DANIEL HAAKSMAN-BLACK ATLANTICA EDITS.

dereksmusicblog ♦ April 24, 2020 ♦ Leave a comment

Daniel Haaksman-Black Atlantica Edits.

Label: BBE Music.

Release Date: ’24th’ of April 2020.

Over the last few years, Berlin-based DJ, producer and record label owner Daniel Haaksman has been reworking tracks by everyone from CK Mann + Carousel 7 and Soul Brothers to Francis Bebey, Bonde Do Rôlé and Kaba Blon and these edits have become favourites of many top tastemaker DJs including Gilles Peterson and Mr Scruff. Now ten of these edits feature on Black Atlantica Edits, which will be released by  BBE Music on the ’24th’ of April 2020. It’s the latest compilation from the globetrotting DJ and producer.

Daniel Haaksman has enjoyed a career that has already spanned three decades, and much of that time has been spent crisscrossing the globe DJ-ing. The rest of the time he’s spent working as a producer, running his own label Man Recordings and compiling and curating compilations.

This began in 1999 when he compiled Dub Infusions 1989–1999, with More Dub Infusions following in 2001. However, three years later came the most important compilation of Daniel Haaksman’s career so far.

This was Rio Baile Funk Favela Booty Beats which was released in 2004, and for the first time ever, music fans around the globe were able to hear the music of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas. Daniel Haaksman had just releaseda critically acclaimed compilation which put put Brazilian baile funk on the map

The following year, 2005, Daniel Haaksman founded his own label Man Recordings which would release the sound of Rio De Janeiro.  Although three years passed before the nascent released any music, it went on to release a number of important and innovative releases by Daniel Haaksman, Diplo, Schlachthofbronx, Crookers and Bert On Beats, as well as top  Brazilian artists like Deize Tigrona, Edu K, João Brasil, Lovefoxxx and Marina Gasolina from 2008 onwards.  

Before that, More Rio Baile Funk Favela Booty Beats was released in 2008. It continued to introduce the music that Daniel Haaksman was passionate about to a wider audience.

In 2009, Daniel Haaksman compiled Bossa Do Morro for Universal Germany. However, the other compilation he curated in 2009 with DJ Sandrinho and DJ Beware was Rio Baile Funk Breaks which he released on Man Recordings.

Then in 2011 Daniel Haaksman released his debut solo studio  album Rambazamba. By then, he was an experienced producer and globetrotting DJ who knew how to fill a dancefloor.

Daniel Haaksman was travelling the world and playing to huge audiences. This ranged from clubs and festivals to Hollywood wedding parties where he rubbed shoulders with stars of screen, stage and music. Other times, Daniel Haaksman was playing ghetto jams and during his eclectic sets he played everything from baile funk to house, kuduro and trap. Meanwhile,  gunmen patrolled the parties, but still Daniel Haaksman’s mixes were still smooth and seamless as he crowds filled the dancefloor and partied into the small hours.

Away from DJ-ing in clubs and at festivals, between 2013 and 2016 Daniel Haaksman hosted the weekly radio mix show Luso FM on German public radio, WDR Funkhaus Europa. Still he managed to find time to work as a music journalist and wrote for various daily and weekly publications in his native Germany. Despite such a busy schedule Daniel Haaksman was still making music during this three year period.

Five years after the release of his debut album, Daniel Haaksman returned in 2016 with African Fabrics the much-anticipated followup to Rambazamba. It featured a whole host of guest artists including Colombian guitarist Bulldozer with Tony Amado, Dama Do Bling, Tshila and Throes + The Shine adding vocals. The album was released to plaudits and praise and Daniel Haaksman’s star continued to rise.

Over the next few years Daniel Haaksman continued to DJ and work as a producer. His DJ-ing career saw him continue to crisscross the globe, but he found time to write, record and release his third album With Love, From Berlin in 2019 which received positive reviews. Meanwhile, Daniel Haaksman was working on another project.

This was the album of dancefloor friendly reworks that later became the album Black Atlantica Edits. It’s an album that explores the Afro-Latin diaspora and features ten artists from different parts of the globe. There’s edits of tracks by Bonde Do Rôlé, CK Mann + Carousel 7, DJ Havaiana, Francis Bebey, Kaba Blon, Master Chivero, Pinduca, Soul Brothers, Super Mama Djombo and Super Mama Djombo on Black Atlantica Edits whose title was inspired by Paul Gilroy’s 1993 book The Black Atlantic : Modernity and Double Consciousness.

In his book Gilroy investigates how the Black diasporic history of the Atlantic has challenged art and knowledge to find new forms. This is especially true with music. Daniel Haaksman looked at Gilroy ́s theory that the Black Atlantic is a transnational cultural realm when he began the process of deconstructing and reworking the ten tracks that eventually became Black Atlantica Edits.

The only difference between Gilroy ́s book and the forthcoming album of edits is that Daniel Haaksman has added an “a” the “Atlantic” in the title. There’s a good reason for this, and this is to highlight the non-English speaking Portuguese, Spanish or French cultures that are considered to be part of the wider “Black Atlantic space.” This includes countries like Brazil and Angola, as well Cameroon, Mali and Peru. Each and every one of these countries have been affected by the transcontinental dialogues and the resulting fusion of cultures. Musicians from each of these countries contribute tracks to Black Atlantica Edits.

Victoria Santa Cruz is from Peru and opens Black Atlantica Edits is with Me Gritaron Negra. It’s a powerful song full of social comment as it deals with racism, prejudice and intolerance within the Latino community especially against Afro Latinos.

Sunny Crypt is by Francis Bebey from Cameroon and has an understated and even wistful sound as a flute, percussion and birdsong combine. Together they create a cerebral and later joyous song that makes us think of the things around us that we sometimes take for granted like nature and the changing of the seasons and the arrival of spring and summer. 

From Cameroon Daniel Haaksman takes the listener to Brazil with his edit of Vamos Farrear by Pinduca. It’s a joyous, celebratory edit that’s akin to a call to dance. This is sure to become a favourite of dancers and DJs.

Black September by Master Chivero is a song from the  Zimbabwean War of Liberation and was sung in the guerrilla camps. A mbira, thumb piano, drums and gourds accompany Master Chivero on this edit of Black September, which is powerful protest song. 

Super Mama Djombo are from Guinea Bissau and the edit of Dissan Na M´bera (Suur Di No Pubis) was reworked in such a way by Daniel Haaksman that it was more “mix friendly.” He’s succeeded in dong so, and this is a quite beautiful and welcome addition to the compilation. 

By 1971, CK Mann from Ghana was known as the King Of Highlife. The music he made was a unique fusion of African, European and Latin American music and Asafo Beesuon his best known song is proof of this. It’s a collaboration by CK Mann and Carousel 7 that originally was thirteen minutes long. However, Daniel Haaksman edited it to just over six minutes of prime Afro-funk that’s one of the highlights of Black Atlantica Edits. 

During their career, South African based Soul Brothers have released over thirty albums. A tantalising taste of the Kings of their trademark take on mbaquanga music is Akabongi. It’s joyous, uplifting, timeless and dancefloor friendly.

Pinduca from Brazil contributed Vamos Farrea which is an urgent, driving genre-melting track. It’s a fusion of Afro-carimbo, funk, jazz and soul that results is a truly memorable track designed to brighten up any day. 

Another genre-melting track comes courtesy of the Brazilian trio Bonde Do Rolê. They successfully fuse Afrobeat, calypso and North Eastern Brazilian surf music on Dança Molengo. 

Closing Black Atlantica Edits is Moribiyassa from Malian balun group Kaba Blon. They combine hip hop with traditional music  including samples. It’s a captivating combination, especially the  rap which is delivered at breakneck speed in a call and response style and accompanied by percussion. Daniel Haaksman has kept the best until last and there’s no doubt about that.

For someone who has spent so much of his career highlighting what modern Brazilian music has to offer, Black Atlantica Edits is something of a departure for Daniel Haaksman. While he returns to Brazil for two of the ten tracks, he heads further afield as he takes the listener on a journey to through nine countries in South America and Africa. 

During this journey he celebrates the music made by some truly talented musicians in Brail, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Peru, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Sadly, most people won’t have heard of most the artists and groups who contribute songs that are beautiful, celebratory, joyous and uplifting while other wistful sounding, cerebral and thought-provoking. There’s songs about war and protest songs, while the most powerful is Victoria Santa Cruz’s Me Gritaron Negra highlights racism, prejudice and intolerance. Such a powerful song is the perfect way to open Black Atlantica Edits, which is a captivating celebration of black creativity from musicians in nine countries. 

These songs were chosen and edited by Berlin-based tastemaker DJ, producer and record label owner Daniel Haaksman. While Black Atlantica Edits showcases his impeccable musical taste and editing skills, the compilation acts as a perfect primer that offers a tantalising taste to artists and the  musical genres that sadly, many people never encounter but thanks to Daniel Haaksman do on Black Atlantica Edits

Daniel Haaksman-Black Atlantica Edits.