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[youtube width=”525″ height=”393″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27fQcatpWUg[/youtube]
Recent news report on Al Jazeera

It has been quite disheartening watching the post-election crisis in Cote d’Ivoire turn from yet another power struggle among African politicians to very dangerous and explosive situation. I’m watching this from a room in Brooklyn, a couch in Northern Virginia; seeing yet another African country on the brink of civil war after its leader refuses to step down gracefully following an election. Mind you, Ivory Coast is still healing and rebuilding from a recent civil war.

In late November, President Laurent Gbagbo, who has ruled the Ivory Coast for the past ten years, lost to opposition candidate Alassane Ouattara in the presidential elections, elections which Gbagbo has already postponed five times in the last six years, meaning polls taking place in 2010 should have happened in 2005! Gbagbo, backed by the national army and security forces/hired youths – “young patriots”/militias refuses to concede and hand over power to Alassane Ouattara, who is recognized as the clear winner by regional body ECOWAS, the African Union, the United Nations and most countries. Ouattara also has the support of former rebel forces (fighters from the civil war still armed and active!)

At the moment, tensions are high. The situation gets awful, more dire with each news report. With more than 170 people reported killed in the post election violence, thousands are fleeing into neighboring countries – with most people seeking refuge in Liberia and Guinea. ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) initially talked about armed intervention using its military wing ECOMOG (which was instrumental in bringing peace to Liberia and Sierra Leone albeit criticisms of abuse and property theft during the civil wars in those countries) but later open the door for more discussions with Gbagbo. In the Ivorien capital, Abidjan, Gbagbo’s security forces/militias are conducting raids, and killing dozens of Ouattara’s supporters, and also threatening to invade the UN-protected hotel in which Ouattara and his ministers are staying/trying to conduct a state business.

International pressure on Gbagbo is failing and the mediation/action from ECOWAS is providing immediate results. We hope for a peaceful settlement, but some sort of resolution must be reached soon so the situation doesn’t escalate. Something radical has to happen to turn this situation around.

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[youtube width=”525″ height=”393″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMjuzMcDeYI&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]
Streets of Abijan – CIAfrica’s Greendog “Afristepdub“

I’ve never been to Ivory Coast (not completely true, because my mother went to Abidjan several times when she was pregnant with me) and I don’t speak or understand french (well, I resisted learning another Euporean language through my high school and college years.) I mentioned these things because I want to say I don’t completely understand CIAfrica’s lyrics and the topics raised in their songs. If you don’t know, CIAfrica is a militant, pan-Africanist rap/reggae/bass music collective based in Abidjan. The collective came of age during the turbulent years of the Gbagbo administration, marked by civil and military unrest. According to the song descriptions/summaries of the tracks on their album on Dutty Artz, CIAfrica makes defiant music, speaks out against fraudulent, hoggish leaders who are determined to stay in power no matter how much blood is spilled, against corruption and brutalization. They are making music in this currently political chaos, and are hustling and trying to visit Europe and North America in 2011. Listen to the track “Negro Politicien” –

Barboza “Negro Politicien” (DJ rupture Presents CIAfrica) by Dutty Artz

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Tu connais le CIASTEP?

Disons

BABYLON RESIDENCE est le laboratoire des expériences musicales des Producteurs ANGELOSPI & GREENDOG, CIAFRICA

Voici l’Histoire

En ce temps Ninja Tune avait 20 ans
Spi a la crève d l’hiver. GreenDog le palu des tropiques. Barboza crie au loin.
Ces productions datent de 2003 à 2009

C’était le son du futur. Ca sonne clairement CIAstep

————

You know CIASTEP?

Say

BABYLON RESIDENCE is the laboratory for the musical experiments of Producers ANGELOSPI & GREENDOG, CIAFRICA

Here’s the History

At the time Ninja Tune were 20
Spi has winter flu. GreenDog has tropical malaria. Barboza is shouting in the distance
These prods are from 2003-2009

It was the sound of the future. Clearly sounds CIAstep

*********

Babylon Residence is sick.
Enjoy

History of BABYLON PART 1 produced by BABYLON RESIDENCE mixed by GREENDOG

1)Dubstrip remix
2)Canabella 2min18
3) 24 3min06
4)Skungha (intro) 3min39
5)Avancia 3min56
6)Corde Indus remix 4min16
7)Quadraspèremétal Harmonie 5min39
8)Passion off Green remix 6min 56
9)Phyzikochilik 7min21
10Dis moi 8 min41
11)Chacun sa voix 9min57
12)Boombass 11min15
13)Elephant Apooo 13min04
14)Methamorphose 14min10
15)kimielectra 14min51
16)Elecwarafrik 16min51
17)Industrialdark 18min04
18)Babylon advisory 18min53
19)Bad y live 21min58
20)Kartaket 24min07
21)Hohiss 25min02
22)Akwaba 27min33
23Bouge 29min
24)Afristepdub 29min43
25)Darl 30min39
26)Slarapoler 31min33
27)Psychi! a3 32 min 25
28)Océane rapace 34min19
29)Skulzz 35min55
30)NBT 3 37 min 30
31)vendsuisam 38min46

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMjuzMcDeYI[/youtube]

“DJ /rupture presents CIAfrica” @ amazon / ttl / boomkat

“MANUSA: La clé du puzzle” @ tunecore

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CIAfrica is a heavy crew. They have their own thing going on in Babi, Cote d’ivoire and run the sort of international basss weight productions that we live for- along with spitfire lyrics that jump between local concerns and international awareness. Basically they are dope as fuck. It is a huge honor and pleasure to finally see their DA debut up at all the usual spots and getting love from some serious heavyweight DJs, producers and friends.

Various tracks are being loaded to blogs of varying readership- but if you want a little somethin’ somethin’ straight from the elephants mouth….

Head over to bandcamp to DL a copy of the perfectly titled “Epikstar Riddim” from Babylon Residence. This is our first shot with bandcamp- and once we have your email address we’ll hit you with more free music and the occasional update.

DA007 DJ /rupture presents CIAfrica by Dutty Artz

COP THE ALBUM HERE, physical CDs in stores soon

AmAZON

Turntable Lab

Boomkat

There was a meta-data error at itunes- but it should be up ASAP

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CIAfrica coverf

[DJ Rupture presents CIAFRICA cover art, Dutty Artz/Soot 2010]

So the music of Abidjan’s CIAfrica crew does sound a bit like a grimey, glitchy elephant staring you down as angular new-money architecture burns or smolders or looms in the background and the sky’s color stumbles from white to black with a few lasers for good measure, because we’re not living in the future, they are.

Sometime last year the visionary ringleader, Amadou aka Green Dog (RZA to their Wu) gave me access to their deep hard drives — packed with singing, rapping & fwd-thinking beats. Thrilling material. I pulled out my favorite 17 songs for a CD which will be released later this month, DJ Rupture presents CIAFRICA. This coincides with CIAfrica, Nettle, and myself performing at Gotenburg’s Sweden Way Out West festival next Friday, August 13th. I’ll be DJing separately from them, in a party with Sleigh Bells and Fool’s Gold (the band). It’s a 3-day affair, with folks like Wu-Tang, M.I.A., Jay Electronica, The xx, etc performing, so if yr in Scandinavia, might be worth the trip… & I’ve found that drunk Swedes tend to still be really nice, at least in Gotenburg.

It will be the first time the CIAfrica MCs and vocalists perform outside their Côte d’Ivoire/Ivory Coast home base! They have this awesome Pam Grier video for one of their female MCs, Nasty, but it keeps getting censored by YouTube. So here’s a vid from one of the guys coming over, Manusa:

and a placeholder vid for the Nasty tune: