Metisse has been around for awhile but I only just discovered them about a year ago. They were featured consistently throughout one of my favorite shows, Dead Like Me.

If you’ve ever watched the show, the song you’ll hear the most is “Boom Boom Ba”.

Boom Boom Ba -Metisse

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Lead singer, Aida’s haunting voice over an almost bossa nova beat is intriguing. Combine that with the French language and you simply can’t go wrong! The use of their music throughout the show is brilliant and it’s really such a shame that neither the show nor the band have gotten the recognition they deserve.

Metisse is an Irish/African Soul/Electronic Band . Holy multi-genre, batman! It makes sense, though, as “Metisse” means “mixture” in French. And while I’m still getting to know them, I’ve loved what I’ve heard.

They currently have two albums, My Fault and Nomah’s Land. You will find Boom Boom Ba in My Fault. Another favorite song of mine by them is “Nomah’s Land” from their same-title album. This one was also featured in a Dead Like Me episode called, “The Shallow End.”

Nomah’s Land - Metisse

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I think using these two songs in this Swamp full o’Beats proves how extremely versatile the band can be. Unfortunately it looks like they haven’t been doing too much since 2007 after the release of Nomah’s Land. Their full albums are also available for download here.

Spread the word so maybe they’ll get back in the studio for us! I absolutely adore this band.

Here are two Afro-centric tracks I’ve really taken a shine to lately. Unfortunately the African Sound hasn’t made its way into contemporary western music as much as a fan of this genre might wish. Sure, Paul Simon began exposing it to us in the 80’s and 90’s but beyond him, it just didn’t seem to catch on in any big way.

The highly regarded ‘blog-discovered, blog-made’ band Vampire Weekend released their first album on January 29th of this year. While their album (quite excellent, I dare say) delves into many succinct styles, they claim to be influenced by the African Sound as well as Classical Music. This track, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa really lets that African Sound take front stage. Pretty good for a bunch of white boys from Columbia University, I dare say.

Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
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And then we have this beauty straight out of…Berlin? Joy Denalane is a German singer/songwriter with influences of Soul, R&B and African Folk. While her first album was released solely in German, her second album, Born & Raised was simultaneously released in both German and English in 2006. She’s been making a name for herself and has been working with the likes of Lupe Fiasco and Raekwon. When listening to this track you might think it’s straight off the soundtrack to Shaft in Africa with its 70s inspired funk… and despite the upbeat feel of the beats and grooves, the lyrics reflect a darker mood. Gotta love that bassline… and her voice? Well, you know what they say: See a broad, to get that booty yak ‘em, Leg ‘er down ‘n smack ‘em yak ‘em. Cold got to be. Can ya dig?

Joy Denalane - Soweto ‘76-’06
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