Remix Contest: ‘Love’ by Les Amazones d’Afrique

West African musical collective Les Amazones d’Afrique invite you to remix their recent single ‘Love’, taken from the new album Amazones Power.

The band hope to inspire creativity during this time of social isolation by sharing the mix stems for the song, which blends soulful Malian vocals and grooves with the unmistakable Congrotronix sound of producer Liam Farrell (a.k.a. Doctor L), and are challenging you to create something new and unique.

The official video for Love, featuring Mamani Keïta

Participants are invited to submit their work as part of a remix contest hosted by Real World Records in association with Universal Audio, who have provided a package of prizes for the best tracks. The winning tracks will be chosen by a panel which includes producers Jacknife Lee (U2, The Killers, Snow Patrol), Che Pope (Kanye West, Lauryn Hill) and the engineers of Peter Gabriel’s world-renowned Real World Studios.

The brief

Just as producer Liam Farrell did with the original session recordings, we encourage you to take the song to new and unexpected places. The mix pack includes stems from the initial recording session in Paris, elements of Doctor L’s production, as well as a new Malian funk guitar part by Sountoucoumba “Salif” Koné, a member of Les Amazones d’Afrique’s live band. The only rule to follow with this contest is to be daring in your approach to the track. Whilst there is plenty of heritage in the music of Les Amazones d’Afrique, the band have always sought to steer their music into fresh new territories, blending pan-African styles and collaborative harmonies with gritty, contemporary pop influences. We hope to see this same attitude reflected in the remixes we receive.

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Les Amazones d’Afrique (Niariu, Fafa Ruffino, Kandy Guira & Mamani Keita). Photo credit: Jean-Baptiste Millot for Qobuz.

About Les Amazones d’Afrique

Les Amazones d’Afrique were formed in Bamako, Mali, in 2014 by three renowned Malian music stars and social change activists, Mamani Keïta, Oumou Sangaré and Mariam Doumbia, and the collective has since expanded to involve many female artists from across Africa and the diaspora.

Their debut album, République Amazone, was one of The Guardian’s Best Albums of 2017, and Barack Obama included one of the tracks in his 20 favourite songs of that same year. The follow-up album, Amazones Power, features a total of 18 different voices, and was described by Q Magazine as ‘a rousing and defiantly modern revolution in sound’, whilst MOJO said it was ‘a bridge between traditional griot funk, western clubland and conscious African hip-hop.’

Mamani Keïta of Les Amazones d'Afrique, lead vocalist on the track 'Love', and producer Liam Farrell a.k.a. Doctor L.

The Track

Centred around the infectious Bambara vocal line ‘Bi ta té tolon ba yé’ (meaning ‘today is no celebration’), ‘Love’ is a richly melodic song carrying strong and powerful message. The lyrics call for women to stand together and fight against injustice. Les Amazones d’Afrique deliver their message with attitude and fiery determination, something they always strive to reflect in the music they create. The track tempo is 82 BPM, and the key signature is Gb Major.

The Prizes

We are delighted to offer prizes for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place in this contest. Prizes have been generously provided by Universal Audio, and they will be: Universal Audio Apollo x8 (1^st), Apollo x4 (2^nd), Apollo Twin X QUAD (3^rd), along with a copy of Les Amazones d’Afrique’s album on double coloured vinyl and a selection of Real World and Universal Audio merchandise for each finalist. In addition, the winning remix will be considered for release as a digital single by Real World Records.

UA Apollo audio interfaces are the world’s most acclaimed professional recording interfaces for Mac and Windows — giving project and commercial studios superior A/D and D/A conversion with the tone, feel, and real-time workflow of classic analog recording. Thunderbolt Apollo interfaces come with the all-new LUNA Recording System application and a number of UA plug-ins (Realtime Analog Classics).

Amazones Power

Les Amazones d’Afrique

Buy now at the Real World store

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The Judges

Jacknife Lee

As an Irish musician, remixer, producer, and engineer, Jacknife Lee sees the art and science of music production from every angle. His intuition for what sounds right has led him to work with legendary rock bands such as U2 and R.E.M., as well as beloved indie acts including The Killers, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, and Crystal Castles.

Che Pope

Che Pope, also known by Che Vicious and Che Guevara, is a Grammy award-winning American hip-hop producer from Boston, MA. He has worked on Kanye West’s groundbreaking Yeezus and Life of Pablo records; Lauryn Hill’s Grammy-winning The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; Wyclef Jean’s The Carnival; and songs by Ol’ Dirty Bastard, 50-Cent, Aretha Franklin, and more.

Real World Studios Engineers

Real World Studios is one of the most celebrated recording studios in the world. Founded by Peter Gabriel, it boasts a client list that includes Beyoncé, Kanye West, Jay Z, Harry Styles and Alicia Keys —to name just a few. Some of Real World’s engineers (Oli Jacobs, Tim Oliver, Oli Middleton and Katie May) will be listening intently to the sonic intricacies, tonal balances and creative use of effects in the entries.

How to enter

Please read carefully the terms and conditions and End User Licence Agreement below. You will be asked to agree to these in the process of entering the contest and receiving the remix stems.

Enter the remix contest

When you have completed your remix(es), submit them to us by uploading to our Disco inbox before 6pm BST on Wednesday 20th May 2020.

Submit your remix

For technical support, please contact remix@realworld.co.uk.

Okay: that’s all the information you need. Have fun, and look out for more Real World remix contests in the future.

Remix Contest Terms and Conditions

This contest runs from Wednesday 22nd April 2020 until Wednesday 20th May 2020 at 6pm BST. No entries will be accepted as eligible after this closing date.
If you are under the age of eighteen (18) you must obtain permission from your parent or guardian before you enter this contest.
More than one remix per entrant is allowed, however we encourage you to submit your strongest work only (one great remix will have more impact).
The contest prizes are as follows: Universal Audio Apollo x8 (1st prize), Apollo x4 (2nd place), Apollo Twin X QUAD.
The winner will be selected by a listening panel made up of Real World Studios engineers, and producers Jacknife Lee and Che Pope, who will have a short list drawn from the top 12 mixes as selected by a listening team at Real World Records. Only the winners will be contacted personally by email.
The prize must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred. There will be no cash alternative.
Real World does not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries. Real World shall not be held responsible for any inability to submit entries as a result of computer service, systems and or server failure, error, interruption, defect or delay or any other technical malfunction. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.
Entrants acknowledge that the copyright in all stems and compositions remain the property of Real World Records Ltd., its Licensors (3D Family) and/or the relevant music publishers (3D Family/ RFI) at all times
Entrants must supply full details as required, and comply with all rules to be eligible for prize(s). No responsibility is accepted for ineligible entries or entries made fraudulently. Deeming an entry void is at Real World’s absolute discretion.
This contest is not open to employees or contractors of Real World or Universal Audio, any person directly or indirectly involved with Real World or the running of the contest, or their direct family members.
Real World’s decision is final and binding in every situation including any not covered in these rules and no correspondence will be entered into.
Real World reserves the right to cancel or change this contest at any stage, if deemed necessary in Real World’s opinion.
Results will be announced on the Real World Records website
Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to agree to be bound by them and the site Terms and Conditions when entering this contest.
This contest and the rules of the contest are governed by the laws of England and Wales. This contest is void where prohibited by local law.

End User Licence Agreement

These Terms and Conditions are supplemental to our general Terms and Conditions for website use. You can also read our Privacy Policy for details on how we will use your data.

Offer to registered members of the site the right to use the works on the site for the following purposes.

You can (for your own personal purposes):

Remix the audio available in the Sample Packs
Sample the audio available in the Sample Packs
Mix the audio available in the Sample Packs
Incorporate the audio available in the Sample Packs into your own material for personal use
Upload your work as an entry to this remix contest

Restrictions

You may not:

Release for broadcast
Publish to the general public, except through the Real World Records remix contest
Sell or give the Sample Pack(s) or part(s) of it to anyone else
Release for sale in any format (No commercial use)
Use for advertising
Use for Film / TV or any other media
Infringe anyone’s copyright in making your mix
Use defamatory or illegal material in your mix

IMPORTANT:

This sample pack end user licence agreement (“EULA”) is a legal agreement between you and Real World Records Ltd. Read it carefully before downloading and using the sample pack. This agreement grants you a licence to use the sample pack and contains warranty information and liability disclaimers. By downloading and using the sample pack, you are confirming your acceptance of the terms of this agreement.

Effective date: As per date agreed to.

These master recordings and composition(s) made available on this site hereafter referred to as the Sample Pack(s) remain the property and copyright of Real World Records Ltd., its Licensors (3D Family) and/or the relevant music publishers (3AD/ RFI) at all times.
Real World Records Ltd., 3D Family, and RFI grant a non-commercial, non-exclusive licence ONLY for personal use of these Sample Packs.
You may download them and use them for personal entertainment and enjoyment. Your re-mixes/creations shall be termed Derivative Works for the purposes of this agreement. The copyright in these Derivative Works shall remain the copyright of Real World Records Ltd., its Licensors (3D Family) and/or the relevant music publishers (3AD/ RFI) at all times.
No rights are granted to make the Sample Packs or the proceeds of the Sample Packs available to the general public either for general use or for commercial purposes.
You hereby warrant that you will not make the Derivative Works available to the public without a valid licence from Real World Records SAVE FOR uploading your remixes to the remix contest which is permitted under the terms of this licence.
You acknowledge that Real World shall not be obligated to grant you permission or a licence.
You hereby agree to accept the decisions of Real World and in the event that an agreement cannot be reached or permission is denied that you will not make the work available to the public.
You agree to indemnify Real World against any third-party costs paid by Real World pursuant to a third party claim which arises as a direct result of a breach by you of the foregoing warranties or representations.
Subject only to rights herein above granted to you, all rights of every kind and nature in said Sample Pack(s) are reserved to Real World together with all rights of use thereof.
You warrant that you will not make any defamatory use of the Sample Pack(s).
You warrant that you will not infringe anyone’s Intellectual Property Rights in creating your mix.
You warrant that you have contractual capacity and are not precluded from entering into this agreement.
Real World and/or its affiliates, agents or Licensees shall be entitled to distribute the Derivative Works for non-commercial purposes in any format whether now known or hereafter invented throughout the world in perpetuity.
In the event that the Real World Records at their discretion wish to commercially exploit the Derivative Work then you hereby agree to enter into good faith negotiations with Real World Records.
Nothing herein shall constitute or be deemed to constitute a partnership or co-authorship or co-ownership between you and any of the copyright holders either in and/or to the master rights or the publisher’s/composer’s rights.
We may from time to time vary any of these Terms and Conditions for any valid reason. We will notify members of any variation in writing by placing a notice on the website 7 days prior to the variation being effective.
By downloading and using the Sample Packs you hereby accept the terms of this agreement.
This agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of England, the courts of which shall be courts of competent jurisdiction.
We reserve the right to refuse or remove mixes, files, comments, content of any kind without reference to yourself.

Featured Release

Amazones Power

Les Amazones d’Afrique

Released 24 January 2020

A creative force that embraces international voices; sweet, strong harmonies that summon the rights of women and girls; a meltdown of heritage and new gen talent… Les Amazones d’Afrique are back with Amazones Power, the sequel to their widely acclaimed 2017 debut album, République Amazone.

By Oran Mullan

Main image: four of the members of Les Amazones d'Afrique (L-R: Fafa Ruffino, Mamani Keïta, Niariu and Kandy Guira). Photo credit: Karen Paulina Biswell.

Published on Tue, 21 April 20