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TERRAKOTA release new album with Optimus Discos
Terrakota met in studio during the winter to recook some tunes from previous albums. The band invited other artists that they met throughout the world, exploring new territories of its mestizo sonority while recording in Himalayas, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels, Lisbon and Rajastan in India. The result of this experience is Re-cooked Sessions published by Optimus Discos on the 28th of May. It is already available for free download through the link Optimus Discos Re-Cooked Sessions
Optimus Discos Re-Cooked Sessions
The album starts with the single So Free. Despite the english title, it’s mainly a portrait of the modern lusophony. The link between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro is made through the voice of Hélio Bentes, the legendary vocalist from the also legendary Rio’s band Ponto de Equilíbrio: the highest expression of brazilian reggae-roots, performing at Sumol Summer Fest (PT) this year.
So Free is a song full of hope, beautiful, fresh and simultaneously deep… a balm in this so called time of crisis, to listen in repeat from dawn till sunset.
The tracklist continues with guest performers from India, Mahesh Vinayakram and also Vasundhara Das, that some of you may know as the star from the film “Monsoon Wedding”. She interprets Massala Dub an Hindi-reggae style, soaring and meditational, properly produced amidst dense fumes, Lee Perry style, but with incense replacing the traditional Jamaican sensimilla.
Move On is the ninety-nine percent’s cry of indignation, an appeal to peaceful revolution voiced by Florian Doucet, a multi-instrumentalist and French singer, currently living in Brussels. He is part of La Chiva Gantiva, the Colombian ensemble, and is a special guest in some Terrakota’s shows.
After that, there’s Ayam Dub, presenting us some pure, old-school dub, all filled with smoke, with a space echo driving this intergalactic dub voyage… “sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight!”
In this journey’s last stop, Chelo Habibi Dub, Terrakota join together two universes from the Indian sub-continent: Rajasthan’s gypsy tradition, with Kuthla Khan from Rajasthan Roots, and Mahesh Vinayakram, a renowned singer of the carnatic tradition from southern India. Once again, the Portuguese band Terrakota try to break barriers and create an unique fusion on the global musical map.
This is the appetizer that precedes the next recipe… stay tuned…
In the last months, Terrakota were also focused on the creation of a new show. The vocalist Romi Anauel is now dedicated to her solo career, in Barcelona. The band faced this moment as an opportunity to explore one of their strong characteristics: the fusion of rhythms and melodies, travelling in a transcontinental groove train! The train has already departed for the debut in Belgium and Italy, leaving a trail of celebration, joy and fellowship that has always defined the band’s performance all over the world.
Terrakota lançam novo trabalho com a Optimus Discos
Os Terrakota encontraram-se em estúdio durante este inverno a “re-cozinhar” alguns temas de álbuns anteriores. Convidaram vários artistas que a banda foi conhecendo por esse Mundo fora, gravaram nos Himalayas, no Rio de Janeiro, Bruxelas, Lisboa e no Rajastão Indiano, explorando novos territórios para a sua mestiçagem sonora. O resultado desta experiência chama-se Re-Cooked Sessions e foi editado pela Optimus Discos a 28 de Maio, encontrando-se já disponível para download gratuito no site da editora Optimus Discos Re-cooked Sessions
Optimus Discos Re-Cooked Sessions
O disco abre com o single So Free que, apesar do título em inglês, é essencialmente uma obra que retrata a lusofonia moderna. O eixo Lisboa – Rio de Janeiro é aqui representado pelo cruzamento com a voz de Hélio Bentes, mítico vocalista do também mítico grupo carioca Ponto de Equilíbrio, expoente máximo do reggae-roots brasileiro e que pode ser visto ao vivo, este ano, no festival Sumol Summer Fest.
So Free é um tema pleno de esperança, belo, fresco e simultaneamente profundo…um bálsamo em tempos ditos de crise, para ouvir em repeat, do amanhecer ao pôr-do-sol.
No alinhamento segue-se Massala Dub, com as participações vindas da Índia: Mahesh Vinayakram e Vasundhara Das, que alguns já conhecerão como protagonista do filme “Monsoon Wedding”, aqui em estilo Hindi-reggae, planante e meditativo, devidamente produzido sob influência dos mais densos fumos ao estilo de Lee Perry, mas com incenso a substituir a tradicional sensimilla jamaicana.
Move On é o grito de indignação dos 99%, o apelo à revolução pacífica na voz de Florian Doucet, multi-instrumentista e cantor Francês radicado em bruxelas, membro do grupo colombiano La Chiva Gantiva, e é o convidado especial de alguns concertos dos Terrakota.
Segue-se Ayam Dub….Dub puro, à antiga, bem fumado, com space echo a comandar a viagem do dub intergaláctico… “sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight!”
Para fechar a viagem, os Terrakota cruzam dois universos do sub-continente Indiano em Chelo Habibi Dub: a tradição cigana do Rajastão, na voz e percussões de Kuthla Khan dos Rajasthan Roots, vai ao encontro de Mahesh Vinayakram, expoente máximo do canto Carnático do sul da Índia…mais uma vez a banda portuguesa tenta quebrar barreiras e fazer a sua fusão única no panorama musical global.
Este é o aperitivo que antecede os próximos “cozinhados”… fiquem atentos…
NEW KOTA JOURNEY!
Terrakota was very active in past months creating a completely new show, re-cooking some old sounds along with some new tunes with the usual positive and free spirit around roots music from all over the world. Romi is not taking part in this new adventure as she is concentrating on her solo career in Barcelona. The band grabbed the moment to potentiate their forces even more: the mix of hot rhythms that puts you in a thrilling global music journey on a high-speed transcontinental groove train.
There are new Kota travellers joining in, intervening brass and even more dancing on stage! It is ready now and we can’t wait to share it!
NEW SINGLE “Revelation” 
“Revelation”, one of the new Terrakota songs, has already been recorded and will soon be released as a limited vinyl single and video clip. This completely independent move by the band, far from sponsors or record labels, is a manifestation that the band is very much alive in these times where the “music industry” is disappearing when it comes to “non-commercial music”.Everything about this song has an alternative off-system feeling: the way it was done, rehearsed and recorded as well as the script and video shooting of the video clip in progress. To make it possible the band is launching a CrowdFunding mobilization on the internet that will allow fans to help out and also to follow the making in real time.
TERRAKOTA “Re-Cooked Sessions” EP / OUT SOON!
During the past winter, Terrakota was remixing full power, dubbing old album sessions, inviting other singers to shine and travelling through even more daring musical crossroads. The result of these experiences – the EP “Re-Cooked Sessions” – will be launched online (free for download) in the middle of May. It reinvents several songs of “World Massala” and “Oba Train”, introducing the upcoming remix full length album due out in the end of 2012.
It’s not a remix album like the others as it’s the musicians themselves who revitalized their music. On the first 5 tracks, Mahesh Vinayakram, the Bollywood star Vasundhara Das, Kuthla Khan of Rajasthan Roots, Helio Bentes (Ponto de Equilibrio) & Florian Doucet (Family Jammin’), spread their voices and very different cultural backgrounds on heavily dubbed Terrakota instrumentals.
The three bonus tracks offer Afro-power remixes, with raps by the Angolans Conductor (Buraka Som Sistema) and Ikonoklasta (Batida, Conjunto Ngonguenha), Cape-Verdean Creole by the mysterious K Kota and Beat Laden’s clubbing treatment to detonate the dance floors!
“Much more featurings and new musical landscapes are being cooked for the full-cd!”
