Kvartetten Raekan’s music is born out in the streets. During three years they have played at least twice a week on different streets and places around Stockholm, where they play their own mix of  jazz, ska, backbeats and improvisation. They have also toured the streets in Europe and in the US living on what they have earned from the music.

After the US trip they recorded an EP, and you can listen to one of the songs here below. At the same time they have developed into something more than street musicians, as they now also arrange clubs and concerts with their own special atmosphere. “We want it to be like mass pychosis where we bang hard on our acoustic instruments while the audience is dancing wildly around us” they write. “There is a brass band in Paris called Belgistan. Their band is an imaginary country, and when you listen to their music you are automatically transported to the place called Belgistan. That kind of philosophy is perfectly in line in what we do.”

Kvartetten Raekan’s blog – on Facebook – on Soundcloud

Snabba skor

A little more than a year ago Dubious Quip released his singel “Obedient Minds”, and in the end of last year he finally presented the follow-up album with the same name. And the seven tracks on the album feel like a great continuation of the journey that he started with the song “Obedient Minds”. With mr Quip’s own mix of hip hop, reggae and soul, it’s laidback, cool and nice to listen to.

And it gets even better with the contribution from a personal favourite, Ulf Ljusberg, who visits with his song “Make It Right”, where he also sings. Pitz and R.A.W. also contributes in a couple of tracks with a really cool rap, which fits perfectly with the atmosphere on the album.

You can follow Dubious Quip on his site, where you also can listen to the other tracks. The album is also available on his Bandcamp page.

Free
Make It Right (feat. Ulf Ljusberg & Pitz)

As the summer went into hiding for a moment, at least here in Sweden, it’s nice to listen to some music that reminds us of warmer seasons. An Klara Kazmi can really deliver this, along with a lot of joy and inner warmth.

She has a smooth nice voice, reminding a little of Macy Gray. Her soul is often mixed with a backbeat, that shouts out summer. Luckily for us she has an EP out now, “Quest For Klarity”, which is also free for download on her web site. You can also meet Klara Kazmi on Myspace.

Go With the Flow:

Lalaland
Go With the Flow

There’s been too little reggae in this blog, no doubt about it. Hopefully we will have new writers in the future to write about great swedish reggae artists. Even if I don’t listen that much to reggae myself, I couldn’t help to fall for Kultiration. I at least haven’t heard this mix of reggae, folk and jazz before.

Violins and accordion paint beautiful mellow folk music melodies to the backbeat, Marcus Bergs vulnerable, naked voice conveys soul, thoughts and social criticism and the brass lifts it all with nice arrangements. It may be melancholic but it nevertheless feels elevating. Maybe it’s the backbeat in itself, maybe it’s the feet that start moving when I listen.

Kultiration is now working on their fourth album, which will be released in April next year. Here you can listen to two tracks from their album “Döden föder” (I-Ration Records) and watch a video from a TV4 performance.

“En timme kvar att leva” (“An hour left to live” from TV4 Nyhetsmorgon):

Glömd e jorden
Rikemansghetto

If you want to listen some more you can visit Kultiration’s site, their Myspace page and Kultiration on Last.fm

There was obviously some problem with the track “Obedient Minds” with Dubious Quip as published two days ago, some people have reported. Therefore we have converted the track into a more common format which you can download in this post:

Dubious Quip – Obedient Minds