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cdr|m's
.:: a klangwerk release ..................................................::.
artist :: ras
release :: rhythmic altered state (promo)
year :: 2002
genre :: lo-fi
label :: best seven / sonar kollektiv
catalogue :: sbcd0003
website :: www.sonarkollektiv.com
date :: 02-may-2002
quality :: 192kbps/44,1khz
source :: compact disc
.::.......................................................................::.
01 intro 1:51
02 do your dance 7:52
03 the old days 4:42
04 this is ours 5:34
05 cantamo 5:31
06 dashing steps 6:48
07 beat de la romantique 5:00
08 p.a.c. 5:21
09 diggin' 7:29
10 african kangaroo 6:39
11 areas of perception 6:02
12 gahz 5:24
13 exit routine 7:42
playtime :: 01h 15m 55s
.::.......................................................................::.
born robert galic, ras comes straight out of frankfurt am main,
the financial capital and skyscraper city of germany. it was where
he experienced a typical childhood: kindergarten, grade school,
first drug experience, first love, etc. while most kids get their
musical inspiration off the school bus, the streets, or from older
sisters and brothers, ras found it at home in his parents' record
collection; the most expensive appliance in the family's house was
the stereo system. he didn't have to search the second- hand bins
in stores - he found bob dylan, quincy jones, herbie hancock, the
blackbyrds, and even kurtis blow at home. by the early '80s, ras'
biggest passion besides soccer was hip-hop culture. yes, he was
one of those pioneer breakdancers in frankfurt, with the white
gloves, the broken-down cardboard box, and the ghettoblaster. he
got interested in all of what people used to call "black music",
the rhythm and the soul of it, including rock 'n' roll.
ras became a musician, starting off as a guitarist inspired by
hendrix and led zeppelin. he eventually moved on to percussion,
and learned to play such instruments as djembe and congos. via
local contacts to african musicians in frankfurt, ras discovered
the music of the griot, a musician caste in west africa, which had
the biggest impact on him. for him, these were the roots of
today's diasporic african musical culture: whether it's blues,
jazz, funk or rap, it's all connected. his fusion of guitar and
percussion led him to the bass, and that's when reggae hit him:
lee perry, black uhuru, burning spear, and sly & robbie started
invading his turntable. during his education at a music
conservatory, where he learned about theory, practice, and a bit
of nonsense. he played in many bands and projects including
funakuxi, a ten-piece featuring both traditional african musicians
from mali and sengal, along with german rappers chima and tyrone
ricketts. frankfurt at the time was very musically eclectic -
you'd meet the same crew of people whether you were at a techno,
hip-hop, or reggae party.
in 1994 he went on to study bass and percussion at london's thames
valley university and ethnomusicology at the school of oriental
and african studies at the university of london. at soas, he
learned about gamelan from bali, the songs of the bushmen of
cental africa, and other music of the world. outside of the
university halls, he heard what he started calling the "real"
music: hip-hop, drum 'n' bass and ragga. he djed, bought his own
recording equipment, and started to produce. in 1998 he started
his own label, en soph, in brixton, and released "soul buzz", his
debut ep as ras (rhythmic altered state). a copy of that record
made its way to berlin's sonar kollektiv via fellow frankfurt
producer shantel, and ras soon followed with a second ep exit
routine's trail to the reunified capital.
which brings us to his debut album, rhythmic altered state. ras
has created his own unique and authentic sound shaped by his
passionate absorption of different musical experiences both in
schools and clubs. according to ras, as long as the groove's there
- whether it's reggae, house, dancehall or drum 'n' bass - it's
"schei▀ egal" (translation: "it f***ing doesn't matter"). the
album's balanced mix of both organic and electronic influences
creates what ras describes as "a groovy, exotic and original"
sound (eg, check those truly stunning afro-funk-meets-p-funk horn
arrangements!). from the in-your- face reggae-influenced hip-hop
of "this is ours" to the punchy afrofunk of "diggin'" and the
jazzy flavour of "cantamo", rhythmic altered state offers the
listener a true musical journey. ras produced all the tunes on the
album with an irreplaceable array of guest musicians, including
the french-swiss trombone player jerome bugnon from the german
reggae band seeed, brooklyn-based nigerian singer/dancer wunmi
(also known for her work with osunlade and masters at work), and
berlin-based south african reggae singer vido jilashe.
are you ready to be altered?
//sonarkollektiv.com
.::.......................................................................::.
greetings :: sb, qdp, sour, dps, it, rac, dh, sfe, hbz, igr and mgc
.::.......................................................................::.
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