A.J. HOLMES@GOLDMUND FESTIVAL SATURDAY profile picture

A.J. HOLMES@GOLDMUND FESTIVAL SATURDAY

A.J.Holmes is The King Of The New Electric Hi-Life

About Me

************************************************************ ***************A.J. Holmes is the king of the new electric hi-life ...any objections??? ************************************************************ *************** and is the artist formerly know as Vanishing Breed also as a fonding member of they came from the stars i saw them ************************************************************ *************** The New Electric Hi-Life is Holmes’s unique blend of West African Hi-life music and Electronic Pop. ************************************************************ ***************The phase 'Hi-Life' is from ‘Highlife’ a musical genre that originated in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria starting in the 1920's and is a hybrid of African and European music styles. ************************************************************ ***************March 6th 2007 saw the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence from Britain. It seems very apt that 2007 was the year that The King of the New Electric Hi-Life was released; it is a perfect contemporary example of the West African influence in Britain today. ************************************************************ *************** ************************************************************ ***************The story of the New Electric Hi-Life: African musician and teacher Folo Graff emigrated from Free town, Sierra Leone, West Africa to the birth place of A.J. Holmes (the East End of London) in 1976. In 1999 they became neighbours and a year later Folo Graff started to teach Alexander Holmes Palm Wine Hi–life guitar music. ************************************************************ ***************Mixing this with his background in English electric pop Holmes records an E.P. entitled 'The Seasons' released by Static Caravan in 2002 under the artist name Vanishing Breed . ************************************************************ *************** ************************************************************ ***************The same year between London and Berlin he recorded the album 'Between arrive and departure' ("album of the year":Die Zweit) and was released by Pingipung Nov 2005. ************************************************************ ***************The King Of The New Electric Hi-Life was released August 20th 2007 on Pingiung and is co produced by Sculpture and Anne Laplantine . ************************************************************ *************** ************************************************************ ***************Connected projects: ************************************************************ *************** Holmes plays guitar in Les Beaux Gosses de Berlin (the good looking boys of Berlin) a Berlin based 20 piece Congolese Rumba band. ************************************************************ *************** ************************************************************ ***************1st Single out on Our House Sevens Summer 2008, and here's just a little taster of what's happening in a basment in an Afro shop in Wedding, Berlin! Germany!!!! every Wednesday and Sunday night. ENJOY! ************************************************************ *************** ************************************************************ *************** Also with partner Nilgün Serbest Holmes is Slammer Booster the 'Afro-files' DJ/VJ/performance team. ************************************************************ *************** ************************************************************ ***************Holmes was also one of the founder members of the infamous London band they came from the stars i saw them "Probably the UK's most pretentious group: Flux). Our long lost L.P. 'they came for the star i saw them Vs Reality' was released 2007...finally!!!!!!!! On Onomatopoeia , so cheers for that Nick;) Below is our 1st pop video.****************************************************** *********************
Online Videos by Veoh.com**************************************************** ***********************I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 3/25/2007
Band Website: pingipung.de
Band Members: Alexander John Holmes...with the help of my beautiful friends:Folo Graff, Dan Hayhurst aka Sculpture, Anne Laplantine, Robert Truscott, Naomi Colvin, Horton Jupiter, Virginie Varlet, João Orecchia, Man Cascade, Jeff Tarlton, Shintaro Taketani, Vanishing Breed, also special thanks to my beautiful stylist Nilgün Serbest xxxx ************************************************************ ************** FOR BOOKINGS AND ENQUIRIES:ALEX: [email protected] ************************************************************ ************** TO PUT A.J. HOLMES AS A TOP FREIND USE: [email protected] CHEERS! ************************************************************ *****************************New Album Out Now on Pingipung Records********************* ********************40 in Spex top 50 albums of 2007************************** ************************************************************ ************** "Africa and Europe meet again but with such an original freshness; my tip for album of the year": DE:BUG (multipara) ************************************************************ ************** "A.J. Holmes has managed a somewhat visionary merging of palm wine guitar stylings, Berlin tourist travelogue, and Franz Fanon deconstruction." : EX BERLINER ************************************************************ ************** "Perfect timing!": INTRO ************************************************************ ************** "Effectively uplifting": DIE ZEIT ************************************************************ ************** "A breath taking beauty!": MARTIN PETERSDORF************************************************** ************************ ************************************************************ **************

Influences: Adam and the Ants, Imagination, Folo Graff, S.E.Rogie, Emile Ogoo, Super Combo, Tabansi Records, Mahotella Queens, Queen (Feddie Mercury; the Queen of Pop), HM Queen of England, Ludwig zwei King of Bavaria, Franco (the king of Rumba), Pulp, Jarvis Cocker, Dünyayi Kurtaran Adam (Turkish Star Wars), They Came From The Stars I Saw Them, Anne Laplantine, Les Beaux Gosses de Berlin, The Heart of Darkness:Joseph Conrad, Tony Conrad (more his films then his music...sorry Tony!), Arthur Russell, Suicide, Martin Rev, Martin Creed, VA6, Add N Too X, The Incredible String Band, Love, Soft Cell, Human League, Vince Clark, Grandmaster Flash, Africa Bambata and the soulsonic force/Zulu Nation, Run DMC, The Massive Crew, Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, Orhan Gencebay, The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Flying Lizards, Led Zepplin, Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Leon Thomas, Leon Marks (18 Kingsland Rd), Leon Muraglia & klub Kosmischa, London Clubs: Dungeons ("I remember Acid House like it was only yesterday!") Smashing, Harder Loader Faster, Pig lingo, We Are Electric, Berlin club: Lumumba, Lord Kitchener (the king of Calypso), Honest Johns 'London is the place for me' compilations, The Smiths, The La's, The Stone Roses, Durutti Column, Stereo Lab, Joe Meek, Serge Gainsbourg, Scott Walker, Leonard Cohen, Roxy Music, Sparks, The White Sport, Gilbert and George, Klaus Nomi, Momus, Minty, Leigh Bowery, The Offset, The Paper People, Demon, Go Kart Mozart, La Grand Kelle, Zaiko Langa Langa, Fela Kuti, Michael Jackson, Prince, OutKast, Tarkan, Crazy Titch, Wiley (the king of Grime), The Roll Deep Crew, (actually most of the Grime scene), Smiley Culture (the cockney translator), The Congos, Lee Scratch Perry, Terry Reily, Steve Reich, Neu, Cluster, Harmonia, Kraftwerk ...some body stop me...the list could go on endlessly, but I need to go to bed now!
Sounds Like: A Europeans idea of African music, something like Vandike Parks 'Discover America' but with Highlife instead of Calypso...more like 'Discover Hackney East London!'
Record Label: pingipung
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Taz Tropical London article by Uh-Young Kim

Here is an article on the Tropical London scene which was in the German news papper Taz recently. It includes A.J. Holmes, Radioclit, Esau Mwamwaya, M.I.A., Soul Jazz, Honest Jons...etc!And below is a...
Posted by A.J. HOLMES@GOLDMUND FESTIVAL SATURDAY on Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:05:00 PST

London: African Parties every week ...Bring it on!

Well the New African scene is moving forward fast in London. Here's two club that are regular to check out.Every Friday there is Manifesto, hosted by Todd Hart (the man behind the Dalton Oxfam blog): ...
Posted by A.J. HOLMES@GOLDMUND FESTIVAL SATURDAY on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:07:00 PST

interview on neue-probleme radio

http://neue-probleme.de
Posted by A.J. HOLMES@GOLDMUND FESTIVAL SATURDAY on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:37:00 PST

Press clips

De:Bug interveiw 2007 ARTIiCLE AND ENGLISH TRANSLATION: multipara In Alex J. Holmes' music, Africa and Europe meet - again. But with an original freshness, conveyed in such a natural way, that only a ...
Posted by A.J. HOLMES@GOLDMUND FESTIVAL SATURDAY on Sun, 06 Jan 2008 03:06:00 PST

Dalston Oxfam Shop blog

Yes someone's finally none it! A blog about my (and probably everybody living or has lived at some point in east London's) favorite charity shop: Dalston Oxfam, Kingsland Rd! http://dalstonoxfam...
Posted by A.J. HOLMES@GOLDMUND FESTIVAL SATURDAY on Mon, 21 Jan 2008 03:53:00 PST

die Zeit Muzik interview 2007

http://blog.zeit.de/tontraeger/2007/10/10/neukolln-sorge-dic h-nicht_550 ...
Posted by A.J. HOLMES@GOLDMUND FESTIVAL SATURDAY on Tue, 16 Oct 2007 03:54:00 PST

Turkish Star Wars

OK on the 30th anniversary of George Lucas's Stars War, maybe the most influential childhood film of the early 70's born British baby generation (and you know who you are;). 30 years later we are stil...
Posted by A.J. HOLMES@GOLDMUND FESTIVAL SATURDAY on Tue, 29 May 2007 09:50:00 PST

awesome tapes from africa

Hi I never felt the need to put anything in the blog sellection of myspace....until now! Today I got this link from Sculpture http://awesometapesfromafrica.blogspot.comAnd it is exactly what it says ...
Posted by A.J. HOLMES@GOLDMUND FESTIVAL SATURDAY on Tue, 29 May 2007 09:22:00 PST