KTRU 91.7 FM THE THRESHER is NOT REspOnsiBLE FOR THE CONTENT OF THE riCE RADIO FOLIO. SPRING 2009 Various Artists Year in Review: African Scream Contest Analog Africa This new compilation of recordings from the 1970s in Benin and Togo present a broad and vibrant blend of traditional rhythms, Cuban and Brazilian drumming Best Albums of 2008 styles, psychedelic flares, and a healthy funk that draws equally from Fela Kuti and James Brown. Benin and its neighbor Togo Rap and folk, soul and post-punk—2008 brought albums for every taste, and with this round- are couched between social and musical powerhouse Nigeria up of our favorites, KTRU presents a musical smorgasbord with an emphasis on the local scene. (home to Fela and his Africa 70, the fountainhead of afrobeat) and Ghana (the home of highlife), two sounds that are very In no particular order, here’s some of the best the year had to offer. influential on the local music. But Benin also houses a large B L A C K I E Studemont Project population descended from the repatriated slaves of liberated Wilderness of North America Warmth of the Midnight Sun Brazil, who brought the musical styles and rhythms from their Self-Released Self-Released erstwhile home. And finally Benin is the place of origin of the B L A C K I E’s live set, framed by his cus- One of the hardest working acts in the Vodoun (or Voodoo) religion, where music holds a special trance- tom multi-kilowatt wall of sound, has quickly local scene, Studemont Project not only of- inducing power. Add in a healthy measure of recorded western become the stuff of Houston legend. The fers up a solid album, but do something that soul, funk, and psychedelia, and the results are a unique, power- monolithic rig is best seen as a projection of very few hip-hop acts can—perform with ful funk with incredible energy and rhythm. This compilation B L A C K I E himself; a dangerous, hand-built pastiche of circuits, live instrumentation. Their style ranges farther than hip-hop, delivers not only the music, but interviews with the musicians driven deep into the red, reeking of ozone and one cycle away incorporating elements of electronica, blues, and more. Check themselves and a great deal of information about the music scene from cascading electric disaster. It inspires some combination of them out live—they play reasonably often—because as good as in Cotonou in the 70s. Apparently there was enough raw mate- awe and fear to stand there and watch the two spill out impossible the album is, they’re better live. rial to provide a second volume, to be released soon featuring energy—it’s no surprise that every show only ends, and always in particular the Orchestre Poly-rythmo de Cotonou. abruptly, when one of them can’t take any more. Nicolay and Kay Wilderness of North America, self-described as transatlantic TIME:LINE Gas grime, is no different. The album explodes open, casting you Nicolay Music Nah und Fern right into asynchronous, looping vocals and his characteristic Technically, the duo isn’t local—Dutch Kompakt glitchy sampled beats. Tracks hop between deeply industrial producer Nicolay currently resides in North Is it cheating to nominate a reissue as and atmospheric, painting the continent as an expanse of chain- Carolina, but Kay (of the Foundation) is best of the year? What about four reissues in link-fenced backyards shadowed by chemical plants, bleak and a Houston-based MC, and several of the a single package? Because Wolfgang Voight, tortured by the establishment. Two years in the making, the guest MCs and singers are Houstonians as well, including the proprietor of the Köln-based minimalist lyrics chronicle moral desperation, suicide, the disintegration Luv Bugz and Mic of the Legendary K.O. Sonically, both Kay techno label Kompakt, has finally decided to reissue the bulk of of society, helplessness and redemption—nothing pop-rap can and Nicolay’s sensibilities lie in jazzy soul with smart lyrics, the back catalog of his solo project Gas in one finely packaged touch with the same sincerity. echoing the Native Tongues movement of the late 80’s and box set. The set goes back to 1996’s self-titled album, a slightly Wilderness is a towering, enormous sound, artist Michael early 90’s, but with a modern, smoother update to the sound self-conscious work that very carefully balances the breathy, LaCour’s own anger terrifyingly articulated. It’s an incredible partially paralleling the neo-soul movement of the past decade. dreamy soundscapes that he later became well known for with album and easily one of the best of this year. It’s an interesting collaboration born out of internet forums— low, thumping dance floor beats. The second album in the set, something of a modus operandi for foreign-born Nicolay, who Zauberberg, originally released in 1997, brings ethereal strings Balaclavas also has released two albums with Phonte of Little Brother as and a more dissipated, almost airy feel to the music. The beats Inferno The Foreign Exchange. remain as distant footsteps in the mist, and the album plays Phonographic Arts (LP Version) almost as a single entrancing piece. The beat carries on into Balaclavas have played around with their Devin the Dude 1999’s Konigsforst, only to be lost somewhere in the depths of sound a bit since their first release—the days Landing Gear the subtle electronic rainforest that occupies the bulk of the of shouting into a car muffler are largely Razor and Tie album. The final piece of the puzzle is the masterworkPop , which over—and have really hit their stride with Devin Copeland, aka Devin the Dude, brings both serene confidence and a glitch-prickly texture, per- Inferno. They still have the dirty, spaced-out post-post-punk sound has oft been described as “your favorite fectly coloring the gentle synthetic strings. Words like calm and (I think I called it Big Black with reverb once), but it’s become rapper’s favorite rapper,” though he has relaxing don’t even apply, there’s an electricity here that grabs heavily reinforced by an almost tribal drum-and-bass section that never become a commercial success. With your attention while allowing the mind to wander quite freely. adds considerable, almost danceable punch behind a guitar jagged a laidback (read: weed and booze fueled) feel, Devin’s first And all four full-length albums are handsomely packaged in a enough to give you tetanus. The band explains that a balaclava is release after leaving Houston’s Rap-a-lot Records continues in card paper box covered in soft, dark, blue-green photos of thick an ominous looking full-body jumpsuit, ninja-esque, something the trademark humorous and fun style for which he has become forest underbrush that excellently matches the cool, textured similar to what a terrorist in a video game might wear; if their known. Landing Gear might not be his strongest effort ever sounds found on the cds. first album is sonic terror, then let this one be the sound of an across the board, but there are definitely a couple of gems on elite international anti-terrorist task force– devastation practiced the album. While we can’t endorse his lifestyle, we can support Mark Flaum, Dennis Lee and Ian Wells and contributed in short, controlled bursts. It’s less than half an hour, but “Own one of Houston’s best kept secrets. to this article. Me” and “Mecca” stand out as centerpieces. It’s also worth noting that this album is exceptionally well- The Bug recorded—engineers never get enough credit, so hats off to Chris London Zoo What is the Rice Radio Folio? Ryan at Dead City Sound for an excellent mix. The vinyl LP has Ninja Tune been given a full remastering and is the authoritative release. Londoner Kevin Martin has been cutting The Folio is first and foremost a programming and Watch for their upcoming third LP, Roman Holiday, out in edges in electronic music and electronic listening guide designed to help you keep up with early 2009. dub since the late 80s, with projects includ- what’s on air. For your pleasure, our DJs also generate ing GOD, Ice, and Techno Animal. Rather a healthy serving of album reviews, playlists, band Nosaprise than fade away like many other producers, Martin continues profiles, concert calendars, interviews, and news and information about KTRU and the Houston music scene. Grown Folks Music to be active and influential with his latest project, The Bug. Self-Released Launched in 1997 with a tribute the film The Conversation, the The Folio was a more regular feature from the 1980s After rhyming at shows for years, Nosa project eventually became the feature outlet for Martin’s hard through the early 1990s, when it educated and has finally released his debut album. Jamaican-style dancehall production work. Now in 2008 he entertained readers on a weekly basis. The station’s Production is good for a self-released has delivered The Bug’s third full-length album, a production boost to 50,000 watts and resultant lack of a reliable album, but it definitely doesn’t have the powerhouse that smoothly interlaces the hard bounce of his on-campus signal until the late 1990s contributed to flash and polish of a major studio album. That said, he slashes dancehall style, low bubbling dubstep, and erratic UK grime. its (partial) abandonment. Now the folio lives again, through several styles—the most prominent is a straight-forward The beats are enormous, the bass drops breathtaking, and there in a longer, if less frequent form.