He lives a life infused with humility. He’s a man of tradition, wise words, lives passed. He’s a musician, a poet, an entertainer. He’s a storyteller.
French-influenced West Africa calls him a griot [gree-oh]. Which denotes that his position as a storyteller in Malian society is a biologically-inherited, social obligation.
In Mali, Cheick Hamala Diabate tells me, you go to the griot when you are about to get married, have a baby, [seek advice] regarding your life direction, or when two people are fighting—“people trust the griot more than they trust the government,” says Diabate. “They say in Mali, when one griot dies, it’s like one library burned.”
Once upon a time, ten years ago… when music enthusiasts were still using Napster… and N’Sync was making school girls… sweat…
Asheru and Blue Black of the Unspoken Heard dropped their album Soon Come. Sunday marked the 10-year anniversary, to-the-day, of the Soon Come release.
Asheru and Blue Black are unarguably a meeting of minds, but also they insist, their sound is a merging of generations. “Blue is the bridge between the first era and our era,” says Asheru.
Their relationship started as casual aquaintences at a local DC bar where Akbar was working the late-night door and Rex had a monthly DJ gig. The two later linked up while collaborating with the local musical powerhouse, Thunderball.
Nappy Riddem | Rastar (Ursula 1000 Remix)
They soon learned that they both have a passion for hip hop, funky bass, and “whatever feels good,” they say. In addition, they share a mutual desire to be socially conscious, truthful, and honest. Together, in conjunction with third party Ashish “Hash” Vyas (who rocks a live bass), the movement is owning a new sound.
They openly encourage their crowd to, “free up, be you, and accept the music,” says Akbar. “We have these mantras, I’ll say them to the crowd … ‘Free-up, free-up’ and ‘Keep it nappy, baby!'” They just want their crowd to be comfortable and to have a good time. Rex adds that the better the crowd is feeling, the better their performance.
Fact: You need to be at U St. Music Hall this Sunday, July 3rd. Rex will be DJing and Akbar will be joining up with Fort Knox Five to provide vocals.
To tide you over until Sunday, Fort Knox Recordings is offering an exclusive free download of “Rastar (Ursula 1000 Remix)” to TVD Readers. Give it a listen above, and download it below. You will find this no where else!
The Big Boom artists will be taking over TVD all this week. We’ll be featuring all of them, and of course we’re going to share in the fun by giving away some tix and some wax. First up, Fort Knox Five… with an exclusive download (at the bottom) of “Average White Five (DC’s Finest Remint),” Fort Knox Five vs. Average White Band vs. Jurassic 5. Booyah!
Fort Knox Five, a Washington, DC collective, is approaching a decade of hard work—and ten bucks says your neighbors are sitting inside, clueless. Washington, we need to catch up.
They’re talented and tenacious, and they know what they’re doing. Grounded with roots in the vinyl world, the group has been steadily branding dance music by adapting a number of techniques to an eclectic and worldly music library.
Core duo Jon Horvath and Steve Raskin allowed me to interrupt an afternoon studio session to help bring the Nation’s Capital up-to-speed. Horvath (the guy with the ‘fro) casually detailed the relentless efforts made during the first third of the collective’s career. After countless attempts to sell records to distributors, Groove Distribution in Chicago snagged 500 copies without any arm-twisting. A week later, Groove called back to buy 500 more.
Thousands of record sales and several tours performing abroad later, Horvath notes, “We need to catch up in the U.S.” The high demand for performances abroad leaves little time for them to play in the United States, let alone their own backyard.
Well, guess what.
Fort Knox Five | Average White Five (DC’s Finest Remint)
July 3rd. U St. Music Hall. It’s on. And it’s only ten bucks. Bring your neighbor.
I’d hate to spoil the show for you, but as Raskin put it, “We want our crowd to get the audio and the visual, like a package… an experience.”
They’d prefer not to claim any particular genre, but they say if you’re down for something reminiscent of, “the late rave scene—but with organic flavor, funk influence, and strings”—you’re in for a real treat.
Fort Knox Five’s other two members, Rob Myers and Sid Barcelona, will be accompanying the electronic duo at the July 3rd show. The group has dropped one album and two compilations so far; they plan to get serious this fall and get some new material underway.
In the meantime, Fort Knox Recordings is offering an exclusive free download of “Average White Five (DC’s Finest Remint),” Fort Knox Five vs. Average White Band vs. Jurassic 5, to TVD Readers. Give it a listen above, and download it below. You will find this no where else!
