We are enjoying three great new summer releases from the Berlin-based record label Piranha Records who we sub-publish in the UK. [dunkelbunt] is part of the creative DJ movement which transcends standard Central European techno and house music by drawing on inspiration from other genres and cultures. Selecting original tracks from Piranha’s rich catalogue of global sounds, he has transformed them into a fresh, summery, Mediterranean-flavoured whole on the album raindrops and elephants. One for the summer soundtrack is Cinnamon Girl featuring East European brass players Boban I Marko Markovic. And introducing Sister Fa - Senegal’s best-known female rapper with Sarabah, a fresh, laid-back sounding album dealing with the very real social issues of poverty, the role of Islam and female genital mutilation have made her a role model for many young women in her home country. With a new homebase in Berlin, Sister Fa is ready to share her tales from the flipside of paradise with the rest of the world. And Watch Clan unleash the follow up to their award-winning Diaspora Hi Fi album.Diaspora Remixed is their tuneful travel diary, documenting their encounters in descriptive sound chapters.
Also from the Piranha stable and widely acknowledged as the greatest trumpet player to emerge from the Balkans, Serbian trumpeter Boban Markovic and the Markovic Orchestra will be performing at The Barbican on 11 July with the brassiest brass band the Balkans have to offer. Shrieking brass and irresistible drive, this is one of the greatest ensemble sounds in the world today. For tickets click here (barbican.org.uk)
