Remix Les Amazones d’Afrique – ‘Love’

West African musical collective Les Amazones d’Afrique invite you to remix their recent single ‘Love’, taken from the new album Amazones Power.
The band hope to inspire creativity during this time of social isolation by sharing the mix stems for the song. Which blends soulful Malian vocals and grooves with the unmistakable Congrotronix sound of producer Liam Farrell (a.k.a. Doctor L). And are challenging you to create something new and unique.

Participants are invited to submit their work as part of a remix contest hosted by Real World Records in association with Universal Audio, who have provided a package of prizes for the best tracks. The winning tracks will be chosen by a panel which includes producers Jacknife Lee (U2, The Killers, Snow Patrol), Che Pope (Kanye West, Lauryn Hill) and the engineers of Peter Gabriel’s world-renowned Real World Studios.

The brief

Just as producer Liam Farrell did with the original session recordings, we encourage you to take the song to new and unexpected places. The mix pack includes stems from the initial recording session in Paris, elements of Doctor L’s production, as well as a new Malian funk guitar part by Sountoucoumba “Salif” Koné, a member of Les Amazones d’Afrique’s live band. The only rule to follow with this contest is to be daring in your approach to the track. Whilst there is plenty of heritage in the music of Les Amazones d’Afrique, the band have always sought to steer their music into fresh new territories, blending pan-African styles and collaborative harmonies with gritty, contemporary pop influences. We hope to see this same attitude reflected in the remixes we receive.

About Les Amazones d’Afrique

Les Amazones d’Afrique were formed in Bamako, Mali, in 2014 by three renowned Malian music stars and social change activists, Mamani Keïta, Oumou Sangaré and Mariam Doumbia, and the collective has since expanded to involve many female artists from across Africa and the diaspora.
Their debut album, République Amazone, was one of The Guardian’s Best Albums of 2017, and Barack Obama included one of the tracks in his 20 favourite songs of that same year. The follow-up album, Amazones Power, features a total of 18 different voices, and was described by Q Magazine as ‘a rousing and defiantly modern revolution in sound’, whilst MOJO said it was ‘a bridge between traditional griot funk, western clubland and conscious African hip-hop.’

The Track

Centred around the infectious Bambara vocal line ‘Bi ta té tolon ba yé’ (meaning ‘today is no celebration’), ‘Love’ is a richly melodic song carrying strong and powerful message. The lyrics call for women to stand together and fight against injustice. Les Amazones d’Afrique deliver their message with attitude and fiery determination, something they always strive to reflect in the music they create. The track tempo is 82 BPM, and the key signature is Gb Major.

The Prizes

We are delighted to offer prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in this contest. Prizes have been generously provided by Universal Audio, and they will be:

Universal Audio Apollo x8 (1st), Apollo x4 (2nd), Apollo Twin X QUAD (3rd), along with a copy of Les Amazones d’Afrique’s album on double coloured vinyl and a selection of Real World and Universal Audio merchandise for each finalist.
In addition, the winning remix will be considered for release as a digital single by Real World Records.

The Judges

JACKNIFE LEE
As an Irish musician, remixer, producer, and engineer, Jacknife Lee sees the art and science of music production from every angle. His intuition for what sounds right has led him to work with legendary rock bands such as U2 and R.E.M., as well as beloved indie acts including The Killers, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, and Crystal Castles.

CHE POPE
Che Pope, also known by Che Vicious and Che Guevara, is a Grammy award-winning American hip-hop producer from Boston, MA. He has worked on Kanye West’s groundbreaking Yeezus and Life of Pablo records; Lauryn Hill’s Grammy-winning The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; Wyclef Jean’s The Carnival; and songs by Ol’ Dirty Bastard, 50-Cent, Aretha Franklin, and more.

REAL WORLD STUDIOS ENGINEERS
Real World Studios is one of the most celebrated recording studios in the world. Founded by Peter Gabriel, it boasts a client list that includes Beyoncé, Kanye West, Jay Z, Harry Styles and Alicia Keys —to name just a few. Some of Real World’s engineers (Oli Jacobs, Tim Oliver, Oli Middleton and Katie May) will be listening intently to the sonic intricacies, tonal balances and creative use of effects in the entries.

Listening to the remixes
Check back here throughout the period of the contest— we hope to share some of the remixes as we receive them.

HOW TO ENTER

Please read carefully the terms and conditions and End User Licence Agreement below. You will be asked to agree to these in the process of entering the contest and receiving the remix stems.

When you have completed your remix(es), submit them to us by uploading to our Disco inbox before 6pm GMT on Wednesday 20th May 2020.

Link to ORIGINAL Remix Contest; Remix Les Amazones d’Afrique – ‘Love’

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