Back with something New 'n Improved!

It took me a while to regain my strengths after a hot summer filled with festivals in b***-f*** Nowhere, trips to exciting places, never ending parties and tear jerking concerts and I must admit that my everlasting Catholic guilt made me realize that I should haven written more, but time flies when you're having fun.

But I'm here now and I brought back an amazing discovery from my visit to Barcelona, so just Hang in there!

Hang player at Park Güell

During one of my slow strolls in the fantastic hills of Park Güell, my ears were suddenly seduced by a magic sound. Through the wild trees I heard a combination of hypnotic drums, subtle strings, gentle caresses and soft strokes, which made my heart skip a beat and my legs walk faster towards the enchanting composition. On my way to the origin the sound kept getting louder without loosing its suave character. Abruptly a personage, a man, appeared amidst this extraordinary wealth. It was he who created this tang. All by himself, with nothing more than an ordinary Hang.

And it is the Hang, I would like to introduce you to. This steel idiophone, that has been created in 2000 by PANArt in Switzerland, seems to have exploded all over the Catalonian capital. The inventors Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer made a steel pan resembling creation that combines its sound with the gong, the gamelan, the musical saw, the ghatam and many other international percussion instruments. Even though it's pricey (around 1200 for a new Hang and over 5000 euro for a second hand one), the process to buy one is extremely complicated (you need to write a letter to Sabina and Felix and íf they agree with your request, you can book an appointment to visit them at their workshop) and its limited production (the company temporary stopped the production in March this year, next deliveries will start in 2010), the Hang keeps up getting more popular.
Nowadays it (and its funny halfbrother HAPI) can be found around Park Güell, la Catedral, plaça del Sol in Gracia, you name it. Barça could give you an almost 100% guarantee of encountering the subtle sounds of the DING and the GU side of the percussion instrument.

Hang concert behind La Catedral in Barri Gotic

The instrument often referred to as a Hang Drum (the translation of the Bernese word Hang), which might explain the popularity amongst the huge amount of hand drummers in the city of Gaudí. Although it is more probable that one person came, spreading out the love for this melodious reference to acoustic freedom, passing it on to many others.

Whatever it might be, it's definitely something to check out as its sound is just plain beautiful.......
So watch one of youtube videos and decide for yourself.

Just a sunny sunday afternoon in Berlin....

Berlin is full of surprises. Just sit down, relax and let yourself get entertained. In Mauerpark you'll have a variety of acts taking place right in front of your picknick blanket.
This weeks recommendation is Trap: live in Mauerpark (see youtube video 1 and 2).

Moderat

Despite my survival in Berlin for the last two weeks, it took until Thursday to receive my musical home feeling. And what a welcome!
Moderat (Modeselektor + Apparat) released their new album and celebrated with a party in WMF. As expected, it didn't start until 11.30 pm, although the programm said 9 pm. Being Dutch and anxious to miss out on all the good stuff, we were there half an hour after the original starting time. This, however, gave us the opportunity to acclimatize and join the support act for the warming-up. And hot it was. It must have been at least 45 degrees celsius by the time Moderat came up. I guess that's the best way to start a concert: with a crowd that pictures itself in one big orgy.

As soon as they started, the 'love' was literally dripping off the fans. Their powerful intro made girls scream like boys, excited the stiff, drove newly weds towards eternal love and pleased the rest of the greedy audience with their unconditional enthusiasm. To me, it felt like a two hour emotional voyage around the world of sounds, ending in Berlin by taking us through all Kiez, neighborhoods. And when the encore was given, the trip continued inside my body. Heavy basses in my toes, tickling Charleston under the skin of my arms, mosh pits in my head, people on swings in my stomach, soft feather belly dances around heart and Dita von Teese seductive on my lips.

Moderat definitely can do it, living up to expectated 'kick in the face'. It was oldskool dancing packed in a contemporary jacket. Sending people off with an immeasurable smile......

Pink is the new Black!

Just Pinky...

Give us some dance Rules!

Happy, happy, happy are the three words that pop up when I listen to this album.
It's taking over underground clubs, punkrock venues, record stores and your living room. We can't ignore it any longer: Disco is back and you might wanna ..1,2,3,4. 1,2,3, clap, clap. After Daft Punk, Hot Chip and Hercules and the Love Affair last years' hits, we have some 2009 skinny Berlin white boys telling us to dance. Clap, clap.

Listen to the newest The Whitest Boy Alive album Rules!

And go to one of their concerts if you happen to be in Europe in April!

Some rays in dark times.

Even though I've been enjoying the cozy feeling of the South American summer, I keep thinking of my friends and family who start getting annoyed by months of snow, rain and extreme low temperatures.

This is to cheer you up!

Originally from Cameroon Blink Bassy has a touch of South American due to his choice of instruments, his amazing voice and soft bossa nova rythms.
His first solo album, which was partially produced in Salif Keita’s studio in Bamako (Mali), was released recently. Léman can be heard on the Luisterpaal this week.



Léman.

On his myspace Blick Bassy explains: “Léman means ‘mirror’. For me a mirror is a reflection of what we are. You cannot lie in front of the mirror. You can also see behind you in a mirror. Léman is about my past, really, and about being African. I see the problems that Africa suffers from and cannot do anything. It’s one of the reasons why I sing in my own language, Bassa*, which is one of the 260 Cameroonian languages that fewer and fewer children know how to speak. With that, cultures and traditions are lost forever. The song ‘Africa’ talks about these issues and is maybe the key song of the album. The same song also talks about the richness of Africa. You can only see all that when you take a little distance. Now that I live in Europe, I see clearly where I’m coming from.”


* The word ‘bassa’ means ‘people from the earth'.

A Beautiful Mine

I was just listening to RJD2's theme song of the award winning drama series Mad Men
(written by Matthew Weiner of The Sopranes) and now I'm addicted.
Shame on you, Ramble John Krohn!