Some past and present collaborators: Filastine, BNegão, Piveti, Marcelo Yuka, Digitaldubs Sound System, Mr. Catra, Mario Z, Tamy, Genetic Drugs, Marcelinho da Lua, Marechal, Speed Freaks, Pee Froiss, WA BMG 44, Omzo, Daddy Maky, Spectre, Prince Wadada, Kalaf, Bigg, K-Libre, Eskadron 113, Mell-Nenen Crew, ALIF, Mohammed Issa Matona, Teba(Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Seattle, New York, Lisboa, Berlin, Dakar, Zanzibar, Cape Town, Meknes and Casablanca in the house)
a fucked up ghetto blaster stuck between a station playing Om Kalthoum and another playing Bounty Killer at full volume in the middle of Mercado Uruguaiana in Rio de Janeiro.
"Released on DJ /rupture's Soot label, DJ Maga Bo's mixtape is a study in the permutations of rhythm, splicing Arabic and Jamaican bounce onto gypsy beats and distorted beatboxing. Bo took a hands-on approach to assembling the vocals for this global gumbo; whether working in Fez, Dar es Salaam, or his home base of Rio, the freelance sound engineer cut a cappellas with local MCs. Mixed live on Resonance FM, Confusion consists largely of these unreleased collaborations, as well as Soot-centric selections from Nettle, Timeblind, and Filastine. Even with its dizzyingly diverse sources, Confusion is surprisingly of a piece, speaking in its own intense idiom whether the syntax is amped-up raï or chopped-up "Sleng Teng" riddims." (TW) Earplug 86
"Remember that time you stepped out of your Bombay hostel and heard a bizarre sitar tune with a raved-up jungle beat playing on a street vendor's radio? You just shrugged and moved on, but Brazilian [sic] Maga Bo is the type of DJ and producer who hunts down a haunting track's creators and records a session with them on his laptop studio. For him, the backpacker trail is a pomo Silk Road for importing breakbeats into Third World rhythms. Having combed through India, Morocco, Senegal, and Jamaica in the past, he's just back from his latest scavenger trip, this one to Zanzibar. This evening, Maga Bo will be forging hip hop and drum 'n' bass out of sounds culled from at least five continents, creating a travelogue considerably rougher than any Rough Guide...." — Darren Keast, SF Weekly, Jan. 10, 2007
"Maga Bo then proceeded to get on his laptop and wow the crowd with a very dense collage of reggaeton, dancehall, hiphop, Funk Carioca and more. Nothing was a straight song, but a fusing of different rhythms and vocals. It was so dense and shifting, and except for some Missy vocals, and the song “Zingy” by Ak’sent and Beenie Man I don’t think I recognized anything from his entire set. He used the reggaeton beat a lot, but he wasn’t playing reggaeton songs, just using the rhythmic platform as a base. There was a touch of Funk Carioca rhythms, but once again, not straight songs. He only played an hour and a half, but during his mix time felt endless. In a good way. So good that I forgot I was going to have to go .. him......" - The Incredible Kid, The Incredible Blog.
Maga Bo is a DJ/producer working with an international collision of styles, sounds, location recordings from all continents and beats that have yet to be classified. A study in the digital contortions of hip hop, ragga, breakbeat and jungle drum n bass, his sound is a divine (s)mashup of batucada, rai, capoeira, bhangra, and skewed electronic beats in a borderless conundrum of gritty street sounds, found and modified rhythms and melodies from Brazil, Morocco, Senegal, India and beyond. DJing and producing tracks with a portable laptop studio, he has worked and performed in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America.
World Up! has just released a Maga Bo mixtape CD entitled, World Up! Mixtape Vol. 1: Mixado por Maga Bo. Listen to the podcast here and buy it there.
You can hear an exclusive Maga Bo DJ mix on Blentcast. Contents made in USA, UK, Germany, Senegal, Brazil, Canada, Morocco, Jamaica, Spain, Cuba, South Africa, Egypt, India, Japan, Austria, Belgium and Holland. Unrestricted import/export.
Soot Records has released a Maga Bo mixtape entitled, "Confusion of Tongues" (in shops this month). Expect lots of unreleased material, remixes and contributions from the likes of Dr. Das and Pitcho, Filastine, Nettle, Black Alien, Instituto, BNegão, Digitaldubs Sound System, Slaughter Mob and Mr. Catra. 2 12" vinyls will be released just before and after the CD with guest MCs Xuman from Pee Froiss (Senegal), Bigg and K-Libre (Morocco) and remixes by Ghislain Poirier, Dr. Das (ex-Asian Dub Foundation) and Nettle.
Filmed and edited in Dakar, Senegal, "Fire feat. Xuman" is the first (of three) video clip to accompany the upcoming full length album (there are also two 12" vinyls out too!), Archipelagoes, on Soot Records.
Filmed in Dakar, Senegal, "Saye Mbott feat. ALIF" is the second (of three) video clips to accompany the upcoming full length album (there are also two 12" vinyls out too!), Archipelagoes, on Soot Records.
Send you NY number! Let's talk soon! Heading to Taos and remembering our truck window bottle rocket adventure, heehee. Will be in NYC August 26th to Sept 2nd, hope you are there and not BRC, or waaaah again! love and hugs, tomiko
Thank you for adding me. I just missed you when you were here at the Lounge, 18th St. After their site I went to your MySpace and I liked the music. Best, Mariam
If you didn't make it to the last one ask your friends who did. It was fun. This one threatens to be the same.
NEW YORK TROPICAL 2
Maga Bo, Matt Shadetek & Geko Jones
Dutty Artz Tropical Dance Glasslands, Brooklyn NYC 289 Kent Ave, J to Marcy or L to Bedford June 6th, 10PM $4 b4 11PM, $7 after 2 sets each, sweet slow & heavy early, fast crazy & sweaty late
Yu Large Maga Bo The more I Hear, the Grander You Become. Mad Respect! We gotta bring you to the Area ... Northren Cali again or bust...Yes? Stay Strong & Remember to EAT Bo! Peace, Gina
