Each week, World in Stereo examines classic and modern world music while striving for a greater appreciation of other cultures.
Aurelio: Laru Beya (Next Ambiance / Sub Pop, 1/18/11)
Aurelio: “Laru Beya”
[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/02-Laru-Beya.mp3|titles=Auarelio: “Laru Beya”]Bringing the Garifuna sound to a global audience, Aurelio Martinez’s sophomore record, Laru Beya, is the second release from the Afro-centric label Next Ambiance, the latest imprint of Sub Pop Records. After his close friend, Andy Palacio, passed away a year after the release of his acclaimed 2007 record, Wátina, Aurelio has become the new face of Garifuna music and culture.
A culture of intense generational assimilation that began during the slave trade when escaped African slaves inter-married the Caribbean Indian people of St. Vincent Island, the hybrid group was then deported by British colonizers to the coasts of Central America by the late 18th Century. As a descendant of those forces, Garfunia’s musical legacy is marked by African, Caribbean, Indian, and Latin influences. It’s a wealthy foundation on which Aurelio builds — a rhythmically powerful record accompanied by an astonishing sense of identity and place.