In times of social distancing, travel chaos and restrictions, it’s uplifting to meet up (even if only figuratively speaking) with people who made cultural and musical inclusivity and collectivism their credo. Since the meaning of the band’s name (‘serendipity’ in English), Nasip Kismet is a breath of fresh air in the...
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Bandua, ‘electronic folk’ duo comprising producer Tempura the Purple Boy (Bernardo D’Addario) and musician Edgar Valente, take the centuries-old traditional music from the Beira Baixa region of Portugal and re-imagine it for the contemporary dancefloor. It’s the first time these sounds and songs have been repurposed as a Portuguese-language electronic pop...
A band with a multi-cultural mission. That’s how Eccodek can be described in a very few words. The far-reaching project launched by Andrew McPherson in Guelph, 100km West of Toronto, back in 1999 has become one of the best examples of music inclusivity. After two decades, Eccodek has indeed grown...
The global music village we all live in has accustomed us to the most peculiar and at times bizarre, cultural brews. Still, discovering and enjoying a Lithuanian trio so passionate and dedicated to cumbia, chicha and tropical sounds doesn’t happen every day. Planeta Polar is indeed such a one-and-only act...
Justin Adams, guitarist and producer, is notorious for his love of the North/West African blues grooves. In previous years he had already appeared in projects with Mauro Durante and his seven-piece band, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino. Known for his violin and percussive abilities, Mauro performs music from Southern Italy, the pizzica...
It was over 20 years ago that the sonic video wizards known as Addictive TV started to challenge the music world, hinting at new meanings, suggesting new formats and cultivating new multimedia languages. It was the late 1990s when the London-based audiovisual collective, launched by digital artist and producer Graham...
We are usually a bit sceptical at first when we read about a new African music diva in the making… Many artists have been (willingly or not) conferred that title in recent years, but only a “chosen few” have lived up to the expectations. That’s why whenever we have the...
The end of March saw Juanita Euka release her first self-penned album called Mabanzo with Strut Records. Meaning ‘Thoughts’ in Lingala, it’s a sonic pot of musings. It’s laden with hooks and ever so danceable with a mix of Afro-Latino influence from soukous and son, to rumba and hip-hop. She spells...
In times like these, we all seek some additional and encouraging inspiration, so that’s when music comes to the rescue. Projects like Small Island Big Song are manna from heaven if you are looking for extra and/or deeper meanings in what you listen to. The “oceanic” (in all respects) multimedia...
You don’t expect that one of the most sought-after and original rock bands would eventually come from an oasis city in the depths of the Algerian Sahara Desert. Still, since their inception occurred in 2006, Imarhan has grown into an unadulterated and impassionate embodiment of what the soul of rock...
