When you think of West African music, you likely hear complex, lively guitar runs and bubbling percussion. But when Burkina Electric plays, you can add electronic beats and sounds to that mix, too.
The group -- which bills itself as the first electronica band to come out of Burkina Faso (how hard can that be?!) -- performs with Present Music on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Historic Turner Hall. Also performing at the show are Lukas Ligeti -- who plays with Burkina Electric -- and Caroline Mallonée, a member of North Carolina's Pulse Optional.
Burkina Electric is something of an international phenomenon, however, not just a West African one, with German "electronicist" Pyrolater and New York-based percussionist Lukas Ligeti on board. The group creates an electrifying and eclectic sound by blending ancient West African rhythms, with contemporary Afropop and modern electronica and dance sounds.
Burkina Electric will perform the entire second half of the evening's program and is bringing along dancers that bridge traditional and modern movement.
"I don't want this concert to be only based on the quiet listening experience," says Present Music artistic director Kevin Stalheim. "I want this concert to get people up out of their seats and dancing."
Additionally, Present Music Ensemble will play Ligeti's string quartet, "Moving Houses," a piece commissioned by the Kronos Quartet.
The ensemble will also perform "Reaction" by Mallonée, who made a splash here with Present Music during the 2009-08 season with her composition performed on beer bottles.
Radio Milwaukee 88Nine's Adam Carr moderates a meet-the-composer pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m.
Tickets for the event are $10, $20 and $30 and student tickets are half price. -- Bobby Tanzilo
In the past couple of years, Dr. Dog has earned the "psychedelic rock" label from critics and fans, but, personally, I find the tag confusing. The band certainly isn't the next Pink Floyd, but it does sound as though it could have been born in that same '60s era.
The difference is, Dr. Dog is much better suited to comparisons with The Band than anything overly trippy. It's got pop sensibilities and pristine harmonies and, at time, a folksy-jammy thing going on. If my descriptions are too much, you might want to check Dr. Dog out for yourself. The band plays a $10-buck show at Turner Hall Ballroom on Thursday, Feb. 4. The Growlers open the 7 p.m. gig. -- Julie Lawrence