SEPTEMBER 23, 2008
Thievery Corporation Release Radio Relatiation
Fifth studio album features new collaborations with Seu Jorge, Anoushka Shankar and Chuck Brown.
Thievery Corporation released their 5th studio album, Radio Retaliation, today on on ESL Music. Thievery Corporation, comprised of the highly regarded DJ and production duo Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, are best known for fusing a vast array of cultural influences in their music. This record takes their trademark "outernational" aesthetic to the next level with inspiration from sounds from Jamaica, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
The album was recorded in the band's hometown of Washington, DC and the vibe is decidedly political which is no surprise given the high profile presidential campaign happening this year.
"Radio Retaliation is definitely a more overt political statement," says Garza. "There's no excuse for not speaking out at this point, with the suspension of habeas corpus, outsourced torture, illegal wars of aggression, fuel, food, and economic crises. It's hard to close your eyes and sleep while the world is burning around you. If you are an artist, this is the most essential time to speak up."
"Apart from a few independent bastions, there is no musical or informational freedom on the US airwaves anymore. They've been bought up, consolidated and homogenized. Radio Retaliation is about an exodus of conscious people who are willing to acknowledge something is wrong with the 'official version' in news and culture," explains Hilton.
With Radio Retaliation Thievery Corporation raise the bar with a new cast of musical collaborators including; Nigeria's afro-beat heir Femi Kuti, Brazilian star vocalist and guitarist Seu Jorge, Indian sitar virtuoso Anushka Shankar, Slovakian chanteuse and violinist Jana Andevska, and Washington DC's own go-go originator Chuck Brown. Also returning are long time co-conspirators Sleepy Wonder, LouLou, Notch, Zee, and Verny Varela.
Thievery Corporation will also team with Facebook and iLike for their first major music promotion to showcase Radio Retaliation on their community of web sites. The campaign starts a few days prior to the album release. INgrooves is managing all digital distribution and marketing efforts to online and mobile channels worldwide.
The band take their show on the road with an impressive 15 member live band for select dates in the U.S. and Europe this fall and will also hit the festival circuit in the spring and summer of '09. Announced dates include: October 10 & 11 in Greece, 10/16 in Romania, 10/24 in Houston, 10/25 at the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans, and 10/26 in Dallas.