Around the World in 6 min! Episode 18

For more episodes of Around the World in 6 min! check out our GLOBAILE YouTube Channel - http://youtube.com/globaile

Laserkraft 3D - Germans Glow in the Dark

After being banned from their home planet because of partying too hard, the Laserkraft 3D space shuttle finally hit Earth, and immediately began infiltrating the airwaves with their minimalist electro hit, Nein Mann.

Laserkraft 3D, the German electro house project consisting of DJ Groovejuice (Niels Reinhard) and Tim Hoffmann, are primarily known for their live concerts, hence the “3D” in their name. They released their single Polyester in Spring 2010, but became primarily known for their second single Nein Mann. It reached the number one spot in the German Dance Charts, climbed to 10th place in the general hit charts, and landed the 5th place in the Ö3 Austrian Top 40.

Their MySpace page says that they'll be coming to Miami for WMC next week, but doesn't list a specific date or venue, so we'll see...In the meantime, check out their tech-electro hit that has taken over Europe - the video is SICK! And you don't need to know German to sing along...

Spam Allstars - Miami's Finest "Electronic Descarga"

If you spend any amount of time in Miami checking out the indie music scene, you will undoubtedly come across Spam Allstars (again and again).

Spam Allstars blend improvisational electronic elements and turntables with latin, funk, hip hop and dub to create what they call an "electronic descarga". It’s not a known genre - they made it up. But it attracts a wide range of fans: people dancing salsa, next to break-dancers and

random hippie festival-goers. They all know something very special, and uniquely Miami, is going on.

Spam Allstars were formed by Andrew Yeomanson, aka DJ Le Spam, who was raised in Toronto, Bogota and London, before landing in Miami in 1993. He got his start by playing guitar in a Haitian band, and recording and touring with Miami based artist Nil Lara. Along his travels, he added to his vinyl collection, and when off the road he would DJ locally. These DJ gigs evolved into collaborations with live musicians, combining his samplers & DJ skills with a live band that soon came to be known as Spam Allstars.

In 2002, Spam Allstars began a weekly residency at the legendary Cuban lounge Hoy Como Ayer in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. In 2003 they started monthly residencies in New York City, Gainesville, Tampa, Atlanta, and New Orleans, and wherever people would host them. Today they perform 200+ shows, and average 56,000 miles of touring each year. They still do the weekly gig in Little Havana, and have various other gigs all over Miami on a regular basis.

Over the years they've racked up five independent releases and have been nominated for a Latin Grammy. We love the group's multicultural, international electro-organic fusion - a sound that could have only been born in Miami!

Here's a super dope animated video for their 2007 release - Electrodomesticos.

Domino Saints - Puerto Rican Urban Pop

Puerto Ricans sure love dominos...so it's no surprise this dynamic dance duo chose the national past-time as their namesake!

Meet Domino Saints - an explosive Urban Pop Duo from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Their style is a fusion of Dancehall, Bomba, Reggae and other Latin grooves with a bad-ass vibe that keeps the crowds rockin'.

Since the release of their self-titled debut album in late 2009, they were featured as the Latin iTunes Single of the Week and were chosen as winners in the 16th Billboard World Song Contest with their hit Buenos Dias San Juan. The song created a buzz in the US and in Puerto Rico and exposed the group’s original sound all over the world. They were featured in all Puerto Rican media outlets like AOL, AOL Latino, WAPA TV, El Nuevo Dia, Primera Hora, El Vocero, Clear Channel, and Batanga.

In 2010, the group returned from a US tour to work on their first full-length album. Their single and title of the album Ahora es Ahora, is set for a 2011 release. The album features songs produced by Echo, Pepe Ojeda, Ladkani, and Danny Fornaris and brings in the best Puerto Rican musicians as well as the toughest dance beats.

With a lot of attention always going to Reggaeton, we think that Domino Saints is a breath of fresh air on the Puerto Rican Urban music scene! Check out the single that started it all - Buenos Dias San Juan.

M. Pokora - the French J. Timberlake?

This is our latest crush - meet the French R&B heartthrob M. Pokora.

Matthieu Tota, known as M. Pokora, is a French singer and songwriter of Polish descent, hence his stage name - in Polish, "Pokora" means "Humility".

He grew up in Strasbourg, France, and in fall 2003, he participated in the third season of Popstars - the French reality show that was American Idol before American Idol ever existed. He was a crowd favorite, and from there, a boy band called Linkup was formed with Pokora and fellow Popstars singers Lionel and Otis. Although their first single Mon Étoile was a success topping the French charts, Linkup disbanded when the second single flopped.

In 2004, he started his solo career as Matt Pokora. In his first solo album, the single Elle me Contrôle received two NRJ Music Awards. In 2005, he was forced to change his stage name because of a lawsuit from French R&B singer Matt Houston. As a result, he changed his stage name and re-released the album as M. Pokora.

In January 2006, his second album Player was another chart-topping success, and in 2008 his album MP3 included big name collaborations with numerous American producers including Timbaland and Ryan Leslie.

His latest album, Mise à Jour was released last year, winning him 2 more NRJ Music Awards - Best French Male Artist of the Year and Best French Song of the Year for his single Juste Une Photo De Toi.

Hot white boy R&B singer...starts out in a boy band...goes solo and blows up...works with Timbaland....hmmmmmm. Yeah it's safe to say - this guy is the French Justin Timberlake. Now he's just gotta start acting....

Here's the video for one of his songs with Timbaland. Kinda Rock Your Body-ish, no?

Dutch House Music - Amsterdam Peeps Can PARTY!

We already let you know that the House Music scene in the Netherlands is poppin'! We told you about the Amsterdam Dance Event, we showed you videos from Delivio Reavan & Aaron Gill and Afrojack...

Well, we've got more Dutch House coming your way...this time from a couple of party animals - The Partysquad.

The Partysquad is a DJ duo - DJ Jerry and MC Ruben. The two met on a tour in 1998 and began their first regular club night together soon thereafter in the Amsterdam club Margaritas. It turned out that the hype skills of Ruben were the perfect combo with Jerry’s DJing to get the crowds jumping, and two began their huge success in the international DJ circuit, playing clubs in the Netherlands, Morocco, London, Spain, Portugal, Suriname, Sweden and Curaçao.

Aside from dance club domination, The Partysquad has released a slew of House music productions and mixes. Lately they have teamed up with fellow Dutch DJ Afrojack to release a couple of huge club bangers. Their first collaboration Drop Down was such a hit (with the famous refrain "Drop that coochie baby") that they decided to team up again for an ode to their homeland called A Msterdamn.

Ever wanted to go to Amsterdam, get f*cked up on tons of drugs, get some pum pum in the Red Light District and party like rockstars? Then check out this video for A Msterdamn - TOTAL DEBAUCHERY!

Priss - Belgian Afropean Songstress

Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Priss began singing in church, just like a lot of great singers. But in 1991, her family had to leave their home country because of war, and she's lived in Belgium ever since.

So she joined an acoustic Hip Hop band in eastern Belgium, and soon drew the attention of one of the most popular R&B/Hip Hop DJs in France, DJ Kost. She was signed to his label Hit Trackerz, and recorded her first single in French, Numéro 1 Dans Ma Ville ("Number One in Town"). It was also her chance to make her first video, produced by the biggest FM radio station in France, NRJ. The single and the video had a big impact in Europe.

Later the young artist became a mother and she felt the need to go back to the source and her roots in the church. She composed an R&B Gospel album called One Gospel Project that expressed her faith in the Lord.

She is currently working with Boddhi Satva's label Offering Recordings, and their Ancestral Soul single On My Way has consistently been in the Traxsource Top 10 since it's release earlier this year.

Around the World in 6 min! Episode 17

¡Saludos de Puerto Rico!

Sí sí - after 3 weeks in Europe, we're here in Puerto Rico soaking up the sun, and shooting footage for GLOBAILE!

We've been so busy that we haven't gotten a chance to blog this week - lo siento! But Miss Angelina is here with her weekly edition of Around the World in 6 min! - our weekly YouTube show bringing you music videos from around the world.

Here's Episode 17 - shot right here on the beach in Puerto Rico!

And since we didn't blog this week, here's a little info about each of the artists we featured on the show, as well as their full-length videos for you to enjoy...

Pitbull ft Afrojack - Maldito Alcohol

One of our favorite Miami Cubanos, Pitbull, joins forces with Dutch DJ/producer, Afrojack, for another one of Pitbull's signature House/Hip Hop dance tunes. The Netherlands has a big electronic music scene (covered last week on the blog), and Afrojack is one of the DJs right at the helm of the scene. He was listed as number 19 on DJ MAG's top 100 DJs of 2010.

Tony Touch - Dimelo

We always love our GLOBAILE DJ - Tony Touch! Not only is he the mixtape king, a Hip Hop DJ legend, and a dope emcee, but he always reps for Puerto Rico! And of course, he always reps for GLOBAILE :) Check out this Tony Toca video with cameos from Crazy Legs, John Leguizamo, Gilbert Godfried, and more...

Systema Solar - Bienvenidos

Systema Solar is a musical-visual collective from the Caribbean coast of Colombia. They recycle the afro Caribbean and folkloric music of Colombia such as cumbia, bullerengue, porro and champeta and fuse these through electronic tools with contemporary rhythms and cultural styles such as hip hop, house, techno, breakbeat, breakdance, turntablism and live video performance. Thanks to our amigo Colombiano amigo Carlos for the recommendation!

Boogat - Nebuloso

You remember Boogat, the French Canadian Latino emcee that we featured on the blog a few weeks ago...Well, he's back! He hit us up and asked us to help him spread the word about his new mixtape - Esperanto Sound System - a Spanish language Hip Hop project mixed by Poirier, a globetrotting DJ/producer from Boogat's hometown Montreal. We love Boogat's multilingual, multicultural sound - so definitely go grab this FREE DOWNLOAD!

Here's the link for the mixtape and the cover:

BOOGAT – ESPERANTO SOUND SYSTEM – MIXED BY POIRIER
http://www.divshare.com/download/13910212-bc8

Calle 13 - Baile De Los Pobres

Calle 13 is a Reggaeton band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez, both from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Calle 13 is known for its eclectic musical style, often using unconventional instrumentation in its music, which distances the group from the stereotypical aspects of the Reggaeton genre. The band is also known for its satirical lyrics as well as social commentary about Latin American issues and culture. The stepbrothers are strong supporters of the Puerto Rican independence movement, a stance that has generated a lot of controversy. Calle 13 has won 2 Grammys and 10 Latin Grammys. ¡Viva Puerto Rico! Here's their latest music video....

Delivio Reavon & Aaron Gill - Amsterdam House

House music rules the airwaves in Europe, and Delivio Reavon & Aaron Gill are at the helm of the House scene in the Netherlands.

The two are big DJ/producers out of Amsterdam - a city with one of the biggest House scenes in Europe. In fact, Amsterdam hosts the annual Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), one of the leading electronic music festivals in the world, with events in 44 venues around the city. The annual conference attracts 2,500 business professionals and 112,000 festival visitors from all around the globe. ADE is Europe's answer to Miami's Winter Music Conference (WMC).

The two have had success in their solo careers, but they seem to have hit the jackpot as a duo. Their song Looking For Love, a collaboration with Dutch R&B singer Phatt, has blown up worldwide.

The video features the duo on a trip to Paris, romancing 2 local Parisian ladies, and checking out all the sites of gay Paris. There is some gorgeous footage in this video - it's like a virtual tourist getaway! And of course, Paris is the perfect destination for anyone who is "Looking for Love"....

Les Nubians - Afropean Neo Soul Sisters

We love a family that plays together...and this sister act is one of our favorites!

Originally from Paris, France, Les Nubians, Hélène and Célia Faussart, are sisters with a French father, and a mother from Cameroon. Growing up, the sisters alternated between living in war-torn Chad — where their father was volunteering for the Red Cross while Chad was at war with neighboring Libya — and Bordeaux, France. It was in France where began the duo began singing a cappella, producing poetry slams in Bordeaux and Paris, and singing background vocals for various artists worldwide. From there, they were signed to Virgin Records France in 1998 and released their debut album, Princesses Nubiennes.

They soon received acclaim worldwide. Their song Je Veux D'la Musique from their second album One Step Forward, was nominated for a Grammy, and Les Nubians were the 1999 Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards winners for Best New Artist, Group or Duo and received two NAACP Image Awards nominations in 2000.

Les Nubians are true globalistas. Take, for example, their song Voyager, a song of travel that unites all people. The sisters sing, “Je me déclare citoyenne universelle” ( I am a universal citizen), and “Je m’offre le passeport de Terrien” (I carry an “Earth” passport).

WE LOVE THAT!

Check out this video of theirs shot in Johannesburg, South Africa - another stamp on Les Nubians Earth passport...

Nas & Damian Marley - New Video

Nas and Damian Marley - two brothers from another mother. So much so, that they named their collaboration album Distant Relatives.

Beginning in 2008, American rapper Nas and Jamaican reggae artist Damian Marley have been fusing musical elements of hip hop and reggae, and writing songs together on themes concerning ancestry, poverty, and the plight of Africa. Marley and his brother Stephen produced the majority of the album, using live instrumentation in the recording process. They collaborated with guest artists, including the aforementioned Stephen Marley, Joss Stone, Lil Wayne, and the Somalian emcee K'naan, who we featured previously on the blog.

The album has a lot to do with our ancestry as human beings, particularly concerning our shared roots in Africa. Marley and Nas incorporated samples from African music into the album, and the lyrical content heavily revolves around themes concerning poverty, and social commentary.

Here's their latest video for the song Patience. The song and the video specifically reminds us of the rich history of the human race in Egypt, which is espeicially poignant and thought provoking amidst the political upheaval happening over there right now...

(Watch it here if viewing outside the US)

Arabian Knightz - Rappers Address the Crisis in Egypt

When we were filming in Paris this past weekend, we stumbled upon a rally for the crisis in Egypt. Throngs of Arabic men and women of all ages paraded through the streets with signs, banners, megaphones, and flags, shouting rally cries demanding change. At that point, we knew we had to take some time on the blog to address this issue.

And then we found Arabian Knightz on MTV Iggy. This group of Egyptian emcees from Cairo have been steady working on their English/Arabic debut, United States of Arabia, when all hell broke loose in Egypt just a few weeks ago. They immediately put that project on hold and began to write songs addressing the upheaval in their country. This resulted in 2 singles: Rebel, which samples Lauryn Hill, and Not Your Prisoner, featuring Palestinian rapper/singer Shadia Mansour.

Here is a music video for the latter. The video is made up of news reels and homemade videos direct from the streets of Egypt where violence and protest has erupted.

Hip Hop has always served as a tool for revolution, freedom of speech and social commentary, and Arabian Knightz prove that this sentiment in Rap music lives on.

Aṣa - Parisian Nigerian Soul

When walking through any of the many Metro stations in Paris, it is impossible to miss all the Aṣa posters plastered everywhere. So finally we asked ourselves, who is this chick?!

Aṣa (pronounced "Asha") is a Nigerian French singer/songwriter. Born Bukola Elemide, her stage name Aṣa means "Hawk" in Yoruba. She was born in Paris, France to Nigerian parents, but when she was two years old her family returned to live in Nigeria, and Aṣa grew up there in the city Lagos. She developed a deep love for music, which led to her learning to play guitar in a mere 6 months. She began songwriting and developing her sound - songs in English and Yoruba, somewhere between pop and soul, inspired by her heritage.

She released some music in Nigeria, but in 2004 she decided is was time to return to Paris. She immediately broke in into the music scene, playing with artists such as Les Nubians and Manu Dibango (2 artists that we've featured on the GLOBAILE podcast). Meanwhile, back in Nigeria, her first single, Jailer, was beginning to get airtime. MTV chose her as the ambassador for South Africa and her popularity became so big that when she came back to Nigeria she opened for big names like Akon, John Legend, Beyoncé and Snoop Dogg amongst others.

She has now released 2 albums and continues to put out heartfelt, soulful, yet catchy songs, a bit reminiscent of India Arie. Here is the first single and video off of her most recent album, Beautiful Imperfection. The song plays with that retro Motown sound that is so popular in Europe right now...

Brazilian Girls - Not girls, not Brazilian

Don't try and Google Brazilian Girls...unless you want to see a whole lot of tan booties in thong bikinis....(well, I guess that's not so bad either...)

We love Brazilian Girls, and not just the ones we saw on Google, but the band from New York City. That's right, they are not from Brazil. The three bandmates are actually Argentinian, American, and Italian, and only the lead singer is a girl. Brazilian Girls is an electronic music group that fuses tango, house, reggae and other styles to make their eclectic sound.

So why the name Brazilian Girls? Drummer Aaron Johnston explains: "We came up with it to attract people's attention. I'm from the Midwest, and there was a band there called Free Beer and Chicken. It's a little bit of the same aesthetic."

The trio rose to fame at the super hip and legendary Alphabet City lounge, Nublu. While elements of their sound are very New York influenced, they truly have a global sound. They've released 3 albums and feature songs in English, French, German, and Spanish - that's so GLOBAILE!

In fact, we featured their song Internacional on the GLOBAILE podcast.

We've loved Brazilian Girls for quite some time now, and just last week they announced the band is breaking up :( :( :( So we had to feature them one last time out of love and respect!

Here's a video for one of their most popular songs over the years, Don't Stop. Don't Stop Brazilian Girls...please Don't Stop!!

Dev D - Breakthrough Hindi Film

Bollywood meets Quentin Tarantino in this edgy, sexy, visually stimulating Hindi film, Dev D.

This Indian film has taken Bollywood, a genre that can be considered "cheesy" and "corny" (in the opinion of many Westerners) and made it into a slick, modern, sensual movie experience in what The Times of India called a "brilliant breakthrough for Bollywood". The performances are also exquisite, with lead actor Abhay Deol's performance receiving praise from Hindi megastar Sharukh Khan and American actor Matt Damon.

Dev D tells the story of a spoiled and stubborn young man Dev, (played by Deol) and his pursuit of love. We follow this young man through the loss of his childhood sweetheart and into the arms of a misunderstood prostitute. Through Dev's attitudes and actions, the film calls into question the Hindi male vision of how a woman should conduct herself sexually, exposing the extreme judgement that is placed on Hindi women and their sexual behavior.

Along with the controversial subject matter, the film received widespread acclaim mostly due to its fearless visual style, experimental soundtrack and the innovative narrative structure which included dividing the script into chapters, as in the films of Quentin Tarantino.

This video is of the song O Pardesi in which Dev has discovered that his childhood sweetheart has married another, and falls into the refuge of drugs and alcohol. The camera shots, the lighting, the speed manipulation, the dancing - all reflect the impressive visual style of this breakthrough film.

Soprano - Thought Provoking French Emcee

Who's at the top of the charts in France? Shakira, Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, and Soprano. Wait...who was that last one?

Born in Marseilles to immigrant parents from Comoros, Soprano started out with a Hip Hop crew of his own, with two members from his parents' native Comoros and the fourth from Morocco. He earned a reputation for a lyrical intuition and insight, thus choosing the name Psy 4 de la Rime (Four Psychiatrists of Rhyme). Soprano chose his MC name after American TV's Tony Soprano, especially for the character's psychiatric explorations.

The group built up instantaneous recognition, with hit two records that went gold in a matter of weeks after being released. Soprano was soon being solicited by a number of labels to put out a solo project. He tested the waters with the 2006 mixtape Psychanalyse Avant l'Album. It was such a big success that went ahead and recorded his 2007 debut studio album, Puisqu'il Faut Vivre, immediately landing on Billboard's European Top 100.

And he's been on top of the charts ever since. Here's a video that is currently #2 on Trace TV's Urban Hit list, off of his 2010 album La Colombe (The Dove). We love his poignant use of storytelling - something that has been missing in American Hip Hop lately...

Los Amigos Invisibles - Venezuelan Disco Acid Jazz

From starting out as Caracas' "only dance band" to winning a Latin Grammy, Los Amigos Invisibles have definitely put Venezuela on the map in the music world!

When the band got their start in the early 1990's, grunge rock was dominating the airwaves. Offering their friends a more enjoyable, dance-friendly outlet for partying, Los Amigos Invisibles quickly reinvented the club scene in Caracas with their fusion of disco, funk, acid jazz and Latin rhythms. In 1995, EMI released their debut album, A Typical and Autoctonal Venezuelan Dance Band, which was a huge hit in their home country, enabling them to sell out clubs around Caracas for the next couple of years.

They continued on with great success, and their third album, Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey into Space, received a Grammy nomination in the category of "Best Latin Alternative Album" and a Latin Grammy in the category of "Best Rock Album." Following the success of this release, the band relocated to New York City and began work on their masterpiece, The Venezuelan Zinga Son, Vol. 1, produced by "Little" Louie Vega of Masters at Work.

The band continues to put out quality albums and rack up Grammy nominations. They've caught fire around the globe, and have performed extensively throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Here's a track from their album, Super Pop Venezuela, which was initially offered exclusively in Venezuela. In 2006, the album was released in the U.S., landing the band yet another Grammy nomination in the category of "Best Urban Latin Alternative Album."