mardi 16 novembre 2010

Fenolaza (Hazolahy leader)

The leader of Hazolahy (myspace.com/hazolahy) is preparing a solo album (guitar , voice)

This is a little teaser...

mercredi 19 mai 2010

Song of the day

Teta: Omeo lala
album "Tulear rythm" (Mars)






you can hear it here

There's a gig tonight at "the glacier" with Teta and his "tropical tsapiky" band.:)

mardi 18 mai 2010

Short film

One of my friend released some years ago a sort film about his trip in Madagascar.



Very nicely done with a good score (traditional and modern stuff like Rabaza :myspace.com/rabaza)

More info about the movie here

Street art






myspace.com/skarzkwa

New sound from the south of the Earth

As a big fan of urban music (Hip-hop ,reggae ,grime ,kuduro ,kwaito ,you name it ...), It was important to me to share some gems who make me nod my head:)

first of all:

the first , as I can remember, digital project in Madagascar who got THE sound (my 2 ariary):



This is Monja (seems like is all over the blog!) the Soroba album (vcd available in Madagascar)

check the man here:
myspace.com/manintsindava


He worked a lot for dance show scores with a great producer , Rootikal, from the One Lova sound system (maybe the greatest lineup in Modern reggae down here)

one of my favorite prod from the label is the Shao Boana album "Unity".



the website of the label is down for the moment but wait for the update!!


Another production who blow my head up:

myspace.com/nonezeromc

This is the Dozzy (The guitarist from Njava) label.

The man was in the country for some time and do a showcase ,for the Medicis R.I.P. night at the CGM in Tana , all alone with his guitar. Ouch! Unforgettable!

The last but not least:

the Roots Power label!!!





Very good and very active label here (lot of singles and album)

myspace.com/rootspower7


More to come!

Stay tuned!

vendredi 26 mars 2010

R.I.P. Medicis

Yesterday night, Medicis ,one of the best hope of the accordion in Madagascar, was murdered. Rest in peace fella. Tsy ho adino iano ra.




Medicis ( izay ty ataony )
envoyé par nirinavaproduction. - Regardez la dernière sélection musicale.

mercredi 10 mars 2010

Spirit of the south

One the most famous band from Madagascar:

Njava

R.I.P. Jean Gabin Fanovona (Vaovy)

One of the greatest artist from the androy area is dead on Saturday.





Slim and taciturn, a sly upward turn to his lips, a farseeing look, Jean Gabin Fanovona gives off a feeling of secrecy and one suspects that the race of musician to which he belongs is similar to that of magicians. However, in Madagascar, it is as the modernizer of Antandroy music that Vaovy’s leader is known – and often pillaged, for over the last twenty years everyone over there has been shamelessly plagiarising his compositions and his ideas. Surprising for us, his music is no less surprising for the traditional background from which he comes.



Jean Gabin is from the Antandroy people, the “people of the prickles”, so called because they live in a region full of cacti which serve both as fodder for their herds and protection against invaders. The origin of the Antandroys, as for most of the peoples of Madagascar, is unclear. Legend would have it that their great ancestor, Raminia, came from Arabia between the 5th and the 7th century, and indeed traits inherited from the Arabs can be found in Antandroy culture, such as astrological knowledge and techniques of prediction. However the region inhabited by the Antandroys has, over the centuries, served as a shelter for other populations fleeing the innumerable migrations and invasions, and it is impossible to define an Antandroy ethnic “type”. Their culture, however, is very different to the others, because of their isolation. Hunters and breeders, the Antandroys still today have a very simple lifestyle, never leaving their assagai or stick, which is the warrior’s emblem, and respecting the codes of a very strict traditional society. Their celebrations in particular, with their music, their dances, their wrestling, are sacred and are guided by an original conception of the world: a whole universe still living and perfectly functional.
But over the last few years a parasite has almost completely wiped out the cacti, thus bringing famine on the men and beasts and destroying the natural barrier that had protected them for hundreds of years. The introduction of this parasite, with criminal intent according to some, is a menace to the existence of this community, already weakened by illness (high rate of tuberculosis) and malnutrition. The general impoverishment of the island and the famines of the last few years have thrown whole families onto the street ready to sell their most precious belongings, the silver jewellery that is their protection and their pride, for a crust of bread. In this context, Jean Gabin Fanovona’s music simply had to take a nostalgic and rebellious turn.
Jean Gabin Fanovona: born on the 23rd August 1948 in Ambovombe, in Madagascar’s southern tip, Jean Gabin Fanovona formed his first band in 1965 at the age of 17: le Groupe Artistique de l’Androy (GM), for which he composes an (already) original repertoire. In 1970 he was named head of a protestant choir which included splendid Antandroy vocal harmonies and gained international renown, to the point of being invited to tour the USA in 1972. Jean Gabin did not take part: the gentle rebel was expulsed for heresy, for he had adapted the Bible to the local cosmogony, rewriting Genesis and assimilating Joshua’s sceptre to the Antandroy warriors’ sticks. In 1974, he founded Vaovy (the name of a hard wood endemic to Madagascar). It was a modernised band, which, from then until 1984, recorded five LPs, all memorable: Lahimora Ko lay, Androy tane Mileven-drano, Omeo Ranr, Salakao, and Talignere. In 1984 they returned to a traditional form, entirely acoustic: vocals, percussion, violin and harp (“marovan”), plus the Antandroy’s war dance (similar to the stylised wrestling of Zulu pastors). Today Vaovy performs in both these forms, adding on occasion a bass and a keyboard to the original formation (seven musicians and dancers). Their reputation was limited to the south of Madagascar for a long time, for the high plateaux consider music from the south to be savage and take no interest in it; Vaovy did not play in Antananarivo until 1994, when the imported trend of “World Music” sparked an interest in the capital for music from the coast.
Jean Gabin is above all a great composer. His songs are always inspired, elevated by a musical vision. The orchestration brings in elements from Antandroy tradition, notably some beautiful a cappella harmonies and some unique vocal sonorities. The guitarist D’Gary has remarked that some of the voices “bleat” – a kind of mimicry, according to him, by this people of breeders. The drums and the percussion give the tertiary Antandroy style rhythm (ta ta tum ta ta) to the vocals. But the most astonishing sounds come from the lokanga (traditional three-stringed violin) and the marovany (harp with resonance chamber).

dimanche 28 février 2010

Roots did you say?

A awesome vid from Monja (Manintsindava band)
Lost tape fe real!



Take a look at :
http://www.myspace.com/manintsindava
for more info about the man!

Some tsapiky

I'm just coming back from Tulear (tsapiky city))
Just want to share some vibes.



Tsapiky power!!!

dimanche 21 février 2010

Bal poussiere

A real bal poussiere in the countryside of Madagascar. Far far away from the Madison square garden!!


manambaly mampirafy-live
envoyé par zone_mena. - Regardez plus de clips, en HD !

Hit from Madagascar

An all time hit in Madagascar. Speaking about the life of a woman who get her husband addict to alcohol.

Tiharea

A family band , Tiharea ,based in Belgium present the pure vocal style of the south of Madagascar.

La musique est vivante


Petite dedicace à B. de social fusion!

Forest blues

Mikea won the RFI "prix musique du monde". In a concert hall near you soon. :)



Live Music again

A lil' vid of Namavao and Marina live to annouce the new album of Marina coming soon.
Her first solo. (I heard some stuff, it's a secret but it's a MASS MURDER)

Live roots music!

Vilon'androy is a Band from the deep south of Madagascar. Lead by Surgi who sing and play the lokanga (violin) they tried to keep the tradition alive home and abroad. Not stuck in rigorist shems , they think tradition evolves like our modern society do. Enjoy!

samedi 6 février 2010

Social fusion

One of the best project I'have ever heard in Madagascar.

It's an malagasy all star formation with a malian drummer.

Crazy!

D'gary live

One of my favourite guitar player.

vendredi 5 février 2010

Ny malagasy orkestra



A very good project with some of the best in their category.

Roots



Dancers from the Androy area (Deep south of Madagascar).

Long time ago...

Menablues is back!!!

A long year it was, little jedi!
But your patience will...

Forget it let play music!

A good link from a web radio:

http://levillageglobal.free.fr/archives/Mix_Speciaux/madagascar/Mix_Mada1_22.htm

Very good with some rarities, I think about Monja from Manintsindava, a real legend
in Madagascar.

Take a look at his Myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/manintsindava

Enjoy