Artist: Elikeh
Title: Kondona
Label: Ropeadope Records
Genre: Afropop
New Life in an Old Ceremony: Elikeh Experiences Its Kondona
Music can change everything. As the poet wrote, it has charms to soothe the savage breast. And it can also bring a band back from the dead, giving it a new spark of energy and creativity. For Washington, DC-based Afropop band Elikeh, the results of that musical resurrection are proudly displayed on the EP Kondona (released November 20, 2015).
Date: February 22, 2013
Venue: Drom (NY)
Review by Matt Cole
On 22 February, Washington D.C.- based multinational band Elikeh played at DROM in Alphabet City. The show was a make-up for an earlier date cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. As I had enjoyed their new CD, Between 2 Worlds, I was looking forward to hearing their live performance.
Massama Dogo (photo courtesy of Massama Dogo)
Artist: Elikeh
Title: Between 2 Worlds
Label: Azalea City Recordings
Genre: Afro Beat
Review by Matt Cole
It is difficult to even say where the band Elikeh is from; band leader, vocalist, and rhythm guitarist Massama Dogo hails from Togo, in West Africa, and other members of the band come from a diverse array of places, including California, Nigeria, New York, Maryland, and Benin. It is not surprising, then, that their recently-released CD, Between 2 Worlds, shows influences from a wide variety of sources.
Artist: Elikeh
Titel: 2 Worlds
Label: Azalea City Recordings
Genre: Afro Beat or “taking Fela Kuti and mixing him with Bob Marley. Put in a pot and stir for three minutes and add some Osibisa and Togolese traditional music to it and let it all boil for two more minutes,” Dogo laughs. “Then you add a sprinkle of rock and you have Elikeh. ” (by Massama Dogo)
Release date: August 23, 2012
Elikeh mixes Afro-beat with traditional Togolese polyrhythms to produce captivating tunes that are as listenable as they are danceable. Although based in indigenous traditions, Elikeh’s music has no borders, exploring global themes and personal odysseys.
The eight-member group knows how to get the fire burning. They channel that energy into funkified pop anthems and thoughtful critiques of corruption, ignorance, and cultural neglect. Now on Between 2 Worlds the group digs deep into the African vintage pop inspiration, the reggae vibes, and the current craze for African-inflected funk and blues on an album that easily straddles two continents.
Date: Monday, April 11, 2011
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Shrine (2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd, NY)
Ticket: donation
Genre: French Jazz
Mademoiselle Fleur is with an interesting life story involving a journey from her native Morrocco to France and now USA… Mademoiselle Fleur performs some of the most beautiful pieces of French music (with personal arrangements) and enjoys to do this in New York, this jazzy city that is now her home.
