World music – Page 14 – 7th Level Music

Levitation Austin artist spotlight: Lee Scratch Perry

One of the artists I’m most excited to see at Levitation Austin is Lee Scratch Perry. LSP is the godfather of dub music, one of the founding fathers of reggae, and one of the most influential producers and artists in the world. You owe a debt to him if you love EDM, dark wave, hip hop, and innovative studio work. I never thought I’d get to see him live, so his set was put at the top of my list as soon as the lineup was announced.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Austin artist spotlight: La Mecanica Popular

Psychedelic salsa? I’m in. La Mecanica Popular are playing Levitation Austin‘s Elevation Amphitheater on April 30th, and I’m sure it will be a lively, fun show down by the river. The band combines hot salsa music with wild, weird psychedelic and Euro/mondo flavors for something you can’t quite pin down but definitely can dance to without trouble.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Austin spotlight: Indrajit Banerjee & Gourisankar

Masters of classical Indian music Indraji Banerjee (sitar) and Gourisankar (tabla) will open the Reverberation Stage at Levitation Austin on April 29th. I love traditional Indian ragas and music, and I’m excited to have the chance to hear these two masters of the craft. It will be a good spiritual way to start the festival.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Austin artist spotlight: Imarhan

Tuareg musicians Imarhan are the latest band of fine musicians from Algeria who blend traditional music with rock guitars.

Levitation Austin always brings in at least one Tuareg band every year. The wide variety of bands form around the world I probably wouldn’t be able to see otherwise is one of the things I love most about the festival. Imarhan’s first single tore up BBC 6 Music radio and I eagerly await their set in Austin.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Austin artist spotlight: Golden Dawn Arkestra

I missed Golden Dawn Arkestra at Levitation Austin two years ago, so I’m keen on catching their show this year. They have a wild mix of African, Asian, and Caribbean beats, amazing costumes, and a wild stage show. I’m sure it will be a performance that gets everyone moving.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Austin artist spotlight: Wall of Death

French psych-rockers Wall of Death are returning to Levitation Austin. I’ve seen them twice: Once at Levitation Austin 2013 (when it was still known as Austin Psych Fest) and then later that same year when they opened for the Black Angels in Indianapolis. They always put on a good show of loud psych, so I’m interested in hearing their new material.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Austin artist spotlight: Klaus Johann Grobe

Swiss electro / house duo Klaus Johann Grobe create an interesting mix of stuff I can best describe as “electro-lounge.” They sample a lot of Euro sounds and lay down some good dance beats.

Levitation Austin is bringing in a lot of electro, synth, and techno acts this year. There are a few I want to see and these two cats are one of them.

Keep your mind open.

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Ceu announces tour dates.

Brazilian singer extraordinaire Ceu has released tour dates for this summer.

I hope to catch her at that Chicago date on June 24th. I’ve yet to see a live bossa nova show, let alone one that combines electro beats with the genre. Catch her if you can.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Chicago artist spotlight: Natural Information Society and Bitchin’ Bajas

Natural Information Society is a Chicago jazz collective led by Joshua Abrams. Bitchin’ Bajas are a Chicago-based kraut-rock band. They’re two great tastes that taste great together on their collaboration that blends world music funk, jazz, electro, and synth-wave.

It’s nice to see Levitation Chicago bringing in local acts, especially this team-up that should bring a meditative feel to their March 12th performance.

Keep your mind open.

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Levitation Chicago artist spotlight: Vadaat Charigim

This Israeli shoegaze trio hails from Tel Aviv and only sings in Hebrew. Don’t understand Hebrew? Neither do I, but like me you won’t care because good music is good in any language. Vadaat Charigim (“Exceptions Committee” – Yuval Haring – guitar and vocals, Yuval Guttman – drums, Dan Fabian Bloch – bass) play finely crafted shoegaze that borders on dream-rock. Their stuff reminds me of early albums from A Flock of Seagulls – lots of reverb on the vocals, spacey guitar, trippy synths, and drums that sometimes hit heavy and sometimes almost seem to disappear.

I missed them at Levitation Austin last year, but they’re playing Thursday March 10th at Levitation Chicago. I look forward to the set.

Keep your mind open.

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