Magazine

Independent, provocative, now! The CJLO Magazine is the resource for features, reviews, and interviews. Established in 2004, and run by dedicated CJLO volunteers, the magazine covers the latest and best in local and international music, art, theatre, film, festivals, and more!


Brother Ali sits down with Omar from "Hooked on Sonics"

Minneapolis MC Brother Ali paid CJLO a visit on April 11, 2010 to record a session for Hooked on Sonics.  I got to sit down and talk with him about a range of subjects from his conversion to Islam, religion in general, culture, identity, and how far he goes to put himself out there personally in his music.

Audio for the interview is available below. Transcription courtesy of Brian H.


Smokey Robinson @ Place Des Arts

People think I’m crazy because I enjoy the solitary drive to and from Toronto.

Why on earth would ANYONE want to spend 5-6 hours isolated in a tiny automobile? For one thing, Tim Horton’s coffee tastes better when you’re in a Kingston rest-area surrounded by the Kingston regulars (Is it just me, or are they still stuck in the '90s?) I could be crazy… but using my sleeve to open doors in their truck stops is NOT the reason why I enjoy the drive.

Nor is it the scenery, or the cushier Ontario roads.
It’s all about the music in my car.


Hindi Zahra w/ Sokoun @ Le National


Setting: Super hot night outside, mega ice-box, jet cooled inside. What were they thinking? A nice fog formed at the entrance though...


Konono No. 1 @ Le National


Sasparilla
and Sassafrass (The Pan-African Hour)

Sasparilla: What a dope show!

Sassafrass: Yes it was dope (monotone).

Sasparilla: Konono No. 1 have a very distinctive sound. By amplifying thumb harps (known in Africa as mbiras) they can distort the timbre of the instruments, creating a hazy, piercing sound, totally unlike anything else I have heard from Africa.


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