#Frique Head Blues

[burlveneer-music]

Peter Hope & David Harrow - Frique Head Blues - a fruitful collaboration still going strong after 35 years

When Hope + Harrow first released their SUFFERHEAD EP back in 1985 it was Fela Kuti's 'Original Sufferhead' that inspired the title. Back then, in Thatcher's Britain, protest songs were very much in the fore as privatisation of the country's industry and infrastructure cut deep into the working classes and pitted them, head to head, against each other & the government. Over in Nigeria Fela was the real deal when it came to speaking out against state/military authority and corruption and, as such, was an inspiration, made all the more potent through the infectious rhythms and melodies. For David Harrow this was the catalyst for a life long love affair with African music and instrumentation. There is no greater exponent of struggle in the human condition than the blues. It deals in absolute and undeniable truths, beautiful in its imperfection, it is a direct transmission of the spirit. Listen to the field hollers of the American south or the early recordings of folk blues from the Mississippi Delta and you are hearing the very source of all modern Western music, albeit through its own roots threading back, once more, to Africa. This is the sound that first infected Peter Hope as far back as 1965, from the spark of Howlin' Wolf's 'Little Red Rooster' performed by The Rolling Stones on Ready Steady Go! So here they are, raw & simple Ethno-Électronique-Blues. It wasn't planned or preconceived & is neither purist or artificial but was created by simply doing what we do, unhindered by external filters or second guessing. Although we're sure there's a label out there who'd love to do a physical release we haven't found it yet. We'd intended on doing a limited hand-made CDR package but the viral lockdown of Interzone has put a gag on that too, so, for now, grab the FREE DOWNLOAD, sing and dance, press repeat and, if possible, SHARE the infection. Above all "Keep the good vodou in your heart" D. Harrow - All Instrumentation P. Hope - Vocals Collage Image (front) - D.M. Nagu (d-m-nagu.de)