With a hot funk band and a big hit, “Reach for It,” behind him, George Duke appears mostly in his persona as R&B star on this ebullient package of sometimes Latin-inflected ’70s funk. The centerpiece is a self-parodic bit of shuck and jive called “Dukey Stick,” which became a number four hit single on the R&B charts (at his gigs, Duke used to flaunt a gaudy, lit-up, perhaps phallic wand, the “Dukey stick,” during this number). The percussion section is pretty potent, staffed by Leon “Ndugu” Chancler and Sheila Escovedo in her pre-pop star days; they even get a Latin workout of their own simply titled “Percussion Interlude.”

Built on an incredible legacy of civilizations that date back to ancient times, the Middle East is where science, maths, written language, Judaism, Christianity and Islam were born. It is also home to a long tradition of music and dance that permeates all aspects of life in the region.

Buenos Aires, Argentina has often been described as "the most European city in Latin America" (with Montevideo, Uruguay running a close second). So considering that tango originated in such a Europe-influenced city, it isn't surprising that it made its way across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe – which has some fine tango groups. One of them is Quadro Nuevo, a Germany-based outfit that has been combining tango with a variety of European influences. Of course, tango had European influences to begin with, but with Quadro Nuevo, that passion for different types of European music is even more evident and even more overt.

Christophe is a French singer and songwriter. He was born Daniel Bevilacqua on October 13, 1945 in the Parisian suburb Juvisy-sur-Orge, to Italian parents. During his career Christophe has collaborated with diverse artistically celebrated artists such as Jean Michel Jarre, Alan Vega, Murcof, Eumir Deodato, Isabelle Adjani, Erik Truffaz, Florian Zeller, Carmine Appice, Daniel Filipacchi, Alain Bashung, Jac Berrocal and Elisa Point. Christophe's first hit was Aline, in 1965. He is famous for his eternal song "Oh!… Mon Amour" that he sang in French and Italian. From a young age, he was fascinated by the "American way of life". more…

Four years have passed since the release of Berlin Serengeti, the debut album from producer Niko Schabel and friends, aka Radio Citizen. His first album was an all-out assault of electronic music armed with organic tentacles that reached far into an eclectic bag of rough jazz and worldly funk. Schabel creates music that balances being accessible and exciting by way of his ability to blend the electronic with the organic. On Berlin Serengeti he seamlessly glued-together a loose collage of sampled textures and embellished them with gifted musicians and vocalists. On Hope and Despair he takes an even headier blend of raucous live instrumentation and works it into gritty songs and walls of sound with deft mixing and subtle studio trickery all rooted by heavyweight bass lines. His mass ensemble of musical friends often performs together in the Radio Citizen live show that developed after the release of the first album. Their unified musical prowess is reflected in the soloing, the harmonies, and all the interactions, that lift Hope and Despair above its predecessor.