Get a major world music label such as Six Degrees Records to "adopt" you guys, making it a Six Degrees Presents-type of event, that way you guys get listed on the official website (they don't have a Miami nite as yet, watupwidat?). That's how I found out about ATLAS in Pdx.

That will be your single biggest exposure, next step is to use Tribe resources and list your event in the different Music and Miami tribes. After that, if you wanna do grassroots, cross-promotion, pass out flyers at FIU, that's totally up to you guys. :)

To anyone looking for percussion collaboration in Vancouver BC I am free currently and want to get re-involved . I have a large collection of various percusive instruments and a large arsenal of hand drums . I also do some wind .

Great post, Jacques! Oh, how I wish I could have experienced that. Our venue for Cross Borders lacks a lot compared to your descriptions of what went down in the Bay Area but Helsinki just doesn't have the numbers to support that kind of event....Not yet, anyway. But we do what we can, and just getting a picture in my mind of that kind of event (1015 Folsom) will make our club better. Keep on getting around!

Great post...

I'm green with envy, but hope to make a trip south soon... I'm right now at the stage where I'm wondering why I moved to sleepy little Eugene, Oregon.

Please keep us posted though, I would love to keep living vicariously through these updates!

Ten months after the premiere of Worldly I, an event which I had the good fortune to attend and write up here on tribe, WORLDLY, Dhamaal Soundsystem’s signature mega club event in San Francisco, bringing together many different artists, performers, and djs in today’s world music and electronica fusion scene from all over North America and both sides of the Atlantic, is now in its fourth edition. On this occasion, the stars have it in again for this world music traveler to visit the City by the Bay and check out 1015 Folsom on the night of Worldly IV.

www.dhamaalsf.com/mailer/su...dly_1.html

This time, I am very blessed to be joined by a worldlybeatgoddess, DJ Lady Ra of the Beats Without Borders collective, Vancouver, BC, and also a member of the World Music Tribe. Arriving at the club around 10:30, we got there in time to see DJ Amar spin bhangra for the dance lesson led by Vicki Virk of the Dhol Rhythms dance troupe. It was great to see everybody learning to dance this fun, social dance that accompanies a major world beat rhythm that is bhangra. DJ Amar’s selections made sure that our feet were tapping and shoulders moving in the packed front room of 1015 Folsom.

www.dholrhythms.com/index.php

bansuri.net/solunamar/djamar.html

At 11 pm, DJ Soulsalaam took over the decks in the Front Room, designated the World Breaks Room that nite, and promptly served up a blockrockin mix of dancehall, hiphop, and electronic beats. I was very glad to finally be able to hear this amazing dj live, having missed out on several chances to see him (last year on the eve of Worldly I while he was in Brazil, and just the previous nite during the inaugural of his new club nite, Passport, featuring Janaka Selekta of Dhamaal). We heard him drop many a krazy tune including the dancehall remix of the Chemical Brothers Moroccan sample-laden Galvanize and David Starfire’s Loaded.

www.soulsalaam.com/

At 11:30, the doors to the main room opened to the sweet sounds of bhangra courtesy of DJ Cheb I Sabbah accompanied by a live performance from the Dhol Rhythms troupe. It is always a pleasure to hear worldbeat played in a megaclub setting such as 1015 Folsom. I vividly recall the pure ecstasy and joy of hearing Chebiji spin my faves Marsoul Il Hob and Mitwa during Worldly I.

Nine months later, the playlist had naturally changed, but was still undeniably, intoxicatingly, groovilicious with tracks from the likes of Cheikha Rimitti (Rimitti Riddim), 113 & Magic System feat. Mohamed Lamine (Un Gaou A Oran in a zouglou meets rap and rai mashup!), and DJ APS feat Mohammed Siddiq and Ranjit Kaur’s bhangra anthem, Tabba. And, of course, there were the remixes from La Kahena, including an outstanding bhangra remix of Toura Toura. The dancefloor filled up in no time at all. When Cheb I dropped Un Gaou A Oran, the guy with the blond curls dancing next to me pulled his hair up into a knot—he knew the BEAT was about to hit, ohh yeaaahhhhh!!! :D

www.chebisabbah.com/

At 12:30 am, the first of the MIDIval PunditZ, Gaurav Raina, took over the decks and what ensued for the next hour was the most amazing mix of progressive Asian dance music that was equally at home in Delhi as it was in San Fran that nite, just as it would be in either London or Miami. The genius of the PunditZ in combining their North Indian musical heritage with contemporary electronica and clubsounds can be witnessed from the response on the dancefloor which was packed to capacity with a sea of bodies of every color, shape, and size dancing bumper to bumper. We saw many a face from Tribe, including World Music :)

We also heard many a track and remix from the current album, including Raanjhan (with the Abida Parveen samples) and not one, but two remixes of Ali (featuring the divine vox of Kailash Kher)—the first, a tribal-tech remix, and the second, a dubbed-out, tranced-out, progressive version. Halfway thru Gaurav’s set, the multiracial group of street and breakdancers known as the Urban Momentum Allstars took over the main dance stage and delighted the crowd with their nifty moves.

Lady Ra, who had been checking out Dhamaal co-founder Maneesh the Twista’s dj set in the World Breaks Room, came back to report that breakdancing had also spontaneously broken out in the front room. In the main room, it was quite a sight to behold both Karsh Kale and Cheb I Sabbah dancing behind Gaurav in the dj booth—here they were, the key players of the Asian Massive tour, reunited on Dhamaal’s Worldly stage. As if to emphasize the sense of place, there was a glowing lantern hanging above the dj booth depicting the globe in lieu of the typical disco ball—this sure ain’t you average nite at the disco!

At 1:30 am, the second of the PunditZ, Tapan Raj, took over the mixing duties, and proceeded to drive the crowd mad with a true MIDIval PunditZ classic, Bhangra Fever! With an eclectic style that spanned jungle breakbeats to Asian drum n bass (including my personal fave, the Mitwa remix from Lagaan), the PunditZ, hailing from Delhi, showed us that India is definitely emerging as a center of world electronica and dance music. They even have their own club nite in Delhi as part of Cyber Mehfil which is on this world music traveler’s list of worldwide world music club nites to check out.

www.punditz.com/

Lady Ra came back from the Shabaz Live Lounge glowing with enthusiasm about the dj set from Motion Potion who was rocking the upstairs room. By the time we got back there, he was transitioning from an Afro-tribal House classic track to a bhangra set, which included the song Apna Punjab. It was a slightly different crowd upstairs, more chill and laidback, but definitely with its own share dancers who love to groove to a good beat, bhangra or otherwise.

www.motionpotion.com/

Back downstairs, Derek Beres was spinning in the World Breaks Room with his eclectic mix of Balkan beats, Afro- and Brazilian House which reflects the worldly sounds of that East Coast melting pot, NYC, and the home of his collective, GlobeSonic. We were instantly transported to Asia Minor with Siki Siki Baba and back to NYC with Dennis Ferrer’s Afro-house classic Funu.

www.globesonic.com/bio_derek.htm

www.globalbeatfusion.com/

Meanwhile, Karsh Kale was rocking the main room with the lush and atmospheric soundscapes of tablatronica big beats and breaks. When he played Nitin Sawhney feat. Ojos De Brujo’s Noche De Vela Pt. 2 (album cut no less! why oh why has nobody done an extended remix of this gorgeously sensual uptempo world fusion track?), we could not help but be engulfed by the pasion flamenca into a dancing frenzy! During the Ming & FS remix of Saajana, MC Colonel came on the mic signaling the transition to Janaka Selekta’s set.

www.karshkale.com/

Janaka Selekta took over as the last dj to headline the main room of Worldly IV and how appropriately so for this visionary co-founder and event organizer of the Dhamaal collective. He was accompanied by MC Colonel who delivered a fiery rap over his dj’s beatz. Janaka opened his set with that rare white label drum n bass A. R. Rahman Zubeida remix featuring the divine vocals of Lata Mangeshkar, progressing thru all the signature Dhamaal sounds, and on to a phenomenal beat and bass remix of Im Ninalou by Cheb I Sabbah feat. Michal Cohen.

When I first heard the illustrious list, a who’s-who of world electronica fusion scene signed up to remix tracks from La Kahena--Makyo, Bill Laswell, Neil Sparkes/Temple of Sound, et al--I thought, of all of them, Janaka Selekta would be the best choice to remix Im Ninalou to which he gave an edgier sound while retaining Michal Cohen’s unique vocals singing the lyrics of 17th century Jewish mystic Shalom Shabazi

Im ninalou dalte nadivim dalte marom lo ninalou
El hai maromam al karouvim kolam barouchou yaalou
Im ninalou dalte nadivim dalte marom lo ninalou
El hai maromam al karouvim kolam barouchou yaalou

www.dhamaalsf.com/v1/index.html

Over the course of the nite, we also ran into other luminaries of the Dhamaal collective, including creative visual artist NYoMI and the amazing VJ, El Diablo.

Just as Janaka was closing out the nite of Worldly IV in the main room, DJ Amar was closing the World Breaks Room with his eclectic set of Indotronica, electro tango, and hiphop flamenkillo. It was a very elegant set, with the bpms flowing fluidly in tune with the dancers, reminiscent of the style of Claude Challe. All in all, it was the perfect way to end a legendary world music club nite that is Dhamaal’s WORLDLY IV in SF.

My third time at Worldly, presently in its fifth incarnation, fast becoming one of the premier showcases for World Music, World Beat, World Fusion, and South Asian Electronica www.dhamaalsf.com/Worldly/w...ly2006.htm The crowning event of the annual Dhamaal Sights & Sounds Festival, currently in its third year, Worldly V promised to be the biggest one ever, double-billed as the release party for Karsh Kale's Broken English www.karshkale.com/, and bringing in worldtronica collectives from as far as Vancouer, BC with 3/4 of Beats Without Borders www.beatswithoutborders.com/ and Chicago, IL with Radiohiro www.radiohiro.com/

Arriving by cab in the pouring rain (already a record for the Bay Area), I was greeted by the familiar sight of Dhamaal Soundsystem cofounder Maneesh The Twister www.myspace.com/maneeshthetwister working the doors at SF megaclub 1015 Folsom. It has been one and a half years since I attended Worldly I which acquainted with the Dhamaal collective and their artistic, music, and event productions, and my respect has grown for these people who implement the diy approach in everything they do--I remember at the conclusion of Worldly I watching Janaka and NYoMi haul out their own decorative rugs and drapery in the early hours of the am!

Entering the club at 11 pm, I could see that a sizable crowd was alreading gathering in the front/World Breaks room where Beats Without Borders DJs Lady Ra and Tarun were getting ready to spin their tagteam set. Lady Ra truly puts the WORLD music in WORLDLY by spinning an eclectic and diverse set around the theme of Afro-Arabic music. She started off with a traditional-sounding Turkish number from Masala Soundsystem progressing to more electronic sounds, a sonic journey along the North and Eastern African coast, with tunes such as Mon Bled by Rohff, Mohamed Lamine, & Chebba Maria, Rimitti Riddim featuring the otherworldly chants of the grand diva of rai herself, Cheikha Rimitti, and Aiwa, the beatlicious peace duet by Sudanese musicians Emmanuel Jal and Abdel Gadir Salim. The floor was filled to da max by 11:20 pm with ecstatic dancers groovin to the Arabic beat!
After, Tarun Nayar took over the dj booth and wowed the crowd with live tablatronica, taking the crowd deeper into a night of amazing world music and electronica fusion. I have had the pleasure in the past of enjoying both acoustic, tablatronic, and dj sets from this extremely multitalented Vancouver, BC-based artist and musician who frequently sojourns in India to further hone in his musical skills. I asked him when we can look forward to new original tablatronic music from him and he said to expect them sometime by the end of the year.

Meanwhile at around midnite, the main room was starting to open with what promised to be a series of amazing dance performances with many of the dance troupes that have come to perform at Worldly their choreographed sets to world beatz and electronica fusion. Up first was Clandestine, with its members dressed beautifully in black, doing a routine to world fusion music. Up at the dj booth we could see maverick Bay Area-based DJ Amar www.bansuri.net/solunamar/djamar.html and the incredible DJ Layla www.djlayla.com/ (who had come in with her husband all the way from Eugene, OR!) doing double duties on the mic, introducing the fine ladies of the various dance troupes, and mixing their music live. After Clandestine, came a solo bellydancer, Haven, accompanied by Soozhyq on doumbek. For them, DJ Amar spun a live mix that started with the intro from the MIDIval PunditZ' Raanjhan featuring the sublime vocals of Abida Parveen, and morphing into Dark Tabla by Kaya Project and seguing into another fusion number, which Miss Bliss (of Beats Without Borders who was dancing next to me) correctly identified as one of Adam Shaikh's. Haven's dance and Soozhyq's doumbek beats moved flawlessly along with the dj set, creating one of the many memorable moments of the evening.

After Clandestine and Haven with Soozhyq, there were two more dance troupes including the high-energy bhangra performance by the ladies of Dholrhythms www.dholrhythms.com/ starting off by dancing to the bhangra-dancehall/diwaliriddim stylings of RDB with Elephant Man's Ishq Naag which got the crowd all revved up for the night! Last, but not least, Boom Boom Bollywood of Arizona www.boomboombollywood.com/ with a flawless set of numbers inspired by Bollywood films and music including Chaiyya Chaiyya from Dil Se and Kajra Re from Bunty Aur Babli.

Now, what would a WORLDLY nite on the main floor of 1015 Folsom be without the ritual blessing and gracing of the dj decks by none other than San Francisco's finest, DJ Cheb i Sabbah? www.chebisabbah.com/ As in the past Worldly events that this world music sojourner has attended, the living legend opened the first dj set on the main floor at half past midnite with a full-on bhangra set accompanied on live dhol by champion dhol master Mitch Hyare. AAJ BHANGRA PONIYEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The main floor of 1015 has never rocked so hard as the ecstatic crowds rushed to fill it up and dance this most joyous dance of the Punjab! The dhols banged harder and harder as Mitch Hyare performed to Chebiji's flawless set of bhangra favorites, mixing some classic bhangrahop and newer tunes such as Say Na Say Na by Aneela from the Bluffmaster OST, and also including fusion numbers such as Sandeep Kumar's marvelous gnaoua-meets-bhangra reworking of Cheb i's Toura Toura off the La Kahena album, and the sublimely gorgeous ethotrance of Gaudi's Sufani with the sufi chants.

At about 12:45 am, Karsh Kale took over the decks in the main room, opening with two tracks from the brand new masterpiece album, Broken English sixdegreesrecords.com/artists.php namely the yossi fine remix of Manifest and Rise Up (this fan's personal fave). He then progressed to an hourlong set of ethnotrance, before moving on to the live stage on the other side of the main floor for an acoustic tabla set. The audience was mesmerized by the performance of this US-based master tabla and tablatronica artist, yet another memorable world music moment created at Dhamaal's Worldly! ~*~

Following KK's performance, MC Samba of the Dhamaal collective was up on the live stage, signaling the transition to a dj set by Dhamaal cofounder Janaka Selekta in the main room. This marks my second time witnessing a live pa by MC Samba accompanying his dj Janaka (the first time was at Worldly I) and I must say I am increasing impressed by the vocal quality and finesse of this Senegalese artist. Effortlessly rapping in his own unique style, a wonderful mix of Fulani often laced with some Caribbean flava, make the perfect accompaniment to Janaka's ragga-tinged breakbeatz.

At 3 am (time sure does pass when ur having this much fun! :D), it was back to the World Breaks room for an encore set by the Beats Without Borders djs Tarun and Lady Ra. Tarun went up first this time, opening with some uptempo tunes, including the Kaya Project remix of Irina Mikhailova's Salaam, before bringing the tempo down a notch by transitioning into reggae tracks. Lady Ra followed up with more ragga r n b, closing out the front room of 1015 Folsom at 4 am. Meanwhile, from outside the main room, we could hear Maneesh the Twister closing out the main room with signature Dhamaaltastic sounds including a wikkid breakbeat remix of Chura Liya.

By the time we hit the pavement outside 1015 Folsom, it was 5 am. So many incredible world music, world beat, and wordtronica artists, djs, and performers--hard to believe it all went down in one night! For this world music traveler, it is the best Worldly yet and looking forward to many more to come. Equally amazing as the music is the opportunity to meet and partay with fellow world music tribesters which includes fans as well as artists--what a way to ring in the spring of World Music 2006! :D

The next nite saw us at Amnesia in the Mission district for a live pa by the MC Rai band www.mcrai.com/ including prolific SF/Bay Area world musician and producer Jef Stott www.jefstott.com/ Every inch of space was packed with a very diverse crowd that came out to enjoy a live performance by this group of very talented musicians supporting a rai artist based right here in the US! MC Rai's vocals were in top form as he sang selections from the Raivolution album www.embarkarecords.com/ The floor got so packed we could barely move our arms 'bout! :P The MC Rai band is currently on tour in North America. It was an hourlong performance that ended at half past one--as we left, we could hear DJ Special Agent K of Six Degrees Records www.sixdegreesrecords.com taking over the vinyl decks at Amnesia and opening with the Bassnectar remix of Cheb i Sabbah feat. Khadija Othmani's Alkher Illa Doffor.

As a postcript to 48 hours of World Music Clubbing in San Francisco in the early spring of 2006, we also had a chance to visit with SF-based producer and dj Ra www.sanyama.com and previewed for us some upcoming tracks including an amazing remix of Manish Vyas and other soniclicious ethnic-influenced trance tracks. Mahalo nui, Ra!

Thank you for the kind words Jacques, and it was great to finally meet you. have safe travel you globetrotter!

Thanks for the review, Jacques! I'm so stoked you could make it!

Wow Jacques! It's been over a year for EarthNoize - I didn't even realize this until now. It's been an amazing blur for me because I'm doing something that I really enjoy doing (turning people onto new music more specifically world music).

"Besides the stellar quality of the music and expertise of the djs, I was also struck and impressed by the crowd who showed up to dance to some of the most eclectic, global grooves." - It's quite entertaining to see what types of people show up for the events. I do mine in a restaurant type of venue (which is tough) but I tend to enjoy this one more than the night in Sobe @ the hotel because the people are very excited about hearing new stuff and are more dedicated to supporting you.

Jacques, you're too kind. My own self-criticism keeps me from ever seeing our performances that glowingly. We're still growing the night after all this time and really appreciate the support. Glad you had a good time.

IK

Hi John. The Kava Lounge in San Diego seems to consistently come up as the venue of choice for worldtronica events including Six Degrees Nights and Karsh Kale's Kollektiv

www.kavalounge.com/

sixdegreesrecords.com/nights.php