In 1999, Malawaian vocalist and drummer Esau Mwamwaya relocated to the Clapton section of London, England. He'd played drums in various bands such as Masaka Band in the East African country's capital, Lilongwe; he left after legendary musician, Evison Matafale (whom he'd played with) died while in police custody. He opened a second-hand furniture store to make his living, singing all the while with the radio and his own hand-drumming on various objects. His shop was located on the same street as savvy London DJ crew Radioclit's studio. In 2008, they joined forces and delivered a free, all-killer-no filler, 14-track internet mixtape with the humorous and gauntlet-throwing title (take that Damon Albarn!) Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are the Very Best. The set included a slew of originals and covers of tunes by the Beatles, Vampire Weekend, and M.I.A.. The collection received very positive reviews and was posted on blogs all over the world.
Thankfully, this little experiment proved to be the origin of an ongoing concern which is now monikered the Very Best, and Warm Heart of Africa on the Green Owl imprint is their second offering. To get the obvious out of the way first, both M.I.A and VW's Ezra Koenig are present here, either as a thank you or as goodwill paybacks for their inclusion on Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are the Very Best. Despite Radioclit being a very streetwise crew, the music here adheres far more to the musical traditions of Mwamwaya's homeland. Modern dubtronics meet gorgeous folk and Malawian pop melodies with layers of organic-sounding percussion in loops, stringed instruments, vocal choruses, and of course stacked keyboards, all offering more backdrop support than actual foreground force. The title track featuring Koenig is the clear winner, but "Julia," with its shimmering multi-voiced choruses, is a close second. The peppery dance number "Mfumu" is another standout for its sheer exuberance and transcendence, as is the skittering, jittering, synthetic, and organic percussion-meets-chant-meets-dubstep "Kada Manja" inside a popular yet age-old folk melody. Ultimately, this set proves that the debut was no fluke, and this genre-bending meld of street traditions both East and West is capable of appealing to anyone with blood instead of sawdust in her/his veins.
Afropop band the Very Best holds the universal appeal and stadium-sized glee of a band like U2.Esau Mwamwaya seems to ease into greatness. His songs and life sound charmed, inevitable even. The son of a civil servant in Malawi, he grew up listening to Dolly Parton and Lionel Ritchie. A month after he started singing for his first band, when he was 22, Mwamwaya picked up the drums even though he...
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Esua Mwamwaya’s Malawian roots come through strongly on Warm Heart Of Africa, The Very Best’s first album in collaboration with Radioclit after last year’s excellent free mixtape. The eclectic blend takes all that is good in African tunes and adds a healthy dose of international influences, from Sanyo keyboard-like basics to intricate acapellas. At moments, [...]
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Afropop, hip-hop, riddim and 80's pop set off by shiny, sunny synths. These elements come together to make 'Warm Heart of Africa' a fresh debut that sounds equally comfortable and orginal.
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This 7" arrived in my mailbox a day or two ago (digitally that is), and I've been playing it ever since. It's the salivating preview for the upcoming full length by The Very Best. You might ask who would go so far as the call themselves not only the best, but the very best? The answer is Esau Mwamwaya, born in Malawi, East Africa, and who until until recently, ran second-hand furniture shop in ...
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Green Owl presents “Warm Heart of Africa” now as a 7″ (only 500 pieces). Side A is “Warm Heart of Africa” a party record playlist shot of Afropop with vocals from The...**Summary** Go to website for downloads, videos & more.
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The exceptionally talented Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit (who record together under The Very Best moniker) are getting ready to release their full-length debut, Warm Heart of Africa this fall. I’ve been spinning the album for a few hours now and it’s astonishingly remarkable. I was surprised, not because I didn’t think the debut mixtape, The [...]
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Violens have delightfully mashed up the title track from the Very Best's Warm Heart of Africa. Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig sings on the track and sounds as giddy as can be.The Very Best Warm Heart of Africa (Violens Remix) [MP3]
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Afropop, hip-hop, riddim and 80's pop set off by shiny, sunny synths. These elements come together to make 'Warm Heart of Africa' a fresh debut that sounds equally comfortable and orginal.
More >
Esua Mwamwaya’s Malawian roots come through strongly on Warm Heart Of Africa, The Very Best’s first album in collaboration with Radioclit after last year’s excellent free mixtape. The eclectic blend takes all that is good in African tunes and adds a healthy dose of international influences, from Sanyo keyboard-like basics to intricate acapellas. At moments, [...]
More >
The Very Best have quickly become one of our favorite new acts, and if you haven’t heard their music yet, check it out NOW (also here)! The Very Best is the totally awesome collaboration between Malawi-born singer Esau Mwamwaya and European DJ duo Radioclit, and below you can download two new remixes to the lead [...]
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This 7" arrived in my mailbox a day or two ago (digitally that is), and I've been playing it ever since. It's the salivating preview for the upcoming full length by The Very Best. You might ask who would go so far as the call themselves not only the best, but the very best? The answer is Esau Mwamwaya, born in Malawi, East Africa, and who until until recently, ran second-hand furniture shop in ...
More >
The exceptionally talented Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit (who record together under The Very Best moniker) are getting ready to release their full-length debut, Warm Heart of Africa this fall. I’ve been spinning the album for a few hours now and it’s astonishingly remarkable. I was surprised, not because I didn’t think the debut mixtape, The [...]
More >
(courtesy of Kamarola)I'm taking a break from my endless script coverage to finally blog about something. I look off my balcony to finally the see the sun shining once again in Los Angeles, a sight that has been especially shy for the past few days. Rain, clouds, winds? In the beginning of Fall, something was off in Southern California. A freak incident?It's nice to hear the sound of my neighbo...
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Due to vague “passport-related travel issues,” The Very Best canceled a few dates on their current US tour (which was supposed to stop in LA this past Saturday - third time I’ve tried to see these guys). In the interum before the tour is set to resume in Brooklyn on Halloween (which is probably funny [...]
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The Very Best have released their ridiculously fantastic “Warm Heart of Africa” on a very limited 7″ run, spanning only 500 copies. Make sure to order yours as soon as possible over @ Green Owl. The song is backed by the previously unreleased track, “Yalira.”“Warm Heart of Africa” is a tremendous single and I’m glad [...]
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Afropop band the Very Best holds the universal appeal and stadium-sized glee of a band like U2.Esau Mwamwaya seems to ease into greatness. His songs and life sound charmed, inevitable even. The son of a civil servant in Malawi, he grew up listening to Dolly Parton and Lionel Ritchie. A month after he started singing for his first band, when he was 22, Mwamwaya picked up the drums even though he...
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The Very Best's—European production duo Radioclit and Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya—debut full-length Warm Heart of Africa will be released October 6th on Green Owl through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group, It's available for pre-sale on Amazon here. The album is out digitally TODAY and can be purchased at iTunes ...
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Esau Mwamwaya is a singer from Lilongwe, Malawi. He is best known for his collaboration with British DJ/production duo Radioclit. They formed the band The Very Best in 2008. Their music has been...for more on all the hype, go to musicuniverse.com.au
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The Very Best’s—European production duo Radioclit and Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya—debut full-length Warm Heart of Africa will be released September 22 on Green Owl through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group (available digitally August 25). The album follows the surprising global success of Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit Are The Very Best, a free mixtape made available online late last
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Just so you know we are still in recovery mode following an amazing weekend at ATP NY '09. Before we get started with a full day of ATP reviews we thought we'd bring you guys a little bit of a gift in the form of a contest for all your patience in not getting our regular Monday and Tuesday posts. Here's what's for grabs...We have 3 copies of the brand new Warm Heart of Africa 7" from The Very B...
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After taking the scene by storm with last year’s The Very Best Mixtape, Malawian singer Esau Mwamwaya and French producers Radioclit have combined forces for a full length album, entitled Warm Heart of Africa. A lead single featuring vocals from Ezra Koenig has been building hype for a few months now, as has the leaked track “Rain Dance” which features M.I.A.’s stylings. Been waiting for t
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Yalira |
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| 2 Chalo |
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| 3 Warm Heart Of Africa (Featuring Ezra Koenig) |
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| 4 Mwazi |
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| 5 Nsokoto |
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| 6 Angonde |
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| 7 Julia |
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| 8 Mfumu |
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| 9 Ntdende Uli |
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| 10 Rain Dance (Featuring M.i.a.) |
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| 11 Kamphopo |
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| 12 Kada Manja |
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| 13 Zam'dziko |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Warm Heart of Africa")
