Tag: Ruach

RuAch Review by: Vents Magazine

On By vonj productionIn album reviews2 Comments

Peace & blessings people, We are now on the road towards performing the music off the album project RuAch Live!, Which we are all very much looking forward to doing!.

Like I have mentioned here in the past there’s nothing that can beat a good live performance, Records can sound good on CD & there’s an art to creating a good sound in the studio, But a group needs to be able to deliver a performance sounding just as good if not better than the record, & this is what we have been working on. The team is in place & things are looking great!. We have a pleasant surprise for ya’ll coming soon!

Meantime I would like to thank Larry Toering from Vents Magazine for his review of our album which you can read bellow, & also we thank you the people for your support!, As this enables us to build towards doing greater things in the future.

Love & Unity family

Vonj

http://ventsmagazine.com/2017/05/12/cd-review-ruach-vonj/

“If music is from the heart then it will carry no impurity, this would mean that music can’t be misused to fulfil any self-threatening intention, as the heart will never contradict itself, Negative intention surely arises from the delusions of one’s thoughts for it is only in one’s ‘knowing’ that springs truth.” -VonJ

There is a truth to spirit and a spirit to truth, and that is what you take away from Ruach, the latest CD from VonJ. It kicks off with “Out Of The Mire” which has a cool tribal beat fade-intro. Once it cooks up you know it’s on. The guitar starts to boil along with it and you feel like you’re listening to either Santana in the late 60s, or the equivalent. But there are some harmonics applied that bring it into the twenty first century before some further bombast brings some vocals into it, and everything dies down into some sweet acoustic notes before it’s over.

It is a pretty awesome opener to get you going, but it doesn’t stop there with this dynamic multi-instrumental wizard. “Skin Deep” proves to rock hard as well, with even more soul because the vocals step right up and impress. And this one features killer guitar and bass solos. These guys have some serious cops that must be further explored. It is a fantastic unison display before going back into the vocal chorus, which just repeats the top little a few more times. There are a lot of tracks on this album, and only so much review space, but these two pump up the whole set with fury as the rock and swing with funky swagger. They simply can’t be denied as the epic tracks they are, but this CD goes in several directions.

The jazzier side of things kick in on “I’m Coming Back” which gets into some great jazz guitar and sax interplay. It also manages to go in other directions as well. This is an amazing piece to say the least. It’s about coming back to shock the world. A very progressive number that sort of ends without warning and contains very little vocals, not unlike the first track but in another musical galaxy. An out of sight one, at that. You just can’t set it down after this. It is not something you get every day. The musicianship is impeccable, but the arrangements loose without being sloppy.

Other tracks like “Lady Night” are of the slower pace with more poetic lyrics, while “Trails Of Eldoret” bring out more Spanish guitar and very spiritual feelings. You get that same feeling with the coolness of “River Nun” as well, with its hauling horn and crashing cymbals. You get the feeling you’re both inside and outside on this, as it holds some esoteric lyrics, a liquid bass line and some searing guitars. It pulls no punches, as does most of the disc. You can’t help but get swept up into this if you’re really a music lover of all types from mellow to hard rock, world and even some new age and spoken word, where it borders on defying categories. If none of that works, you’re wired to the wrong device, as this is no swift show, it is a long player that will please without question, as long as that is your thing. And it can bring out the soul lover in any rocker and the rock lover in any soul, funk and world music lover alike.

It has everything from the lighthearted guitar of “Experience,” to the upbeat and inspiring “Nu-Times.” The use of all instrumental effects are applied with clever skill to make a sonically gratifying release that I’m sure holds up to Vonj works, so it should please anyone following as well as bring attention from whatever direction the wind blows it.

In-closing it is a great release, with the guitar being the strongest and the production being the weakest values, made up by some fantastic playing and singing by all and taking it out with a bold cover of “Superstition.”

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ruach/id1135630979

 by Larry Toering

http://www.vonjruach.com

 

 

RuAch Review by: Skope Magazine, Boston

On By vonj productionIn album reviews, Ruach6 Comments

Peace family,
as we continue in this series I would like to share this RuAch album review, We give thanks to Jason Hillenburg from skope magazine for taking his time to share his perspectives on our music.
feel free to have a read bellow.

Peace & blessings.

Vonj

Vonji – ‘Ruach’ by Skope • April 6, 2017:
Kenya native and UK based multi-instrumentalist Vonji Uzele has a steadily growing discography featuring his varied talents and the latest release in his career, Ruach, is a thirteen track outing featuring the talents of guitarist Garry Millhouse, saxophonist Carmine Manfredi, and drummer Martin Donovan. Producer Mat Diamond has done an exemplary job of bringing outstanding sonic clarity to this often challenging music and his influence clearly strikes up considerable chemistry with Vonji and his musical collaborators. There are some strong influences circulating through this collection, but Vonji has a wholly individual sound filtered through those colors and no one can accuse him of lapsing into self-indulgence and imitation. This isn’t music pandering for commercial attention; instead, Vonji is working in a realm all his own and the iconoclastic slant he brings to this work will leave a lasting effect on any music devotee. Ruach is thirteen songs with a lot of punch and musical variation that few artists, at any level, can readily match.

The album opener “Out of the Mire” begins with intensely rhythmic percussion, acoustic instrumentation, and sharply angular guitar work gaining power as it progresses. It’s an instrumental track, but there are choral voices employed that sweeten the often fiery performance. The track is relatively short, but it makes maximum impact within less than three minutes. The terse and intensely melodic guitar opening “Skin Deep” is soon joined by a more lyrical lead guitar snaking over the top and segues into some impressive flourishes. The vocal contributions to the song have a nicely exhortative quality and the chorus underlines those elements without ever pushing too hard. It’s hard to resist the emphatic passion coming from every passage of this song. The powerful bass playing in this song is given a prominent position in the mix and works quite well with the lead guitar and rhythm section. “Gold Rush” has a much more straight ahead rock and roll attack and foregoes the experimental edge we’ve encountered on the album thus far. Vonji’s vocals veer from an impassioned bellow to snarling raucousness.

“Amnesia” has a decidedly dream-like, laid back vibe vaguely reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’s work, sans guitar pyrotechnics. Vonji and his collaborators frame the echo-laden guitar work in imaginative ways and the song gradually sharpens its experimental edge as it progresses. One of the album’s longer songs, “Vox Populi” begins with some sternum rattling bass moving at a leaden, deliberate pace and accompanied by understated drumming. The introduction of a growling sax line darkens the texture some, but Vonji’s clear vocal pushes back against that darkness and balances it nicely. There’s some particularly strong guitar work in the song’s second half and the vocal arrangement serves the track quite well throughout. In some ways, Vonji and his collaborators are reminiscent of The Mahavishnu Orchestra’s prime work and few comparisons could be better. This is a powerful musical release on every level and, while it has little commercial appeal, it hits home with those who love music as art.
9 out of 10 stars

Jason Hillenburg

https://skopemag.com/2017/04/06/vonji-ruach

RuAch album review by Gas house radio.

On By vonj productionIn album reviews, Ruach1 Comment

Peace & blessings people, I would like to give thanks to Owen Mattheson for listening and reviewing the RuAch album earlier this year. Feel free to read the review bellow. until next Monday family.

Remember: Love, Unity & Health!.
Vonj.

Owen Mattheson’s Ruach album Review from Gas house radio, Philadelphia.

Vonj Uzele is a native of Kenya and lifelong musician with five full-length albums up to-date. For this most recent album, titled Ruach, meaning Spirit, Vonj enlisted the impromptu aid of percussionist Martin Donovan, saxophonist Carmine Manfredi, Drummer Mat Diamond and Spanish guitarist Garry Millhouse.

Ruach is thirteen tracks of musical charisma, sophistication, and uniqueness to the extent of which a majority of people haven’t been exposed to since the mid to late sixties. Skilled improvisation matched with equal parts spirit and personality burst from every composition; there is a lot of “musical bravery” in this album, ranging from experimentation with acid-jazz like dissonance, to incredibly dynamic and unorthodox song structures where about two or three different experiences can be gathered from one four-minute track. One of the many examples of such a shift, from Edwin Starr-like soul vocals and instrumentation to a swirl of free-form/acid jazz and psychedelic rock is the second track, “Skin Deep”. Songs such as “Gold Rush” demonstrate raw, fuzzy guitar riffage and commendable soul-influenced vocal talent that is refreshingly familiar to the inclusive and eclectic musical experimentation that was evident in sixties and seventies jam bands like The Grateful Dead or the Allman Brothers. Perhaps this musical conceptualization is most apparent in the six minute piece titled River Nun. An improvisational mix of psychedelic rock, soul, jazz, and even hints of funk, the track stands without a doubt as a unifying and mesmerizing spiritual journey that seems to emanate a since of musical togetherness and groove that is rare to come by and expect from modern musicians in a Western society. In short, there are so many different components to Vonji that it is difficult to fully comprehend every dynamic and experience the album has to offer. From sophisticated modal guitar playing, to unorthodox percussion and drumming, to elements of Eastern musical philosophy and psychedelic rock, there is without a doubt something in here for anyone to appreciate, and the great level of charisma and talent among these artists is unmistakable.

The musical objectives of Ruach are, at heart, incredibly charismatic and sophisticated. The playing is so dynamic, eclectic, and experiential that the group seems to forge their own genre out of about four or five existing ones. To most people, especially an average individual whose musical interests might be somewhat limited, comprehending and conceptualizing thirteen tracks of Ruach’s music is going to be somewhat of a challenge. The music is so multifaceted and dense that those lacking significant patience and understanding probably won’t last through about the third or fourth song. Basically, this type of music, although incredibly skilled, sophisticated, and designed to bring people together, is unfortunately only going to be thoroughly appreciated and listened to be those of a particular personality, perspective, and worldview who generally have the patience to see past instant-gratification in their sensibilities and see music more as a true art form as opposed to a mere source of entertainment. For this reason, like acid-jazz fanatics, dead-heads, and other specific music fans, Vonj and their album Ruach is somewhat of a niche work, despite how quality it is and how much it should be commended.

Ultimately however, the mainstream success of these tracks or lack thereof is probably of little importance to the sort of musicians that would create an album such as this. Vonj Uzele’s aspirations are far different than those of a marketable artist. The goal here was to create a musical journey to bring people together and hopefully work toward a sense of communal enlightenment and togetherness. For all those that are proactive enough to listen to the message, this album is, without a doubt, a shining success.

Owen Mattheson.

http://www.vonjruach.com
http://www.vonjproductions.com

Out of the Mire

On By vonj productionIn Ruach, The dawn of something special, Vonj - Words of SongsLeave a comment

Peace People.

“Out of the Mire”, The instrumental intro piece for the RuAch album was one of the first concrete idea’s we had for the album, When we used to jam this I used to call it the South American song, Martin our drummer naturally came up with a latin style feel on the grooves, & his energy on the drums was exerted with such a high energy to the extent I would always feel a sympathy to his drum kit in how hard he used to hit it whenever we Jam it. Out of the Mire Can symbolise where we were coming from through life at the time, & I only found it appropriate to begin the record with that title, It’s one of those numbers that will create a heavy party vibe, especially when we play it live in concert.

Now we will find a huge gap between when we had the blue print for that piece & when we actually got to record the track for the album.

If you read the previous blog; “River nun” was our first recording for the record, Out of the mire would have been the 2nd however literally the following week after we recorded River nun, I had a call from the venue we were rehearsing in & the management said we should look to find another practice venue, So unfortunately we were in limbo for a few months, We had to find the right spot, The album sleeve tells that story, Eventually a lock in was found, But by the time we got the lock in so many musical idea’s had already piled up for recoding, But we knew we would eventually come to revisit & record “Out of the mire”, & this became one of the last songs we recorded before publishing the album.

Since the recording new musicians have been coming in for the group & have implemented cool new idea’s to it, This one will definitely be one of my favourite tracks to perform live.

http://vonjruach.com/shop/ruach

So stay tuned family!

Peace & love!

Vonj

River Nun

On By vonj productionIn A new song for a new sun, River Nun, Ruach, The dawn of something special, Vonj - Words of Songs2 Comments

River Nun, was the first song written for the Album RuAch, This was also the first song we recorded for it, This song was birthed through a jam we had which I originally titled “Liberty”, at this time I was in the process of looking for a Sax player, a sax player Carmine Manfredi came into the Picture, & the second time we played together I hit the record button on the console and Me on electric guitar, Martin on drums, & Carmine on Sax, played and recorded the track live & the foundation of the album was set!, I later on added Bass & after hearing the music I got inspired with the lyrics, recorded the vocals & “River Nun” was born.

My dream one day is to go to the Nun River, & make a live music video for the number, Dreams come true!.

LYRICS:

As we talk we are wasting away,
Wall’s they stand while we sit and wait,
for the rays of the sun to bring us life…

We wonder what was the cause of the wars,
Angels fall but no broken bones,
Tree’s of greed who planted the seed…

What is left but the prophecies,
Heads are rolling down a parted Sea,
Land divide themselves the Rivers flow…

Ships are built and they start to trade,
Guns are made, Now your a slave.
It is Morning as they leave through the River Nun.

http://vonjruach.com/shop/07-river-nun

The track is 6 min 31 sec, Though in concert the version is likely to be longer ha-ha.

Love & Unity People.

Vonj

Behind the RuAch record

On By vonj productionIn A new music in the making, Ruach1 Comment

& so the story continues, another chapter in the musical journey. As our experiences become broader we take it as a responsibility to share what we have learned along the way. I have come to understand that each day is a given time to adjust oneself through Spirit, and even when the road is rocky, we must see these experiences as lessons, and only with spirit can we rise above and continue towards fulfilling our vision. We live in a world where man has corruptly complicated things, religiously, and politically, ultimately setting us on the wrong direction from our calling, we need to gain back our spirit and let this be the primary source for which to govern our lives. I know that Music is one of greatest ways to lift people’s spirits, so may this be clear at the gate, that this is what we are here to do and this is what I have and will always play music for.

“Each year births a new level of growth, you should see these signs by the people & the things that manifest around you”
When I was thinking about this album project, all I wanted was to make some honest music in a family type atmosphere. Martin Donovan was the first person I asked to help me on the project, we previously worked together and we always had a good musical chemistry, and his drumming methods have always been captivating, but more than this within our personal experiences we have always been there to show each other support. When I had the direction to follow through with the album me & martin began doing open Jam sessions, but one thing was for sure, if we were to let the musical inspiration flow naturally for the record, then the album would have to be recorded independently. I already had some recording equipment, Martin bought some drum mics, & the plan was set to start recording. The only thing we needed now was a venue to set up the studio, as we began to receive complaints that our jams were too loud for the venue we were currently using…

Carmine Manfredi. Carrying on through the weeks I knew there was an element that was missing within the music, this was the sound of the saxophone, I started keeping my eyes open for players, now we fast forward… Me and Mat Diamond decided to hang out at an Italian restaurant “Ponte Veccio”, I remember when we got in the restaurant we heard some Bossa nova music playing on rotation, this sparked a musical conversation, Carmine who was working behind the bar caught our conversation, we introduced each other then he told us he plays the saxophone, I then invited him for a jam with me & martin, when we got into a jam that day I knew that this was the sound we needed, but even more so it was about where that sound was coming from, his spirit!, this is a guy who only had been playing for literally 6 months, but his enthusiasm for learning and playing the instrument was inspiring. On our second Jam session together “River Nun” was born, of which was recorded live that same night.

The Cave. Right after the completion of River Nun, We were forced to have to find another venue to make and record music. This was indeed a drawback at the time, as we were only just beginning to gain a creative momentum, and I knew that it would not be easy to find an affordable venue where we could all get together and make music in peace, But I kept the faith that we would find something somewhere. One day me and Carmine were walking and talking, then he suddenly hit upon an idea, he said “I know just the place we need”, a few weeks came to pass & then we finally got the key’s to what we now call “The Cave” This became our creative Sanctuary from then on.

Mat Diamond. Through all these events Mat was always there as a friend, He is a Producer from Hungary with a vast experience in the world of music, we have always shown each other support, & Just like Martin & Carmine, we all fit in together like family. Mat started off as a Jazz/funk drummer before moving to become a steady R&B producer, But after we acquired the Cave I called him out so that he can resurrect his gift of “laying grooves”, each recorded session was a therapeutic experience for us.

I and Mat have shared many in depth conversations about the music industry & where we see things headed. We know everyone is influenced by music, but what happens when the spirit gets taken OUT of music?

In real time we see the divide in music, but we can clearly see that the division of music has caused a division in the people. The mission for the album was to fuse musical styles & elemental’s together & bring people out of that genre system & into a broader scope of thought.

Garry Millhouse: is an experienced Spanish guitarist, whom happened to drop around the Cave just days before I sent the music off to be published, everything has a reason and a purpose, We happened to be on the same musical wave length, & he was enthused to lay some Spanish guitar down for the project, We recorded our improvisations live, this was indeed a magical experience.

We all come from extremely different backgrounds, but there is one thing we all have in common…Spirit!

So if someone ever asks you…if a Born African man, a born Italian, a born Hungarian, & born English men, can come together like family & make music. Show them the success story of Ruach!
We all thank you for your support, & we hope you enjoy the album.
Love & Unity people.

Vonj

Ruach: breath, wind, spirit
Original Word: ר֫וּחַ
Transliteration: ruach
Phonetic Spelling: (roo’-akh)
Short Definition: Spirit

http://www.vonjruach.com

RuAch NEWS: 03/04/2017. Thank YOU!

On By vonj productionIn A new song for a new sun, Ruach, Thank you!, The dawn of something special2 Comments

Peace & blessings family,

The inception of spring is here, I am looking at the name of this season like an action word, as I see this is the time we should all spring up, and sour high within all of our works.

The first message I posted this year was “”be healthy””, This was a very critical message I felt I needed to share, Because no health equals no productivity, I had to make sure if I want to be successful with any production I have to maintain an optimum level of health. And this has been very much the case thus far, I have worked with so many individuals, and every project has been made easy simply because I kept my mind and body clean.

This message today is simply a message to show our gratitude & thankfulness for those who have supported us especially regarding the RuAch album project, which has been taken in very well by the public, we have managed to create notoriety within certain sources in the industry without even doing 1 concert, which is almost unheard of, Your support is also enabling to build the equipment we need in order to go on the road, and this will happen very soon. Within the past few months I have been meticulously searching for musicians that can bring the music to life on stage, I am happy to say I have found some brilliantly gifted musicians, who are bringing great musical ideas to the table. We have a great team together, The names of the individuals will be announced when we start the promotion for our shows.

Also note the first few shows will not be promoted, So unless you know the individuals within the group chances are you wont know when and where we are playing. But will definitely keep you posted on the official shows, This is most certainly going to be a thrilling journey for both the listeners in the audience and for us the musicians, We can’t wait.

We have also just reached 10 thousand followers on Vonj productions, I’m giving thanks to everyone who has supported us on here since the beginning. My aim has always been to try and inspire you the people positively through sound, soul and spirit, and this will never change.

so stay tuned people.

It’s time to spring!

Peace & blessings

Vonj

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/ruach/id1135630979

RUACH NEWS: 14/09/16, AUDITIONS FOR A 2017 TOUR

On By vonj productionIn Ruach, The dawn of something special, Twenty sixteenLeave a comment

join-us-on-stage

RUACH NEWS 14/09/16 Peace & love people!!

We would like to show our appreciation to all the positive feedback we have been constantly receiving about the Ru’Ach album project, I never knew it would be taken in this well by the people, So we send a huge THANK YOU to those who have supported us locally & internationally.

And because of this I believe it is only fair for us to Bring RUACH Out On TOUR Live for you Next year 2017!.

A few Ads have popped up online as we are looking for dynamic individuals to complete the new group. The first Audition took place today.

Naturally we need musicians who walk with an opened mind and humility within their abilities. If you would like to take part in this project?, Or you would like to find out more? feel free to Email me at vonjproductions@gmail.com

For those of you who have supported this mission? We will have a little musical surprise for you by the end of the year.

More Ruach updates coming soon.
We hope all of you are prospering in life & living in Love & Unity.

Peace & Blessings family

http://www.vonjruach.com
http://www.vonjproductions.com

Vonj

Ruach News: The Raw documentary! 18/08/16

On By vonj productionIn Ruach9 Comments

RUACH Is a new album that was released in 07/07/16. We decided to make a raw presentation showing the birth of most of the songs included on the album, Plus bonus material that will give you a clear perspective of our determination and our love for music in 2016.

We are here for you people!, So If you like what you see & hear?, We would very much appreciate your support, This will enable us to carry on strong toward fulfilling our vision.

You can order the new album through these main links bellow..

Our store
http://vonjruach.com/shop/

ITunes

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/ruach/id1135630979

Google play

https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Vonj_Ruach?id=B4ecfotssvzk4bn2s7535tasksq

We love you all, be blessed stay strong, & be great.

Vonj

 

 

Ruach News: The Expansion! 17/08/16

On By vonj productionIn Ruach3 Comments

vonj band 155119A

Peace & love family

Within each step we take we continue to thank you all for your support. Since the launch of RUACH a few weeks ago things have really amped up on my corner!,  Hence I have not had as much time as I wanted to post blogs, There is much I have to say, But I will deliver these messages in due course.

I have been boots on ground in these Brexit streets distributing Ruach, I aim to get the new album in to as many independent stores as I can by the end of the year, Nationally and internationally. We are rocking hard & the reaction of the people when they hear this “anonymous  music” via DJ’s playing in clubs has been breath taking to me!.  But  I am also learning a few things along this long independent journey…

Yes the rumors are true!, There are some dogs out there dressed in expensive suits, just waiting to bite you in this industry. I will not mention any names but there have been certain record labels that have approached me on my journey, & various false individuals who have wanted to “represent” me, But guess what?  Due to experience we are privy to anyone’s dirty game. So I pose this question, Why is honesty a hard thing to ask for in any industry?.

In one of my songs I say “why is everyone competing while we have already won the race”, There are too many people in life who will try to sell you a model that does not work merely to try and keep up with another individual or organization. We must try to find something that works for ourselves before we share it or test it on someone else, This is one of the reasons I chose to blog online, so that I can simply disseminate certain principals of life that have worked for me.

So again we thank you all for your emails  & support. independent musicians need this!

We are organizing a music video of which we will keep you all updated on.

As you should all know, the raw Ruach documentary is out on YouTube of which I will post a link on a separate blog.

Meantime if you want to get the new music, please follow these links bellow

Our store
http://vonjruach.com/shop/

I’TUNES

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/ruach/id1135630979

also available in few hundred stores. you can google it or message me as it may be selling in the local store in your city… And hey.. if you like it?, share it to your neighbours…if they haven’t heard it already booming out of your house ha-ha.

Peace & love from the Ruach family, Be blessed, Stay strong, be encouraged & know that in the right spirit you can achieve anything in life!.

Vonj, Carmine, Mat, Martin, Garry.