ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION @ Apolo 24/03/11

Thursday 24^th March 2011

Apolo

Nou de la Rambla

08001 Barcelona

21:00

Entry Price: €20.00 / €24.00

www.asiandubfoundation.com

ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION

A welcome return to Barcelona this month, for one of the UK’s most powerful and uncompromising live bands, Asian Dub Foundation. With their unique fusion of punk, jungle, ragga and Asian musical styles, coupled with politically charged lyrics - ADF are hugely popular across Europe, but especially so in Spain and Portugal which they have visited many times. In Barcelona alone, they have headlined at the BAM / Merce Festival, Razzmatazz and the Apolo.

Since their emergence from the East London Asian-Underground scene, sixteen years ago, ADF have made a number of groundbreaking achievements . Aside from touring the world and collaborating with artists such as Primal Scream, The Beastie Boys and Radiohead, they established ADF Education to teach music technology to young people, performed live soundtracks for movies ‘La Haine’ and ‘The Battle of Algiers’, Steve Chandra Savale was even asked to edit BBC Radio 4’s prestigious ‘Today’ news programme. ADF have proven themselves to be a band, that truly know how to diversify into other projects, without diluting their original vision.

In February, ADF released their ninth studio album ‘A History Of Now’, on the Cooking Vinyl label, lyrically it is as forthright as ever, commenting on a world where “there is no history anymore, everything is in a state of flux”. The album features more organic instrumentation than before, with live drums and their Indian / Asian influences to the fore, and the dub sound complimented by more guitar based songs.

The Apolo show is the first date of a tour, that will take ADF across Spain, Portugal and France, and it’s onstage that the band, really come into their own. Using guitars and electronics fused with traditional Asian percussion such as tablas and the dhol, coupled with ragga style vocals – they really know how to blow the roof off.

THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS @ Apolo (2) 12/2/11

Saturday 12^th February 2011

Apolo (2)

Nou de la Rambla

08001 Barcelona

20:00

Entry Price: €18.00 / €22.00

www.newmastersounds.com

THE NEW MASTERSOUNDS

Waiting for a good funky live show in Barcelona, can be a bit like waiting for a bus, you hang around kicking your heels for ages and then they all come at once. February is definitely shaping up to be one of those months. First into town, on their annual visit to Barcelona, are the UK’s finest funk and jazz instrumental combo The New Mastersounds.

Formed eleven years ago in Leeds, the band have released countless singles and albums, over a raft of different labels, and collaborated with some of the best known names in contemporary funk and jazz: Lou Donaldson, Quantic, Keb Darge & Kenny Dope, James Taylor, Snowboy, Dionne Charles and Andy Smith (Portishead) to name just a few. Last year saw the release of documentary entitled ‘Coals to Newcastle’, which follows the band as they visit and play around New Orleans meeting some of their musical heroes in the process. Their forthcoming album ‘Masterology’ (Sundazed) is a nineteen track retrospective of the bands career so far.

It’s onstage however that The New Mastersounds, really come into their own – cooking up a potent brew of groove-driven funk, with a tight and economic line-up of drums, bass, guitar and keyboards. Influenced by the jazz organ greats Jimmy Smith and Jimmy McGriff, The Meters, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix – it’s not unknown for the band to play sets of up to three hours in duration. Years of experience, criss-crossing the USA and Europe on extensive tours, have turned them into probably one of the most exciting live instrumental bands, you’re ever likely to hear.

Also coming up in February look out for the wonderful Janelle Monae at the Apolo on the 22^nd, and a real treat for all you Daptone Records fans, a double bill of Lee Fields & The Expressions plus Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band at Salamandra in L’Hospitalet on Sunday 27^th.

Roger C