Afromotive
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Afromotive

Asheville, North Carolina, United States | INDIE

Asheville, North Carolina, United States | INDIE
Band World Funk

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""Scare Tactics" review"

"Already with a reputation as a “must-see” live act, they’ve finally captured
that energy and released their debut album... The message is as heavy as the
groove..."
Ray Anderson, The Celebrity Cafe

- Ray Anderson, The Celebrity Cafe


""Scare Tactics" review"

"As the Afromotive shows, you don’t have to go to the northeast or west coast
for authentic Afrobeat. The world village has extended to the south as well."
Paul Borelli, KOOP Radio, Austin, TX
- Paul Borelli, KOOP Radio, Austin, TX


"Daily Collegian, State College PA"

It certainly isn't the '70s anymore, but Afromotive will return to State College with its innovative music that originated in that era for listeners to judge for themselves.

Even though the band is influenced by West African percussive elements and American funk, Afromotive's afrobeat music in no way labels it as a throwback band.

In fact, Afromotive, which will perform this weekend, doesn't sound like any other 'afrobands' out there, bassist and percussionist Ryan Reardon said.

"Our appeal comes from the fact no one is playing like we do," he said.

The band also provides exciting music to "dive into," Reardon said, because it is fun to listen to and dance with a strong rhythm and groove.

"There is no separation," he said. "If the music is playing, you're dancing. It's one in the same. We bring a dance show."

The way Afromotive interweaves traditional African elements and James Brown-style funk with the band's own spin is what gives the music a certain uniqueness even within the afrobeat genre, and this same uniqueness is what Reardon described as being a "driving force" behind the band.

He added that many songs start with a simple idea that focuses on inspiring both the band and its audience. The band has recently released a new single called "Simbo," which is available to download for free on the band's Web site. Reardon said it is an "outdoor, sunny summer afternoon" kind of tune that draws greatly from the band's African influence.

Reardon finds inspiration from all different aspects of life. He said he can go into his backyard and listen to sounds of animals and bugs and he also draws from seeing people enjoy the band's music during a live show.

Ryan Knowles, saxophone player for Afromotive, said the most inspiring thing about the band's music from an artist's perspective is how "in the moment" Afromotive's songs and live performances turn out to be. In his song writing and his performances, Knowles said he sometimes doesn't really know what he's doing or what he's thinking about.

"I'll write a song, and it'll take a couple of years for me to have an understanding of where it comes from and what I was doing at the time," he said.

The band doesn't consciously pull from any sort of style, Knowles added, but the members will always just run with any inspiration or idea that crops up.

"Any kind of music I do, I always want to just express myself and represent where I am in my life," he said. "I think we do that."

Although he is not conscious of many influences, Knowles said the afrobeat style is where the band subconsciously draws from because there are Africans in the group. He said the band really displays both African and American elements equally, but that this fact does not constitute Afromotive's music as world music.

"What makes us world music is an awareness of the universe and everything that's going on in the world," Knowles said.

Adama Dembele, a 33rd generation djembe player from Cote d'Ivoire, is a current band member that lends greatly to Afromotive's strong ethnic background.

Knowles said Afromotive also previously had an African lead singer, but since the former singer moved back to his homeland, the band has "scaled down."

Afromotive currently has no lead singer, and instead vocals are shared between band members.

Knowles said the band also used to have a full horn section that served as back-up instrumentation to vocals, but the fact that horns are representative of afrobeat music didn't inhibit the band from ditching the section to help move the group into a new direction.

"We're trying to hone in on what the core sound is," Knowles said.

The scaleback has made Afromotive more of an instrumental band, but Knowles said the band doesn't need the extra musicians and a big sound to make great music.

"I'm always trying to change things up and throw wild cards in there and have fun with the music," Knowles said.

He added that the lineup of musicians currently in the band -- which changes sporadically -- is focused on the craft full-time instead of having major distractions like families and jobs, which takes nothing away from the band's rehearsal time.

"I was sick of playing with musicians that weren't full time," Knowles said. "We needed musicians that really take it seriously."

Even though Afromotive has gone through about 40 different musicians to find the rotation the band tours with today, Knowles said that most bands go through this sort of phase, and it was cool for him to see the evolution of Afromotive as a whole.

Reardon said the music stayed "cohesive" throughout the many member switches because the band has a core group of songs that hasn't changed. He added that different musicians coming in with their own personalities brought different approaches to the sound of the band, helping keep the music "fresh."

"We gave the musicians the freedom to do what they want to because that's where the music really tak - Beth Ann Downey


"The Daily Times, Knoxville TN"

Put away whatever preconceptions you may have of the djembe, the traditional African drum that, lately, has become a favorite instrument of hippie drum circles.

Ignore the stereotype of the goblet-shaped, skin-covered drum as a staple of trustafarians, those trust-fund hipsters who congregate to bang in unison. Ryan Reardon, of the Asheville, N.C.-based band The Afromotive, has seen plenty of such sights in his hometown.

His band’s djembe player, on the other hand — well, put it this way — Adama Dembele is a 33rd-generation djembe player, which means his ancestors have been creating art with the instrument for 1,500 years.

“It’s feels great to play with someone like that,” Reardon told The Daily Times this week. “For some people, the instrument has this connotation as something you’d see a hippie carrying down the street, but no — this is serious, man. And when you hear him play, you know — ‘Oh, that’s what that instrument is for.’”

Not that Reardon or the other guys in The Afromotive are slouches in the instrument department. With an arsenal of musical weapons at their disposal, the band creates a primal, tribal atmosphere that uses rhythm as both the medium and the message, he said.

“It’s really all about locking in,” he said. “There’s a lot of percussion going on, a lot of rhythms in general; even the guitar part is rhythmic. It’s about locking down that pulse and keeping it there. Back when we first started, we would do more intricate drumbeats, more complicated stuff on a drumset, but over the years, we’ve realized that simplicity goes a lot further, sometimes, than the little things.

“We have so many instruments playing this rhythmic music, you have to keep it simple. We do more four-on-the-floor kind of stuff and just lock it in, because we want the crowd to feel that, too.”

The band got its start four years ago in the Asheville area, combining Dembele’s West African roots with American funk and the members’ individual experiences playing jazz, classical and rock.

“We start with an idea as the basis for the song, and from that simple idea is where it all sprouts from,” Reardon said. “If that seed is strong, if where you start the songs is strong, then all you need is your musicianship and your ears to develop the rest of it.”

The first out-of-town date the group played was at the venue to which they’ll return on Thursday night — World Grotto in downtown Knoxville. It was a good feeling, Reardon said, a sense of accomplishment that there might be life outside of being just a hometown band to the Asheville masses.

Not that such a fate is a bad thing; but when the chemistry on the stage is so electric, so palpable, it’s hard not to want to share it with whomever will listen, Reardon said.

“Once the night hits, it’s just a packed dance floor,” he said. “If a show starts early, depending on how many people are there, we might start off with a mid-tempo tune — ‘easy listening,’ if that term even exists in The Afromotive world — but really, we don’t think about that kind of thing.

“It’s not about anything except following that muse and asking what does this song, in itself, beg for? What does it need? What will make it the best that it can be?” - Steve Wildsmith


"Nashville Scene"

"The Afromotive fuse the polyrhythms of Afrobeat with funk and extended improv... If you can stand still listening to their music, check your pulse- you might be dead." - Jack Silverman


"Creative Loafing, Charlotte NC"

"It's all about the beat. Primal, horn-heavy, with a percussive punch that blends old school funk with tribal rhythms, the pulsating rhythms of Afrobeat have crossed cultures and continents to carve out a groove that has touched the backbone of generations of funk lovers... (T)he sounds of West Africa now resonate through the mountains of North Carolina courtesy of Asheville's The Afromotive."
Grant Britt, Creative Loafing - Grant Britt


"Washington Post"

"...The Asheville, NC, band fuses the brass and polyrhythms of Fela Kuti with jazzy improvisational solos and a heavy dose of funk."
- Fritz Hahn


""Scare Tactics" Review"

"The Afromotive get freaky on their debut album Scare Tactics with nine tracks of funky polyrhythms that could summon James Brown's ghost. The North Carolinian ensemble is...driven by a commanding bass loop and complemented by a frenetic assortment of ever-changing drum-beats, playful organs and a robust brass orchestra.

Scare Tactics opens with the hypnotic "Yako," a sprawling effort at almost ten minutes long that employs a repetitive style, but manages to stay fresh throughout. The epic "Lies" gets the blood pumping with an upbeat call-and-response chorus and the laid back "On the Cuff" has the feel of an improvised live jam brought back to the studio and reworked with precision by professional musicians.

Triumphant, eclectic and self-assured, The Afromotive effortlessly chug through "Scare Tactics" with the same energy that has made them an explosive touring act and a rising presence in the world-music scene."
Daniel Scheier, Glide Magazine - Glide Magazine


"Charleston Post & Courier"

"...An explosive performance-based group that does more than just play a show. The Afromotive strive to create and event...a collaboration between band and audience that transcends the borders of the stage and invites the audience to actually become a part of the music rather than just a listener." - Matthew Godbey


Discography

Independent Single release "Simbo" released Fall 2009. Available at live performances and on itunes.

Debut album "Scare Tactics" released October 16, 2007, on Harmonized Records.

Photos

Bio

"The Afromotive fuse the polyrhythms of Afrobeat with funk and extended improv... If you can stand still listening to their music, check your pulse- you might be dead."
Jack Silverman, Nashville Scene

"The Asheville, N.C., band fuses the brass and polyrhythms of Fela Kuti with jazzy improvisational solos and a heavy dose of funk."
Fritz Hahn, Washington Post

Based in Asheville, NC, Afromotive is helping to start a new wave of uptempo afrobeat music- fusing West African rhythms, song forms, and instrumentation with funk, improvisation, and straight-ahead dance beats.

A fan once said, “It’s sounds like James Brown’s band went to Africa.” Furthering the connection between traditional African rhythms and American funk and dance music is precisely what Afromotive is doing with their style of afrobeat music.

Thirty-third generation djembe player Adama Dembele from Cote d‘Ivoire, West Africa brings his vast musical knowledge and touring experience to the Afromotive. Traditional West African rhythms combined with a mentality for upbeat funk music is what the Afromotive brings to its audiences. They have created a sound that crosses musical and ethnic boundaries.

On their debut album "Scare Tactics," Afromotive takes the raw energy of their live performance into the studio. This album is an elaboration on the language of afrobeat music, yielding a truly unique sound that is rooted in tradition.

Afromotive has performed with many notable musicians, including:
Erykah Badu (special guest appearance, World Grotto, Knoxville, June 10 2006)
Michael Franti and Spearhead (AmJam 07, Smilefest 06, Fall LEAF 05)
Jeff Coffin (special guest appearance, AmJam 2008)
Kalakuta Moziak (former guitarist of Fela Kuti's Egypt 80)
Mamadou Diabate (One World Innernational Music Celebration, Deerfields, NC, Aug 19 2006)
Ikwunga (the Afrobeat Poet, Apache Cafe, Atlanta, Dec. 30 2005)
Cyro Baptista and Beat the Donkey (Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, Apr. 20 2006)
Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk
Jude Osadalos (ex- Femi Kuti drummer)(Emerald Lounge, Asheville July 05)
Rebirth Brass Band (Tipitina's, New Orleans, Nov 24 2006)

Selection of Past Festival Appearances:
Bonnaroo (2008)
Joshua Tree Music Festival (2008)
Bear Creek Music Festival (2008)
Trinumeral Festival (2008)
Asheville Music Jamboree (2007-08)
Bele Chere (2007-08)