Music without Labels XXVII
Rhythm and blues revisited by Led Zeppelin
Ayax y Prok´s old-school rap
Innovation and roots by Figure Walking
Heavy metal III: Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin was a sequel to the British band The Yardbyrds, led by the highly esteemed guitarist Jimmy Page. He was accompanied by blues singer Robert Plant, bassist and arranger John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham.
In January 1969 they surprised with a homonym album. The album contained a good collection of their own songs and showed a brutal evolution of rhythm and blues, which the press described as heavy metal.
Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love (1969)
This is an adaptation by the entire band of a song composed by Willie Dixon that opens the album Led Zeppelin II. With its electric blues, power and lyrics it became rock history.
In large part, the responsible of Led Zeppelin’s success was Peter Grant, the representative that devised a strategy to conquer the North American market. Musically the band evolved, so Led Zeppelin III (1970) opened new paths where the acoustic and melodic had greater weight. Their fourth album, untitled (1971), was the group’s masterpiece, being Stairway to Heaven their most sensitive creation. Houses of the Holy (1973) and Physical Graffiti (1975) are stand out albums. The following works certify the ankylosing of the band and their sequels.
National: Ayax y Prok,
Ayax y Prok are a duo of twins from Granada, raised in the Albayzín neighbourhood, they have been writing rap for more than a decade. They gained great notoriety using the audio-visual format of digital platforms.
Their rap, of the purest old school style, is characterised by harsh yet poetic lyrics, usually charged with social criticism. They have strong live performances in which they give themselves completely to the public.
Ayax y Prok – De Graná a Maracay (2018)
This is a song with self-written lyrics on the beats of Dj Blasfem, who also produced it. It is an unpublished work in which they are accompanied by the renowned Venezuelan rapper Akapellah.
Ayax y Adrián Pedrosa were born in 1991 and since their childhood showed interest in poetry and drawing. After their separate start, they united their written experiences, began to compose together and thought about a group project. Since then they have not stopped growing and have gained respect while denouncing social injustices in their songs. In their tracks, by using a variety of metaphors and metrics, they tell about their experiences and suffering, the hardships of live and love.
International: Figure Walking
Figure Walking is an independent Canadian rock duo formed by Rob Gardiner on the drums and Greg MacPherson on baritone guitar, vocals and keys. Their debut album The Big Other (2017) was critically acclaimed.
They have an innovative sound but deeply rooted in the diversity of communities, cultures and ideologies that overflows in ancient colonial cities like Winnipeg. In their songs there is celebration, rebellion and hope.
Figure Walking - Blue World Remix (2019)
This is a remix of one of the songs from their album The Big Other. Here the producer Richard Hartline and the Philadelphia band Tulipomania come together to create a song of existential joy.
Figure Walking is a new project of the veteran singer and songwriter Greg MacPherson. With more than a dozen of albums on his back and having collaborated with big names from the independent scene in his country, he is a renowned musician that has been nominated in various occasions for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize of Canada. He is also a co-owner of the record label Disintegration Records where he has published his renowned works: Disintegration Blues (2011) and Fireball (2013).