We are playing some records for Laura and Harun from Fierce at their festival party this Thursday – all are welcome…

Joint Artistic Directors of Fierce Festival, Laura McDermott and Harun Morrison invite you to Fierce Start Party!!! |||| What’s a Start Party? It’s the beginning of an exciting journey. What will be there? Fierce Festival artists sharing tasters of their work. When’s the next festival? We’ll tell you the shape of Fierce’s next year |||| A.E Harris Building,128 Northwood Street, Birmingham, Jewellery Quarter, B3 1SZ |||| Save the Date!!! |||| Thursday 15^th April |||| visit our new blog atwww.wearefierce.org for additional details about the Start Party|||| Doors open from 3pm. Words at 7pm. Party from 9pm.||||

Check here for all the details plus a useful map. I’ve heard rumours of vodka soup – lord a mercy.

Found this site – full of; Funk, Soul, Boogaloo, Latin, Afrobeat, Rare Groove, Reggae, Rock samples, podcasts and pictures by DJ Botany 500. Well worth a look and a listen. Peep here.

So us Mamas are back in our old stomping ground The Bulls Head in Moseley tomorrow night for Freestyle. Sam Redmore is the main man behind Freestyle which has a regular slot every Friday hosting many top local heroes and folks big in the DJ game such as Adam Regan and Bootsy plus many many more .

A musical feast of funk, soul, hip hop, house, disco, rock, latin and reggae, as well as everything in between.

We are looking forward to our slot on Friday and will be providing our discerning listeners with a whole manner of Afrocentric rhythms and soulful waxy bits. With only a nibble on the door at £3 after 10pm and a whole bunch of drinks promos we think it is well worth a frequent.

Friday 19th February 2010

Sister 45 & Bobbalin Hot (Mama Feel Good!)
Sam Redmore (Leftfoot)

Bull’s Head, Moseley
9-2am, free entry before 10pm, £3 thereafter

All the details can be found here. We look forward to seeing you then!

Simphiwe Dana, described as ‘the best thing to happen to Afro-Soul music since Miriam Makeba’, was brought up on the Eastern Cape of South Africa.  Following the end of the Apartheid era and a move to Johannesburg, it was her appearances at open-mike sessions that immediately caught the attention of established musicians and producers. Zandisile, Simphiwe Dana’s debut album, received platinum status and a number one position on the Billboard Music Charts.  This was followed up in 2006 with her album The One Love Movement on Bantu Biko Street which secured four South Africa Music Awards including Best Female Artist and Album of the Year.

Notable performances include Nelson Mandela’s 83^rd birthday, the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz. Simphiwe represented South Africa as a cultural ambassador in an extensive tour of China ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games and was nominated in BBC Radio 3’s 2008 Awards for Best Artist in the category World Music – Africa.

Punch Records are putting on Simphiwe Dana at The Drum on Saturday 31st October, this is one not to be missed…Check here for all the details.

Check this out, an education in Afrobeat by Punch Records - Art’s Own Kind project. Featuring Fela Kuti’s Sleeve Artist Lemi Ghariokwu and music from some of the most talented kings and queens of Afrobeat including legendary drummer and composer Tony Allen. Bobbie went to see Tony Allen earlier this year and she said he blew her ears off – true legend.

Mama Feel Good! have confirmed their spot at Shambala Festival this August bank holiday from the 27th-30th August. We will be getting down with our bad selves in the bar on Friday night, so get your tickets and we will see you down the front…

The Mamas are looking forward to playing with Afrocat for her charity gig at Hootananny in Brixton on the 1st August… details below…

“The Inter-Cultural Youth Exchange UK (ICYE-UK) an international exchange charity and Strong Linx, a Brixton-based arts exchange initiative are coming together to organise ‘Akwaaba’, an African inspired night of afrobeat, rap, reggae, jazz, funk and fun at Brixton’s famous Hootananny on Saturday 1st August! 

All money raised from Akwaaba will go towards funding volunteering placements in Ghana for Lambeth’s young people. The lucky young people will be selected from local volunteers who have already been helping out their communities by volunteering for three months full-time on social projects. Strong Linx’ Narsha Khan-Sappore, event organiser says “We believe it is important for young minority groups to get the same opportunities as other young people to volunteer abroad, which is why we are organising this event. It’s a way of saying thanks, and also recognising that many of Lambeth’s young people are trying to make positive contributions to their communities and the world as a whole.” 

Headlining are Awalé, a 10-piece Afrobeat band, original reggae band X-Othermik, and a live PA from hip-hop/funk outfit Phuturesonic. DJ’s Makora Mzee, Will Heights, Sister 45, Bobbalin’ Hot and Afrocat will be playing a mix of the finest tunes into the early hours. African drummer Henry Gao Bi will also be opening our show with a Djembe explosion! Entry to Akwaaba is free, but you can support the cause by buying tickets for the fundraising raffle with the chance to win two free tickets to The Big Chill Festival, a month’s gym membership at Brockwell Lido and a meal at Bamboula, amongst other great prizes! 

Akwaaba is Ghanaian for welcome – so we hope to see you there!” 

So this is the final count down until Mama Africa on Saturday 6th June at The Bulls Head! In conjunction with the Bass 09 Festival, MAMA AFRICA Features an all female line up, collectively demonstrating a range of musical styles deeply rooted and fused with African rhythms; Funk, Soul, Afrobeat, Acid Jazz, Latin, Conscious Hip hop, Jazz Funk, Rare Groove, Reggae, Afrikan Fusion and Neo Soul.

Mama Feel good! Are super excited to welcome Afrocat to headline at the event. Afrocat is a Brixton-based DJ and Producer, who draws her inspirations from a melting pot of musical influences including Dub, Spoken Word, Hip-Hop, original Funk, Reggae, Afrobeat, Jazz and Blaxploitation soundtracks. She has DJ’d for over 10 years and delighted audiences internationally with her selections! She also runs Strong Linx – a company providing arts opportunities and global exchanges, and organises showcases and events in London.

 Anyone who has had the opportunity to see Afrocat play will know she has skills and some serious tunes, to have her play for us is a seriously High Coo, so come on down help us to raise some cash!
 
DJs Afrocat, Sister 45 & Bobbalin’ Hot
Saturday 6 June
Bulls Head, St. Mary’s Row, Moseley Birmingham
£3 proceeds going to charity

We are going to be playing records for the big and little people coming to Baby Loves Disco on Sunday 24th May at The Patrick Centre, Hurst Street, Birmingham from 2pm-4pm.

Baby Loves Disco is an afternoon dance party for little kids (6 months-7 years) and (especially) their parents: featuring Mama Feel Good! DJs playing feel good disco, soul and funk tracks guaranteed to get those little booties moving and grooving.

The fun spills out from all corners of the coolest club in town: bubble machines, baskets of instruments, a chill-out room (with tents, books and puzzles), and dancing, LOTS of dancing (and yes, the cash bar will be open for mummy and daddy!). But at its core, Baby Loves Disco is a community event that brings kids together with kids and parents together with parents, guaranteed to be the best time you’ve had at a kids event!

Check the DanceXchange website for more info, tickets are £5 each and non walking babies get in for free – perhaps its worth laying off those development sessions for a while and saving some cash. Bobbie and I are looking forward to this, seeing all them cute kids wiggling around, little boys sliding on their knees and hard working mums and dads getting a chance to wind down and chat whilst their wee ones tear up the dance floor.

My biological clock is ticking pretty loudly these days, I am in my late twenties now and sometimes I find myself looking at my other half, with my head tilted to one side, with one eye slightly squinted thinking about whether our baby boys will have his shoulders and my nose or his nose and my shoulders.

If you haven’t got babies yet, then try to borrow one for this – whatever you do, don’t miss out!