BEST OF ELSEWHERE 2011 Juju: In Trance (Real World)

 |   |  <1 min read

Juju: Nightwalk
BEST OF ELSEWHERE 2011 Juju: In Trance (Real World)

That alt.world between late 60s psychedelic blues-rock, frantic village folk, and fiery world music is a strange place.

It's where LedZepp, speedmetal-folk, Afro-blues, the Mississippi Delta and a fiddle-playing Jimi Hendrix (who isn't Nigel Kennedy) come together and live in . . . if not harmony, then at least the same bar where they drink moonshine and palm wine.

This album is that place, and your tipple is a don't-care-no-more top shelf and it's-my-turn-on-the-jukebox.

In Trance isn't easy and you don't get a cup of tea and a lie down, but if you listen it is bewilderingly exciting meltdown of styles. But you don't sit.

Juju are British guitarist Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara from Gambia (on the equivalent of a one-string but expressively scouring violin) whose contract seems to be getting together with a gutsy rhythm section and inviting you to push back furniture for a nasty night of mind-bending and ear-cleansing Afro-rock (the 14-minute Djanfa Moja will test anyone's aerobics regime).

The 13-minute Mariama Trance is like a hoe-down in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The title of Deep Sahara speaks for itself as long as you understand lying down is not an option.

This is excitable music for people off their medication and the good news is you can't understand a word.

You tune in, turn on and droppa-move.

Like the sound of this? Then check out this.

FOR OTHER 'BEST OF ELSEWHERE 2011' ALBUMS GO HERE

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Music at Elsewhere articles index

Bonjour Swing: The Flame (fragilecolours.com)

Bonjour Swing: The Flame (fragilecolours.com)

Those with a long memory may recall multi-instrumentalist Robbie Laven who impressed discerning ears back in the Seventies with the short-lived band Red Hot Peppers. Their Toujours Yours album (see... > Read more

Magic Arm: Make Lists Do Something (Switchflicker/Yellow Eye)

Magic Arm: Make Lists Do Something (Switchflicker/Yellow Eye)

This techno-pop, Pro Tools-folktronic album by Manchester's one-man band Marc Rigelsford finally gets belated local release (it appeared in the UK a year ago). But it's timely with the Band on... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

Herbie Hancock: The Imagine Project (Sony)

Herbie Hancock: The Imagine Project (Sony)

Regardless of what you think of John Lennon's song Imagine -- and opinion ranges from drippy sentimentality to inspirational -- most would agree the song succeeds with many people for its... > Read more

JEFFERSON STARSHIP: EARTH, CONSIDERED (1978): Who's at the controls on the flight-deck?

JEFFERSON STARSHIP: EARTH, CONSIDERED (1978): Who's at the controls on the flight-deck?

Pulling albums randomly from the shelf for this stand-alone section of Elsewhere can be fraught. As with this one by Jefferson Starship who were on their fourth album in that post-Airplane... > Read more