In case you missed last’s weeks Rhythm Lab Radio, our friend Karen P blessed us with another great segment. She presented her favorite sessions from her live event called Broad Casting.

Broad Casting is about combining the energy of great live music performed in an intimate small club venue, with the infinite possibilities and worldwide reach of the current broadcast landscape.

Working closely with Red Bull Music Academy Radio, Broad Casting approaches it’s line-ups with an energy, optimism and freedom that is truly original; juxtaposing artists and genres in a way that is unparalleled in current UK club culture.

Bringing together artists as diverse as Buraka Som Sistema, Jimi Tenor and Micachu and The Shapes, Broad Casting also inspires and facilitates unique collaborations such as Tony Allen with the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and the now legendary pairing of Mulatu Astatke with The Heliocentrics.

Here is her favorites from Broad Casting:

Little Dragon – ‘Recommendation’ (Live @ Broad Casting, January 2008)
Mulatu & The Heliocentrics feat. Finn Peters, James Arden & Byron Wallen – ‘Yegelle Tezeta’ (Live @ Broad Casting April 2008)
Tony Allen & Hypnotic Brass Ensembel – ‘Sankofa’ and ‘Marcus Garvey’
James Pants with Gary Davis – ‘You’re The One – Stones Throw

On this past weekend’s show we had a special segment from our friend, DJ, producer, and tastemaker Karen P from London. She has been putting on an amazing live series called Broad Casting. The Broad Casting event juxtaposes artists and genres in ways you would never think would work. Artists such as Buraka Som Sistema to Tony Allen to Hypnotic Brass Ensemble to Jimi Tenor to Mulatu Astatke have performed. In her segment Karen P Presents, Karen picks her favorite sessions from Broad Casting which includes Little Dragon, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, and more. Tracklisting to follow.

Hour 1
The Five One – “District of Colossus”
DJ Neighbor & Piper Davis – “Rhinestone Cowgirl”
Martyn – “Little Things”
Kissey Asplund – “Silverlake”
Amp Live – “Gary is a Robot feat. Micro Jaxson and Trackademics”
Esser – “I Love You”
Ancient Astronauts – “All Of The Things You Do feat. Tippa Irie”
N.A.S.A. – “A Volta ft. Sizzla, Amanda Blank”
Mos Def – “Casa Bey”
Bill Withers – “Who is He(J Matts Chocolate & Ice Edit)”

Karen P Presents (Broadcasting Special)
Little Dragon – ‘Recommendation’ (Live @ Broad Casting, January 2008)
Mulatu & The Heliocentrics feat. Finn Peters, James Arden & Byron Wallen – ‘Yegelle Tezeta’ (Live @ Broad Casting April 2008)
Tony Allen & Hypnotic Brass Ensembel – ‘Sankofa’ and ‘Marcus Garvey’
James Pants with Gary Davis – ‘You’re The One – Stones Throw

Hour 2
Johnny Pacheco/Hector Casanova – “El Rey” (Fania)
Willie Bobo – “Soul Foo Young” (Now – Again Records)
Evelyn “Champagne” King – “Make Up Your Mind” (RCA)
Varela – “Make Ya Move – Underground Mix” (Acid Jazz)
Orlando Julius And His Afro Sounders – “Mura Sise” (Sound Way)
Joe Bataan – “Rap – O Clap – O” (SalSoul)
Willie Colon & Ruben Blades – “Plastico” (Fania)
Marvin Gaye – “Your The Man Part 1″
Bucky Leo & Black Egypt – “Precious Mother” (Strut)
Natural Blaze – “Revolution Poem” (Life Line Records)
WAR – “Flying Machine – The Chase” (BBE)

If there were a mythical creature with a Cinematic Orchestra torso, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble haunches, and a Broken Social Scene head, it would come out something like the Bell Orchestre. Yeah. Sharing a number of ties with the Arcade Fire, they cut their teeth on the Funeral tour in 2005 and released their first album Recording a Tape the Color of the Light shortly after. For whatever reason, the first album slid under the radar and received an unfortunately little amount of critical attention. However, they’re back with a new one, As Seen Through Windows, and I can’t imagine this one going unnoticed.

The first thing that hits me about the album — in terms of technique, they got it and then some. They are solid players who pour themselves into the arrangements. Second thing — this album is phenomenally produced. As opposed to a band like the Hypnotic Brass ensemble who go for a verisimilitude approach to recording live instruments, the Bell Orchestre’s sound has been very carefully crafted after the recording sessions. It sounds very artisinal. There’s atmosphere for miles, giving each track a homespun feeling.

Bell Orchestre, “Bucephalus Bouncing Ball”

As Seen Through Windows is not single-oriented in the least, featuring longer tracks that blend from one to the next very fluidly. Accordingly, it’s hard to pick a track that stands out or sounds representative of the whole. However, since I should try to pick an entry point, it’s got to be “Bucephalus Bouncing Ball,” the most kinetic track of the group. Clicky, percussive, yet majestic.

[audio:http://www.needledrop.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/05-bucephalus-bouncing-ball.mp3]

Bell Orchestre, “Water/Light/Shifts”

This is the kind of track that totally bowls me over. It has a frosty, other-worldly feeling to it that sounds like it could only come from a band named Bell Orchestra.

[audio:http://www.needledrop.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/04-water_light_shifts.mp3]

This is the first show for February, and February is Dilla Month which celebrates the life and career of the producer James Yancey better know as J Dilla.  J Dilla unfortunately pass away 3 years ago due to complications to Lupus. So throughout the month we will be playing music by Dilla, remixes by Dilla, tributes to Dilla, and more. On this past week’s show we had music from Chicago’s Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, new music from Matt & Kim and Mr. Scruff plus my man DJ Don Cuco threw down another tight set.

Hour 1
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – “Sankofa”
Camp Lo – “Sparkle”
Soulstice – “The Reason (DJ Spinna Remix)”
Amerie – “One Thing (Dilla’s Duke Remix)”
Seu Jorge – “Mania De Peitao”
Bing Ji Ling – “Home(Tokyo Black Star Remix)”
Matt & Kim – “Cutdown”
CockNBullKid – “I’m Not Sorry”
Groove Armada – “Go”
Unknown – “Chase the Devil”
Azaxx – “Zorbanissimo”
Mr. Scruff – “Music Takes Me Up (feat. Alice Russell)”
Wale – “Nike Boots (Cam Jus Remix)”
VV Brown – “Quick Fix”
Pizzicato Five – “Baby Love Child”
Nat King Cole – Day In – Day Out (prod. Cut Chemist)”

Hour 2
Clint Eastwood & General Saint “Young Lover” (Greensleeves)
OMFO “Bagdub” (G Stone)
Moritz Von Oswald “Ole Remix”
Mega Banton “Sound Boy Killng” (VP)
Brazilian Girls “Last Call – Carl Craig Remix” (Verve)
James Christian “Work Fluid Mix” (Lifted)
Martinez “Soul Glow” (Guidance Recordings)
Team Shadetek “Brooklen Anthem Featuring 77Klash & Jahdan” (Sound Ink)
Zumen “Man Do Para” (Rawfusion)
Lcd Soundsysem “North American Scum” (DFA)
Hector Lavoe “Mi Guente – Loui Vega Mix” (Fania)
S’aint John “Agua” (Gossip Records)

We recently promoted an event in London at Cargo for our friend Karen P.  Karen has a show called Broadcasting at Cargo, and it is amazing.  She put on a show featuring the legendary Tony Allen(musical director and drummer for Fela Kuti) and the amazing Hypnotic Brass Ensemble this past weekend.  For those who couldn’t make it for the trip to London to see this incredible show, Karen has put the show on Red Bull Music Academy Radio for all the world to here this magical collaboration. UK rapper TY and Baaba Maal also joined in with them.  You can listen to the performance here.

Here is the playlist

Tony Allen & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Sankofa
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble & Tony Allen – Marcus Garvey
Tony Allen and Band – Too Many Prisoners
Tony Allen & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble feat. TY – Eparapo
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble feat. TY – Baliky Bone
Tony Allen, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble & Baaba Maal – Ise Nia
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble –  Brass In Africa
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – War
Tony Allen & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Afro Disco Beat
Tony Allen & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Gypsy

More on Hypnotic Brass Ensemble courtesy of  The New York Times

As part of 2009’s Red Bull Music Academy programme in London, this special edition of ‘Broad Casting’ features a unique collaboration between Tony Allen & The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble as well as some very special guests….

Broad Casting
Broad Casting is a genre-defying event curated by Karen P. The night is all about combining the energy of great live music in an intimate venue (Cargo), with the worldwide reach of Red Bull Music Academy Radio. All Broad Casting’s live sets are made available to listeners worldwide on www.rbmaradio.com and are subsequently available to listen to On Demand in the Red Bull Music Academy Radio archive. Broad Casting approaches it’s line-ups with an energy, optimism and diversity that is truly original, and has so far yielded unique sets from artists as diverse as, Jimi Tenor and Kabu Kabu, Buraka Som Sistema and Micachu and The Shapes. One of Broad Casting’s unique collaborations – between ethio-jazz legend Mulatu Astatke and Now Again band The Heliocentrics – has gone on to record an incredible album (released on !K7/Strut in Spring 09) and will be touring Europe under the Broad Casting banner.
In 2009 Broad Casting will be a quarterly event built around unique artist-led collaborations kicking off with this month’s pairing of Tony Allen and The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.
Fela Kuti once said that without Tony Allen, he’d need four drummers at once. Of course, the style we know as afro-beat wouldn’t sound anything like it without him. A true intuitive pioneer, Tony Allen managed to mix the brevity and snap of jazz drumming by the likes of Art Blakey, Max Roach, and Guy Warren, with the deep extended forms of African rhythms from highlife, Yoruba, and Ghana. The musical conversation between Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo Starks and Tony Allen is still being felt today, having influenced practically every new genre of dance music the ‘70s onwards. Still flipping poly-rhythms today, Tony’s involvement with Damon Albarn, and label Honest Jon’s has brought his talent to a mainstream audience via The Good The Bad and The Queen whilst he still continues to write and record his own music, and collaborate with a diverse range of musicians – from rapper Ty to French man of mystery Sebastien Tellier and now of course The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble….
The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is an instrumental group comprised of 8 horn players and a drummer. All 8 of the horn players are sons of jazz musician Kelan Phil Cohran (who played trumpet in Sun Ra’s Arkestra). Originally formed as a band of street performers in Chicago IL, the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble are currently based in New York City where and have played and recorded with artists such as Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Maxwell and of course Phil Cohran. Both Live and on Vinyl, The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble use traditional instruments to make an earth-shaking hybrid form of club music and we are thrilled that they will be performing for us in advance of the spring release of their debut album for Honest Jons. Witnessing these guys pack the tiny Cargo stage with Tony Allen doubling their rhythm section is not an opportunity to be missed!!
Warming up the stage for Tony and The Hypnotics will be another Honest Jons signing, the inimitable Elmore Judd. Formed around producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Hackett, Elmore Judd followed up their critically acclaimed debut album Angel Sound with the inspired fusion of Insect Funk in 2007. Since he first collaborated with Damon Albarn on a musical escapade to Mali, Jesse has returned to Africa on several occasions and you can really hear the influence of the music he has been exposed to in his latest release – the vinyl only Unborn Again EP. Like his music, the Elmore Judd live show is constantly evolving and we can’t wait to see what costumes and instruments will join Jesse on stage for this show!
Not content with one legendary drummer on the premises, our DJ support tonight comes courtesy of Malcolm Catto who is no stranger to Cargo – his band The Heliocentrics having collaborated with Mulatu Astatke for what is already a legendary live Broad Casting show. Having released solo material on Mo Wax back in the day – went on to form The Soul Destroyers and more recently Stones Throw / Now Again signed collective The Heliocentrics. Malcolm’s drums have also been heard on Madlib records and on stage at DJ Shadow’s live shows and will soon be heard on several tracks on the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble album for Honest Jons. Malcolm is very rarely seen behind the turntables but with a record collection as impressive as his CV, we are thrilled that he’ll be sharing some of his rare slabs of vinyl in support of tonight’s incredible live line-up.