Artists

Boozoo Bajou

The term 'Dust My Broom' is rooted in the blues music of Robert Johnson. In the figurative sense, among others, this term means to "make a clean sweep" and as such indicates the beginning of something new. It's an appropriate title for the second album by Boozoo Bajou, two Nuremberg based producers Peter Heider and Florian Seyberth who have joined the !K7 Records family after years of collaboration with German independent label Stereo Deluxe. It's also an appropriate term for a group that takes a huge amount of inspiration from the diverse musical landscape of the deep-south "Bayou" culture - from blues to country to soul.

Dust My Broom marks a fresh chapter in the sound of Boozoo Bajou. Their famous laidback sound has been extended into a broader territory that borrows from blues, jazz, reggae and soca rhythms. Meeting minds with our song-driven time, they've also included more songs. This new territory is deep, with wide, rejuvenating references that are multi-layered. Boozoo Bajou communicate different types of "roots" music and convey their intrinsic affinity to it. Blaxploitation style soul, deep blues, Southern folk, jazz and original R&B all combine with Boozoo Bajou dub to form a beautiful mosaic.

Dub's laid-back sound never limits Boozoo Bayou's pace. Manic dance floor burner "Killer", featuring UK based MC Top Cat (known for his work with Shy FX), incorporates racy jazz beats, reggae chants and calypso piano. In "Blast", a Latinesque, skanking instrumental, dub sound replaces percussionists and adds to the funk groove.

This new rhythmic path is coupled with an inclination to produce cohesive songs. "Keep Going" opens the album with the deep Southern voice of country legend Tony Joe White, cited repeatedly as one of Boozoo Bajou's main musical influences. The tone is set and firmly locates the album in an imaginary zone that recalls movies like Jim Jarmusch's famous Southern based film Down By Law.

Track two, "Take It Slow" features the voice of U-Brown, another roots legend, this time from Kingston, Jamaica. U-Brown is one of Jamaica's most renowned voices, he was MC at "King Tubby's Hometown Hi-Fi" sound system among others. On "Take It Slow" he mingles with Joe Dukie from New Zealand's Fat Freddy's Drop, one of the greatest soul reggae voices of the new millennium. "Take It Slow" perfectly illustrates the skills of Boozoo Bajou to create musical continuities between the past and the present.

For the track "Way Down", Boozoo Bajou engaged young blues singer Ben Weaver, who sings in an almost Tom Waits style about the ups and downs of the music business. Berlin based blues singer Wayne Martin, who already appeared on the Boozoo Bajou song "Camioux" (released in 2002), sings on "Moanin." Last but far from least "Treat Me", features the legendary soul crooner and voice of the infamous Foxy Brown film soundtrack, Willie Hutch.

These highly impressive guest vocalists contribute to the overall impact of Dust My Broom which despite the German conception has its roots firmly planted in the USA. Both White and Hutch were recorded in their native Tennessee and it's this TN feeling that sweeps through the album. Like taking a boat through the bayou, the Boozoo Bajou duo has created a captivating guide through exotic lands.

How could a German dub duo teach us something about American roots music? The answer is in the record. Dust My Broom will undoubtedly experience heavy rotation this summer and leave us with something to warm up with for the nearing fall and winter months.

http://www.myspace.com/boozoobajou
http://www.boozoobajou.com/