes: Johannesburg from Resident Advisor on Vimeo.

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This is Caballo, and this is some of the dopest latino things going on lately.

Bonde do Role + Chernobyl dropping original Funk Carioca sound

Wendy Sulca making a cumbia cover of Madonna’s like a virgin

El freaky teaming with some of the best MCs for their wicked song La pongo

D-V3KZ is slowly getting more and more attention for his great approach to the bass

An amazing song by Bituaya

“I am Caballo.
I like music and anarchy ”

www.latinoresiste.com
www.facebook.com/latinoresiste

Naz – Scarab Rising

Sound Shikari – Ranjha

Vacious – Hyperbolic

Sulk Station – Piya II

Dub Sharma – Jugs

NAZ – Saawariya (Sound Avtar Remix) – private track – go to this link to listen!
https://soundcloud.com/soundavtar/naz-saawariya-sound-avtar

Mode7 – Fine Art Thief


Gumnaam – Deewane Riddim

Shivacult – Bhadrakali Ketamine Reality