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Si*Se
10-year Anniversary Show
Blending sultry vocal melodies and electronic textures, with dub and understated hip hop beats, Si*Sé’s music weaves an emotional tapestry of eclectic soul for the post digital era.
Singer/DJ Carol C’s voice evokes a sophisticated sensuality, singing in English and Spanish over producer Cliff (U.F.Low) Cristofaro’s post-trip-hop grooves. The band includes drummer Ryan Farley, bassist Morgan Phillips, percussionist Neil Ochoa and violinist Nicole Arena.
David Byrne fell for Si*Sé in 2000, signing the New York City crew to his Luaka Bop label, releasing its self-titled debut in 2001 and taking the band along on his Look Into the Eyeball world tour.
The group released its 2005 sophomore effort More Shine on Fuerte/Universal. Si*Sé has shared the stage with Gotan Project, Norah Jones, Soulive, Arcade Fire, Kraftwerk, The Roots and James Brown. The group’s music has been featured on TV shows Sex in the City, Nip/Tuck, One Tree Hill, Six Feet Under, Project Runway, Lipstick Jungle, CSI, MTV’s Road Rules, and in various commercials.
Si*Sé enters the new decade with their independently-produced third release, Gold. This five-song EP is mastered by Bob Power whose repertoire includes artists Erykah Badu, Citizen Cope, A Tribe Called Quest and Chaka Khan. James ’Bonzai’ Caruso who produced Mary J. Blige and Damien Marley returns as the mixing engineer.
Featuring a smoothed-out, electro-dancehall-tinged cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain, the horn-inflected sultry This Love, the funky Buscaré and Goes On, and bittersweet Dondé Está?, the song set captures the band’s ever-evolving sound in full swing.
’It all comes naturally for me,’ Carol says of their diverse sound. ’It would probably feel weird and unnatural if we decided to stick to one genre or style. I grew up listening to Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Donna Summer, Julio Iglesias, Blondie, Depeche Mode and The Police.
Through steady funk and disco basslines, driving beats, accented urban rhythms, melodic hues and tinges of dub reggae, the secret to Si*Sé’s appeal lies in its ability to erase stylistic divides, fusing disparate elements into an organic, mellifluous sound.
Which makes covering Fleetwood Mac a natural choice. ’They never fit into one genre - pop, rock or country,’ Carol says. ’As a kid I was really drawn to Stevie Nicks. She evoked a magical and mysterious persona that mesmerized me.’ Cliff adds, ’For our cover of The Chain, we didn’t just want to replicate the original. We wanted to add a gritty modern feel, incorporating electro, dub and even rock all into one. When I’m creating a track I usually let my mind run free, never limiting myself by genre’.
From the Motown-inspired opener This Love to Buscaré’s ’search for happiness’ and Dónde Está’s open-ended question, where is the love? The theme that runs throughout Si*Sé’s songs is about sifting through the layers and arriving at what’s precious. In these five songs, what you’ll find is pure Gold.
Navegante
NAVEGANTE is fronted by Puerto Rican/Peruvian vocalist/composer/guitarist/cuatrista; Jean Shepherd, who’s song ’La Raíz’ is covered by Carlos Santana as ’El Fuego’ on the 2nd track of his platinum album ’All That I Am.’ This is Jean’s first band following five years of leading the groundbreaking group Radio Mundial- including 8 widely successful tours throughout Europe, two in Asia, and three in the United States. Washington Alcebo Duke, one of New York’s premier drummers, adds his expertise of fusing funk, afrobeat, and latin rhythms with gritty-dubbed out electronic beats. Guillo Colon of the group Yerbabuena was the final addition to the group holding down the bass and synthesizers.
NAVEGANTE has been playing its electro Latin funk on stages in and around New York, quickly building a loyal following of devoted fans. With its genre bending sound, NAVEGANTE has blurred the lines between latin, funk, house, rock and hip hop music. Creating a new, dance floor-bangin’, body rocking sound that is catching on like a wild fire. NAVEGANTE melds the rhythm of the Latin world with the streets and beats of Brooklyn, producing a new harmony that’s universal in spirit and sound, yet uniquely original in style and substance.
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