Limitless Sky Records: Press & Reviews

Entertainment & the Arts: Sunday, June 15, 2003

CD Reviews
Afro-pop's rolling rhythms hard to resist for summer

By Paul de Barros
Seattle Times jazz critic

"Yellow Card" Ndala Kasheba (Limitless Sky)

Michel and Rosa Tyabji started recording East and South African pop musicians in 1998, at Makuti Studio, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Last year, they moved to Seattle and started releasing the fruits of their labors on their Limitless Sky label. Ndala Kasheba's wonderful "Yellow Card" is their first effort.

Kasheba is a Congolese musician who moved to Dar es Salaam in 1972, where he had a hit with "Monica." Kasheba plays in the soukous style, complete with rolling electric-guitar lines and call-and-answer vocals, but adds his rich, rubber-bandy 12-string guitar to the mix. Electric bass also gets turned up a little, and is a trifle harder-edged than in most soukous.

Kasheba's infectious, husky voice is hard to resist as he praises the lovely "Marinella" or shouts "Kokolay" (cheers!) in words you may not understand, but with emotions that you will.

"New African ComposersVol. 1" Various Artists (Limitless Sky)

This compilation features a dozen selections by five Limitless Sky artists, including four of the best tracks from Kasheba's "Yellow Card"; three by the Yekete Beat Band; two by Garikayi Tirikoti; two by the Achigo Band; and one from Delphin Mununga.

Yekete is dark and driving, with an Afro-beat horn section; Tirikoti leads a joyous, eight-piece mbira (thumb piano) orchestra, whose rolling rhythms and huge, marimba-like sound will be familiar to fans of local Zimbabwean marimba orchestras.

The Achigo Band, with lyrical lead singer Nguza Viking, Kasheba's main rival in Dar es Salaam for years, creates a rivery sound with guitars and synthesizers on "WaTanzania Watu wa Amani" and that hot little jazz band feel only Africans can conjure with horns, on "Tebo." Vocalist Mununga contributes a churchy a cappella piece.

Paul de Barros: 206-464-3247 or pdebarros@seattletimes.com



Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company

Various Artists
New African Composers: Vol.1
Limitless Sky Records, 2002


This is a CD with a story behind it; in short, it's the first compilation from a new label focusing mostly on contemporary music in Tanzania. Before they started releasing albums as Limitless Sky in 2002, Michel and Rosa Tyabji spent three years in Tanzania, researching, traveling, and recording, mostly in their own studio in Dar Es Salaam. Now based in Seattle, they are unpacking their treasures, and the first results are very promising.

The four Tanzanian acts (and one Zimbabwean) gloriously sampled here are not exactly "new." Guitarist and singer Ndala Kasheba first came to Tanzania with a band from Congo in 1964, and he's been active on the scene ever since. Achigo Band used to be Orchestra Marquis, champions of Swahili dance music during the days when Radio Tanzania was the only recording company in town. The lively, percussion-driven pop act Yekete Beat Band formed in the Arusha region of Tanzania in 1989, and singer Delphin Mununga was brought to Dar from Lubumbashi, Congo, by Ndala Kasheba in the 1980s. As for the one Zimbabwean here, mbira maestro Garikayi Tirikoti has been developing his unique take on the ancient Shona musical art, and his unusual 8-piece group, for over thirty years.

But if these acts are not strictly new, they have never been released internationally, and when you hear these 12 tracks, you'll likely agree that it's high time. Yekete Beat Band offers a boisterous blast of bass, hand percussion, growly, cycling guitars, horns and vocals. The group favors forest rhythms--mostly variants on 12/8 time--poignant vocals and short, eloquent guitar breaks. Of the three fine tracks here, the taut, concise "Ngoma" (sampled for this review) is especially good. Achigo Band features a big, lush vocal sound, strongly reminiscent of the more choral Congolese pop music. They do play rumba, as on "Tebo," but their tour de force here is a rolling, nine-minute, 12/8 extravaganza called "Watanzania Watu Wa Amani."

Ndala Kasheba's music also bears the stamp of his Congolese roots. With his booming tenor voice and big band ambiance, one inevitably thinks of Franco in his prime. But Kasheba has a number of distinguishing qualities in his Swahili rumba sound, most notably his use of an electrified, 12-string acoustic guitar, which he overdubs to create a gorgeous, chiming ambiance. "Kokolay" is especially winning with a bass-driven riff that won't quit, a killer call-and-response vocal hook, and Kasheba's deep, commanding voice at the center of a tuneful sax section eruptions, and the pulsing jangle of those 12-string guitars. We get just a taste of Delphin Mununga with a pretty acapella piece called "Kilimanjaro," but this compilation will leave any fan of classic African dance pop panting for more from the Limitless Sky vault. (So far, just one other title, Ndala Kasheba's Yellow Card has been released.)

Garikayi Tirikoti's three mbira pieces round this set out with satisfying variety. Among the things that set Tirikoti apart from other mbira artists is the way he combines mbiras using different tunings to create a rich, almost orchestral sound. His use of many voices to create thick vocal textures is also distinctive. "Kugara Hunzwara," a sublime, 11-minute variant on the mbira traditional song "Nhema Musasa" will satisfy even the fussiest mbira music connoisseur.

All this music is well recorded and mixed, with no drum machines or synthesizers to spoil the mood. If Limitless Sky proves as good at marketing music as they are at finding and producing it, we can look forward to lots more from one of the bravest and most promising new labels focusing on Afropop to appear in years.

Music > Media > Thought Music > Reviews February 2003
Music Reviews

New African Composers Volume 1
Limitless Sky

Africa is a continent of over fifty independent nations, with thousands of languages and immeasurable cultural traditions, thus precluding any systematic or comprehensive codification of its people's cultural expressions. New African Composers, however, proffers an exceptional overview of some the continent's variegated musical traditions, without trying to be all-inclusive or overly ambitious, as it draws only from the sounds of Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

The styles on this album are diverse, ranging from the pulsating drum patterns of Yekete Beat Band's "Madoya" to the calypso feel of Achigo Band's "WaTanzania Watu wa Amani" to the mesmerizing a cappella of Delphin Mununga's "Kilimanjaro." Like Delphin Mununga, Garikayi Tirikoti proves that the voice is as powerful as the reverberation of the bass drum. While it is not likely that the listener will understand the lyrics that flow from the speakers, the language of polyrhythm and syncopation transcend the impositions of any systematized lexicon. It is music that exudes a profound spirituality, a resistance to colonialism's lasting grip and a remembrance of one's ancestors, all set to a contagious and intricate rhythmic beat.

New African Composers is an essential listen for anyone interested in the origins of so much of this world's music, from ska and jazz to salsa and merengue. It is simultaneously a history lesson and a glance into the future evolution of what has become generically known as "world" music. It is certainly a must for those who appreciate the syncopated beats of hip-hop, or the free-verse improvisation of jazz.

Various Artists - New African Composers, Vol. 1
Limitless Sky

Compilation of mostly Tanzanian-based acts, with one from Zimbabwe (Garikayi Tirikoti), mostly unknown names who deserve wider recognition. Ndala Kasheba is the old master, but plenty of the younger ones have stunning talent. One of the few African countries not to have received much exposure, it's obvious Zimbabwe has a lot to offer the world.

Tibetan Spell, by Jonathan Chen

His soaring vocals are like waves lapping against the seashore, gently beckoning the listener to get lost in the music.

The man with the spellbinding voice is Tibetan singer-songwriter Tashi Dhondup Sharzur, better known as Techung.

The prominent musician, living in the San Francisco Bay area, has been hailed by many as being one of the most important keepers of Tibetan music traditions.

Techung, who recently performed at the Penang World Music Festival 2008, enthralled the crowd with his swinging tunes and energetic jigs.

Catching up with the man after his set, Techung displayed no airs despite being the winner of the Best Asian Album, "Techung" at the JPF Awards 2006 in Los Angeles. The award came from one of America’s largest grassroots music groups (www.jpfolks.com).

As he sipped his coffee, I found Techung incredibly humble for such an accomplished musician who is fluent in many instruments including the Flute, Piwang (Tibetan violin) and Damyen (Tibetan lute).

Born in Tibet, Techung migrated to India to escape the unrest in his homeland before settling in the US.

“I want my renditions of Tibetan music to be as pure as possible, but I grew up in India so there are certain influences here and there in my music. His band is “kind of new”, he adds. Band members are Ralph “Kito” Rodriguez on bass, Michel Tyabji on drums and percussion and Brian Valisco on keyboards. “We only got together two months ago in Los Angeles, and now we are here,” he says with a smile.

“I’m thankful that I have highly skilled musicians to work with and, on top of that, we are all good friends. The band displayed lots of maturity and control during their performance, constantly working as a team to give Techung a solid backing, not once wanting to step into the limelight.
The band was formed when Techung met Tyabji on the set for the film "Dalai Lama Renaissance", which stars the Dalai Lama himself and Harrison Ford. “Techung is one of the most featured musicians in the film”, Tyabji recalls, “and we liked each others music. So we started to work on musical collaborations”.

Much of Techung's music deals with what he holds dear to his heart, including issues pertaining to the environment, the condition of Mother Earth and the fight for freedom for his Tibetan countrymen.
“I am always thinking of the situation in Tibet, therefore I find myself writing songs dedicated to my brothers, urging them to work for freedom as it will not be handed to them on a plate”, Techung says. “Even the Dalai Lama has stated that now is a time of survival and that if Tibetan culture is not preserved now, it will soon be lost forever.”

Techung has taken it upon himself to work towards reviving traditional Tibetan art forms. “One of my missions is to revitalize traditional Tibetan music in my homeland because we are swamped with Indian and Western musical influences. “Our music needs to be saved but it is also meant to be enjoyed by many. It is encouraging that our music has received some support in my homeland.”
Techung has written a song entitled Nyingtop, meaning courage, which he performed in Penang. “I wrote the song when I saw my people in exile. I saw them so lost, so this song is an encouragement for them.”

Of the band’s future, Techung says there is more touring in Asia and in the US this year.

By Jonathan Chen
sunpeople@nstp.com.my

From the Exclaim! article:
Four Labels to Watch in 2004
Year in Review 2003

Limitless Sky
A label to watch not only for great music, but for its relationship to the business of world music. Michel and Rosa Tyabji spent three years in Tanzania recording folkloric and popular musicians and staging free concerts.
The first three releases came out this year, kicked off by the absolutely crucial New African Composers Vol 1 and the propulsive soukous of Yellow Card by Ndala Kasheba. The Tyabjis' goal is to help Tanzanian artists understand and negotiate intellectual property rights, issues of international copyright and artist representation. Most record companies releasing music by African artists do so through recording or licensing music in London, Paris and New York, with little involvement in the communities from whence the music originated. Limitless Sky shows how the encouragement of musical diversity can be a means to social development around the world.
David Dacks - December 02, 2003

Look at a map of Africa and try to find Tanzania. For a lot of people, it only exists in the shadowy world of new stories on terrorism. But it's there, on the east coast of Africa, in the city of Dar es Salaam, that Michel and Rosa Tyabji established their Makuti Studio in 1998. After three years they've returned to the U.S. and settled in Seattle, where they've begun releasing the fruits of their labors on their Limitless Sky label- a compilation, New African Composers, Vol. 1, and Yellow Card by expatriate Congolese singer/guitarist Ndala Kasheba. Together, they start to shine a light on a region of the continent that's been musically neglected in the West.

The inspiration came from Michel Tyabji, whose father works with UNICEF, "so I always moved to a different country every four or six years. A large part of the time was in Africa. We'd drive from Somalia to South Africa and back on holiday. I was really taken by the music of the whole region, not really Tanzania. I came to SUNY to study music, and I didn't too well. Since I'm a musician, I went to study audio engineering, which is where Rosa and I met. I just knew there was all this music in Tanzania, but there's very little here, especially traditional music. I thought I have all this training, and Rosa and I have all these machines, and we're sitting in New York - couldn't we go to Tanzania and record this music?"

Putting out feelers through his father, who was stationed in Tanzania, they discovered that the Ministry of Culture was very interested. The Tyabjis wrote a proposal to the government.

"We bought more equipment to do mobile recording, and my fantasy was to go into villages and record, multitrack like we were in a studio," recalled Michel. "The government invited us. But they couldn't give us any money."

"We weren't coming with our ideas about their culture, we were just a production entity, and wanted to work with their musicians," Rosa added.

Even after they'd arrived, nothing happened overnight. Sweden and Norway had donated money to a cultural fund, but it wasn't available yet. The Tyabjis began educating musicians about the music business.

"We kept talking about rights and copyright, and people opened to us," Rosa explained. "It took over a year and a half for the government to initiate our proposal. So they told use to use our studio to live. Eventually some of the larger players in the pop scene came to us as our reputation spread."

Even those big names weren't wealthy - they were playing in clubs three nights a week, for six or seven hours at a time "and they make maybe a dollar fifty a night." But, as New African Composers Vol.1 makes obvious, their music was magic.

Finally, some cultural funds were released, but it became apparent that the logistics of taking a studio on the road simply wouldn't work. Politics, two rainy seasons a year, and terrible roads conspired against the couple. They did make one trip to a rural area, and ended up with their equipment ruined.

"It was easier for government representatives to bus village musicians to Dar es Salaam, where we could do a better job," noted Michel. They do plan to release the traditional music they recorded, which has been used to begin a government archive, "but we're not going to release it until everything is ready. It's important we present it as a modern archive - it's living tradition, and the oral tradition is important. We're not sure yet how to do that."

One of their big hopes is to help their artists tour, and already it seems as if one, Zimbabwean Garikayi Tirikoti, whose own CD will appear soon, will make it to the Northwest for Zimfest, to be held in Oregon. But with Tanzania now on the I.N.S. blacklist, the Tyabjis know they face an uphill battle.

"Europe is moving ahead, artists coming over. America's just pulling itself away."

They plan to return to Tanzania, where they've left Makuti Studio in the hands of a local man they trained.

"We think of it as another home," said Rosa.