'Lectric Veve
by Black Arts Lab & The Lost Tribe of Benin Mass Choir
Nicholas Johnson
Gary Gordon
Jana Williams
scrapmaster
elizabeth gutekunst
Lewis Francis
Beale Dabbs
Rogan Jeans
Lauteric
Caroline Graves
Michael Barron
Marie Broussard
n5788
jmorra
kmbaltimore
kerryhawk
juliaz3
juusojesper
Beth Wakefield
thishostileplanet
blue_gene
inphanta
jp801
bebopnyc
Andrei Kozlov
RICHARD OUTRAM
Eric Baldwin
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Digital Album
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`Lectric Veve
07:21
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2. |
Keeper of the Crossroads
08:00
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Go Lay Her Down
04:26
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Atagali Trancers
05:34
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about
Black Arts Lab & The Lost Tribe of Benin Mass Choir
`Lectric Veve
The Gospel According to Voodoo
‘Lectric Veve was originally produced as an instrumental album but upon experimenting with layering vocal samples, it quickly evolved beyond my expectations and inadvertently revealed parallels between a Sunday morning African-American Pentecostal church service and a Benin, West African vodun ceremony. Through merging African tribal rhythms and chants, old-school house grooves, techno embellishments and multi-layered vocal samples, ‘Lectric Veve celebrates that undeniable DNA strand.
With ultra-funky danceability which pays tribute to Nigerian Afrobeat, and Jùjú music gods, Fela Kuti - “Zombie”, and King Sunny Adé - “Juju Music”, its dense production often plays as sound collages recalling works by Brian Eno and David Byrne - “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts”, Steve Reich - “It's Gonna Rain”, Nurse With Wound - “Rocket Morton”, and its trance-inducing repetition evokes the arpeggiated compositions of Philip Glass and Terry Riley. But this album’s true inspiration can be found in the “Ghetto House” blueprints of Chicago underground labels such as, Dance Mania, Trax and Relief Records, as well as, gospel vocal pioneers, Dorothy Love Coates & The Original Gospel Harmonettes - “The Best of...”, and my most favorite gospel choir, Rev. Isaac Douglas and The New York Community Choir - “Let’s Go Higher."
As I started to add the vocal samples to the instrumental tracks, I was inspired by a comment from an interview with Swedish rock band, The Hives, in which they state, "We discovered if you play the same riff as long as possible before changing it, people go crazy!" So, get ready to dance, chant, sing and shout throughout this journey from Papa Legba to the pulpit. - Black Arts Lab & The Lost Tribe of Benin Mass Choir
Note: The album’s release date, Jan.10, 2019 coincides with “National Voodoo Day” an annual festival in Benin, West Africa.
Pentecostal
of, relating to, or denoting any of a number of Christian sects and individuals emphasizing baptism in the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, and exorcism.[with reference to the baptism in the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost (Acts 2: 9-11).]
Vodun
Vodun (meaning spirit in the Fon and Ewe languages) is practiced by the Fon people of Benin, and southern and central Togo; as well in Ghana, and Nigeria. It is distinct from the various traditional African religions in the interiors of these countries and is the main source of religions with similar names found among the African diaspora in the Americas - Wiki
Veve
A veve (also spelled vèvè or vevè) is a religious symbol commonly used in different branches of voodoo throughout the African diaspora - Wiki
credits
Benin, West Africa
Birthplace of Vodun
`Lectric
“Keep your ‘lectric eye on me, babe.”
`Lectric Veve
The Gospel According to Voodoo
‘Lectric Veve was originally produced as an instrumental album but upon experimenting with layering vocal samples, it quickly evolved beyond my expectations and inadvertently revealed parallels between a Sunday morning African-American Pentecostal church service and a Benin, West African vodun ceremony. Through merging African tribal rhythms and chants, old-school house grooves, techno embellishments and multi-layered vocal samples, ‘Lectric Veve celebrates that undeniable DNA strand.
With ultra-funky danceability which pays tribute to Nigerian Afrobeat, and Jùjú music gods, Fela Kuti - “Zombie”, and King Sunny Adé - “Juju Music”, its dense production often plays as sound collages recalling works by Brian Eno and David Byrne - “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts”, Steve Reich - “It's Gonna Rain”, Nurse With Wound - “Rocket Morton”, and its trance-inducing repetition evokes the arpeggiated compositions of Philip Glass and Terry Riley. But this album’s true inspiration can be found in the “Ghetto House” blueprints of Chicago underground labels such as, Dance Mania, Trax and Relief Records, as well as, gospel vocal pioneers, Dorothy Love Coates & The Original Gospel Harmonettes - “The Best of...”, and my most favorite gospel choir, Rev. Isaac Douglas and The New York Community Choir - “Let’s Go Higher."
As I started to add the vocal samples to the instrumental tracks, I was inspired by a comment from an interview with Swedish rock band, The Hives, in which they state, "We discovered if you play the same riff as long as possible before changing it, people go crazy!" So, get ready to dance, chant, sing and shout throughout this journey from Papa Legba to the pulpit. - Black Arts Lab & The Lost Tribe of Benin Mass Choir
Note: The album’s release date, Jan.10, 2019 coincides with “National Voodoo Day” an annual festival in Benin, West Africa.
Pentecostal
of, relating to, or denoting any of a number of Christian sects and individuals emphasizing baptism in the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, and exorcism.[with reference to the baptism in the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost (Acts 2: 9-11).]
Vodun
Vodun (meaning spirit in the Fon and Ewe languages) is practiced by the Fon people of Benin, and southern and central Togo; as well in Ghana, and Nigeria. It is distinct from the various traditional African religions in the interiors of these countries and is the main source of religions with similar names found among the African diaspora in the Americas - Wiki
Veve
A veve (also spelled vèvè or vevè) is a religious symbol commonly used in different branches of voodoo throughout the African diaspora - Wiki
credits
Benin, West Africa
Birthplace of Vodun
`Lectric
“Keep your ‘lectric eye on me, babe.”
credits
released January 10, 2019
Written Arranged & Produced by Black Arts Lab
Black Arts Laboratory - Berlin, Germany
Design by RogerSelvage/Monad Creative
ofmonad AT gmail DOT com
Cover Photo
Young women dancing in trance for the vodun spirit Atagali in Benin - 1994 © Henning Christoph/SOA Museum
www.soul-of-africa.com
Used with kind permission
© Black Arts Lab 2019 ℗ Black Arts Musikverlag ASCAP
Written Arranged & Produced by Black Arts Lab
Black Arts Laboratory - Berlin, Germany
Design by RogerSelvage/Monad Creative
ofmonad AT gmail DOT com
Cover Photo
Young women dancing in trance for the vodun spirit Atagali in Benin - 1994 © Henning Christoph/SOA Museum
www.soul-of-africa.com
Used with kind permission
© Black Arts Lab 2019 ℗ Black Arts Musikverlag ASCAP
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Black Arts Lab Berlin, Germany
Singer, Composer, Producer, Live Act, Label
discography
-
Jul 2023 -
Nov 2022 -
May 2022 -
Jan 2022 -
Nov 2020 -
Jan 2020 -
Jan 2019 -
Dec 2016 -
Oct 2016 -
Apr 2016 -
Oct 2014