Diaphra, Alexandre Francisco - Diaphras Blackbook Of The Beats (LP)

Alexandre Francisco Diaphra ist ein vielseitiger Künstler aus Guinea-Bissau, der Lissabon lebt und dem einen anderen von seinen Shows auf dem Fusion-Festival oder WOMEX bekannt sein dürfte. Er ist Rapper, Poet, Edutainer & Beatmaker, der seine auf Improvisation beruhende Musik mischt mit Psychedelic, Black Music, und Afro-Beat-Einflüssen mischt. Er mag ungeschliffene Beats ebenso wie Experimentellen Jazz, alles unter dem Banner eines modernen und urbanen Styles.

Diaphra's Blackbook Of The Beats is following the idea of building instrumental bases on the outside environment wherever Diaphra feels inspired. A backpack, some vinyl records, a portable turntable and a sampler for self deconstruction / recreation from which resulted this (mainly) instrumental album and which is documented in form of musical videos in the dvd. The particulary of this project resides in the non-quantized beats over which the enlightening poetry is spoken, rapped and chanted in portuguese, where trial and error take part of the compositions which are enhanced with the use of instruments played by invited musicians and sometimes by Diaphra himself. Add to this various carefully handcrafted editions - including a silkscreened reproduction of the real Diaphra's Black Book Of The Beats - and you get the kind of artifact we love to bump into.