Afro/cosmic music
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
To explain to you what I was doing… For example, I used to play Bolero by Ravel, and on top of this I would play an African song by Africa Djola, or maybe an electronic tune by Steve Reich, with which I would mix a Malinké chant from New Guinea(sic). Or, I would mix T-Connection with a song by Moebius and Rodelius, adding the hypnotic-tribal Izitso album of Cat Stevens, and then Lee Ritenour, but also Depeche Mode at 33 instead of 45, or a reggae voice by Yellowman at 45 instead of 33. I might mix 20 African songs on top of a Korg Electronic Drums (machine) rhythm pattern. I would play a Brazilian batucada and mix it with a song by Kraftwerk. I would also use synthesizer effects on the voices of Miriam Makeba, Jorge Ben, or Fela Kuti, or I would play the Oriental melodies of Ofra Haza or Sheila Chandra with the electronic sounds of the German label SKY. --Daniele Baldelli, Interview in Discopia #3 |
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
Cosmic disco (also called "Cosmic music," "the Cosmic Sound,", etc.) is a style of dance music named after the "Cosmic" nightclub in northern Italy, which the cosmic disco scene was centered around. The Cosmic scene's most notable DJ was Daniele Baldelli, who was hired as Cosmic's DJ in 1979; Stylus Magazine has described Baldelli and Beppe Loda as Cosmic Disco's pioneers. The Cosmic Sound included a very diverse range of musical styles, from electro and funk to jazz fusion and Brazilian music. Peter Shapiro described Baldelli's music as a "combination of spaced-out rock and tribal percussion." One genre that was usually not part of this mix was Italo disco, which Baldelli believes was generally too mainstream and commercial. The music's speed has been characterized by different sources as slow and mid-tempo; Baldelli himself states that he usually played at 90-105 bpm. Baldelli would also play 45 RPM records at 33 and vice versa. Cosmic music has been cited as a "touchstone" for contemporary "space disco" artists like Lindstrøm collaborator Prins Thomas and Andy Meecham of Chicken Lips. It has also been cited as an influence on some later Italian house songs, such as Sueño Latino.
The Cosmic club itself was located in Lazise, a small town on Lake Garda. The club had a capacity of 1000 and decor inspired by American clubs like Odyssey 2001 (where Saturday Night Fever was filmed) and Studio 54.
See also
