I was talking to a friend today who is on a volunteer mission in Tanzania about her experience there so far and I haven’t been able to get “Warm Heart of Africa” out of my head all day. “Warm Heart of Africa” is the latest release from The Very Best, a collaboration between Malawi-via-London singer Esau Mwamwaya and British DJ/production duo Radioclit.
They first came on the scene late last year when they released their version of M.I.A’s “Paper Planes” entitled “Tengazako” (“Take What’s Yours” in Chichewa, the national language of Malawi). Since then, Mwamwaya raised his profile the fastest way you can in the music blogosphere: with covers, remixes, and collaborations. The buzz-worthy releases so far have included “Get It Up” featuring M.I.A. and Santogold, covers and remixes of Vampire Weekend, and “Kamphopo” which they built on top of an Architecture in Helsinki track.
A studio album is expected this year which you can pre-order now from Rough Trade, and there promise to be further collaborations with M.I.A. and Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, among others. The release will include the new record plus a copy of The Very Best’s dark horse mixtape from last winter, Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are The Very Best, which received praise from Pitchfork and Fader, among others. If you don’t want to buy vinyl, and you can’t wait until later this year for the full length, you can download the mixtape from their myspace page, or just click here, because we like to make your life better and easier here at ev2bk.
The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa (ft. Ezra Koenig):
One final thought: Could we be building up to a DJ Khaled v. The Very Best battle, in which it is decided, once and for all, who has a more legitimate right to claim “we the best“? If it comes down to it, we’re voting for TVB.
-Melissa
East Village to Brooklyn 