Music of the Month
For a contribution of 21.00 a month, I'll be sending you a recording from somewhere interesting, each and every month. You will receive a CD in the mail, and regular monthly subcribers will also get a bonus CD now and then.
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Our Music of the Month selection for February, 2023
Polobi and the Gwo Ka Masters
Abri Cyclonique

Gobe

A visceral voice and new sounds from Guadeloupe

The voice is that of Moïse Polobi, 69 years old, descended from a family of former slaves. He’s been singing and sounding his djembé-like Gwo ka drums since childhood, heart-beating the memory of his ancestors in Guadeloupe. He was initiated at an early age, thanks to his dancer mother, who guided him into the intricate universe of lewoz, traditional gatherings where mind and body commune, boosted by the explosion of drums and the chants of singers.

Polobi’s songs address all of this from the heart, nourished by years of listening to the birds and the flowing rivers. He seeks not to copy them, but to reproduce the emotion he feels in this forest of sounds. His spiritual metaphors tell another story that diverges from the dominant one. Behind the abundant nature that inspires this man of the forest, improvising texts in an instant, we can detect his singular vision and memory of his island. While connected to an intangible spirit, the poetry of this singer is still rooted in reality.

Recorded both during sessions at home and other sessions in the studio, the raw material at the heart of this disc was then entrusted to Paris-based sound explorer Doctor L. He adds his distinctive touches, , curious echoes and delays, sounds recorded directly in the surrounding nature, techniques derived from free jazz and funk, to project the gwo ka into a new dimension.

Listen "Nèg Africa" (excerpt)

From this monumental rock springing from the heart of a volcano and deposited by the tumultuous flow of the river in the depths of the forest where, accompanied by his only drum, he comes to take refuge to sing, Polobi dominates the world in all simplicity. Beyond the musical talent, emanates from Polobi an authenticity forged in the rare communion with this nature which he has made his kingdom and gives him the ability to touch a universality that always delights his audience.

Please note: The CD will be out on February 24. Subscribers will receive the CD as close to release as possibe.

Sign up for Music of the Month with a 21.00 monthly donation (includes postage in US only)
Get the CD for a 22.00 donation (includes US post)

These CDs are donated by Real World Records and I thank them (and I hope, you) for supporting RootsWorld.

Listen "Leve´ Yo Mano" (excerpt)

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(and save a little on postage for more than one CD).

 

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