I'm English and I love the EDL

The English Disco Lovers.

Our aims are very clear - we want to accumulate more likes than the English Defence League on Facebook as well as outranking them on Google. By doing this in a light-hearted way we aim to show them for what they really are - racist, outdated and the type you wouldn't invite to your disco.

One World, One Race, One Disco. 

Hate Racism, Love Disco.

Awesome. Here's the Facebook and Twitter

The Rwandan National Strategic... Rap Video?

This is definitely the first national strategic plan that I've worked on that has its own music video. Presenting... the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2 (EDPRS 2) song.

Africa Express

What to say about Africa Express? I like Simon Ayre's take:

After five days of thinking about it, it’s time to write something about the Cardiff leg of the Africa Express tour that traveled across the country last week. But what do I write that hasn’t already been said? How do I put into words an experience that left me sat down staring into space for nearly forty minutes when I got home?  

I can’t. I’ve tried, I’ve deleted what I’ve written and tried again and again. I’ve given up and come back to it- I just can’t come up with anything that would do it justice.

Here's a five star review of the Manchester show, and a detailed review of the London show. Apparently Fatboy Slim called a Mali trip "like the greatest ever edition of Later ... with Jools." Which is close but not quite right. It's better than that. The London show was more like a live 5-hour mashup-style remix. Like Girl Talk played by 50 live musicians jamming.

In any case, thanks to Damon Albarn and Ian Birrell and all of the artists for making it all happen.

This audience-shot video gives a bit of a taste (HT: Matt).

African-ish Music Break

I started putting together a list a few months ago for Ryan and Michael, tidied it up last week for Andrea, and am now posting it here as a bookmark for me. Given that Ian kicked out the label "world music", now we just need to figure out what to call it. Note to OPM IT, I obviously wouldn't dream of streaming music in the office. Note to everyone else, I am definitely in the market for more stuff like this. Suggestions please!

Blitz the Ambassador - Native Sun - Full Album Stream - Ghanian Hip-Life Hip-Hop 

M.anifest - Suffer - Ghanaian in America - This song is infectious 

The Fokn Bois - Fokn Wit Ewe - Full Album Stream - Crazy crazy awesomeness 

Afrikan boy - Free Mixtape Download - Nigerian rapper in London 

Baloji - Independence Cha-Cha - Rapping over 1960s Congo independence anthem 

Nneka and J. Period - The Madness - Free Mixtape Album Download 

Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew - Kings of Salone: The DJ Gravy Mixtape - The track "Bondo Kallay" is awesome 

Dub Colossus - A town called Addis - Ethiopian Dub. What more do I need to say? 

Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit - The Very Best - Malawian singer Esau mixed with Vampire Weekend, MIA, and Michael Jackson 

Antibalas - The Afrobeat band that played the Fela! musical on broadway 

Gummy Soul - Fela Soul - A Fela Kuti / De La Soul mashup (I'm not sure this one is really better than the sum of its parts, but definitely interesting nonetheless) 

Chiddy Bang - Several free mixtapes here - Not a ton of Africana - but Chidera is technically Nigerian, so... 

Chief Boima - Love in this African Club - I'm a sucker for cheesy R&B remixes 

Sanchez - I believe I can fly - R Kelly. The reggae version. Yes. 

And to keep an eye on the new stuff....

Africa is a Country - The best blog on Africa and the media

African Hip Hop - Does exactly what it says on the tin 

Nomadic Wax - Global Hip-hop blog

Okay Africa - An initiative of the Roots - Enough said

Probably the best Ugandan lifestyle & events website

InKampala.com went live today, check it out:

Probably the best Michael Jackson impersonator in Eastern Congo?

via AfricanHipHop.com

Cash Rules Everything Around Me (South Sudanese Pound Music Video Edition)

HT: Bored in Post Conflict

Ghanaian Hip-Hop

I can't get enough of this

via the excellent http://www.okayafrica.com/ and http://africasacountry.com/

Music from Saharan Cellphones

Trailer for Music From Saharan Cellphones from plastic shaman on Vimeo (via The Guardian, HT:TH)

The new national anthem of South Sudan

South Sudan National Anthem by user9727461 (thanks Nick)

The new Pandora

There's a new online music phenomenon taking over. The concept is kind of like Pandora Internet Radio or Spotify, except there are no ads and instead of using computer algorithms they get totally retro and use actual people to pick the songs for you. And they're charming gents to boot.

Hop Skip Jump 18.05.2025 by NTS RADIO

When you're done with that, go listen to Gilles Peterson.

Dinka Hip-Hop

via Pete Martell

Very Serious UK Health Policy Analysis

via The Guardian

Wobbly

I'm quite partial to unlikely cover versions. So versions of Joy Division with wobbly bass get my mark of approval. This is Control by Spoek Mathambo. [Cover of Joy Division's 'She's Lost Control'].

HT: Bombastic Element

Emmanuel Jal - We Want Peace

Fun fact(?): according to Wikipedia Emmanuel Jal was adopted and smuggled to Kenya by Emma McCune, the English girl who married Riek Machar back when he was a warlord.

Google Beatbox

Beatboxing with Google Translate.

HT: The very excellent kmtlondon.com

RIP Gregory Isaacs

Junub Sudan: It’s time to vote

HT: Aban Kwawang

Rumbek Rocks

Probably the best expat Rock band in Rumbek, Southern Sudan.

Songs about leaving Africa

Barcelona or hell’ - is the sentence every kid in Dakar grows up with: leave or die trying. Life is tough for many people in Africa, especially in the ever-expanding mega-cities like Dakar, Lagos and Nairobi where work is shared between millions and life is a hundred times more expensive than it was in the village. Getting to the west and the promise of a life with well-paid work is what is occupying everyone’s mind. With visas virtually impossible for the ordinary person to get and the internet and TV showing the life in Europe and the US, the image of Western life presses hard on the African mind. Paradise is just a canoe journey across the Atlantic away or a mad trek across the Sahara. Many thousands have died along the way, but thousands more have followed, even more determined to make it. Some have never been to school, don’t speak English, can’t swim, and do not know anyone where they are going. The thing that unites them is their determination: “Yes we can”, we can make it, get out, and live the life we have always dreamed of.

An album compiled by Rose Skelton, via ScarlettLion.com