Tropicafrica EP by Fradinho
Eclectic Beats Music release number 7 is Fradinho’s “Tropicafrica EP”, inspired by Ghana’s Highlife music.
On the A-side, Fradinho delivers two original Broken Beat tracks:
“Tropicafrica”, which also names the EP, is a journey into a slower syncopated Highlife guitar track, with a lovely progressive harmony and guitar picks.
“Highlife” has a more upbeat atmosphere, still with the Highlife guitars on a happy vibe and a faster beat structure.
On the B-side, there’s 2 distinct quality remixes:
Sun 793 delivers a journey into a darker, futuristic, yet contemplating sonic bruk experience, with lush keys contrasting with the overall deep feeling of their “Tropicafrica” remix.
Mr. Bird also remixes the track “Tropicafrica”, in a cross-genre fusion between house and broken beat, adding some vocal elements and brass, that results in this uplifting remix.
Fradinho bio
Fradinho (Rui Fradinho) is Lisbon born Portuguese, having lived in London for 12 years and returning to Portugal in 2020.
Rui's musical base stems from a diverse range of music: rock to pop, house to techno, through jazz, soul, funk, world music, hip hop, drum and bass and from breakbeat to his main passion and current music production focus, broken beat / bruk / nu jazz.
Rui runs his own record label, Eclectic Beats Music, with 6 vinyl releases, and has released remixes for artists like Sentinel793 (Universal Magnetic), Deborah Jordan (Futuristica Music), Str4ta (Colin Curtis Presents), David Borsu (Broadcite) amongst other artists and labels.
Highlights of his DJ career so far (other than his 6-year residency at Sociedade Anonima), are the Bicaense Cafe and Lux club in Lisbon.
Earlier in 2017, he did a stint on London’s Back2BackFM, playing at Dalston’s Club Makossa, the BBE Store in East London, closing the Chill Out Gardens stage in Portugal’s Boom Festival 2018, DJ’ed at Gilles Peterson’s first edition of We Out Here festival in 2019, played Lisb-On festival in 2022 and currently guests at Birmingham’s BrukUp broken beat night (having played there 5 times with Adam Rock, Laura Crossley, Bruk Boogie Kru, Marcia Carr & Kwai and Yoofee).
Sun 793 bio
Sun 793 is the combination of Bristol based artists Type Sun and Sentinel 793.
Both have a long history with a leaning towards a left of center foot flinging soul music of all delineators, this time, they have cooked up a 7-minute-deep stepper to focus your mind and shake your stress off.
Mr. Bird bio
Steven Bird, AKA Mr Bird, is a producer, musician, and DJ hailing from Newcastle upon Tyne in the U.K. For the past 15 years, he has called Lisbon, Portugal, his home, where he has been crafting his unique beats and sounds.
Under the Mr Bird name, he has built an impressive discography. His portfolio includes four full-length albums, numerous 12" records, digital releases, and remixes. Notably, his album 'Low-Fi Classics,' a collaborative effort with vocalist Greg Blackman, was released by BBE Music in 2014.
The album received widespread recognition, garnering support from renowned radio stations and DJs worldwide, including Craig Charles on his Funk and Soul Show. Tom Moulton and Ashley Beedle, legends in the industry, remixed tracks from the album, which were subsequently released on vinyl via the Ramrock Blue label.
Beyond his own projects, Mr Bird has remixed over 200 artists and bands, including The Herbaliser, Milton Gullie, Ghostchant, Daytoner, Karthala 72, Lee Fields, Dalindeo, Renegades of Jazz, Captain Planet, Savages, Odyssey, and many others.
With a rich musical background and an ever-growing body of work, Mr Bird continues to intrigue audiences worldwide with his distinctive sound, pushing boundaries and ruffling feathers.
Tracklist
| 1. | Tropicafrica | 4:52 |
| 2. | Highlife | 4:59 |
| 3. | Tropicafrica (Sun 793 Remix) | 7:00 |
| 4. | Tropicafrica (Mr Bird's Late Night Remix) | 4:50 |
Credits
Design by Rui Fradinho
Tracks A1 and A2 produced by Fradinho, mixed by Steven Bird.
Track B1 produced and mixed by Sentinel 793 and Typesun.
Track B2 produced and mixed by Steven Bird
All tracks mastered by Leon Atter a.k.a. Xtra Brux @ B.A.M. - Bespoke Audio Mastering
Vinyl pressed in Portugal @ Grama.PT
License
All rights reserved.
Fradinho started making electronic music in 2001, when he made his first ever original track – A Bright Future.
Devoted to all things Broken Beat / Nu Jazz, he's influenced by Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin, African, Brazilian and Global music on his productions.
Fradinho has released remixes on labels such as Lazy Robot Records, MJDC - Modern Jazz Dance Classics, Broadcite, Orrua Diskak and Ammonite.