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Congo Ashanti Roy - Hard Road
Congo Ashanti Roy - Hard Road
Congo Ashanti Roy's swirling new album.
Sampler
In Belgium there is a studio named The Lost Ark. It’s a nod to Lee Perry’s legendary Black Ark studio in Kingston, Jamaica, where he crafted his unique sound. Calling the studio Lost Ark certainly sounds too good to be true, but when listening to some of the music recorded there it’s fascinating how it resemblances Lee Perry’s mid to late 70’s output.
The latest set to come out of the Lost Ark is Congo Ashanti Roy’s and Belgian band Pura Vida’s 'Hard Road'. Congo Ashanti Roy is one third of the original Congo’s who recorded their world-renowned debut album 'Heart of the Congos' at the Black Ark with Lee Perry, and also last year recorded the album 'We Nah Give Up' together with Pura Vida at the Lost Ark.
'Hard Road' is the brainchild of Pura Vida’s lead singer Bregt “Braithe” De Boever and Congo Ashanti Roy and collects eleven tracks, of which two are dub versions, recorded in Belgium and Jamaica. The production and mixing were handled by Poddington Krank.
The album is swirling, richly textured and atmospheric and sounds like it was recorded in a dense greenhouse full of ganja. The musicians utilizes a number of unexpected instruments, such as harmonica on the country-tinged Shadows of the Evening, strings on Hard Road and what sounds like a pan pipe on album opener Only Jah, a nyahbinghi track similar to Ras Michael’s album 'Love Thy Neighbour'.
Even though Lee Perry has not been involved in this project his fingerprints are all over the place, and 'Hard Road' is a fascinating musical journey with call-and-response singing, trancelike grooves, sublime horn arrangements and adventurous song structures.
'Hard Road' is available on digital platforms worldwide and a limited edition vinyl copy can by ordered via Lost Ark Music.
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Read comments (1)
| Posted by Beljam massive on 02.20.2013 | |
| Yes its a good album but nothing new under the sun, they try to copy Mr Perry and they doing it good but they trying too forced and sometimes its sounds very chaotic. For Belgium standards its a good album but not for the international market. |
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