We got 6 new theme mixes online since the last few months, some of them are even up for download!
check them out here;

we got some new mixes up on Mixcloud, check em out:

We dropped some new Rebel Up! mashed / remixed and repitched sounds on our Soundcloud page. Have a listen!

Latest tracks by RebelUppa

Chalachew Ashenafi (vocals, masinqo)
Mesele Asmamaw (krar)
Mesale Legesse (kebero)

About as old as Ethiopia itself, are the so called Azmaris, the wondering troubadours. A special chapter in Ethiopian culture. These playfull improvisors give a critical, humerous and poetic edge to the Ethiopian society. But also on all other matters they are the ‘freedom of speech’.

These Azmaris, from Addis Abeba, play the three most important traditional instruments: the masinqo, the one string fiddle and bow; the krar, the 6 string harp; and the kobero, the traditonal drums from big tins and cowskin.

This soulfull music from Ethiopia is unique and stands out from everything, but is at the same time very swinging, dancable and forward, like a good rockband.

Hey all,

Remember this post at GB?
To the question, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Our man Toy Selectah simply answers; the omelette!

Being stuck in Brussels now after having played at a poorly attented Mexican festival night last Saturday, his flight has been rescheduled till next week by the ash gods. This calls for some heavy cumbia thunderstorms with acid chili rains, hell yeah!

Lo and behold, inspiration already came from M.I.A.’s new video -which is sparking up some heavy flames at the internet forum & twitter menagerie hah!-
Look-y HERE if ya don’t know what the fuss is about or haven’t been infected by the what’s-it-about-hype yet. Toy took it and now owns it before the media spin has even made a complete lift off. Wow, how motivated a quality remixer can you be! It was good fun having the hombre remixing it live in my livingroom. And only 10 minutes late according to his own deadline. Time to get it straight, some scrambled eggs in audio!

Here’s the M.I.A. song:
M.I.A. – BORN FREE

Here’s the original by Suicide
SUICIDE – GHOSTRIDER

Here’s the Zurita remix (from early 2009)
ZURITA – SUICIDE CUMBIA

And finally, here’s Toy Selectah’s freshly cooked Mexican omelette mix. with extra CHILI!
M.I.A. VS SUICIDE VS ZURITA VS TOY SELECTAH – BORNFREEOFGHOSTRIDING (MEXICAN OMELETTE REMIX)

(collage made by our Rebel Up! girl Princess Finness)

I just peeked at the twitter Pitchfork spin; one of M.I.A.’s new songs will be called ‘Tequila’. Watcha gonna do about that one Toy? Wait and see.

And another present from Toy, his freshly uploaded Raverton Worldwide Mixtape! Grab it here;
TOY SELECTAH – RAVERTON MIXTAPE

http://www.redbullbedroomjam.com.mx/backstage/?p=1225

And hey, Toy will be hanging around Belgium and Holland the next few days. If anyone has a spot for him to play on Friday or Saturday night at a good bargain rate, hit him up!

This Thursday night the orange Queensday madness is kicking in Holland. If you are around, just come to Utrecht for the eclectic global 8bit dubtech *1UP* party! Toy Selectah might even join us last-minute. Check here.

Busy times ahead, speak y’all soon -some muslim dub awaiting for next bloggie!-

Rebel Up! Seb

Brussels Agenda

We are featured in Brussels Agenda, a magazine for tips where to go out in Brussels. The article is in Dutch.

introducing miss Daoudia (or sometimes spelled as Dawdia)

Infectious puzzled djarbouka beats, strokes on string and a constant raspy female voice- that’s Zina Daoudia’s steady-as-she-goes trademark tecno-Chaabi that has won over Moroccan and even Algerian youths with fastpaced beats. Chaabi is the new Maghrebi sound of berber folk-meets-pop that all the young folks listen & dance to at the moment. More folks in the West should really do so too.

The Studio 2M programmes are really something, a counter attack to the ilk of Maroc Idol by going deeper into the heavier folkloric stuff that shakes and rattles. Here’s the place where Dawdia earned her rap with the audience. On these stages, old traditions get turned into new digital ones for today’s Moroccan youths. No muffled western currents here, unless you want to talk about the influence of autotune. Moroccan folklore makes a strong step into the new digital age. The clips below show urban Morocco in full swing and headbangshaking motion. Girls and boys next to each other, dancing. Women in short laces, tight shirts, skintally clad even. You might even say, western, if the urban Moroccan context would have been lost on you. People who don’t know much about Morocco might have this frame in mind of a secular society, where teenage youths are herded apart under a rule of hormonal scrutiny by veilded elders with sticks. Nowadays in the big cities, music speaks in a free tongue. Here’s some hazy audiovisual reality;

and here’s a downloadable piece from on one of the many mp3 cdr’s that I brought back from Morocco last summer. Over 10 minutes long, it slowly builds up with interpunctions, stepovers and chitchat as a gelling glue for her rapturous rhythm.

Zina Daoudia – Piste #3

till next bloggie!

Brass Wires & Bass

Brass Wires & Bass is a title (release: March 31st 2010) that deserves our attention.

DJ Delay’s ( a.k.a. Beam Up a.k.a. Sonical, all aliases of Brian May… and no, NOT that one) forthcoming compilation presents an elegant cross section of the best of the Balkan scene, tweaked, dubbed and worked over to the limit. This is music that needs to be taken seriously.

Here is Balkan brass not in a new coat, but as old bones with new meat on them.

The meat is futuristic, minimal at places, deep, dark and dubbed down at others, succulent throughout. It relocates the Black Ark Studio to Belgrade, Budapest or Berlin with considerable ease and grace.

We can only hope that Delay will not do as Perry and incinerate his studio just yet, but will let us profit from its fruits for at least a while longer.

(I for one would love to hear his reworking of Čerkezi Orchestra, Acquaragia Drom, or, why not, Duško Gojković’s jazz masterpiece “Balkan Blue”).

Judge for yourself:

Brass Wires & Bass by Beam Up & DJ Delay

RebelUp crew is doing their best to have the maestro pay us a visit some time soon. We’ll keep you posted.