We’ve been having a blast up here in Philly-town, with a monthly residency hosted by RC Williams and a rotating cast of Ropeadope family players and local artists hitting the stage. Tonight we step it up a notch, bringing together three very unique styles with an eye on unity among the crowd. It’s like tasting varietals in the vineyard, with a heavy groove. Come out and meet new friends who are united through the love of music. Tune in here soon for news of The 21Soul Sessions spreading to your city in 2019.
The King Is Dead | Long Live The King
Is everybody buckled up? OK then, let’s GO. Ropeadope is beginning our 20th year in this here creative space turned blood sport called the music business, and we’re coming out swinging yet again. All year we’ll be announcing special events to celebrate the fact that we’re still in the ring, with concerts in Philly, New York, Montreal, and many more cities. We’ll be cueing up some special radio shows covering the vast collection of music that we have released, and we’re dropping new capsules of the legendary Ropeadope clothing line. To top that off we’ve got more than 40 releases cued up from some well known cats and some young guns: Anu Sun, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Doobie Powell, Duncan Eagles, RoSaway, Vivian Sessoms, Michael Whalen and The Fire Brigade, RC & The Gritz, and many more.
This is all about an ending and a new beginning as we declare the ‘record label’ a thing of the past and press on with renewed support for independent artists and new media initiatives under the 21Soul Media brand. Get it?: 20 Years and then 21Soul. We’ll have stories to tell in print, podcast, and video format, and live music popping up all over the globe as we transform into your favorite music network.
Where to start? Subscribe on Youtube and Mixcloud, and tune in here as we roll forward.
Twenty Nineteen
And so we bid farewell to 2018, a year of struggle amid serious changes in our world. A year of bearing witness to the truth of what we’ve done to our planet, how our system of ‘civilization’ continues to oppress and marginalize the thinkers and the dreamers, and how art and music continues to transform suffering into beauty. For every tragic news story, for every dumbass tweet, there is someone bringing joy and beauty to the world. And this is what we must embrace, we must cling to it as if it is our only hope. Triumph is sweet, but until the battle is won we will continue to cultivate the music and the music makers. And so we respond in kind to the powerful, to the gatekeepers, to the tech overlords, to the powerful ‘elite’ - we will press on with renewed energy. We will not yield to petty use of power, but will draw on the universal power within and live as if this is OUR world, for truly it is.
2018 Countdown | Eddie Palmieri
Rather than interfering, here is Mr. Palmieri’s description of his second Salsa album of 2018, Mi Luz Mayor:
'Here I present to you the music that my late wife, Iraida, and I enjoyed in our youth. I would play this music in our home often, during the holidays and on special occasions. We would dance to this music, but there were also times where the music spoke for us. Music was the constant force that touched our hearts and would heal any wounds that life sent our way. Ultimately, these songs represent our love story. Selecting each composition and writing new music helped me work through my grief after she passed away in 2014. Because this music is in her honor, everything from start to finish had to be of the highest caliber, and I am proud to say that it is just that.
The music is a reflection of the profound respect, admiration and impact both Rene Hernández and Ray Santos have had on my musical life. Their arranging skills show careful study and the diligence I endeavor to carry over into my own arrangements. It is the platform from which I rarely move, where the historical integrity of the Cuban structures are preserved and expounded upon – that is the excitement that drives my creative process. The music also embodies the contributions and arranging talent of Jose Madera – I truly believe he is an inspiration to the next generation of arrangers.
As for the musicians…I am surrounded by Chiefs, each a master of their own instrument. I am incredibly grateful to all the musicians that are on this recording and of course, the special guests, Mr. Carlos Santana, Mr. Gilberto Santa Rosa and La Voz del Caribe, Herman Olivera.'