Songs
Ubalafon carries a warm pan-African message and tributes the African heritage of the Bahían Reconcavo culture and even all human cultures
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- artist:Gil Felix
- featured artist:Gil Felix
- region:Bahia
- release year:2024
- style(s):Afro, Brazilian
- country:Brazil
- formats:Audio File / Digital, CD (Compact Disc)
- record posted by:Brazilian in Music
- label:Mills Records
- publisher:Mills Publishing
- buy this record
Gil Felix from Salvador de Bahía, Mandingo and Brasilero, embodies the Afro-Brazilian experience, with family roots in both West Africa and South America.
Gil Felix met the explosion of West African Afropop in Europe, which inspired him to create his own pan-ethnic sound inspired by Gilberto Gil, Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Oloudum, Salif Keita, Bonga. Here the regional Bahían Reconcavo culture meets Caribbean and African musicality: Bossa Nova, Samba Reggae, Rocksteady, Soukous and Afropop in a unique musical universe. The result is an irresistible polyrythmic swing, where storytelling about mankinds´ history and our African roots is combined with poetic paintings of everyday life.
The 20 of September Gil Felix releases his last album Ubalafon where he blends his very own Bahían sunny groove with Nigerian Afrobeat. The result; new Cross-Atlantic vibes, for dancing in the streets.
Ubalafon is an international production with a tri-continental band from Stockholm/Salvador de Bahía, recorded in Stockholm and Salvador de Bahía at the legendary Studio WR, with the master of Bahía sound, Nestor Madrid, at the helm. It is released by Mills Records in Rio de Janeiro with support from the Swedish Arts Council and SELAM Academy.
Ubalafon carries a warm pan-African message and tributes the African heritage of the Bahían Reconcavo culture and even all human cultures. The title track reminds us of Balafon, the fore runner of the piano that was developed in Mali in Western Africa. Orally the word Ubalafon is widely in use and Gil Felix hails the African roots of all music but also expresses hope that African descendants will form our future artistically and politically.
The album cover made by wood burner Djibril N´Doye, Balafon Beats, reflects this story in an astonishing piece of art.
Depois que o Ilê Passar is a re-recording of Milton Souzas famous song, the tribute to Ilê Ayê who was the first Afro percussion group from Bahía to participate in Carnival. Previously, black people were prohibited from joining Carnival in Bahía. With an Afro theme that celebrates African Black culture in Brazil, Ilê Ayê has become a symbol of beauty, culture, and resistance in Bahia and Brazil.
Sambuê takes us on a musical journey through Salvador de Bahía, with tributes to Afro-Brazilian icons such as Olodum, Ilê Aiyê, Filhos de Ghandy, and Carlinhos Brown.
“The African music's ebb and flow across the Atlantic, reshaping and transforming, is evident in Gil Felix’s music. The new album has both soul and Brazil's characteristic suinge!” - Åsa Veghed, music journalist and author of the book Brazilian Music.
According du Åsa Veghed the top song of the album is Mairê, due to ”it´s lovely danceability, warm vocals and embracement of both Brazil and Africa”.
Mairê hails the persistence of the African people and their ability to renew themselves, always.
Mairê has already been selected for Putumayo Discovery Programme.
The track Pai Pirou expresses the confusion one can feel confronting the modern click-culture where people get stuck on YouTube instead of going to the beautiful cities of the world.
Vento Que Leva wants to share hope and confidence that the wind always carries some good news for us, while Sobra de Mim reflects the ordinary human’s predicament in time of war and extremism, what will be left of us, for each other, and for the future?