Masterful work from Rob Smith and two more corkers from the AMJ treasure trove ….
The deep and heavy Serious Signs features soulful performances by Seckou Keita on kora,
Michel ‘Pata’ Salazar on keyboards, Camilo Menjura on guitar and Michel Padron on trumpet.
Feel the ground move and your spirit rise!
The B is Second Drop, a fresh reworking of the first AMJ-RSD single Depth Drop, solid groove
graced with fine guitar work from Camilo Menjura and horns from Michel Padron.
“An exquisite blend of Spanish guitar, West African Kora and Jamaican dub music. AMJ Meets RSD is progressive, enchanting and melodious – a breath of fresh air in an otherwise crowded space”.Afrojamm, UK
Owen Shiers will be teaching welsh folk songs at the much loved Tribe of Doris main event at Stanford Hall, Leicester – as part of their celebration of UK and World Heritage (Wednesday 29th July – Sunday 2nd August).
AMJ’s John Hollis has been beavering away in the studio producing Totó la Momposina’s latest album, which is due for release in June on Real World Records. Initially created 24 years ago, this is the latest offering by the Grammy Award nominee and Latin Grammy Award winner ahead of her 2015 European Tour!
…Also making an appearance on the album are two of her granddaughters – vocalists Maria and Oriana who have been laying down backing vocals -bringing a whole new meaning to Keeping it in the family!!
Our very own Camilo took the runner up prize in the ‘Musician of The Year’ category at the recent Latin UK Music Awards ceremony. It’s the UK’s fastest growing awards ceremony that recognizes the contribution of Britain’s Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American communities to the world of Music, Dance and the Arts. New releases and Summer performance dates to be announced soon!!
AMJ Collective joined forces with WOMAD FESTIVAL and the Malmesbury Schools Project, an annual artist residency that sees primary and secondary school students working with artists and musicians from around the world. The project included a 1-week tour of local schools, delivering an outreach performance in the surrounding villages, with lots of participation from students and teachers alike.
We were lucky to have a great group of 100 extremely talented students who made the task of preparing for the opening slot at the festival on Thursday evening that little bit easier. The show consisted of dancers; vocalists, percussionists, several guitarists, bass players and a full horn section. Half the students on-stage were from Malmesbury School with another 50 recruited from the morning sessions with the five local primary schools; Malmesbury, Brinkworth, Earl Danby, Minety, Lea & Garsdon and Crudwell.
Following the success of the opening night – AMJ Collective conducted a workshop in the ‘All Singing – All Dancing’ tent on Friday – which again, was a great success. It was a huge honour for us to be invited to teach and perform at one of the longest established cultural events in the world, clocking up more than 30 years in the game. Here’s to 30 more…
Previous years artists include; Pee Wee Ellis, Colores de mi Tierra, Siyaya and The Dhol Foundation to name but a few.
“AMJ Collective provided a slick and solid reggae afro framework, within which the young musicians and singers expressed themselves – while the dancers hardly stopped moving throughout” – Western Daily Press “
“I own Heartbeat & the Brave on vinyl. I also have Depth Drop…. Sign of the dub I’ve been playing out lots when DJing! WICKED PRODUCTIONS YOU RELEASE! HUGE RESPECT” Sattamann. DJ. Real Roots ands 22 Tracks. London.
AMJ meets RSD ft. Mariama Kouyate – The Brave – 12″ Astar Music
Voici une sortie pour le moins atypique que nous a envoyé en avant première le label anglais Astar… Une rencontre improbable entre le Sénégal et le dub anglais, disponible prochainement en vinyle.
AMJ meets RSD ft. Mariama Kouyate – 12″ The Brave
Créé par un musicien aventurier du nom de John Hollis, le label AstarArtes, que l’on qualifierait de world music, s’apprête à sortir un second vinyle de la rencontre entre AMJ et RSD. Si vous connaissez sûrement RSD (Rob Smith, membre du duo trip-hop Smith & Mighty), le nom de AMJ ne vous dit peut-être rien… AMJ est un collectif de musiciens formé autour d’AndyClarke à la batterie, MarkSpence à la basse et du producteur JohnHollis (ex membre du groupe de reggae anglais Restriction).
Pour ce second vinyle en commun, ils ont décidé de faire appel à une jeune chanteuse de Dakar, Mariama Kouyate. Ses mots, chantés en mandingue et en wolof, parlent des différentes luttes de la vie, précisant qu’avec la pensée positive, nous pouvons relever les défis et les surmonter.
La mélodie a été écrite dans les années 1980 par Basil Anderson du groupe Restriction pour la chanson « I Want to be Alone ». Pour cette nouvelle version, AMJ a invité, outre Mariama Kouyaté, le guitariste sénégalais Moustapha Gaye sur le titre « Kana Bori », le cubain Jose Zalba sur la version à la flûte traversière, ainsi que ses compatriotes Vicente Arrencibia aux congas et Michel Salazar aux claviers.
Le résultat est étonnant, une sorte de reggae dub très mélodieux, avec la touche de stepper de RSD qu’il faut pour faire vivre le morceau décliné en 4 versions.
AMJ meets RSD ft. Mariama Kouyate – The Brave (Astar Music)
The debut album from the AMJ Collective is now released and picking up radio play from BBC Radio 3 to Ujima in Bristol.
The Sign collection is an introduction to what we are doing and features mixes from all four AMJ departments – Almighty Groove, Dub,
RSD and Space.
