|
Recording in their Washington DC based studio, Rob Garza
and Eric Hilton, better known as the international production
and DJ duo Thievery Corporation, have released their
fifth studio album, Radio Retaliation, through
their independent music label ESL Music. The 15-track
opus features the duo collaborating with a roster of
International all-stars to create the strongest statement
yet from Thievery Corporation.
“Apart from a few independent bastions, there is no musical or informational
freedom on the US airwaves anymore. The traditional public commons have
been sold to the highest corporate bidders. Music is suffering and society
is suffering too. Radio Retaliation is about an exodus of conscious
people who are willing to acknowledge something is wrong with the ‘official
version’ in news and culture. Therefore, we need to create our own channels," explains
Hilton.
The tone of the album underscores the freedom of expression
that only independent outlets can provide in a society
dominated by corporate sponsors and agendas. Garza and
Hilton have long positioned themselves as fiercely independent
voices within the music industry, successfully building
their label over the past decade through continued belief
that great music will find its audience – with
or without US commercial radio assistance.
“Unfortunately our daily experiences via mediated radio, print and televised
programming are primarily the results of hype, propaganda, and calls to consume.
From fake wars, fake celebrities, a fake political system - Rob and I checked
out of it long ago,” Hilton says. “It’s more important to
do something we truly believe in and let people experience it uncensored and
real.”
Washington DC has long been home to a music subculture
legendary for strong, independent artists, a staunch
do-it-yourself work ethic, and conscientious social activism.
This was especially exemplified by genre-defining pioneers
like indie punk rockers Bad Brains, Minor Threat and
Fugazi. Likewise, although some may lazily pin Thievery
Corporation as the soundtrack to their cocktail infused
late night soiree, the duo have always drawn deep from
the well of independent and confrontational music subculture
their home town is known for, to produce an ever expanding
globally conscious catalogue of music that is difficult
to classify.
Starting in 1996 with two international underground hit
vinyl singles “Shaolin Satellite” and “2001
Spliff Odyssey,” released on ESL Music, Garza
and Hilton soon released Sounds from The Thievery
Hi-Fi; an album that defined a genre and crystallized
their distinct “outernational sound” aesthetic. Over
the next decade the duo would remix the likes of David
Byrne, The Doors, and Sarah McLachlan, and record three
more critically acclaimed albums of original material,
each one transcending the last in scope, style, and message: The
Mirror Conspiracy (2000), The Richest Man in
Babylon (2002), and The Cosmic Game (2005).
“This record is also our most internationally oriented,” adds Garza,
describing how Radio Retaliation touches upon the eclectic sounds
of Jamaica, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. “The roots
of our inspiration have always come from what is happening globally, and at
the moment there is so much that demands the attention of all of us.”
With Radio Retaliation Thievery Corporation
raise the bar with a new cast of musical collaborators
including Nigeria’s afro-beat heir Femi Kuti, Brazilian
star vocalist and guitarist Seu Jorge, Indian sitar virtuoso
Anushka Shankar, Slovakian chanteuse and violinist Jana
Andevska, and Washington DC’s own go-go originator
Chuck Brown. Also returning are long time microphone
co-conspirators Sleepy Wonder, Lou Lou, Notch, Zee, and
Verny Varela.
A defining element of Thievery Corporation’s sound
has always been its decidedly organic quality and this
is clearly evident in the rich productions of Radio
Retaliation and recent live tour dates. Despite
their minimal beginnings, Garza and Hilton have adopted
a growing cast of collaborators over the years, vital
musicians and vocalists who contribute to a dynamic 15
member live band. Playing sold out venues and
festivals worldwide, Thievery Corporation dazzle thousands
of music fans every year with their kaleidoscopic live
show.
With the help of long time partners, the UN World Food
Programme, Thievery Corporation also aim to provoke conscientious
thought among their audience. Garza explains, “We
definitely want to contribute to the opening of ears,
eyes, and minds. With our live shows it’s
a poignant example of music and culture mixing together
in an explosive vibrant way. To see a Persian
singer singing in Farsi, as America debates on a war
with Iran, next to other band members from all corners
of the earth singing in Spanish, Portuguese, French and
so on, it makes people wonder . . . and if you can get
people to question the things around them, just a little,
then that’s not such a bad thing.”
|
©2010
Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival | Privacy
Policy | Terms
of Use | Site by Fast
Atmosphere
