Akae Beka conquers De Melkweg, Amsterdam

No other band gives me goosebumps as often and for as long as Akae Beka, in the past Midnite. From the very first measure, the music permeates my body and limbs, and broadens the mind, to make way for the words of wisdom Vaughn Benjamin comes to bring us. It's roots but not like we know roots. Midnite has managed to create a whole new sound, as unique, special and recognizable as Studio One, Wackies or Mad Professor. It is a style that also remains perfectly intact live, deep, subdued and compelling, much more subtle than you might think at first glance. We know the musicians of Akae Beka of Midnite: the imperturbable rhythm section Sly Molina-Curet (drums) and Ras L (bass), the sensitive chops of Kenny Byron (rhythm guitar), the slightly sparkling keys of Suren Fenton, and of course the virtuoso licks and chords of master guitarist Edmund Fieulleteau, in itself fascinating enough to watch a whole evening.   The only man we miss is Ron Benjamin, not so much as a bassist as a freewheeling backing vocalist, who always gave his brother's lyrics beautiful accents. Their paths separated in early 2015: "...due to a life changing medical emergency, convictions, and revelations...", according to the official biography. I also miss the radiant smile of Ron, always well-minded and Vaughn's biggest fan, the only musician who has ever made a crazy dance move.    More than ever the attention goes to Vaughn Benjamin himself, always the central figure of Midnite, now even more emphatically the shaman who keeps everyone under the spell. Almost timidly he appears on stage, dressed in a wide hanging dune coat, as cool as shabby (and a welcome protection against the cold air blown down), and on the head, over the hat with the hidden wealth of dreadlocks, a large black hat. His sharp gaze gauges the audience and then he begins to sing, to chant, to preach, to tell, to reason, to oracle. No real stream of consciousness, although the lyrics must have been, but also no literal reproduction of the studio recordings. I was able to check this on the spot in De Melkweg because behind me was a man who literally sang along with almost all Midnite-tunes. I even congratulated him for that because I heard that he understood the complex texts, and that is certainly not obvious. Benjamin connects the cosmogony (the story of the origin of things) of Rastafari, the Bible and apocryphal writings with profound insights from science and philosophy (Epicurus, perhaps my favourite sage), current and historical reflections and a clear spirituality. An old soul that sheds light on the new age. Knowledge and mysticism brought together in an unremitting stream of words, sentences and stories.   For the rest Vaughn Benjamin does not say a word. No greeting, no titles, no explanation. Very occasionally he laughs, seemingly childishly surprised by the reactions from the audience, which then embraces him even more. These people don't come to go crazy, to jump or to party, but to let themselves be carried away by the flow of Akae Beka. Almost everyone stays at the same place for the whole performance, few feel the need to go to the bar or smoking area. What's new is that some classics of Midnite are sung along loudly, or at least the choruses of 'Begin your day', 'Meditation', 'Late Night Ghetto', 'Live The Life You Love', 'Jah Ovah' and 'Mongst I', the closing tune. It took a long time before lyrics of Midnite could be found on the internet, because Vaughn never writes his lyrics and prefers not to distribute them himself. "I want you to listen to it again," he once said to me: "and again, and again. Gradually you will understand the meaning of the texts.'

I can assure you after being an unconditional fan for almost 20 years now that it indeed remains the best way to discover the songs of Midnite and Akae Beka. And that's the way the man behind me had learned them, he said. There's a lot of Midnite lyrics online now but they have been noted by fans, and sometimes carry mistakes.   Another novelty but one we didn't like that much: Akae Beka played "barely" 100 minutes in De Melkweg, a big difference with the 3.5 hours we once saw Midnite perform in Antwerp. Most of the songs didn't last longer than five minutes, especially the "hits", which Vaughn broke off even more abruptly than he usually does. Boom! Just before the last tune, he posed with a woman in the front row and almost unnoticed made a double gesture: one more song and I'm out of here.  And so it went, after 'Mongst I'. As inconspicuous as he had appeared, he disappeared from the stage, so as not to return. Midnite never did any extra's either. Why would Akae Beka?