Beat Konducta in Africa is an instrumental hip-hop album
produced & mixed with Madlib, featuring J. Rocc.
This album bases
itself on the obscure vinyl gems from the afro-beat, funk, psych-rock,
garage-rock & soul movements of African countries as diverse as
Zambia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Botswana and Ivory Coast.
---
Reviewing
Beat Konducta in Africa
is a daunting task, mainly for two reasons. First and most obvious is
the sheer amount of material present here: while digital fans of the
Konducta may be used to his volumes being 40+ tracks, I’ve always opted
for the separated versions. Much like the continent to which Madlib is
paying tribute,
Beat Konducta in Africa is a sprawling, seemingly endless locomotive of sound and vision. Secondly,
Beat Konducta in Africa
is not exactly a typical Beat Konducta album, and so it’s taken me a
while to figure out whether I’m disappointed or not and, probably more
importantly, just how listenable this release is.
If you’ve heard Madlib’s crate digging exercises such as
Speto do Rua,
you’re probably a little better equipped for what occurs on this disc.
Th album unfolds fairly slowly, as the first four or five tracks leading
into “African Voodoo Queen” and “Jungle Soundz” sound more like
soundtrack music with various samples explaining what Africa is, how it
came to be and where it could potentially go than hip-hop instrumentals.
The samples appear to come from informative videos in the ’50s and
’60s, but one can’t really be sure. While beats remain the focus after
they start appearing, there are still a lot of moments where Madlib
drops in a high-life track, cues up some tour guide samples and takes a
rest for a moment. Most of these interludes are interesting the first
few times through the album, but like the first volume of his Medicine
Show I feel they start to get a little tiring over repeated listens, and
would rather he just give us the beats straight up.
However, it does seem obvious that
Beat Konducta in Africa isn’t meant to be taken as a strictly beats album. This isn’t Oh No’s
Ethiopium,
the younger Jackson’s already covered that base. Instead, Madlib has
written a love letter to his mother continent as only he could write it,
covering a complex and multicultural musical history as comprehensively
as he can with two turntables and 80 minutes of disc space. There’s
endless amounts of the sort of funk found on “The Struggle to Unit”, but
the real excitement comes when he weaves in shades of African
proto-punk like “The Show (Inner View)”. Moves like that go a long way
towards displaying the hidden variety present in African culture,
something American media all too often ignores or fudges in some way.
And I don’t think there’s any refuting the stunning quality of stuff
like “Chant 2″, “Obataive” and “Umi (Life)”. For the most part, Madlib
definitely brought his usual quality seal.
Still, the main issue that has stuck with me since I received this
album a few weeks ago is a quote from the mid-section of the disc, in
which an interviewee explains the mindset of most African musicians. For
them, he says, “eighteen minutes is not enough”. He also argues that
the “musical masturbation of the West” has stunted its audience and
musicians’ appreciation for complex and elongated musical styles. And in
hearing that, I can’t help but think that the massive heft of this
release not only represents the immensity of Africa, but also the
eagerness and fervor with which current American musical society skims
over music as though it were simply sound and not culture as well. The
Bonus AFRICA section drives this notion home for me; “R” and “C” are
dope but it is mostly just more of the high-life we’ve already been
subjected to for an hour. I’m not sure that a
Beat Konducta in Africa
trimmed by 10 or 20 minutes would be so distinct and comprehensive, but
I feel positive that it would ultimately be a more enduring release and
feel like less of a guided tour and more like a heartfelt journey into
the heart of Madlib’s musical journey.
Beat Konducta in Africa
is no doubt another very good release from the Madlib camp, and so far
my favorite of the Medicine Show. But it’s also yet another
not-quite-great Madlib record, an album with as many tiny negatives as
big positives. Definitely cop, but understand what you’re getting into.
potholesinmyblog.com
---
There's a sense of tongue planted firmly in cheek
when the Beat Konducta makes use of samples from a narrator of what
sounds like an apologist American documentary about Africa for
elementary school students.
It isn’t very often that a producer is willing to,
or even capable of, releasing a 12-disc instrumental series that is of
consistent quality and varying influence. But here we have Madlib,
trying to do just that. With his third entry in the “Medicine Show”
series, Beat Konducta in Africa draws its sounds from – you guessed it – African music dating back to the '70s.
Comprised of samples borrowed from African Funk, Rock, Afrobeat, and some more obscure origins Beat Konducta in Africa is
essentially a trip through a few of Madlib’s countless crates.
“Afritronic Pt. 2” is a funked-out collusion of chants and keyboards,
while “Red Black and Green Showcase” teases with a Hip Hop vocal sample
over a distant horn loop. “Kanika” provides insight as to where Boom Bap
may have originated, and “The Show (Inner View)” is African Rock &
Roll. Aside from chopping and mixing the samples, it sounds as though
Madlib touches up various qualities on most, if not all on the tracks.
As an example, there’s no mistaking the added thumping bass on “Freedom
Play.” Theses added qualities serve to accentuate the existing music,
and fortunately do not overpower it.
There is more to this album
than just Madlib’s instrumentals. There’s a sense of tongue planted
firmly in cheek when the Beat Konducta makes use of samples from a
narrator of what sounds like an apologist American documentary about
Africa for elementary school students. “Yafeu” juxtaposes the narrations
with an African chant highlighted by varying percussions and whistles.
Madlib provides more food for thought with “Blackfire,” as it uses vocal
clips that offer a critical view of the western world’s use of African
music. Is it with self-deprecation that Madlib includes vignettes that
refer to his craft as “musical masturbation,” or does he count himself
among those who promote authenticity?
As an overall package, Beat Konducta
is very cohesive – an astounding feat given that it spans 43 tracks.
Every track purposely has a “made-in-the-garage” feeling that you might
find on an early Wu-Tang cut, which serves the samples well. A pristine
and mastered version of this album would be counterintuitive given its
content. What is presented here is a window into African music of the
past 30 years – one that provides a very versatile listening experience.
Given
the ever-changing sound of the 78-minute album, it is excellent
background music that’ll keep the head nodding. But heads that are
looking to give the record a closer spin will find hidden lessons, and
B-boys will have a blast trying to pick out masterfully-flipped samples
(even Dave Chappelle is thrown in there, somewhere). The flexibility of
this release is what makes it a great addition to any music fan’s
collection.
hiphopdx.com
---
If you don't know who Madlib is, here's a brief bio: born Otis Jackson,
Jr., his dad is a musician and his brother is producer/rapper Oh No. He
first made his name as part of the Lootpack crew in the early 90s before
going solo later that decade. He's collaborated with J Dilla (2003's
Jaylib album), MF DOOM (2004's Madvillain album), and produced tracks
for Percy P, Guilty Simpson, Erykah Badu, and Talib Kweli. He has more
aliases than a gun runner, rapping as Quasimoto, doing jazz as
Yesterday's New Quintet, and doing collaborations with Brazilian artist
Ivan Conti as Jackson Conti. He puts out several albums a year, and in
2010 is putting out one a month as part of his "Medicine Show" series.
March's entry is his fourth Beat Konducta collection, comprised of beats
made from African music.
This is one of the stronger Beat Konducta albums in terms of creating a
groove, owing mostly to the source material. Drums are a central element
in African music, and they feature prominently here. While Madlib does
use a drum machine at times, most of the album features samples and
loops of live drums. Hip hop is rooted in the beat, so taking it all the
way back to its roots makes sense, and results in some of the most
banging beats Madlib has created in a while. Madlib's subdued spaciness
is still present, but the music he's sampling creates a steady rhythm
that propels the album along.
In many ways, "Beat Konducta in Africa" is a tribute to the continent,
with voice samples spelling out the accomplishments of Africans, and the
music samples showing their sonic achievements. The line, "THIS is
Africa!" is repeated throughout the disc, always to a different
instrument or a different type of music, making a point about how
multicultural the continent is. Tracks range from tribal drumming on
"Yafeu" and "Afritonic Pt. 1" to the cooking African funk of "The
Struggle To Unite (One Africa)" and "Afrosound Panorama." As with all
Beatkonducta albums, Madlib chops and mixes the samples like a master
chef. He cuts native instruments with programmed boom-bap on "Chant 2."
"Spearthrow for Oh No" is a jumble of drums, guitar, and a vocal sample
of an American musician shocked at the crowd at a gig on an African
tour.
There is a certain narrative to the disc. "Tear Gas and Bullets for
Freedom," captures the chaos and violence that have troubled Africa for
too much of its history. "Red, Black, and Green Showcase" highlights the
struggle for African unity and self-determination. Madlib samples
African musicians talking about their craft on "Blackfire," and clips of
African-Americans talking about the experience of returning to the
Motherland on "Kanika." In some sense, "Beat Konducta in Africa" is a
tour through Africa and its history. It's also a tour through African
music, with Madlib sampling everything from high life to Fela Kuti to
more traditional music. As someone who enjoys African music, but doesn't
have a very deep collection, I appreciated the guided tour through
Madlib's vinyl.
None of the tracks are longer than three minutes, and most of them clock
in around 1:30. There is a propulsive energy to the disc, and Madlib
manages to maintain a groove for the entire 78-minute running time. I
found myself loving this in 20-30 minute increments, but it's a lot to
digest all in one sitting. If you are a Madlib fan, an African music
fan, or a you love drums, you have to get this. He probably could have
edited it down to less than an hour, but even in its expanded form it's
remarkable. Most importantly, it supplies some serious head-nod.
rapreviews.com
Tracklist
01 – Motherland
02 – The Frontline (Liberation)
03 – Raw Introduction To Afreaka
04 – African Voodoo Queen (Drama)
05 – Jungle Soundz (Part One)
06 – The Struggle To Unite (One Africa)
07 – Mandingo Swing
08 – Endless Cold (Lovelost)
09 – Chant 2
10 – Afrosound Panorama
11 – Hunting Theme
12 – Yafeu
13 – Afritonic Pt. 1
14 – Afritonic Pt. 2
15 – Tradition
16 – Spearthrow For Oh No
17 – Tear Gas And Bullets For Freedom
18 – Heritage Slip
19 – Land Of The Drum
20 – Red, Black And Green Showcase
21 – Blackfire
22 – Obataive
23 – Warrior’s Theme
24 – Mtima
25 – African Map Watch
26 – Street Hustler
27 – Kanika
28 – Chant 3
29 – The Show (Inner View)
30 – Brothers And Sisters
31 – Freedom Play
32 – African Bounce
33 – Umi (Life)
34 – Natural Sound Waves
35 – Jungle Sounds Pt. 2
36 – Mighty Force
37 – Unika (Outro)
38 – Bonus A
39 – Bonus F
40 – Bonus R
41 – Bonus I
42 – Bonus C
43 – Bonus A (Amanaz)
