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Tag - TUMMY TOUCH

MonoMono - Give The Beggar A Chance - out on Soundway Records

Monday 26 September 2011, 11:21

MonoMono Give The Beggar A Chance
MonoMono - Give The Beggar A Chance
(CD/LP+bonus 12"/Digital) Soundway Records SNDWLP030, 2011-09-26

Tummy Touch and Soundway Records are excited to present the debut album from Joni Haastrup's band MonoMono. Re-issued on CD, LP and digital, the LP comes with a bonus 12" featuring three extra tracks. Soundway have been championing Joni Haastrup since day one featuring tracks on both the Nigeria Special! and Nigeria Rock Special! releases. Most recently Joni appears as a guest keys players on Black Goddess, an Afro-jazz soundtrack collaboration with Remi Kabaka. Joni formed MonoMono in 1971 with his friend and bassist Baba Ken Okulolo, guitarist Jimmy Adams and percussionists Candido Obajimi and Friday Jumbo. The band recorded seven original tracks for their debut LP, a drastic departure from the soul covers of the 60's groups in Nigeria but a logical progression from the jazz-rock fusion saturating the London scene. Joni's keys on the lush, meandering title track Give the Beggar a Chance reminds one of Ray Manzarek (The Doors) while on Kenimania he wails like an African counter-point to the Skatalites' master organist Jackie Mittoo. Written in London and recorded in Lagos, the album was released in 1972.

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MonoMono - Dawn of Awareness - out on Soundway Records

Monday 26 September 2011, 11:20

MonoMono Dawn of Awareness
MonoMono - Dawn of Awareness
(CD/LP+bonus 12"/Digital) Soundway Records SNDWLP029, 2011-09-26

Soundway Records and Tummy Touch are proud to present Dawn of Awareness the second album by Joni Haastrup's band MonoMono. Re-issued on CD, LP and digital, the LP comes with a bonus 12" featuring two extra tracks. Amid the OPEC oil embargo, Watergate and IRA bombs, the sound of MonoMono's follow-up record, 1974's Dawn of Awareness, took on the bluesrock grooves of Santana and Hugh Masekela but with their own unique Yoruban flavor. A deeply spiritual record, Dawn of Awareness was Haastrup's reaction to what was going on in the world around him. One hears echoes of the Allman Brothers' Revival on MonoMono's Awareness is What You Need and after listening to Plain Fighting you could easily imagine the band sharing the stage with the Doobie Brothers at an East Side San Jose street festival.

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Joni Haastrup - Wake Up Your Mind - out on Soundway Records

Monday 26 September 2011, 11:19

Joni Haastrup Wake Up Your Mind
Joni Haastrup - Wake Up Your Mind
(CD/Digital) Tummy Touch/Soundway Records TUCH2028, 2011-09-26

Growing up in a royal household in Nigeria, Joni Haastrup began his musical journey performing for his brothers band Sneakers and was quickly snapped up as a vocalist for Orlando Julius Ekemode and his Modern Aces' Super Afro Soul LP, one of Afro-beat's formative LPs. Soon after, Ginger Baker of Cream fame replaced Steve Winwood with Joni on keys for Airforce's UK concerts in '71 and the success of the collaboration led to further shows with Baker as part of the SALT project before he returned to Nigeria to set up MonoMono. Back in London in 1978, Joni recorded his solo gem Wake Up Your Mind for the Afrodesia imprint. Laced with funk basslines, swirling keyboards and screaming guitars, this is Joni's most 'western' record but at the same time unmistakably of the African origin. From the slow-motion disco of Greetings to the stone cold groove of Watch Out to the Reuben Wilson style funk of Free My People Joni was soaking up the sounds of the times and blending them with the music of his roots.

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