AFRICA HI-FI creators, SONIA H and RON TRENT are very pleased to be celebrating our 4 Year Anniversary at our original home, SONOTHEQUE. We are ecstatic to have our brother in Music, KING BRITT as our special guest DJ for the evening...along with AFRICA HI-FI's RESIDENT MASTER DJ RON TRENT collaborating an AFRICA HI-FI set everyone has been waiting to experience!

An added Live Performance by our talented friend, Siji will begin @ 11pm.

Special AHF Live Art Installation by KRISTA FRANKLIN-Artwork will be for sale.

http://www.kristafranklin.com
http://www.myspace.com/kristacfranklin

LIMITED COPIES of AFRICA HI-FI LIVE MIX CD featuring RON TRENT @ Sonotheque will be available for the evening.

Early arrival is suggested.

Doors open 9pm-2am.

$10 Cover

KING BRITT:

King Britt is a pioneer of all things soulful, rhythmically textured and melodically provocative. This Philadelphia native has found a way to escape the strictures of a single category of music by expressing his creations through deep house, hip-hop, broken beat, nu-jazz, funk and afro-tech. Whether it's film scoring for Hollywood, rocking a dancefloor in Tokyo or consulting for the leading urban lifestyle brands, there are no limits to what King Britt will do next.

King began his career in music as E-Culture, producing the underground hit 12-inch, "Tribal Confusion (Strictly Rhythm, 1990)". After touring Europe's dance clubs, King became DJ for the Grammy award winning Digable Planets in 1992. As the wax poet for Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Doodlebug and Ladybug, the band changed the face of modern hip-hop by fusing skat-style jazz with lyrical, deep and soulful vocal flow. While touring the globe with Digable, King continued to develop his love of the dance music culture and made numerous appearances in house music clubs all over the world, setting the stage for his planetary DJ career. He continues to deliver performances as a house, hip-hop, funk and even 80's DJ, to adoring fans the world over.

As a band leader and music director, King Britt heads up the Sylk130 collective. This ensemble, formed in 1994, weighs in with over a dozen top notch Philadelphia musicians and performers, including Ursula Rucker, Alma Horton, Doc Gibbs, Chuck Treece and Alison Crockette. The group has released two full length LPs, "When the Funk Hits the Fan (Ovum/Sony, 1998)" and "Re-Members Only (Six Degrees, 2001)." The band crafts an eclectic soul-ridden sound "that flows like a dope mix tape from a bygone era of Britt's own imagination," according to Gear magazine.

In the Fall of 2007, The Sylk130 collective brought back King's ten year Monday night residency at Philadelphia's legendary Sylk City venue. As producer and song-writer, King has released numerous full-length albums including the hip-hop odyssey "Adventures in Lo-Fi (BBE/Rapster Records 2002)," for the highly acclaimed BBE Records Beat Generation Series; "Cosmo Afrique (Karma Giraffe, 2003)," an LP of original Afro-Tech productions that features the vocal stylings of Soul II Soul's Wumni, Zap Mama and Diva Blue; "King Britt Presents Sister Gertrude Morgan(Ropeadope Records, 2005)," celebrating and reinterpreting the New Orleans gospel legend Sister Gertrude Morgan; and most recently "The Nova Dream Sequence (Compost, 2006)," a fusion of Kraftwerk-inspired techno and deep sexy house.

As a remix producer, King has flipped and funked everyone from Macy Gray and Tori Amos to Yoko Ono and Femi Kuti. His remix of breakthrough artist Josh One's "Contemplation (5.1 Entertainment)" was nominated for the Dancestar Remix of the Year award, alongside remixes by Danny Tenaglia and Basement Jaxx. Within the last year he has completed remixes for the likes of Curtis Mayfiled, The Ojays, Gamble and Huff, Ben Watt, Dizzie Gilespie, Everything but the Girl and Digable Planets. Several collections of his remixes and original productions have been released including, under his "Scuba" moniker, "Hidden Treasures (Om Records, 2002),"a two-disk greatest hits compilation "This Is...King Britt (V2 UK, 2005)" and the fourth installment of Franciois Kevorkian's Deep and Sexy compilation series (Wave Music, 2007).

In August 2007, King's first free jazz compilation, "King Britt Presents the Cosmic Lounge" will be released (!K7, 2007) As a composer and film music scorer, King Britt has created underscore and interpretations for the forthcoming blockbuster, Miami Vice (Universal Pictures, 2006), directed by Michael Mann, as well as the National Park Service's civil rights film, Never Lose Sight of Freedom (US Dept of Interior, 2006) and most recently for two Rolex television and film advertisements.

He is also CEO of Five Six Media, the music label and multimedia production house.
http://www.fivesixmedia.com
http://www.myspace.com/kingbritt

SIJI:

After a migratory existence; living in Baltimore, Lagos, London, New York and more recently San Francisco, British born Singer, songwriter and producer, Siji has emerged bearded and now based back in New York, and in contrast to his newly acquired American permanent residency, with his most African inspired record to date.

The album, 'ADESIJI', which features collaborations with noted DJ/Producer(s) King Britt and Rich Medina, is currently scheduled for release in September 2008. The experience of recording his sophomore album puts Siji on a more mature plane in terms of sound, with layers like a full rhythm and horn section recorded in Chicago and what Siji refers to as “more attention to the‘African’.” The overall sound of the record is still a mesmerizing 'fusion of soul,jazz, highlife, gospel and traditional African folk rhythms'. But, this album ventures deeper into the classical African,6/8, polyrhythmic groove. This is what defines the album and makes it stand apart.

The other character in this story is Gritty 'ol Charm City (or Harm City, as it is more affectionately known),Baltimore, which formed the backdrop for most of the album’s recording and gave Siji a 'proper glimpse into inner-city American life'. Locked away for months on end, Siji was able to tap into something only glimpsed on Television shows like ‘The Wire’. Completing the album and needing to change his environment, Siji sought the warmth of San Francisco and after a brief respite returned to the East Coast.

“Myself-titled sophomore album 'ADESIJI', is a full portrayal of where I currently stand as an artist and human being and the experiences that have come to shape my character. A few of the songs are about the current war, the environment, my yearning to take a closer peek at my ancestral homeland (Nigeria), where I grew up in as well as the spiritual” side of his roots, said Siji.

http://www.myspace.com/sijimusic
http://www.sijimusic.com/

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

SONOTHEQUE: JOE BRYL & Staff
AHF DESIGNERS: CODY HUDSON, ROB HAMILTON, ADAM GIBBONS, ROMAN DAVID, ARMON BAZILE.
AHF AID: FUAD AHMED, VIRGIL ABLOH, IRENA, HOSHIK, DELILAH AHF PROMO SUPPORT: THE SILVER ROOM, DUSTY GROOVE, GRAMAPHONE, TIME OUT CHICAGO, WBEZ, WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL, GENE SISKEL FILM CENTER, HOT HOUSE.

To all those who have performed or helped out in any way whatsoever, we do not have the room to mention you all but we want you to know how important you have been to us. We have not forgotten.
We are grateful to all those who appreciate our vision and hard work...Thank you for being a part of our AFRICA HI-FI Family. May we continue to grow together and always be GOOD to one another...in PEACE, LOVE and RESPECT.

Please Visit:
http://www.myspace.com/hifiafrica
http://www.myspace.com/egyptiansoul
http://www.myspace.com/rontrent
http://www.amnesty.org
http://www.nextaid.org