CrammedBlog

News From The Studios!

CIBELLE is putting the finishing touches to her second album, due for release in April 2006. The tracks were recorded mostly in São Paulo and London, and were coproduced by Cibelle, Apollo Nove and Mike Lindsay (from up and coming UK folktronica act Tunng). Final takes and mixes are taking place in Paris with engineer Yann Arnaud.

TARTIT: Crammed are about to start recording the new album by this Tuareg band who live in the Sahara (in northern Mali), and recently took part in the Desert Blues shows alongside Afel Bocoum & Habib Koité. The album will be recorded in the desert by (Congotronics man) Vincent Kenis on his mobile studio, and in collaboration with Michel Winter, who has been looking after the career of Tartit (with his management company Divano, which also takes care of Taraf de Haidouks, Mahala Rai Banda and Konono N°1 among others).

BEBEL GILBERTO has been writing and recording songs for her 3rd album.

TUXEDOMOON are working on a largely instrumental soundtrack album.

THINK OF ONE: the ebullient Belgian combo have just signed a recording agreement with Crammed, and are working on their new album, due out in late March 2006. Entitled « Chuva em pô 2 », the album was recorded with several musicians & vocalists from the Brazilian northeast, including legendary veteran singer Dona Cila do Côco. Their first « Chuva em pô » project had come out on their own, tiny label, yet had managed to obtain a BBC Award for World Music. Think Of One think of themselves as musical explorers, and have previously travelled around the globe to record with Moroccan and Inuit artists.

CONGOTRONICS 3 : watch this space for more news on the recording of the forthcoming volume in the series !

INDIAN SUMMER

While you’re still enjoying diving, climbing, walking, escaping and doing other exciting summer things, the little bees at Crammed are preparing a beautiful Indian Summer for you…

APOLLO NOVE, the amazing young producer/musician/singer from São Paulo, the man who produced Cibelle’s first record, has come up with an exquisite album: modern yet retro, electronic yet folk, and definitively Brazilian, groovy and sexy. He has invited some seductive voices to sing with him: Cibelle, Céu, Tita Lima and Seu Jorge. His album is called “Res Inexplicata Volans”.

We will also release THE NOW SOUND OF BRAZIL 2 , the new Ziriguiboom compilation. Great songs, unreleased tracks & exclusive mixes from our adored Brazilian artists incuding Cibelle, Zuco 103, Celso Fonseca, Bossacucanova, Bebel Gilberto, DJ Dolores and more… and last but not least the compilation will be sold at a nice price.

Ahhh! HUGO and his album "La nuit des balançoires" : if you don’t understand French, you will miss some of the content of his Twin-Peaks-meets-Conan-Doyle-on-a-surnatural-sarcastic-tip stories, but then again you’ll feel it simply by hearing the atmosphere of his arrangements (ranging from limpid to quirky), his high-pitched voice and his wonderful melodies....

TARAF DE HAÏDOUKS: you were probably wondering when we were going to make a DVD with our lovely honourable brigands? Well, it’s almost done! 2 young directors are working on it. It will include a program with the Tarafs in concert in the UK, when Neacsu was still alive, very touching, and Johnny Depp telling the world why he loves them so much, filmed by UK director Marc Allen. Also, a documentary about the Band of Gypsies playing in their country, Romania, for the first time on their 10th anniversary, shot by Elsa Dahmani. There will also be several bonuses, interviews, video postcards of the Tarafs playing around the world etc.

CONGOTRONICS 2: “BUZZ’N’RUMBLE FROM THE URB’N’JUNGLE” : after the explosive KONONO N°1, professor Vincent Kenis will present us 5 other stupendous electro-traditional bands from the suburbs of Kinshasa, including Kasai Allstars, Masanka Sankayi & Basokin. More heavily-distorted sounds, more DIY amplification… but also a whole array of different rhythms, buzzing drums, swirling guitars and hypnotic balafons. A DVD will be included to show it all.

New Tour Dates added

Check for latest added tour dates and updates on Crammed LIVE website section.

New Tour dates added for DJ Dolores, Cibelle, Konono N°1, Zuco 103, Taraf de Haïdouks, Mahala Rai Banda and Koçani Orkestar