wed | jun 11, 2008. 09:55pm.

{ extra golden show at the orange show }


on saturday, june 14, at 7pm, dj sun opens for extra golden at the the orange show.

Extra Golden was formed rather casually in May of 2004 when Ian Eagleson, Alex Minoff and Otieno Jagwasi began fiddling with each other’s compositions in an apartment in the Buru Buru neighborhood of Nairobi. For rhythmic inspiration, the trio used isolated drum tracks by Onyango Wuod Omari that Eagleson had recorded earlier that year. After several song ideas were hashed out, Omari came by the apartment and, tapping pencils on a table, familiarized himself with them. The next afternoon, the four musicians met at the Annex Club and Restaurant in Kariobangi South Estate. Positioning themselves on a concrete slab between the tables and the restrooms, they set up a laptop and mixing board, a broken-down drumset, a couple of amplifiers and several microphones. Three hours later they packed up and left, the majority of Ok-Oyot System completed.

A year after this initial recording session, Otieno Jagwasi succumbed to his long struggle with liver disease. Besides causing great sadness, Otieno’s passing spurred Eagleson and Minoff to bring these recordings to the public. Chicago’s Thrill Jockey Records agreed to release the album and, in May 2006 – exactly two years after the group’s formation – Extra Golden was introduced to the world.

Ok-Oyot System’s unique blend of Kenyan Benga music with American Rock and other, assorted African guitar stylings met with widespread critical praise. The immediate demand for Extra Golden concerts was deafening. After months of hard work and determination, that demand was finally met, as the group (now featuring popular Benga star Opiyo Bilongo) arrived at the 2006 Chicago World Music Festival. Many weeks of engagements followed, after which Extra Golden holed up in a house in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains to tackle the task of recording a follow-up to their beloved debut. Five days later the group emerged with twenty new tracks, eight of which constitute Hera Ma Nono.

At first, Extra Golden seems an unlikely entity. However, this project that was birthed on a whim, a crazy “what if…” scenario between friends, has steadily grown into a fully-realized, musical dynamo. It remains to be seen where Extra Golden will go next, but with more touring and recording undoubtedly ahead, the future sounds good.

wed | apr 16, 2008. 09:18am.

{ i fest! }
the international festival is upon us again for the last two weekends in april. the soular grooves family has been invited to perform on the world music stage. djs sun, josh zulu, simiyu, and kool emdee will all share sets in between the main artists performing at the international festival. the headliners this year are: buddy guy (april 19th), the wailers (april 20th), the neville brothers (april 26th), and taj mahal (april 27th). also performing on the world music stage: the lowrider band (featuring the original members of war, april 26th) and grupo fantasma(april 19th).

fri | feb 29, 2008. 03:54pm.

{ sxsw }
SXSWin Austin, is on the horizon: a few dates are locked in. The showcase for DJ SUN, happens at BARCELONA(209 E 6th Street, Austin, TX) on Wednesday March 12 followed by an appearance with DJ WITNES @ KENICHI (419 Colorado, Austin, TX) for a night called RAW GROOVE.

On Saturday the 15th of March, DJ SUN plays with KING BRITT, and NY's TASTE CREW with live performances from Time Machine and UK's Riz MC. @BARCELONA. During the day on Friday the 14th an appearance is scheduled during the day @ FRIENDS OF SOUND(1704 S Congress, Austin, TX).

A new mix was posted today (02.29.08). DJ CHICKEN GEORGE blessed us with a mix he submitted to STRAIGHT UP, Australia.

wed | mar 14, 2007. 08:51am.

{ Monday Drive EP }

AVAILABLE IN STORES NOW

DJ SUN celebrates his recording debut with Monday Drive EP (Alt-take Records), a winding dreamscape of sparkling keyboards and dusty beats. The EP features guests: NAPPY G, KARINA NISTAL, MARKSOUND, and JAWWAAD. Monday Drive also includes a PRESTO remix. Find out about release events and where to buy. Available @Groove Distribution

sun | mar 11, 2007. 08:45pm.

{ MONDAY DRIVE EP, SXSW }
DJ SUN has completed the work on his debut EP: MONDAY DRIVE (Alt- Take Records). He will appear @ SXSW to do a light launch. The official release date is set for April 17. The EP will have a 12" release which contains 3 songs, including a PRESTO (Concrete Grooves Recording Artist) remix. There will be a 5 song cd, as well, containing 2 bonus tracks. All tracks will be available @ Gigacrate starting Wednesday March 14. On Saturday, March 17 DJ SUN will play another show in Austin @ The Giant Step Lounge, which will take place @ The Firehouse Lounge, 6th & Brazos. Giant Step will also do the marketing for MONDAY DRIVE and feature the release on its website.

Look for an update to the website to include an additional page to feature future releases by DJ SUN and THE SOULAR GROOVES FAMILY.

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