It’s a weekend of all things Africa when there’s a week long black arts festival, a West African DJ Diaspora and a South African playing at Tambor. The weather of overcast skies, light rains and mild temperatures were not enough to quench the sweet scent of incense that burned across the city. The city’s soundtrack, afro-house echoed its sweet sentiment from Marietta Road to Moreland Avenue. There were enough dreads, head wraps and dashikis in town to clothe an African village.
Well let’s dive into the deep waters of all things deep; that is pure unadulterated afro- beat/deep house music. The party jumpstarted with the kind of soul that made the mouth drool with saliva. DJ Stan Zeff took control of the knobs and bombarded the gathering tribes with a house vignette worthy of legends. The journey started off deep with congos played over soft finger snaps. The minimal tracks with afro chants pronounced the coming of the spirit. The deity Yemaya; the mother goddess, the essence of motherhood and a protector of children arrived through Lou Gorbea’s and Chris Perez’s featuring Nina’s lead vocals on “Babalu Aye Y Yemaya.” Yemaya greeted the dancers with a nurturing embrace as they danced into her arms. Keeping on the spiritual side of matters, SuSu Bobien’s, “You Bring Me Joy” (Guy Robin Remix) brought church to the club. The gospel diva’s vocal rifts sputtered about like fire and brimstone but in a great way. The dancers screamed at the top of their lungs, with fists pumped in the air and heads shaking from left to right as if the Holy Ghost had made a surprise guest appearance. Elements of Life’s, “Into My Life (You Brought The Sunshine)” featuring vocalists Lisa Fisher and Cindy Mizelle, continued to uplift the soul when all of a sudden, from out of nowhere, the room fell silent with a unexpected hush. The music had stopped. However, the people didn’t. “You Brought The Sunshine/Sunshine In My Life/And When You’re Near Me/It Feels So Right,” sang five beautiful ladies at the top of their lungs. Even without music these lovelies kept the song going-acapella style. And boy could they sing. For the next minute or so, DJ Stan scrambled to find the solution but there wasn’t one to exactly pinpoint. So with the punch of a button the dance anthem started over from the beginning. The people cheered and danced with more energy than previously seen. From this point forth the party would, “Touched The Sky” as Dennis Ferrer’s featuring Mia Tuttavilla’s dub pounced from the JBL’s to heartfelt cheers and fluttering feet. Other highlights included Hosanna Littlebird’s chill-laxed vibe, “Can Love Again.” The Temple Movement Club Mix threw out heart grabbing synths and dropped bass that steadily crescendo into clashing cymbals that banged like African drums and fell on the crowd like the soft showers that fell outside the club. In anticipation for the “invasion of South Africa” Stan dropped a number from South Africa’s Queen Of House, Bucie titled, “Not Fade.” With the clock ever so ticking closer to 1 am many wondered where was the party’s special guest headlining DJ.
At the drop of a hat, out of nowhere South Africa’s Culoe De Song appeared on stage, ready to slay the tribe with unfiltered afro-beat/deep house. Who is this Culoe De Song? Well, he just might be the largest import from the motherland since uhmmm, let’s say, Black Coffee. With a knack for producing titles ranging from, “100 Zulu Warriors,” “Webaba” to “Gwebindlala” and possessing a laundry list of remixes from the likes of Black Coffee to Claude Monet it’s easy to hear how Culoe De Song has paved Africa’s vibrant deep house soundscape. For as there might be a hundred reasons to dismiss this young man as a deep house leader Culoe proved a thousand reasons more why he is deep house music’s newest and one of its youngest ambassador. Let’s take a deeper look into the soul of Mr. Culoe De Song.
There hails a young man by the name of Culolethu Zulu from the land of South Africa that embarked on his first United States tour. Culolethu’s first stop on the map was at the electrifying Tambor party. Having remixed his name to the shortened Culoe with addition of De Song translation; Culoe of song, Culoe De Song brought his brand of unfiltered afro-house to a hungry mass of overseas music lovers. Here to promote his latest release, “Elevation” several cuts from the album were played for the adoring fans. The young man wearing wide frame black glasses, a fedora and inked with a treble clef on the right bicep appeared smart, confident and determined to conquer the land in the west.
One with an acute ear would recognize several of Culoe’s new cuts played in unadulterated fashion. There was the recent Webaba EP digital release of “Far Away” with its haunting pulse. Cape Town’s Electro-Jazz live DJs the Gold Fish’s, “Call Me” with Monique Hellenberg on lead vocals had all the ladies heads spinning around in circumferences as if possessed by strange forces. Guys do your lady a favor and make sure to call her back. By evidence in the room there seemed to not be a whole lot of that happening. Culoe De Song’s featuring Shota, “Yini Negawe” sung in native tongue was another crowd pleaser that enhanced the afro fever. Durban raised, Johannesburg resident, singer and songwriter Ternielle Nelson’s, “African Woman” the Culoe De Song remix with folk guitar and live melt in your ear violins is the new ladies anthem. You go Culoe for taking “girl power” to new heights. Also, the uplifting “Hold On” with vocals by famed Zano had the crowd counting their blessings and holding on and being strong despite adverse circumstances. Talk about the perfect prescription pill per doctor’s order.
Not to be ostentatious, the humble Culoe showcased hits from other genre defining house makers as well. Culoe’s buddy Black Coffee (former Tambor guest) with siren Thiwe’s haunting vocals on “Crazy” (Manoo & Francois A Deep Journey Mix) took the crowd in deep tribal waters. Sure enough the journey went deeper as Kenny Bobien’s voice elevated the crowd to new atmospheric heights. Osunlade singing, “Envision” worked over Afefe Iku’s, “Body Drummin” made the perfect deep-tech thumper. The whopping finale Culoe’s own, “The Bright Forest” blew the roof off the hinges. The crowd which had lost their minds ages ago lost it even more so when the stripped down power anthem played.
By 2:50 am the loft space was packed. No one wanted to leave. No one could sit still. Even with the house lights at full beam, everyone danced and kept dancing as though no cares of the world existed. Plastered bodies on the sweat drenched walls were scrapped off. The only thing amiss was emergency paramedics carrying people stretched out on gurneys.
The night marked the celebration where African rhythms and sacred drums transcend into a deeper consciousness. Tom drums kicked on three-count intervals. Finger snaps marched over maracas where two-count notes meet. Hand claps traded spots with hissing hi-hats as crashing cymbals clashed on every eight-bar intervals. Bongos from the congos thumped deep with tech effects in perfect harmony. This South African treat was rarely experienced on U.S. soil. Where did this music come from? Africa. And what was this music called? Afro-Beat? Afro-House? Deep Tech? Or Progressive House? Whatever the categorie(s), no nomenclature could contain such a diverse music portfolio. This intersection where soul syncs with progressive proved successful during the uber-experience of avant-garde afro art. Furthermore, Culoe De Song’s humbled spirit and Africa’s deep house rhythms were cemented in the psyche and stamped on the hearts of every man and woman in attendance. Yes, Africa was here to stay.
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Tags: Atlanta Georgia, Culoe De Song, deep house music, Tambor