Tracklist:

A1 Professor Wouassa – Fallou Fall 08:31
A2 Professor Wouassa – Yobale Ma 02:53
B1 Professor Wouassa – Thiaroye Gare 06:56
B2 Professor Wouassa – Beguente Len 04:10
C1 Professor Wouassa – Djongoma 04:32
C2 Professor Wouassa – Iba Niawoulo 07:50
D1 Professor Wouassa – Sama Yone 04:24
D2 Professor Wouassa – Djougoudja 10:09

Description

After their brilliant label debut with “Grow Yes Yes” in 2017, “Professor Wouassa” now returns with their brand new third album on “Matasuna Records”.

The Swiss band’s career spans more than 15 years, where they have played at many major festivals in Switzerland and abroad. The 11 members of the band have perfected their musical qualities over the years and captivate as a well-rehearsed live band with their energetic and rousing shows. So it isn’t surprising that they supported concerts of Afrobeat legends like “Ebo Taylor” or “Seun ‘Anikulapo’ Kuti”.

Their still exuberant creativity can also be heard on their new work entitled “Yobale Ma!”, which in Wolof’s language can be translated as “take me” or “get me”. With their new album they take the listener to their musical island to explore the borders of Afrobeat and beyond.

The song “Fallou Fall” opens the album in a jazzy & big band way, and quickly switches to an afrobeat theme and solo. In the middle the song breaks into an Afro-style pattern, which is performed by “Thaïs Diarra” in Bambara (Malian dialect) in a traditional Mandingo way of singing. The track ends with a Sabar percussion part – a traditional Senegalese drum.

“Yobale Ma” is the single of the album, which is inspired by the funky guitars of a Nile Rodger and some typical fast Ghanaian highlife of Ebo Taylor.

The track “Thiaroye Gare” is about the “Tirailleurs sénégalais”, a unit of the French army who fought for France in WWII. After returning from captivity they were taken in Camp Thiaroye northeast of Dakar. Corrupt and racist colonial officials led to a revolt, which was bloodily suppressed by French troops.
From the musical point of view the song shows a link between afrobeat and funky James Brown rhythms, which ends in a fast afrobeat style with baritone saxophone and trombone solos.

“Beguente Len” in the middle of the album is a kind of interlude that represents Wouassa’s own way of interpreting traditional afro beats and rhythms.

With the two songs “Djongoma” and “Sama Yone” Professor Wouassa leaves his usual afrobeat path to explore the “sound of the islands” (Mauritius, La Réunion, Cape Verde or Cuba) and blend it with their personal and unmistakable style.

With “Iba Niawoulo” the professors investigate a kind of Ghanaian highlife medium tempo with a chord progression from Serge Gainsbourg’s song “Initial BB”. The tracks change in the middle to a fast Rhythm’n’Blues beat, which is accompanied by afro guitars. The singer “Mamadou Diagne” talks about his alter ego in Dakar.

In “Djougoudja” typical afro rhythms are mixed with pure Ethiopian 70’s brass sounds and funk guitars. As heard several times in other songs, the track breaks into a very personal and hard to describe Wouassa beat in it’s middle. At this time, “Mamadou Diagne” recites a big slam about the spiritual ideas and the history of the famous senegalese theologian and poet “Serigne Touba” (Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba). Under his flow some sabar percussions (typical senegalese percussions) build a strong and intense musical rug.

Artist info

Music knows no boundaries and trespasses every geographic wall and culture. Rooted in Lausanne, Switzerland, Professor Wouassa is a living testimony of this – a special blend that brings together the principal Swiss afrobeat players into one groovy pot, cooking uplifting and infectious afro music.

Born in 2003, the combo released their first album Dangerous Koko! early 2011 and soon picked up airplay in such diverse countries as the UK, Greece, Brazil, Canada, only to be reinforced by their incredible live delivery – and soon invited to be the opening act for Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 in the reputed Cully Jazz Festival. After a string of memorable concerts throughout a packed tour, 2015 marks the release of Grow Yes Yes!, mixed by none other than Malcolm Catto (The Heliocentrics, Mulatu Astatké, to name very few) and with featured appearances by afrobeat shining stars Seun Kuti and Ebo Taylor.

Tracklist:

A1 Professor Wouassa – Serema (feat. Ebo Taylor) 05:28
A2 Professor Wouassa – Doumadem 06:30
A3 Professor Wouassa – Kanoule 07:31
B1 Professor Wouassa – We Thit 04:47 video
B2 Professor Wouassa – Mame Yala 10:38
C1 Professor Wouassa – Touki 07:23
C2 Professor Wouassa – Sunu Reou (feat. Seun Anikulapo Kuti) 11:31
D1 Professor Wouassa – Papa Jo 05:34
D2 Professor Wouassa – Bande de Kokos 06:00

Description

The album, about to be re-issued on Matasuna Records – house of the smouldering hot new project Dem Juju Poets – and for the very first time on vinyl, will surely add fuel to the fire across dancefloors everywhere.

Serema, its first track, laces Ebo Taylor’s smokey voice with an almost Cuban feel melody, preaching a message of love while Doumadem is a testament to the afro beat heritage, Thais Diarra’s voice hovering beautifully over a landscape of heat-infused rhythm, cropped with precise horn stabs and arrangements that would make Antibalas proud.

We dare you to stand still while listening to We Thit. Seriously. If you aren´t compelled to dance to it, check your pulse. Surely something will be racing inside you.

Sunu Reou is a vintage, slow tempo afro groover and it is only fitting that it has Seun Kuti as its guest, proving, if proof were needed, that Professor Wouassa are a singular musical project that pays homage to and does not shy away from mixing afrobeat, high-life and ethio-jazz with contemporary funk. Yes Yes!

Artist info

Music knows no boundaries and trespasses every geographic wall and culture. Rooted in Lausanne, Switzerland, Professor Wouassa is a living testimony of this – a special blend that brings together the principal Swiss afrobeat players into one groovy pot, cooking uplifting and infectious afro music.

Born in 2003, the combo released their first album Dangerous Koko! early 2011 and soon picked up airplay in such diverse countries as the UK, Greece, Brazil, Canada, only to be reinforced by their incredible live delivery – and soon invited to be the opening act for Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 in the reputed Cully Jazz Festival. After a string of memorable concerts throughout a packed tour, 2015 marks the release of Grow Yes Yes!, mixed by none other than Malcolm Catto (The Heliocentrics, Mulatu Astatké, to name very few) and with featured appearances by afrobeat shining stars Seun Kuti and Ebo Taylor.

Tracklist:

A1 Dem Juju Poets – At The Jubilee Gardens 03:36
A2 Dem Juju Poets – Stonetown Shakedown 04:02
A3 Dem Juju Poets – Bagamoyo 04:40
A4 Dem Juju Poets – Juju Chant #1 00:51
A5 Dem Juju Poets – Liberated Thoughts 04:14
A6 Dem Juju Poets – Mala Mali 04:46

B1 Dem Juju Poets – People‘s Republic 03:53
B2 Dem Juju Poets – Fubica 04:20
B3 Dem Juju Poets – Juju Chant #2 01:03
B4 Dem Juju Poets – Barabara 04:28
B5 Dem Juju Poets – Poacher‘s Lookout 04:03
B6 Dem Juju Poets – Flowers For Lions 04:10

Description

The opening title ‘At The Jubilee Gardens’ serves a sweet equatorial coast sound combined with heavy drums and a seductivebassline followed by ‘Stonetown Shakedown’ with a positive and energetic theme, chants and a busy brass section to set thedancefloor in motion.

‘Bagamoyo’ has a distinctive sound with it’s electronics and a laid back character followed by ‘Juju Chant #1’ which samples ‘MantisRevolver’ by Seattle based trio ‘Afrocop’ whilst the title track ‘Liberated Thoughts’ with it’s raw but floor friendly combination of drums and vocals leads back to the center of the dancefloor.

The title ‘Mala Mali’ describes the curse of money, whether you have much of it or even nothing. Fusing a cinematic, widescreentrumpet arrangement with vintage synths and rolling drums – a digression into slightly more psychedelic Afrofunk territories.Furthermore, ‘People’s Republic’ is built on a more Soul based idea with Jazz flutes and a vibrant horn section.

‘Fubica’, a peculiar theme for bumpy streets, provides broken beats, a mellow Jazz guitar and leaping sax followed by the secondinterlude ‘Juju Chant #2’. The following ‘Barabara’ was released as a prequel single to ‘Liberated Thoughts’ and perfectlycomplements the albums flow..

With ‘Poacher’s Lookout’ the psychedelic touch is revisited again, this time creating a tense overall atmosphere, with additionalhypnotic scats and some darker electronics. The album closes with the Dub-inspired slow groove of ‘Flowers For Lions’, a beautiful ending for ‘Liberated Thoughts’.

Artist info

What initially started as idea for a DJ-duo project quickly turned into a new production outlet for German producer David Hanke. He is well known for his Northern Jazz, Funk and Afrofunk productions under various monikers ever since his first release back in 2008. The most recognized surely is his Renegades Of Jazz-alias.

After starting to fully embrace the Afrofunk vibe with his 2016-released Renegades Of Jazz album ‘Moyo Wangu’ as well as two Dem Juju Poets singles in the same year it’s now about time to release ‘Liberated Thoughts’ – the longplay debut for Dem Juju Poets which is scheduled for April 2017.

Having spent an influential part of his childhood in Arusha, Tanzania and engrained the music of East Africa, his sound combines these influences with modern, more club-orientated electronic Afrofunk productions which defines the core sound of Dem Juju Poets.

With ‘Liberated Thoughts’ Hanke refines his Afrofunk vision for 2017 informed by his experience as a DJ in venues all over Europe which naturally led to a more floor functional production approach.