Rating:
Genre:
World
Release Date: 08/22/2006
New World Africa is the first volume in the
System Recordings "world" series. As such it features soft-mixed, "Africa-inspired" selections from only three artists, chief among them
Kimikumana, who blend
Fela's
Afrobeat, deep
funk,
downtempo, and/or
electro. The act is featured on eight of the album's ten tracks. The other two are by the Brazilian keyboard whiz, conceptualist, and composer
Corciolli, and digital
dub act
Edson X.
Kimikumana's tracks, especially the
chant-driven opener
"African Fields," the glitchy, loose-limbed
funk and African
rap of
"The Master," and the horn versus keyboard and bass orgy of
"Celebration Day" are standouts. The hand drumming loops are killer, as are the angular guitar breaks amid the noise. There are a pair of remixes added to the set by
Kimikumana to round it out. A curious if not compelling disc, it will be interesting to see what
System Recordings does with the series from here.
~Thom Jurek, All Music Guide