Antibalas: Antibalas

Soul / Funk
premiera polska: 27.04.2022
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: digipackowe etui
opis:
polifonia.blog.polityka.pl:
Brooklyńska orkiestra – zaczynająca, przypomnijmy, w barwach Ninja Tune – jest w pewnym sensie odpowiedzią na wracające zainteresowanie afrobeatem. Może więc po prostu należą do tej samej fali co rockowe formacje inspirujące się afrykańską rytmiką, tylko poszli w kierunku odtwarzania klimatu starych nagrań (stąd po latach trafili w idealne miejsce – do katalogu słynącej ze stylizacji retro wytwórni Daptone, która wydała w ten sposób kolejną pięknie wystylizowaną płytę).
W każdym razie coraz potężniejszy skład Antibalas przynosi porcję korzennej muzyki w duchu nagrań Feli Kutiego...
Imponują kobiece chórki, naturalny funk napędza takie kompozycje jak „Him Belly No Go Sweet”, a w najlepszych momentach (finał płyty) orkiestra wpada w fantastyczny trans, co pewnie świetnie przekłada się na koncerty....
autor: Bartek Chaciński

allmusic.com * * * *:
Antibalas is the first record in four years by the Brooklyn Afro-beat ensemble of the same name, and is the band's debut on the Daptone label. Label co-owner (and co-founder) Gabriel Roth is a former member of the 11-piece band, and produced not only this date, but their first three albums. In the years between the release of Security in 2008 and this effort, various bandmembers took part in the stage production of FELA!, and Antibalas' urgent sound has undergone a slight sonic transformation. Afro-beat and its insistence on rhythm at every level-- bass, drums, percussion, horns, vocals, guitars, keyboards, etc. -- is still its engine. But the nuances are different: Victor Axelrod's organ and electric piano, and Marcos Garcia's guitar sound brighter; they offer melodic, brittle, animated funk riffs in the foreground and as accompaniment. Backbeats have been added to their trance-like polyrhythms; they're tighter and they crack instead of simply pushing the energy forward in waves. The opening guitar vamp on "Dirty Money," the set's first cut and single, offers ample evidence. The chugging guitar is so bright it might have come off a James Brown record. Axelrod's organ enters with a series of melodic statements, all pulsing counter to the guitars. The percussion bumps and horns undercut then punch through the mix in a cacophonous strut. It isn't until they fall away and Abraham Amayo begins singing call and response with a trio of female backing vocalists that Afro-beat takes actual precedence. "Ari Degbe" features a triple-timed polyrhythmic stew of cowbells, shaker, organ chords, and a drum kit, picking up a guitar and a rubbery bassline which rumble through. The horns find a different groove and threaten to take over the jam, but as the rhythms settle down, they balance out. A redux version of "Sáré Kon Kon" erases the seams between funk, jazz, and Afro-beat. It's a careening sprint as it zigzags between taut urgency and orgiastic celebration with two concurrent horn vamps and a tight, bubbling bassline. The interplay between the instruments provides a tightrope for Amayo and the backing vocalists, who not only walk it, they dance over it, creating an entirely different groove in the process. Antibalas is a welcome return; its slight shift in direction and production nuances reveal just how sophisticated this ensemble is, expanding the Afro-beat sound in the 21st century without sacrificing its heart.
by Thom Jurek

muzycy:
Trumpet, Backing Vocals – Jordan McLean
Trumpet – Dave Guy
Trombone – Aaron Johnson
Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Cochemea Gastelum
Tenor Saxophone – Stuart Bogie
Shekere, Percussion [Sticks], Backing Vocals – Marcus Farrar
Shekere, Backing Vocals – Giancarlo Luiggi
Organ, Electric Piano, Percussion [Sticks] – Victor Axelrod
Lead Vocals, Drum [Gbedu Spirit Drum], Agogô [Agogo Bells], Congas – Abraham Amayo
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Luke O'Malley, Marcos García
Drums – Miles Arntzen
Congas, Bells – Yoshi Takemasa
Congas – Reinaldo De Jesus
Bass – Nikhil Yerawadekar
Baritone Saxophone, Backing Vocals – Martín Perna
Backing Vocals – Afi McLendon, Lucinda Slim, Shaneeka Harrell

utwory:
1. Dirty Money 06:15
2. The Ratcatcher 08:12
3. Him Belly No Go Sweet 06:55
4. Ari Degbe 06:43
5. Ibeji 06:16
6. Sare Kon Kon 08:07

wydano: August 7, 2012
more info: www.daptonerecords.com