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Sanscapes |
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 Sanscapes v2 'Future Visions of the Kalahari Bushmen'
The San Bushmen - the indigenous people of southern Africa are Africa's
oldest inhabitants, having lived in the region for over twenty - five
thousand years. Musical Energy Loud Truth brings to you the remixes of
the san music in collaboration with local and international producers.
1. Introduction by Anna
2. Zet – My Bushmen Peeps (Mama Dance ! Remix)
Produced and engineered by Zamile Somchiza at Mama Dance ! Studios
3. Ebomvu Kalahari Mix - Produced by Gabi Le Roux
4. Claps & Bow at Brownhill Farm by Anna and Gube
5. Voodoo Julie - Dave Harrow mix
6. Lekker Lekker – produced by Ben Amato @ Mama Dance Studios 3:25
7. Purple mix U-Cef
8. Honey Song - Jung Collective mix
9. ‘Looking Back !Gubi’ - Mario Cee/Greg Hunter mix
10. Crocodile River - Kamel Nitrate -Tony Marrisson/Nelson Dilation Remix
11. Kalahari San Storm - System 7 Mix System 7 (Hillage/Giraudy)
12. Kabuye (The Return) Silk T/Ben Amato - (Mama Dance ! Remix)
13. Melt Mix - Mandragora - Remix and additional production Simon Williams
14. Muhadi (interlude)
15. Acid Rockers mix Remix and additional production Mat Buggins
16. Ambient Mix - Biosphere Remix and additional production Geir Jenssan
IN AID OF THE BUSHMEN OF THE KALAHARI
If
there were ever a tribe on earth that could connect us to our ancient
hunter-gatherer roots then the Bushmen of the Kalahari would be our
spirit guides for the new millennium. The Bushmen our purported to be
the oldest race left on earth and after years of racial prejudice and
denial of political voice in modern Africa, this much maligned and
misunderstood group need our help urgently.
The particular
Bushmen that appeared on the original MELT 2000 CD Pops Mohamed
presents: Bushmen of the Kalahari originates from the desolate and
unforgiving wilderness of the Kalahari desert in Namibia. Amongst these
are !Ngube Goute, Anna Goute, and Marcella Goute. !Ngube is a shaman,
musician and tribal leader. Anna and Marcella are his daughters and the
other Bushmen on this album are his tribe of nomadic hunter-gatherers.
Sanscapes
One was initiated as a way of helping to raise awareness for these
nomadic Bushmen. We thought long and hard about how to undertake this
project in a very honest, sympathetic way without it looking like we
were exploiting the Bushmen culture for a couple of ‘banging’ dance
tunes. But as soon as you add the concept of remix to a project like
this certain people will automatically throw their hands up in horror.
We heard cries of ‘plundering sacred music for evil dance music
hedonism’ uttered in some quarters. Certain individuals had sacrificed
their so-called intellectualist stance in favour of a knee jerk
reaction and patronising pat on the head for the Bushmen. Well, we have
never seen these people as separate from us, and they deserve to be
treated as modern people who are our absolute equals even if they don’t
happen have a mortgage and 2.5 kids.
When !Ngube, Anna,
Marcella, and their Botswanan friend Kuela travelled over to England
for a series of very special shows I for one was slightly nervous as to
what they might feel about their music being interpreted by other
musicians and producers. However I needn’t have been concerned because
seventy year old !Ngube proved to be more forward thinking than most of
his contemporaries. My enduring memory of !Ngube is at the rehearsal
space at Melt2000’s Farm Studio smiling broadly with the headphones on
listening to the Raj Gupta mix from Sanscapes One. He said that the
music reminded him of flying. He also became a big fan of Bob Holroyd’s
now legendary mix ‘Looking Back’ and insisted on meeting Bob to thank
him in person. The difference in attitude between our Namibian friends
and the Western ethnomusicologists that pretend to protect this ancient
culture is remarkable in the extreme.
Why do some people feel
the necessity to conform others to their own patronising and antiquated
ideas? I would have dearly liked these people to have seen Marcella
dancing enthusiastically to the System 7 mix that you now hold in your
hands. The hardest dance sounds proved to be a big hit for our Namibian
friends.
The London shows at the October Gallery and 93Feet
East in London were remarkable events in every sense of the word. Even
if the Bushmen troupe had been dislocated from their desert skyline,
they managed to evoke the sights and sounds of the Kalahari Desert in a
series of mesmerising performances. For the Sanscapes launch party at
93Feet East in Brick Lane we even attempted to bring on some of the
remixers to jam with the Bushmen. It was an experiment at genuine
fusion in both a cultural and musical sense. At one point on stage we
had Smadj from Paris via Tunisia, Mehdi Haddab from Paris via Algeria,
U-Cef from London via Morocco, Youth, Pete Lockett and Pam Chowhan from
London, Pops Mohamed from South Africa, Zena Edwards from London, Kuela
from Botswana, and the Goute family from Namibia. This is how the
future of Global fusion should be, understanding and tolerance of every
musical culture without losing any sense of cultural identity.
Sanscapes
Two sees the future visions of the Bushmen continue in emphatic style.
This time we have attempted to go even deeper and challenge the concept
of what is old and what is new, what is future music and what is
ancient rhythm. The Bushmen inserts were taken from original unreleased
material and from a very special party that was held at Melt2000’s Farm
studios near Worthing. This remarkable event held round a campfire saw
!Ngube, Marcella, Anna, and Kuela giving close Melt friends and family
a taste of Bushmen festivities and trance dancing in a Kalahari Desert
style. We’ve tried to extract a little of the feeling of these events
in Sanscapes Two and we hope you enjoy the results.
If this
project has taught us anything it is to listen without prejudice and to
enjoy the music for what it is. The remixers have interpreted the
Bushmen sounds in a very personal way and this unique meeting should be
valued as much as the wonderful source material that they were
privileged to use. The multicultural aspect of Sanscapes continues and
for volume two we have very special mixes from France, Turkey, Morocco,
England, and South Africa. Once again we extend our thanks to all the
people who gave up a little of their valuable time to be involved in
this project and once again we thank you for buying this album and
helping raise awareness for the Bushmen of the Kalahari.
Respect,
Phil Meadley
Proceeds from the sales of Sanscape go to WIMSA: Working Groups of Indigenous Minorities of Southern Africa.
http://www.melt2000.com/releases/mza001.htm
http://www.musica.co.za/eMusica/Product.asp?Barcode=600963734050
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