Brazillian Jungle/Drum and Bass - Movement (Part 2)

 

In the early naughties DJ Marky and XRS released this tune with Stamina MC on vocals.

The song as well as having a Brazillian connection is connected to the Ldn Jungle/Drum and Bass  club "Movement" where some kung fu guys I know used to do the security during that era.

To me  DJ Marky and this song  represents the Brazillian drum and bass scene. I was very into the scene that birthed  jungle/drum and bass from rave  but by the time  DJ Marky DJ Patife and  J Magic put their  Brazillian spin on it I had put  the jungle/drum and bass scene, on a back burner.

My  switch from electronic music back to live music (in my case afro/latin salsa and then samba) came for me as I stopped going to raves and transitioned from training  kung fu to capoeira. 

The other milestone is I lost my mum around the time I moved from training Kung Fu to Capoeira I don't think I had discovered Capoeira when my mum died. 

But I know I was training capoeira when I first became aware of  DJ Marky and the emergent (Brazillian drum and bass)  I had first heard of Jorge Ben through capoeira and he was sampled in the tune.  

I never would have connected these different things conciously at the time, but looking back  these musical changes paralleled my own life changes and musical journey.

I remember being fascinated by a young Capoeira/BJJ teacher visiting London at the time who played Hip Hop, Jungle/Drum and Bass and Garage rhythms on the pandeiro (tambourine).

I dont know if ever heard Marky DJ in a club and the scene kind of fizzled out (at least in the media) , but I have an active imagination of what the authentic Brazillian Jungle/Drum and Bass party would be like, at least if I chose the djs and programmed the journey .

 

Probably a Robbery (Part 3) - The Shadow

 

One of my favourite record labels was moving Shadow.The project of one "Rob Playford" to release his own and others material. The hits by the likes of  Earth Leakage Trip, Omni Trio (Rob Haigh), 2 Bad Mice, Deep Blue,Blame, Easy Rollers etc are well known while his name is less so.

Similarly understated  was his significant role in producing the Metal headz classic  "inner city life" and album Timeless from which it is taken.The album is credited to Goldie but Robs input was integral and there was a well documented dispute between the two which was probably resolved amicably as they worked together again on The Shadow.

Timeless is one of my favourite Jungle/Drum and Bass L.P's which I bought on vinyl at the time. It is also one of the records I had stolen which I never recovered as documented in Probably a Robbery - part 1

Probably a Robbery - Team Robbo  (Part 2) can be found here

Essence of Chi - (Junglist) Movement (Part 1)

 

JSteve Kane

Back in the early naughties I attended some of the early "Essence of Chi" club nights held at a small nightclub in London Chinatown where my Kung Fu/Tai Chi/Chi Gung instructor was working security.

Chinese  Tai chi /Kung Fu/Chi Gung

As well as some up coming young female DJ's , headlining the Essence of Chi  were the OG's Paradox  (Moving Shadow) ,  DJ Kane  (Kool Fm) and M.C. LowQui.

The strapline "Perfect Movement, Perfect Balance" on the "Essence of Chi  flyer"   had caught my attention,  and connected "Essence of Chi" with Movement another seminal Jungle/Drum and Bass club of that era to whom my Kung Fu Brethren provided security.

Wanda

 

Lately we had been watching Wanda Vision the show on Disney plus, 

This reminded me of another Wanda (Zulu Nation( who was heavily sampled by  (The KLF)

A couple of days ago  a friend shared a photo on facebook of a bedroom with glass walls in the snowy Alps while the view was beautiful she commented how it felt so cold. And afterwards I was thinking how I preferred log cabins, fire places bearskin rugs and naked women in furs coats.

While I was meditating this morning the expression "Venus in furs" came into my head so I googled it. I was a bit shocked at what I found. The central female the " Goddess" "Venus" being named "Wanda" 

The only other Wanda I can think of is this one

Shamanic Horns

 Jamiroquai

David Frampton (artist)

Q Shaman

Bulls 

Capoeira Angola , The Dance of the Zebra and the 55 Bus

 

Capoeira Angola , The Dance of the Zebra and the 55 Bus


While many of its roots are plain to see the history of Capoeira is complex and there are conflicting stories regarding its origins many of which were probably true for different moments in time.One of the lesser known stories is the capoeiras relation to the Dance of the Zebra "N'Golo" a fertility ritual that survives to this day in Africa where the young eligible men of the tribe "dance" and the winner chooses his bride.This story has to particular resonance to me because of how I met my wife.

My Capoeira Mestre was performing a demonstration at a Brazillian themed night at the Havanna night club in centraal london and his students were invited to assist ,during the roda my mind was focused on the performance but I couldn't help noticing the pretty girl in the audience,being a sunday evening I left the club soon after the performance had finished due to work committments the next day,but as luck would have it who was sitting at the bus stop but the same girl,Her english was rudimentary much like my portuguese, but we struck up conversation and while waiting for the same 55 bus so hopped on together, we chatted so much I actually missed my stop,we swapped phone numbers and our first date was church where we were suitable chaperoned,the rest they say is "herstory".

Chinooks

 

I've followed the work of Jimmy Cauty (Rockman Rock)  from the Brilliant/Timelords/Orb/KLF/Transit Kings since the late eighties but only recently heard the story of how the KLF (whose "white room" albums provided inspiration for the location of my own adventure in lucid dreaming  ) once discussed getting a Chinook helicopter to land at Glastonbury as part of the event should they ever be asked to play there. I haven' t been to the festival in years but hope to go again oneday  maybe in 2023

So the recently release of "Chinook" featuring the voice of Kate Alderton the Dream Fisher naturslly caught my eye. Kate shares an interest in Dreaming with myself and I participated in some shared dreaming workshops led by Kate during Lockdown 2020.

This Christmas I found time to watch the latest Christopher Nolan Film "Tenet"  I was a huge fan of "Inception"  and "Intestellar"  and  therefore smiled when I saw the images of Chinook in the final assault  section of Tenet  (which incidentally seemed to mirror  the final assault section of inception).