Earthology is the long awaited follow up to The Whitefield Brothers cult-classic In The Raw. While In The Raw s hypnotic, defiantly psychedelic funk music was grounded in the great musical traditions of both America and Africa, Earthology finds the Brothers infusing their funk (or, as the Brothers prefer it, raw soul ) with musical traditions that span the globe. To achieve the Earthology s unique sound, the Brothers employed an array of instruments and put in a dizzying amount of research: traveling the world, joining different bands and ethnic performing ensembles, amassing and absorbing field recordings, trawling used record bins for lost examples of global psychedelic-fusion, over a period spanning some fifteen years. Like In The Raw, Earthology is grounded by a raw soul band s building blocks: drums, guitar, bass, keys and horns, but it is augmented by such exotic instruments as gongs and flutes from Asia, xylophones and string instruments from Africa and Central American percussion instruments. The use of African polyrhythms now seems commonplace on a funk or psych album; Arabic rhythmical structures, African pentatonic scales and Oriental modes do not. The Whitefield Brothers, and a multitude of guest ranging from vocalists Edan, Mr. Lif, Bajka, Percee P and MED to musicians from Antibalas, El Michels Affair, Quantic and the Dap-Kings, set these elements in a modern context and, over the course of thirteen dense tracks, blend them with the fierce funk their fans have grown to love.
R**G
Five Stars
One of the funkiest CD's I ever heard,I play it constantly since I've had it.
R**A
Five Stars
ALL PERFECT
D**N
A Cultural Exchange of Funk-Engrained Music
Perhaps a rather obvious point, but the unitary vibe of this funk-engrained World Music transpires because its sound coalesces around the guitar, bass and drums. Jan and Max Weissenfeldt are actually the brothers. The profundity of this mainly instrumental beauty is fueled by a cultural exchange of African, Japanese and German instruments along with flutes, saxes and some organ interpolations that come straight out of sixties Haight Ashbury. Though the songs are surely premeditated, they capture that zest of first-take sessions. The three hip hop vocal tracks convey a celebration of existence and complete the record's feel of experience. Of these, "The Gift" is the classic with its unshakable trumpet and trombone riff and engaging flute solo. The instrumental, "Pamukkale", highlights exuberant English horn passages interacting with acid-rock organ. But the most incendiary moments occur with the one-two punch of "Sad Nile" that could give Maceo Parker the shivers and with the last three cuts: the saxophone and organ interplay of "Sam Yelesh", the addicting James Brown funk of "Lullaby for Lagos" colored with flute and "Chich", marimbas and glockenspiel heaven. And voila! It's over before you wish it was. This took many miles and years to bring to fruition, but these were the only two people in the world up for the task. An indispensable new find.
J**K
Yes
Great tone, especially in the instrumental tracks which make up the bulk of the CD. Not sure why the rap tune is in there, or the other two vocal tracks; the styles clash something awful. I just didn't download those to my player, and everything's fine.
S**S
Five Stars
Great!!
F**T
Excellent !
Un des meilleurs album d'éthio-jazz avec des sonorités groove/hip-hop du Bronx et d’Afro-beat Nigérien.Je recommande aux amateurs du genre.
A**U
Afrifunkafrobeatjazz du meilleur effet !!!
Superbe musique comme d'ab des Brothers of Afrifunkafrobeatjazz d'une clarté et d'une évidence tout à fait remarquables dans l'imbrication (?) de tous ces genres de musique. A écouter en boucle pour vos soirées dansantes, à réflection sur l'Afrique ou même avec madame dans le hamac !!!Bonne soirée :-))))
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