Duets with Hong Kong
June 2006
These 4 compositions are my collaborations with the big bad city of Hong Kong and some of its people. Since I am so intimidated by the shear size and power of this city I gave my self the sonic advantage by recording my drums parts with 5 mics at 16 bit using a Motu 828 interface into my i-book. The city, its life, people and machines I recorded with a Sony Ericsson K300i mobile telephone. I recorded bits and pieces for a few months then imported them into Digital Performer 4.1 then recorded my drums, cutting, pasting, distorting and mixing them up with some older recordings.
Influences
Dis, dat and de other......If I have seen it or heard it I am sure it has influenced me.
Sounds Like
You let me know.. I sure its all been done before.
Babatunji, drumming... alone and with friends.
I was born in Nigeria and raised in the American Midwest and have loved music of all kinds as long as I can remember. First and foremost I am a music fan who has been learning to drum since 1979. In Chicago I helped to create Dhamba 8, an 8-piece afro-beat-world-funk ensemble. In Honolulu I built, with the help of many friends, Junk Music Studios, an affordable, alternative rehearsal and recording studio. As an engineer/producer I have recorded many independent CDs as well as music for theater, television and film. Over the last couple of years I have played drums with Mundo Muzik, a rock reggae trio; Doolin Rakes, an Irish folk rock band; Junk Jazz, a funk jazz septet, Kupa aina, a contemporary Hawaiian group and now here in Hong Kong I am playing rock-a-billy/surf with Billy-Dean Cocrhan and Da Countess Von Chang Chang in "El Destroyo the band that ate Hong Kong" yeee haw!!!
more of El Destroyo Hong Kong at http://www.myspace.com/eldestroyohk
I am happy to announce the release of my latest book The Bakala of North America: The Living Suns of Vitality. After many long nights of intense study—and countless dialogues with elders and professors—the ideas which began as random thoughts in the beginning of 2009, have been lovingly fertilized with the guidance of the ancestors to become the foundation for the African-American Cultural Development Project (publication forthcoming). This book invokes a much needed dialogue on the issues of identity, culture and what it means to be human in the fullest sense after surviving a holocaust of enslavement. I hope that you will support this work, read it, digest it, meditate on it and dialogue with your friends and colleagues on the topics addressed in this book. Most importantly, I hope that after reading this you will come away with a greater sense of identity and purpose and are ready to live up to your (new) name: Bakala.
Check out the new trailer with snippets from the Herzberg
festival.
Tribe, whose performance was considered by many to be the
highlight of the festival was comprised entirely of Joshua tree musicians! We hope to have the live footage and
recording from this festival edited and mixed within the next 2 months.
HI FRIEND/FRIENDS, NEW SUFI BAUL CD "MADNESS AND HAPPYNESS" IS OUT................ SONGS OF LOVE,HAPPYNESS AND ECSTASY............FREEDOM OF SOUL..... THIS IS MY ROOTS……….
Hey Babatunji!! Thanks for the add. If you would like to sample more of our stuff, check out the other Stratus Blue Myspace pages listed in my Top Friends. Welcome to our world! We are happy to be a part of yours!! Aloha.
Aloha Babatunjie really like what your doing, in transport movements. I have done some similar things with the sound effects on my tribal warriors CD. Aloha Gerardo
I was just checking out the El Destroyo page and can't believe how great you and Maggie look. You guys haven't changed a bit in .... 15 years????? (except perhaps that Maggie picked up the bass at some point) Halfway around the world, and your website makes me feel like you're just down the road. Keep up the positive vibrations and please tell Maggie that Kathy and I said hey.
Thanks muchly (you were semi-serious, no?), we like your music as well. Sounds like a similar philosophy. We could probably burn a cd if you care to hear more (we could afford to as there is no real demand - though several hodge podge mixes have been distributed), though I might caution you and suggest you check out the two ad hoc pages connected to our page first - several "songs" there). Mostly it is heartening to see someone with a similar perspective...even if you are an infinitely more talented musician than any of us. thanks again.
