Gnawledge artists Canyon Cody, Afro DZ, and the1shanti will perform Thursday September 9th at Zanzibar in Santa Monica at a show co-sponsored by Afro Funké and The Fader magazine.  The party will celebrate South African rapper/DJ/producer Spoek Mathambo’s first visit to the United States, performing music from his new album Mshini Wam.

Afro Funké
WEEKLY FUNK INVOCATION
September 9, 2010

very special guest: SPOEK MATHAMBO (SOUTH AFRICA)
Part of a new breed of African artists, 24 year old Spoek Mathambo (Rapper/DJ and Graphic Designer/Illustrator) is hitting the world hard with his take on Afro-futurism. Spoek sees himself as a part of a new wave of energy in Africa, which is intent on nurturing a sense of progressiveness while maintaining a pride in culture. As front-man for electrorap outfits SWEAT.X and PLAYDOE, Spoek Mathambo has become a increasingly prominent figure in the international music scene over the last couple of years.
guest deejay: DJ CANYON CODY + AFRO DZ (live)
Global bass DJ and Fulbright scholar in ethnomusicology, Canyon Cody will be joined by Boston hiphop trumpeteer Afro DZ in celebration of their new Gnawledge cumbia remix album Panama Doaba. Digital drums and analog horns come together for a funky wiggle al ritmo tropical.
www.gnawledge.com/

———————:~0~:——————–
Afro Funke’ Thursdays
resident deejay: JEREMY SOLE
www.kcrw.com/jeremysole
@ Zanzibar
1301 5th Street @ Arizona
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.451.2221 / 21+ (EVERYONE must have ID)
9pm – 2am / $10 presale / $12 at door

www.zanzibarlive.com

Download the1shanti’s new EP Beautiful: FREE @ Bandcamp

• 1.      Beautiful (Summer Sunshine Remix)
• 2.      It’s Alright feat. Imogen Heap + Gnotes
• 3.      She Don’t Know feat. Chesney Snow
• 4.      Beautiful (Shanti in Africa Remix) 04:39

Connect with the1shanti @ Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

the1shanti has been rocking mics since he was 12 years-old rhyming on-stage with Doug E Fresh.  He has collaborated with A.R. Rahman, Foreign Beggars, and Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin and Wood) and toured all over the world, with extended stays in Mumbai, Bangkok, London, and New York.

In 2006, Afrika Bambaataa welcomed the1shanti into the Universal Zulu Nation.  Shanti was ordained as “Indian Bambaataa” by the godfather of hip-hop because his efforts to spread a positive message through hip-hop in South Asia.

In 2007, the1shanti signed to legendary underground hip-hop label Rawkus Records and released his self-titled sophomore solo album.  Always with his fingers in a few different pies, Shanti also formed Bonita Applebum, a collaboration with former Miss India North America, Shefali Kumar.

Shanti is also 1/3 of the Dum Dum Project , a legendary crew in South Asian hip-hop signed to Sony Asia.  Their song “Punjabi 5-0″ feat the1shanti became an international club hit (video below) after the Dum Dum project was featured as MTV Asia’s “Artist of the Month.”

In the digital space, Shanti launched www.opensourcehiphop.org as a resource for budding musicians to learn how to use free software tools to make professional recordings and access information about publishing, distribution, and basic legal needs.

Shanti is currently based in Brooklyn, where he regularly collaborates with Cumba Mela, an NYC party crew that brings together cumbia, dubstep, hip-hop and tropical bass.   Much more coming from Gnawledge and the1shanti in the future!

1970s cumbia tropical + 21st century hip-hop = Panama Doaba

The Funky Isthmus Mixtape features instrumentals produced by Gnotes for the upcoming Gnawledge EP Panama Doaba, mixed by DJ Canyon Cody with acapellas from Maluca Mala, Calle 13, Isa GT, Tego Calderón  y más.

FREE DOWNLOAD –> Panama Doaba – The Funky Isthmus Mixtape

Produced by Gnotes with an Akai MPC 2000XL and a microKORG synthesizer, Panama Doaba features original Gnawledge hiphop remezclas of Panamanian calypso, funk and cumbia from the 1960s & 70s, sampled from Soundway Records 12″ vinyl compilations Panama! Vol. 1, Panama! Vol. 2, & Panama! Vol. 3.

THE FUNKY ISTHMUS MIXTAPE tracklisting

1. Papi Brandao Y Su Ejecutivos “Decidete Mi Amor” (Gnawledge Remix)
… con Maluca Mala ["El Tigeraso"] and Calle 13 ["La Jirafa"]
2. Papi Brandao Y Su Ejecutivos “Viva Panama” (Gnawledge Remix)
3. Papi Brandao Y Su Conjunto Aires Tableños “La Murga de Panama” (GN Remix)
… con Yaga & Mackie ft. Tego Calderón ["Fuego Fuego"]
4. Los Jimaguas “Los Dos Hermanos” (Gnawledge Remix)
… con Julio Voltio ["Mambo"]
5. Sir Valentino con Combo Esclavos Alegras “Masters are Gone” (GN Remix)
6. Alfredo Y Su Salsa Montañera “La Escoba” (Gnawledge Remix)
… con Isa GT ["Pela'o"].
7. Bush y Sus Magneficos -  Nana Nina (Gnawledge Remix)
8. Chocolate Caliente – Mi Guajira Inspiracion (Gnawledge Remix)
… con Black Point ft Sensato ["Watagatapitusberry"]
9. Beby Castor con Los Juvenilles “Llororas” (Gnawledge Remix)

MP3 DOWNLOAD –> Funky Isthmus Mixtape [23 mins / 55 mb]

Download FREE: Elemental Zazen “Hollow Heart” ft Canibus

“Hollow Heart” is the second song released from Elemental Zazen’s upcoming Gnawledge album Nothing to Lose but Change, which also features guest appearances from Jean Grae and Gnotes.

For the first single “Lockjaw” Elemental Zazen worked with Seattle producer Jake-One (G-Unit, Rhymesayers), a song which Zazen performed live at the recent Gnawledge hiphop show in Seattle.

“HOLLOW HEART” Lyrics

Elemental Zazen:
Swallow the darts with a hollow heart
Tip the bottle meet the maker’s mark till the sorrow stops
Follow the motto until tomorrow’s bought
Caught the crooked cop and the narc in the parking lot
Parting shot Feed em to the starving sharks at the start of dark
Never call em off
Fuck what you thought
It’s ready to spark
Set a fire to the Molotov
And say your remarks
Liars in the pyre admire how the bodies embark
Sitting on the asphalt falling apart
And lost nobody cares or monitors
Can’t figure out the reason for stain on the polymer
Unidentified by the coroner
Not a single mourner just another soldier trapped in the corridor
Can’t adapt like a foreigner
Sheep to a slaughter never understood the warning or the order the
beliefs of gomorroh
On the street corner cheap marijuana got the smack for the habit I
repeat as a warrior
Sure to leave you grasping for air
But I aint got a fucking ration to spare
Not even a single fraction to share
Deep in your dreams where the demon appears
It’s the reason I’m here
Make you disappear when the beating is near
Feast on your fear
It’s the beast you revere
Beneath the diseased sheet
Is the key to your tears
A priest holding an antique sphere
Say a prayer to his feet and cheat death for at least a year

Canibus:
Yeah yeah, sound like snitchin’ to me
It don’t seem the same ’cause you put it to a different beat
Your mind is blind from a condition called dehydrated third eye
Take a break while I bust this rhyme
On this level of enlightenment, you are not invited
I know you don’t like it, but we have all decided
Dun…(?) bottom, who shot ‘em, I got ‘em
If I didn’t do that, nobody could have stopped him
Spit sixteen verse, funky cold medina the verse
Every rhyme’s from the heart and it hurts
You wanna talk? How much kevlar you brought?
You wanna walk? How much insurance does that cost?
Celestial metaphors transmit pure thought
They are stored in the akashic vault of the lord
The lord thy god, kneel before Zod’s iPod
Iditarod drawn by white dogs,
Being shadowed by pale white horse
Showtime at the Gallows of course, go in and go hard
Cheat death to repeat life, rematerialize as light
That’s why critics theorize I’m nice
I drink devil springs vodka, one more shot I’m a monster
After four shots I become somber
Release albums seasonably to prove what Hip hop means to me
Operate the heaviest machinery
Kundalini frequency, Quantum Leap DVD
Negro dialect translated by me
There is no real recourse to cure hollow heart
When you worship false idols, idols are not God
Envision Quezacotl in a football area at the top of the oval
Where townspeople go to witness the holy vocals go global,
Psycho-social, psycho-cymatic, silent soul food

…On the road to the untold truth…

May 13th — Our first show (photo above) was a Granada Doaba improv experiment featuring 3 rappers, 3 flamenco guitarists, 2 hand percussionists and a dancer.  Performing at Los Angeles’ historic flamenco venue El Cid, Granada Doaba featured acoustic freestlyles from Mandeep Sethi & Moses Soweto-Tsali, and a funky set by our good friends LoCura.

May 24th — We celebrated 6 years of Gnawledge in Boston with a party at Beat Research.  The night began with an acoustic version of Buena Vista Social Club’s “Chan Chan” featuring Gnotes on guitar, Noni Kai on vocals and Afro DZ ak on trumpet (video above).

The show transitioned into a tropical bass DJ set from Canyon Cody, who debuted the newest Gnawledge album Panama Doaba.  Read more about the Boston party at Wayne&Wax and check photos del amigo Zach Cole.

May 27th — The Gnawledge NYC Showcase featured 4 Gnawledge MCs and guest appearances from 3 New York locals. Hosted by Brooklyn veteran the1shanti [pictured above with Gnotes and Mighty Om], the crowd got rowdy for Nyle x Naysayers, a four-peice hip-hop band with a charismatic frontman (Nyle) and an amazing drummer (Isaac Teel).

Gnawledge performed a medley of new/old material from the last 6 years.  Multi-instrumentalist rappers Gnotes and Afro DZ traded verses from their solo albums, and played flamenco guitar & trumpet in support of Boston soul singer Noni Kai, who showcased her beautiful voice during an acoustic Granada Doaba performance. Gnawledge was also joined on-stage by guest percussionist Duke Mushroom from Harlem’s Earthrise Soundsystem, an immensely talented musician who brought a goodie-bag of global drums and transformed the rap concert into a dance party.

May 28th — Our cumbia hip-hop remezclas Panama Doaba got heavy rotation in New York, where DJ Canyon Cody performed with Afro DZ ak and the1shanti at a Williamsburg house party (photo above).  Produced by Gnotes, Panama Doaba explores the funky isthmus in the 1970s as a tropical bass follow-up to Granada Doaba.  An unruly Brooklyn house party was the perfect way to unwind after our big concert, and it was our first chance to rock with Cumba Mela, an NYC global bass DJ trio that knows how to throw a damn fiesta.

May 29th –  After playing with Gnawledge at Santos, Duke Mushroom invited Afro DZ ak to perform at the Globesonic show on the Hudson Pier (photos above).  It was a beautiful summer evening for a free outdoor party, with more than 1,000 people dancing to 3 outstanding DJs (Derek Beres, Fabian Alsultany & Bill Braggin) accompanied by the impeccable percussion of Duke Mushroom and mighty trumpet of Afro DZ ak (video below).

May 30th & 31st — DJ Canyon Cody got back on the decks at Love, a Greenwich club with an absolutely immense soundsystem, and then Bembe, a Brooklyn dance club with a reputation for hot&sweaty bootyshaking.  Hosted by DJs Atropolis, Thornato and 2melo from Cumba Mela, the weekly cumbia convocation at Bembe is a superb scene, with passionate live drumming and a sensual dance crowd. Como un pez en agua, Canyon Cody kept the party jumping with help from the1shanti and Gnotes on the mic [photo below]

June 5th – After New York, Gnotes and Canyon Cody went back to Seattle for a Gnawledge rap show with Elemental Zazen and Irenic. Zazen — who recently leaked his new track featuring Canibus — performed his new song “Lockjaw” produced by Seattle-native Jake One (video below).

With the Spring 2010 tour done, Gnawledge will soon release Panama Doaba while finishing final touches on upcoming solo albums from Elemental Zazen and Gnotes.

Since moving from Boston to Seattle, both Zazen and Gnotes have been working on their follow-ups to The Glass Should Be Full and Rhymes and Beats.  Zazen’s album features collaborations with Jean Grae, Gnotes and Canibus — a track recently leaked at Potholes in my Blog.

Also performing will be Irenic, MC Premonition, DJ Chocolate Chuck and Canyon Cody.  Tickets $5, show @9pm.  Lo-Fi is located at 429 Eastlake Avenue East in Seattle WA.

Gnawledge @ Beat Research
Enormous Room (Central Sq.)
567 Mass Ave (Cambridge)
May 27th / 9pm-1am / 21+ / $0
RSVP @ Facebook

72 months young, we’ll be bailando al ritmo tropical with our Boston bredren at  Beat Research, a free weekly experiment in party music hosted by Wayne&Wax and DJ Flack.

Gnawledge was born in Boston in 2004, a collective of hip-hop artists interested in music from around the world.  We will debut new music from our upcoming cumbia remixtape Panama Doaba and perform live versions of Granada Doaba (flamenco hip-hop árabe), followed by heavy bass dance riddims from DJ Canyon.

DOWNLOAD MIX–> DJ Canyon “Wild Jack Salt”

Beat Research is an avant-global-garde DJ playground. From the caballo’s boca: “The party is all about combining styles and features excursions into the depths of hiphop, dubstep, bhangra, garage, jungle, Baile Funk, Cumbia, Techno, Dancehall, Boston Bounce… and anything else that’ll make ya move. The night was started by DJ Flack and DJ C in March 2004 to present weekly, eclectic DJ sets and live performances. When C moved to Chicago a few years ago our old friend and collaborator Wayne and Wax (the riddim scholar) stepped up to be the new co-resident and has been co-killing it every week.”

Concert poster original b&w drawing by Mazen Kerbaj, colored by Carmen Abelleira.

Hosted by Gnawledge selector Canyon Cody, our 6th annual family reunion will feature a special guest appearance from Nyle with his live band The Nay-Sayers.  Also performing is the1shanti [aka Brooklyn Shanti], dubbed the Indian Bambaataa by the Universal Zulu Nation.

EARLY SHOW! Doors @ 7pm.
Live bands 8pm - 10:30pm. 
Tickets $8 // 18+
Santos Party House @ 96 Lafayette Street

A veteran of the New York underground rap scene, Nyle has 3 free albums and one of the coolest live hip-hop music videos I’ve ever seen:

Granada Doaba — with jazz trumpeteer Pete Shungu and flamenco guitarist Sean Dwyer — will feature vocals from Baltimore rapper Mighty Om and Boston soul singer Noni Kai.  Also performing with Granada Doaba will be special guest percussionist David “Duke Mushroom” Schommer from Earthrise SoundSystem.

Learn more about Granada Doaba @ NPR and watch concert video of the band’s recent show in San Francisco [ft. Gnotes and Afro DZ] … and download the album (free).

Gnotes and Afro DZ ak will perform songs from their solo albums [Rhymes and Beats & Elevation].  Gnotes will also debut new music from his upcoming  album Conflicts and Interests, which features collaborations with Devin the Dude, Blockhead, Eligh, Metaform & Ilmind.

18+ EARLY SHOW! DJ Canyon Cody @ 7pm.  Live bands 8pm - 10:30pm.  Tickets $8. The venue Santos Party House is located @ 96 Lafayette Street in NYC. More info available at the Facebook invite.

LoCura is a SF/Oakland band that shaped their sound traveling through Spain, Cuba, and Morocco.  Their distinctly Californian style of Rumba Flamenca brings together ritmos caribeños with west-coast funk & hiphop. The band’s veteran crew includes hand-percussion, bass, flamenco guitar and kit drum, along with Spanish vocalist La Kata.  They played at SxSW 2010 and will be performing at the Joshua Tree Music Festival on May 15th.

Granada Doaba rapper Mandeep Sethi (video below) will be joined by special guest Moses Soweto-Tsali (NuAi Tribe) and belly dancer Joanne Terry. Hosting the early evening show is DJ Canyon Cody, who just performed with LoCura at the Elbo Room in SF in April, and will be on tour with the Gnawledge crew in Boston (May 24th @ Enormous Room), Manhattan (May 27th @ Santos Party House), Brooklyn (May 31st @ Bembe), and Seattle (June 5th @ Lo-Fi).

EARLY SHOW! Thursday May 13th … doors at 7pm, Granada Doaba at 7:30 and LoCura at 8:30.  The show will be over at 9:30pm sharp.  El Cid is an ALL-AGES venue so bring the family and have dinner at the restaurant while enjoying the performances.  El Cid is located at 4212 Sunset Blvd.  Tickets $8.

Preview Techno Rumba @ Soundcloud.

BUY the album on iTunes, Amazon, or Boomkat.

The official release also features 2 additional remixes by dj/Rupture & Matt Shadetek and Que Bajo/ZZK producer Uproot Andy.  Currently based in the Bay, Boima connected with Gnawledge back in January (after our Granada Doaba concert at The Independent) and invited us to remix Techno Rumba.

Produced by Gnotes, our remix is part of a new gang of global bass music from Gnawledge (eg here and here), more of which DJ Canyon will be debuting at Beat Research on May 24th in Boston and Bembe in Brooklyn on May 31st.

Free Download: Chief Boima “Techno Rumba” (Gnawledge Remix)

Boima also released a great promo mix for “Techno Rumba” which explores the pan-African diaspora of “rumba” — an amorphous term that represents more of a feeling than a singular rhythm.  Also, make sure to grab Chief Boima’s preview remix EP African by the Bay and his Descendents United mix.