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Angelique Kidjo Earns Grammys With TELEFUNKEN

Africa’s Premier Diva Picks Diamond Series ELA M 251

South Windsor, CT, February 2017 — Angelique Kidjo, dubbed “Africa’s premier diva” by Time Magazine, has earned three Grammys, two for “Best World Music Album” in 2015 and 2016 and a third for “Best Contemporary World Music Album” in 2008. The gifted singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos, is included in the BBC’s list of the African continent’s 50 most iconic figures.

“I discovered the ELA M 251 while working on my album Djin Djin with producer Tony Visconti,” Kidjo recalls. “Listening to my singing voice, he told me he knew exactly which microphone would be able to capture the whole range and dynamics of my voice and we rented a 251 during the recording. I was so happy with the results that I decided to have my own, as I record a lot of vocals at home.”

Kidjo’s musical influences include the Afropop, Caribbean zouk, Congolese rumba, jazz, gospel, and Latin styles. as well as her childhood idols Bella Bellow, James Brown, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Miriam Makeba and Carlos Santana. She now resides in New York City, where she is an occasional contributor to the New York Times. Kidjo has received Honorary Doctorates from Yale University, Berklee College of Music and Middlebury College.

“I heard the Telefunken factory was not far from New York,” Kidjo continues, “so one day we borrowed the mic we used for the album, drove to Connecticut and then I tried a few ELA M 251s in their studio to compare with the mic we brought. I picked the one that I fell in love with and this has been the microphone I have used on every recording ever since.”

The TELEFUNKEN ELA M 251 includes an edge-terminated, dual-backplate CK12 capsule capable of cardioid, omnidirectional, and bidirectional polar patterns. Each TELEFUNKEN reissue is 100% true in every detail to the original — the parts are interchangeable with the 50+ year old originals — and delivers the same sonically opulent response that has made the ELA M 251 one of the world’s most sought after recording tools.

Live From the Lab
Legal

TELEFUNKEN provides these multitrack audio files for the sole purpose of allowing individuals an opportunity to utilize them for home studio use and for educational purposes only.

No commercial use is permitted.  Any commercial use or reuse is strictly forbidden.

By downloading any track hereunder the user agrees to properly attribute all copyrights and to display the following on any non-commercial reuse of the video and multitrack audio files as follows:

All audio files have been engineered and recorded by TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik and are presented for educational and demonstrational purposes only.

Live From the Lab
About

The LIVE FROM THE LAB live music video series is recorded and filmed at TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik’s facility in South Windsor, CT. Each session is tracked live exclusively with TELEFUNKEN microphones and features unique performances from a variety of local, regional, national, and international artists and ensembles.

The multitrack audio files from these sessions are available for free download via clickable links below the individual performance videos. All audio files are presented in .WAV format and were recorded at 24bit / 48KHz sample rate. They are clearly labeled in the same format with the source listed first (LEAD VOX, ACOUSTIC, PIANO), followed by the microphone used (C12, AR-51, etc) and can be downloaded and imported into your Digital Audio Workstation of choice.

For more additional content please visit livefromthelab.net