A band from Düsseldorf with African-Caribbean influences
by UWE WITSCH
Why travel abroad? When it comes to African and Caribbean sounds, we have a lot of home-grown talent which can be seen and heard. The eight-piece Düsseldorf band I And I are now storming ahead with a cheeky mix of African pop, reggae, high life, funk and European pop. The name I And I should be seen programmatically. We are familiar with this term from the Rastafaris of Jamaican reggae musicians, where "I and I" stands for "we" - the community sees itself as a collection of individuals.
The first song recorded by the band in Düsseldorf's Wave Klang Studio is also programmatic:
"la musica es mi mundo" - music is my world. We really mean this (and not chumming up for the Eurovision Grand Prix). The song, which was recorded in one day after a short rehearsal period, has CD quality.
In the pre-studio production individual parts are already wonderfully separated (as I And I they form a whole). You can hear a clearly accentuated drum set and its fine whirls, a wonderfully scratchy guitar, also its soft rhythmic accompaniment, the bright trumpet tones and finally the firm voice of the singer, who seems to enjoy quite a lot of syllables.
The drummer Siliano Oduno is the driving force in two senses. In the last few years he has played in various bands. His experiences with the Gambise-Rockers among four African musicians, a truly lively troupe with reggae and high life, among others, were formative. His contact with African musicians has influenced his way of playing. Siliano Oduno himself sounds African.
In the last few years Oduno has been working towards creating a band based on his ideas. Suddenly it was time. Within six weeks he had his musicians together who could "give his home recording compositions the necessary soul and liveliness". The singer from Lima in Peru was a perfect match.
The band is made up of top musicians. You can get an idea of the quality of the diverse troop at Feuervögel, the masked ball in red on 14/02 in Tor 3 in Ronsdorfer Straße in Düsseldorf. This event is part of the annual Winter Festival of the Architecture Department of the Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences for Graphic Design and Architecture. Admission is at 19:30. Then a diverse show will begin. I And I will play from 22:30 and there will be another entrance fee then.
