Long-time dub explorer Mike Paprocki, known to his followers as Echopilot, takes us on a feverish journey into the heart of Africa with his powerful refresh of 1970’s dance music gleaned mostly from both the west and the east of the continent. On The Savanna Tempest Project we find our Victoria-based sonic aviator touching down in countries such as Mali, Kenya, and Nigeria to rework some incredibly melodic and propulsive sounds from the African era of funk, soukous, and highlife.
Paprocki deftly references and samples from a selection of high octane afro-dance jump-ups played in what sounds like the Swahili, Congolese, Zairian, and Cameroonian styles, with a touch of South African township jive thrown in for good measure. Featuring complex blistering melodies chopped and reassembled into an orgasmic head-rush of polyrhythms, Echopilot enriches the, by today’s standards, somewhat lo-fi recordings with phat subsonic pulsations intermingled with 'tweaky' electro voodoo and glitchy break wizardry, ultimately bringing new life to a host of already infectious compositions.
Echopilot possesses an incredible ear and a stunning sense of flavor and timing allowing him to propel these ten powerful and celebratory floor fillers into bouncy new millennium tribulations that sparkle with brass, percussion, and sizzle with beautiful vocals and scorching guitar workouts. Definitely my top choice party platter for these steamy days of summer.
Originally published in BC Musician Magazine
