Selasee & Fafa Family

“Selasee” is guitarist/vocalist Selasee Atiase who has lived and played music in Boulder, Co. since 2003. Born and raised in Ghana, the seed for Selasee’s music was planted during his early years at school, church, and performing in gospel and African pop groups. Selasee’s acclaimed debut solo album (“Run”) was released in 2005. His songwriting skill was immediately recognized when that CD’s title track “Run” won first place in the world music category of the 2005 International Songwriters Competition. Now, his sophomore solo album “African Gate” further builds the catalogue of this young man’s captivating music that tastefully blends reggae, West African highlife and American alt-rock music. The multi-hued palate for the splendid presentation of Selasee’s muse encompasses strong vocals, guitars, drums, bass, percussion and keyboards. The addition of Steve Morley’s trumpet and Daniel Weidlein’s saxophone on “One Day” is also a treat that could’ve been further tapped for other song arrangements on the project.

Using both English and West African languages, Selasee is a lyrical singer with considerable emotional electricity on tracks like “Searching” and “Pray For Me.” Nahyubi Hodge appears as a vocal guest, and backup vocals on the album are ably handled by Selasee along with Laura Ruby. “Let Me Be” is a showcase for the silky smooth lead vocals of Paty Koutso. If there’s one cut that probably best captures Selasee’s affable interpretive vision of both music and love, it may be “Music in my Head,” in which he proclaims “I told you to be the only music playing in my head.” Initially, Adam Revell’s electronic organ makes its presence in understated fashion but becomes just as fluid as it needs to be for the reggae groove. It’s a similar approach taken by Zivanai Masango with his lead guitar work in songs like “Pray for Me,” “Not the Way” and “Settle Down.” These accomplished musicians understand the importance of not overplaying, making every note count, and complementing the vocals. If there’s one track that could’ve used even more vigorous guitar in the mix, it’s the closer “Saidaway” which could’ve really taken off in Afro-pop style. Accolades to Paa Kow (drums) and Patrice Blanchard (bass) for their great lines throughout.

Selasee’s music is very enjoyable, full of optimism, compassion and thoughtfulness. Sung in his native Ghanaian language, I can only imagine what the message of “Maawu” is, but I’m sure it’s a profound one with a passionate sentiment. Selasee’s “African Gate” is a well-crafted album of sensitivity, spirit and inspiration. (Joe Ross, Roseburg, OR.) - Joe Ross

Selasee's award winning album is scheduled to hit the Canadian stores on September 4th.

In association with OP3 music in Toronto, RunningDream Records will release a "Special Canadian Edition" of Selasee's debut album. It will contain a special plastic card that will allow fans to download exclusive preview tracks of his up-coming album due for release in 2008 and also never seen before video's and interviews.

OP3 and RDR will be conducting an extensive marketing support for the album. Teaming up with some of Toronto's finest industry professionals for a National Radio - Internet and Media campaign.

The album will be distributed by Universal Music Canada, and will be available at most music stores accross Canada, From Vancouver to Halifax and hitting everything in between such as Toronto and montreal.

Selasee is expected to be Touring heavily in that territory from late 2007 and most of 2008. Already on the 2nd of August Toronto is getting ready to welcome Selasee.

Selasee has become an International Hit since his signature track "RUN" was featured on EA Sports Fifa 2006 video game, and has since inspired millions of soccer players and soccer fans throughout the globe.

Sean Cassidy
President, Runningdream Records - RunningDream Records

Selasee
Run (Running Dream/Universal)

For those that aren’t planning a trip to Ghana in the near future, Selasee’s first album, Run, is a good fill-in: as soon as the title track starts, you feel like you’ve been transported at least three countries south. Selasee fills Run with African instruments and lyrics, and mixes American pop, reggae, and West African hi-life genres. The feel of the album is so warm and catchy that you can’t help but bob to it.
The expertise of Selasee’s songcraft is quite captivating, and it’s getting him some acclaim, too: “Run,” the album’s single, was chosen to be on the soundtrack of soccer game FIFA 2006. The lyrics are fairly simple, but in a good way—after only a couple of listens, you may find yourself singing along.

Run is a decent first album, and Selasee expertly conveys his easygoing but passionate personality through his music. If you like reggae or world music, Selasee’s musical excellence makes Ghana a feel little bit closer.

The gateway Alberta, Canada, Dec 2007
– Vanessa Horne, Arts & Entertainment Writer

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Selasee
Run (Running Dream/Universal)

Selasee Atiase is a U.S.-based Ghanaian reggae-pop singer who has obviously spent a lot of time listening to Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. The result is a debut disc of familiar-sounding, foot-tapping originals about spirituality, love and world strife. Though he only utilizes his native tongue about a quarter of the time, Selasee's caressing vocals are inviting enough to selfishly wish he sang the dozen tunes entirely in English. You may already know the inspirational title track as the soundtrack for the bestselling virtual soccer game FIFA 2006.

Top track: "Kilibo" celebrates freedom with onomatopoeic verve.

Toronto Star, Canada, Dec 2007
By Ashante Infantry
www.thestar.com


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Selasee
Run (RunningDream/Universal)

If I heard only the first two tracks of this record, I’d immediately nominate it for album of the year. Selasee Atiase brings together sounds from his native Ghana with a love for roots reggae and American soul to create an original vibe of global goodness. Opening track “Run” is single-handedly one of the most memorable reggae tracks of the year, not only because of the clarity of songwriting but because innovative arrangements and production ensure that it’s never simply derivative of the style. Likewise, “Agba Yei” transports the listener to West Africa, with its supple highlife celebration of the end of the working day, a fete that subtly adds Jamaican and American musical touchstones to the proceedings. But unfortunately these tracks aren’t representative of the entire album and even before mid-point listeners will notice a downturn in energy and creativity, as Selasee embraces an affinity for Al Jarreau-style smooth R&B that functions as a lacklustre mainstream foil to the earlier beacons of ingenuity. Hopefully in the future Selasee will stick to what makes him original, not just what makes him money. And, based on a few of these songs, hopefully that future will be very, very long.

Exclaim Magazine, Canada , Dec 2007
By Brent Hagerman

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SELASEE: Run (RunningDream/Universal Canada)

... this Ghanian by way of Boulder, Colo, finds a way to lay down a dozen tracks of World music that will please those looking for a nice, light, mood-shifter. There are hints of happy-go-lucky highlife, easy roots-reggae and the kind of soaring, earnest ballads...

JM, Quickspins, Canada www.uptownmag.com - Nov 2007

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"Born in Ghana - Via Colorado, Utah and California - Selasse now calls Canada home. Of the album's eleven tracks, it's the title-track, "Run", that is the most shining star. Soft and light singer-songwriter-reggae with horns, and whalloping whop-whop-choir"

Groove Magazine, Sweden - Erik Hjortek

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Blending elements of reggae, pop and highlife, Selasee Atiase crafts warm, welcoming music, full of life and vigor and joy. From the light reggae bounce of "Run", with its exhortation to "let your heart beat faster" to the soft, sweet ballad "Slow Motion", Run is perfectly crafted to soothe and to encourage.

eMusic - Robin Banks - Various publications

2nd november 2005

There's another party interested in video games these days: musicians. A tune by Ghanaian musician Selasee titled "Run" has become a multi-million seller because it was selected by a leading video game company as the song for their latest release. The World's Marco Werman explains.

SEE FULL ARTICLE AT THIS LINK:
http://www.theworld.org/globalhits/2005/11/02.shtml - BBC News

Running Dream Records recording artist Selasee reaches #80 on the published RadioWave Monitor Top 100 Mainstream Internet radio charts with the help of a successful Online Marketing Campaign executed by MusiK1. Campaign elements also include online street team and video promotions to synch up with P2P digital distribution and press release services through Billboard Publicity Wire.

Quebec, Canada (Billboard Publicity Wire) March 29, 2007 -- It's been a little over a year now since Selasee took home first place in the World Music category at the 2005 International Songwriting Competition for his single "Run". Now after a successful 2006, selected to showcase at the MIDEM Buzzband in Cannes, France, the MUSEXPO 2006 edition in Los Angeles and the CMJ Music Marathon in New York, Selasee's single "Run" has also been taken notice in the licensing world when Electronic Arts chose to add the song to their multi-platinum selling FIFA 2006 video game and award winning soundtrack.

To end the year on a positive note, another track on Selasee's album titled "Agba Yei" has also become an International Songwriting Competition song finalist within the World Music category, in which earlier that year the same song was a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition.

Full article at this link (please copy and paste).
http://billboardpublicitywire.com/printer.php?prid=514208 - Billboard - Newswire - 29th March 2007

The Magic of Selasee

Selasee was refered to us by “Les Productions Nuits d’Afrique” who have been producing the International Nuits d’Afrique Festival for the past 20 years. We are happy to have had Selasee’s presence as a headliner for our 2006 edition of our “International Rythmes du monde Festival” that attracts over 100,000 people over a 4 day period.

Selasee delivered a great show that kept the people moving and shaking during the whole evening, his presence on stage was remarkable and energetic. After his second song, he had already charmed the audience. The attendees danced non-stop to the rythmes of his music that was refreaching to hear.

He also grabbed the attention of the Media’s. He made the second page of the next day paper where we could see a picture of him on a half-page with the title “The magic of Selasee”. A phrase that resumes well the show that he had delivered to us the night before.

Selasee was a good find for us, he was a great investment for our festival. On the technical and logistic side, Selasee was flexible and on-time.

Thank you to Selasee and his team for a job well done.

Chantal Boivin
Program Director
International "Rythmes du Monde" Festival
- International "Rythme du Monde" Festival

CHICOUTIMI- Something special happened last night at the corner of Racine St. and Bégin.

An artist that nobody knew in the region (other than an interview published in last Sunday’s paper and a few dedicated lines in the program of the « International Rythmes du monde ), established contact with a crowd, denser by the minute, that rushed to the stage where him and his 10 musicians presented a memorable show.

The man in question is Selasee and spent most of his life in Ghana. Already, the fact that he has a musical preference towards Reggae, makes him unique. It is not that common in that land. If we add that his songs are well dressed and that in front of a public, he dances like someone who swallowed a box of springs, the result is an infallible cocktail.

There was still some daylight out when people near the stage started moving. Once night time fell the hips and knees followed the movements. Timid at the beginning, the clapping grew louder and screams where added towards the end. To explain the phenomena, you just need to evoke the song « Agba Yei », a sort of reggae on speed, punctuated with a drawling brass section and illuminated guitar riffs.

It was only the second song of the evening and already Selasee was dancing and jumping, making circles with his arms. He barely slowed the pace to sing with his earthy and very pleasant voice, that makes you think of his idol Bob Marley. But in spite of the language barrier, all could feel that this artist loved people and loved life, a trait that made him even more attractive.

SUCCESSFUL ADAPTATION
The big hit of the Ghanaian is called « RUN ». A company specialized in video games used it recently, giving him worldwide broadcasting. This title is representative of the Selasee style, with his positive message and ultra-contagious reggae beat. Towards the end of the show, we were granted another example of his style when the « Rythmes du monde » guest announced he would create a song on the spot. The percussions and the bass created the atmosphere, followed by a reserved guitar. The keyboards then started to draw the picture, but it’s only when the brass section joined the group that we finally understood, it was a very free style adaptation, half reggae and half jazz of « Autumn Leaves ». Carried by brilliant musicians, this act, just like the rest of the show, was welcomed with enthusiasm. We then felt that the audience had adopted Selasee who, in the next piece, had engaged a dialogue with his two vocalists while the band was mixing up the musical notes to make the few motionless people left dance.

www.rythmesdumonde.com - Daniel, Cote - Le Quotidien (August 5th 2006)

.....When Electronic Arts Inc. bought Selasee's single "Run" for its "FIFA 2006" soccer game, the Ghanian reggae singer had yet to sell a song. Sales of his first album have taken off since the game's October launch; iTunes and Napster now stock it. Now based in the United States, Selasee regularly plays large venues.

"We're getting album orders from Australia, Turkey, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Germany, and of course the U.S. and Canada," said Louis Rodrigue, the singer's PR manager. "His career is rocketing because of the FIFA game."........
- Laurence, Frost AP (Associated Press)

Nashville (Tennessee), USA - The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has announced today the winners for its 2005 annual competition.

"Run", written by Selasee Atiase, is awarded First Place in the World Music category.

Born in Accra, Ghana, Atiase started playing guitar and performing with his local church group in his early teenage years. He graduated from the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana, Legon in 1999 and has been performing and recording since then.

In addition to the ISC win, another big break for the song "Run" came at the 2005 Midem in Cannes, France, where the song was chosen for the soundtrack of the "Fifa 2006" video game by EA Sports. His debut album, recorded by Running Dream Records, is receiving airplay across the U.S., Germany, and Ghana.

African songwriters placed exceptionally well in ISC 2005, winning First, Second, and Third Place in the World Music category and also earning two Honorable Mentions. It is the first time since ISC's inception that all the winning songwriters in the World Music category have come from African countries. Judges for the 2005 competition include: Tom Waits; Loretta Lynn; Sonny Rollins; John Scofield; Steve Vai; Macy Gray...

The ISC has been described by the New York Times as "THE songwriting competition to take note of"
- World Music Central news Dept. , may 2006

Reggae artist Selasee Atiase knows that he owes much of his success to soccer.

Though he's been performing for more than twenty years, Atiase's career got a significant boost in 2005 when his song "RUN" was featured in the FIFA 2006 soccer video game. Suddenly, album sales increased, as did the size of his concert venues. The game had turned him from an "Interesting" artist into a known commodity.

"That was a really good addition to my career," said Atiase, a Ghana, West-African native now living in Boulder CO. "It helped establish a framework for me."

Atiase, who performs under his first name only, formed a musical group at his church when he was only twelve years old. But soon, he was looking to branch out. Bob Marley was an early influence on him, and Atiase said the lure of that genre was just too strong. Ultimately, he forged his own style, a mix of reggae and other genres, including traditional West African dance music and "old school" crooners, such as Frank Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole.

Though the video game was a turning point for him, Atiase's work was gaining recognition before then. Earlier that year, "Run" won first place for world music - and second place in the people's choice category - at the 2005 International Songwriting Competition. He's since won accolades, from the Billboard World Song Contest and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and his audience continues to grow.

Today, Atiase is moving his career foward, looking to collaborate with some other artists on a new album. He said his plan is to steadily build his reputation, preferring that to the easy fame and quick burnout experienced by some artists. "I want my career to be more of a growth process," he said. "I want to stick to it, and see the results."

By Amanda Cuda - Skope Magazine - Skope Magazine - Sept-Oct issue (USA/Canada)

"More and more musicians – especially young ones - are turning to newer ways to promote their music: placing songs in commercials…landing a tune in a film or TV show…and uploading a performances to YouTube. Then there’s the approach taken by singer and songwriter Selasee ("sel-LAH-see"). "

Here’s CBC music columnist Mark Rheaume to tell us more...

MARK:
It’s safe to say that the first hordes of people to discover Selasee Atiase (AT-uh-see) were video gamers. The title track to his debut album "Run" was featured in the multi-platinum game FIFA 06. With this song placement, the Ghana-born, Boulder, Colorado-based Selasee has gone from a virtual unknown to an artist heard by millions. The sudden acclaim is well deserved. Selasee is a gifted tunesmith who has earned several major songwriting awards. He has also reached the finals of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and earned an honourable mention in the Billboard World Song Contest. Along the way, he has bucked the trend toward negativity and written songs with uplifting lyrics…

Selasee's North American debut album “Run” includes eleven songs written, co-written or arranged by Selasse. The freshman disc has been generally regarded as a “world music” recording. With its pleasant mix of pop, reggae, and soul, it should appeal to music fans all over the world.

For CBC Radio, this is Mark Rheaume

HOST:
You can find that and eleven other pop/reggae songs on his debut album “Run”. You may even recognize the title track: it’s featured in the multi-platinum video game “FIFA 06”.

November 2007 - Heard by millions of Canadians throughout the CBC network.

- CBC Radio one