Flight of The Ancients, by The Shaolin Afronauts

Flight of The Ancients

by The Shaolin Afronauts

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Tom Colquhoun Cool desert funk that shares musical DNA with projects like Souljazz, Khruangbin and the Helios among others. Assertively groovy in an open-top, road trip kind of way. Favorite track: The Quiet Lion.

Dr. Beaf I can't help it; does anyone else find themselves removing any (or all in my case) clothing item(s) unconciously while listening to this? Me Ma has learnt to knock on my door when this is playing, it took her a while though. Favorite track: The Quiet Lion.

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1.	Journey Through Time 05:15	buy track
2.	Rise With the Blind 04:35	buy track
3.	Flight of the Ancients 05:46	buy track
4.	Shaolin Theme 04:37	buy track
5.	Kilimanjaro 06:26	buy track
6.	Shira 07:39	buy track
7.	The Quiet Lion 06:23	buy track
8.	The Scarab 04:54	buy track

about

The mysterious afro-soul of The Shaolin Afronauts first echoed across the dance floors of Australia in late 2008. Heavily inspired by the sounds of 1970's West Africa, Ethiopia and the pioneering avant-garde jazz artists of the same period, The Shaolin Afronauts draw on the this highly innovative and sometimes volatile era in music, using it as inspiration to create music with the same fire and intensity. Though there is something refreshing and original about the Afronauts, their music could be described as somewhere in between the heavy Afrobeat of Fela Kuti and the Ethio-Jazz of Mulatu Astatke. The key to the Shaolin Afronauts unique sound is the line-up, which comprises of a three piece horn section, 5 piece rhythm section and three percussionists, and this polyrhythmic approach layers the groups sound with a mesmerizing and hypnotic texture. Kicking off with Journey Through Time (also released as the A side of the limited edition 12 inch vinyl single: FSR091) the multiple layers of percussion and rhythms indeed unleash an unstoppable groove, which is nicely balanced against the albums slower, more introspective moments, such as Rise With The Blind which along with haunting, mellow Scarab prove that contemporary afrobeat rooted music doesn't always have to be an unrelenting, uptempo assault on the senses and can provide moments of sheer beauty and reflection. This added element of subtlety sets The Shaolin Afronauts music apart from much of the recent crop of other bands with similar influences, That said, these guys are still a collective capable of burning some stone cold classic and killer grooves, The Shaolin Afronauts are the band to watch out for in 2011! .

credits

released June 27, 2011

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Freestyle Records London, UK

Set up in 2003, Freestyle Records has spearheaded the resurgence in funk, jazz, soul, latin, reggae and more - proving to be one of the most prolific and well respected record labels of the last decade.

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