Culoe De Song – “Elevation”

Background:

Must admit,I haven’t always been a fond of Culoe’s music,when I was introduced to his first  release – “A Giant Leap” – I wasn’t the hugest fan.My love for his music begun when I first heard “Webaba”,from then on,I’ve been hooked on his unique sound.

Speaking to Culoe at the SAMC earlier this year,I realized that he is a very spiritually driven individual and this comes out strongly in his latest album – “Elevation”.

Artist Biodata:

Born in the northern parts of South Africa’s east coast, Culoe De Song began his music career in early 2007 after producing “100 Zulu Warriors”- a piece featured on Black Coffee’s offering, “Have Another One”. The single met with great success, and soon after the release, Culoe was performing alongside international acts such as Rocco & Manoo.

At only 17, Culoe De Song was selected from applicants all over the world to attend the Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona, Spain. Since that time, Culoe De Song has garnered critical acclaim from DJ’s and dancers alike with productions such as “The Bright Forest”, “Super Afro”, “African Subway”, “Dragon’s End”, the “Let Me Go EP” (released on Boddhi Satva’s Offering Recordings) and “A Giant Leap” which was nominated for a SAMA (South African Music Award).

Album Info:

In this release,Culoe has collaborated with a number of renowned vocalists,producers and bands to come up with a well-rounded piece of musical art.

From the likes of 340ml – a Mozambican band now based in Jozi – to the amazing vocalist ,Kenny Bobien and the brilliant production talent of Rocco Rodamaal,this album is definitely going to satisfy varied musical tastes and is well worth the space it will occupy on your CD shelf.

Album Art and Tracklist:

Culoe De Song - "Elevation"

1.Elevation(Intro)

2.Let The Sunshine feat. 340ml

3.The One feat. Ziyon

4.Goldfish (feat. Monique Hellenberg) – Call Me(Culoe De Song’s Elevation Mix)

5.Make You Move feat. Chappel

6.Yini Ngawe feat. Shota

7.Woman Woman feat. Ternielle Nelson

8.I Really Do feat. Kenny Bobien

9.Harmory feat. Rocco

10.Sunset

11.Far Away

12.Hold Strong feat. Zano

Rooster’s  Take:

I had been waiting for the album to come out for a while,when I finally got my hands on it,I was pleasantly surprised.The album has a couple of gems that had been kept well under-wraps until album release.

Tracks that stand out for me on this album – tracks that I would play at my gigs – in order of preference:

1.”Harmony” – An amazingly uplifting tune,great for keeping the audience  floating “up there” during your set.You can sample this track here.

2. “Yini Ngawe” – Great rhythmic tune,Shota’s vocals give it that emotive afro feel.Brilliant at getting the crowd moving.

3.”Call Me” – The deep violin harmonies combined with Monique’s amazing voice will “elevate” any audience.

4.”Let the Sunshine” – I like the way this song transitions from a reggae-like feel and ends as a deep afro tune.The vocals on this track are also quite hypnotic.

Rooster Ratings:

Cover Art: 70%

Production: 90%

Mood: 95%

Links:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Culoe-De-Song/57673371017

http://weskatter.blogspot.com/2011/03/you-should-know-culoe-de-song.html

CD Info:

Artist: Various

Genre: Afro House/Dance

DOR: 24th June,2011

Format: 1 X CD(CDRBL 595) – Mixed

Additional Resources:

Buy Online:

http://m.kalahari.com/Product/ProductDetail/41792651

Youtube Videos:

‘Elevation’ Album Release Tour:

“Elevation”:

“Yini Ngawe”:

Note:I don’t like the video much but the Pocahontas twins dancing around the pot are extremely HOT!!! :)

“Make You Move”:

PROMO Podcast by Culoe:

Culoe De Song Elevation Promo Prodcast [ 16:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download