Womad New Zealand 2011: Artist Biographies

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Afro Celt Sound System (AFRICA/UK)
"It will be great to return to Australia and New Zealand with Afro Celt Sound System. What always strikes me about the Australian and New Zealand WOMADs is the great sense of openness and fun that both countries provide the festival. From the very first one I participated
in at WOMADelaide years ago I noticed a positivity that is catching
and deeply affecting." Iarla O'Lionaird, Afro Celt Sound System
In 1995, a brave studio collaboration explored links between Irish and African musical traditions, shaping this deep, mystic groove into a pulsating contemporary sound. Afro Celt Sound System came together through producer and guitarist Simon Emmerson collaborating with producer/composer James McNally, engineer/programmer Martin Russell and Irish vocalist Iarla O’Lionaird. The idea formed in 1991 when Emmerson produced an album by Baaba Maal in Senegal, noting a similarity that one tribal melody had to a traditional Irish air. Returning to London, Emmerson researched and became fascinated by historical suggestions that ancient nomadic Celtic tribes spent time in Africa. It led to heady musical experiments through seven albums, featuring cross-cultural fusion contributions from artists including Johnny Kalsi (of the Dhol Foundation, Transglobal Underground), Emer Mayock, N’Faly Kouyate, Robert Plant, Sinead O’Connor, Davy Spillane, Liam O’Flynn and Peter Gabriel. Now, after more than three years apart, Afro Celt Sound System is back together and recently released its anthology, Capture 1995-2010. Having achieved more than two million album sales, two Grammy nominations and provided soundtracks for the films Hotel Rwanda and Gangs of New York, the ensemble enjoys a formidable live reputation and has delivered pulsating performances at major festivals including WOMAD, Glastonbury, Montreux Jazz Festival – and wowed crowds with stellar gigs at WOMADelaide and WOMAD NZ in 1997 and WOMADelaide in 2001. They’re sure to find new fans at WOMAD NZ 2011.
Website: www.afroceltsoundsystem.net/
Experience Afro Celt Sound System: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em7bk_McVHU

Amadou and Mariam (MALI)
Singer Mariam Doumbia and guitarist/singer Amadou Bagayoko met at Mali’s Institute for the Young Blind in the 1970s, found they shared a deep love of music and forged an exciting new sound. From simple origins of Malian folk, their distinctive Afro Blues has grown to embrace rock, jazz, Indian tablas, folk instruments from Syrian violins to the Egyptian ney, and even horn-splashed Cuban rhythms. Between 1974 and 1980, while simultaneously teaching music at the Blind Institute, Amadou played with famed Malian band Les Ambassadeurs du Hotel. In 1980, the couple married and began performing together; by 1985 their Malian blues had built an international following. They moved to the Côte d'Ivoire, then Paris, Manu Chao produced their 2004 album Sunday in Bamako, and they recorded the 2006 FIFA World Cup anthem ‘Celebrate The Day’. In 2007 they were introduced to English audiences through Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz fame) and his Africa Express project, which played the Glastonbury festival. In recent years, the duo has been embraced by mainstream pop audiences, supporting Scissor Sisters, Blur and Coldplay, and even playing the 2008 Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago on the back of their 2008 breakthrough album Welcome to Mali. They collaborated with The Magic Numbers on the track ‘All I Believe In’ which features on the soundtrack of the cult movie Twilight: New Moon. Mariam and Amadou also sang at the 201 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Website: www.amadou-mariam.com/
Experience Amadou and Mariam: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxO3NsExfV0&feature=related

The Barons of Tang (AUSTRALIA)
It was the winter of 2007 and what had started as a “joke” between a handful of down and out Melbourne musos, quickly spiralled of out control into the musical juggernaut known as, The Barons of Tang! Initially rehearsing in a well-known Melbourne squat, The Barons cut their teeth with performances for local underground theatre and circus troupes. With a taste for travel and chaos, the Barons of Tang embarked on two years of merciless touring, leaving a trail of battered and bruised dance floors in their wake. Lashing Tango, Rockabilly, Metal and Gypsy feels together with hard hitting guitar riffs, double kick blast beats and massive horn arrangements, The Barons of Tang serve up their self described ‘Gypsy Death-core’. The catchy tunes and punk ethos all tie together to mean one thing, dancing is inevitable!
Website: www.thebaronsoftang.com
Experience Barons of Tang: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnbB5ZHNq10

Bob Brozman (USA)
With guitar in hand, Bob Brozman is a musicologist travelling the world to perform and discover ancient roots music, from American Delta blues to historical Hawaiian songs to the sounds of Papua New Guinea. This work in ethnomusicology sees Bob as both student and participant, having embraced everything in his sound from calypso, sega and Gypsy swing to fingerstyle blues picking. Since his first solo blues album in 1981, Bob has recorded 30 titles across blues and world music genres, including 14 solo projects and a dozen collaborations with international friends. The 56-year-old New Yorker began playing guitar from the age of six and discovered the unique sound of National resonator guitars at 13. He has since amassed a large collection and in 1993 wrote their definitive story, The History and Artistry of National Resonator Instruments. On stage, his wit leads audiences on a global music history lesson as he dazzles with extraordinary guitar technique. By arrangement with Top Shelf Productions
Website: www.bobbrozman.com/
Experience Bob Brozman: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmKiDO_y3LY

Calypso Rose (TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO)
The true festive sound of calypso is raw and ribald, with lyrics that scratch at political, social and sexual innuendo – and McArtha Linda Sandy-Lewis, best known as feisty singer Calypso Rose, is the undisputed Calypso Queen. She won this prestigious title at the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival for five consecutive years, and remains the only woman to scoop the Calypso Monarch and Road March titles in the same year. The daughter of a spiritual Baptist leader, she came to calypso early, writing her first song at 15 – and has been recording since 1963. Calypso Rose delivered her signature tune ‘Fire in Meh Wire’ in 1965 (it has since been sung in eight languages), and scored many more hometown hit songs – in 1975 for her song ‘Tempo’ and in 1978 for ‘I Can Take this Feeling’ – yet despite her repeated triumphs at home and international recognition as a stage performer, her self-titled 2009 album was the first to be issued by an international recording label. Now, at the age of 70, Calypso Rose is enjoying a new peak of popularity, delivering her saucy and sprightly music with an international touring band that boasts musicians from Guadeloupe, Trinidad, Ireland and Nigeria.
Website: www.calypsorosediva.com/go.php
Experience Calypso Rose: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntczXKv43b4&feature=related

Carolina Moon (NZ)
Carolina Moon’s 'Mother Tongue' is a journey that begins in the heartland of medieval Spain and flows through rivers of Indian time – exotic grooves and the sensual, haunting melodies of the Spanish Judeo Sephardic lands. The melodies echo with a vibrant spirit of tradition and are sung in a range of languages both ancient and modern, flavoured with exotic meters and grooves and contemporary soundscapes. Carolina Moon, aka Caroline Lynn, and her ensemble perform music infused with the sounds and textures of their personal journeys through rivers of inspired Indian time, flamenco Spain, Europe, The Americas, Australia, Aotearoa, and the folklore and legends of England. Carolina is joined by the luscious strings of Nigel Gavin on guitar, electric oud and mandolin, and soulful sounds of Roger Manins on bass clarinet and soprano sax and set to the visual backdrop of sound artist Maree Quinn.
Website: www.moonmusik.com
Experience Caroline Moon: http://www.myspace.com/carolinamoonnz/videosa

The Cat Empire (AUSTRALIA)
In an age when so much of selling music seems to be about celebrity and fashion, The Cat Empire have risen to be one of Australia and indeed the world’s favourite live acts through sheer musicality and the power of their interaction on stage. Since 2001 they have amassed a huge worldwide following – selling multi-platinum albums, celebrating number one debuts, winning a whole load of awards, headlining the globe’s greatest and most prestigious music festivals, and performing on some of the world’s biggest entertainment shows like Letterman and Leno. 2010 sees the international release and world tour of Cinema, the band's fourth studio album. The album serves up a set which captures the inexorable force – and sheer joy – of their live performances, delivered in a format perfect for lounge-rooms, backyards, BBQs, cafes, road trips and parties all over the world. This is music which defies definition, but has a sound all of its own. They only thing we can tell you is that it is incredibly infectious, undeniably uplifting and definitely danceable.
Website: www.thecatempire.com

Compagnie Ekart (FRANCE)
Are giant robot puppets on stilts to be trusted in crowded public spaces? Puppet master Tarek Messamer introduces audiences to a fantastic world where his towering puppets appear to take on a life of their own. Tarek’s roving shows have been delighting festival audiences since 1998, presenting an engaging style of street theatre performance that teeters between interaction and hilarious interference mixed with a sense of mischief. Tarek’s versatility and vivid imagination is what brings these productions to life; he writes the shows, draws, designs and creates the complex puppet mechanisms, performs in the shows – and in his spare time he teaches courses in theatre and stage design in French schools. Two of his best puppet creations will be making their New Zealand debut at WOMAD. Maurice & Jules are an unlikely couple – a master riding the back of a giant rooster – and are inseparable, no matter how hard they try to go their separate ways. Not So Beastly introduces a super-sized monkey called Hector, who is being taught how to behave politely in a crowd by Mario the anthropologist – but with only marginal success, as Hector keeps looking to remove nits from unsuspecting bystanders.
Experience Compagnie Ekart: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbwmsw_maurice-et-jules-par-la-cie-ekart-a_creation

Creole Choir of Cuba (CUBA)
The 10-voice Creole Choir of Cuba preserves rare musical treasures from Haiti, Dominica and Cuba, bringing these rich traditions alive on stage with vibrant dancing and spectacular harmonies. At home, the group is known as Desandann – it means Descendants, heralding their migrant origins as the source of their music. Formed in 1994 as an offshoot of the state choir of Camagüey province, the Creole Choir of Cuba comprises descendants of a significant Haitian community that escaped slavery in the late 18th Century; many more came in the 1920s as labourers to work Cuba’s sugar plantations. The strong music and dance traditions, religious customs and rituals of Haiti remain at the core of the choir’s repertoire, especially La Cancionistica, and music which has been enriched by elements of other Creole speaking Caribbean countries. Led by artistic director Emilia Diaz Chavez, the ensemble embraces a wide array of choral arrangements with percussion to highlight specific cultural references: Choucoune is a Haitian merengue; Gran Toumobile is a Creole Mazurka, and Doudou Moin is a Martinique merengue. In performance, each member takes their turn to introduce themselves and lead the choir, injecting the music with rich personality and charm – which is by turns romantic, comic, turbulent and celebratory. By arrangement with Three Idiots Productions
Website: www.creolechoir.com
Experience Creole Choir of Cuba: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAyZVAPrfVE

Don Letts (UK)
Having turned London’s punk rock scene onto dub reggae in 1977, Don Letts became the influential godfather of high energy club crossover music. He was DJ at the Roxy Club, spinning reggae records between sets by punk bands, which resonated strongly with The Clash and John Lydon (this influence became obvious duringa his PIL albums). Don’s understanding of reggae stemmed from the musical connection with his parents’ homeland of Jamaica, in particular with Bob Marley. Meanwhile, the punks’ do-it-yourself ethic inspired Don to began filmmaking. He shot an influential documentary, The Punk Rock Movie, and about 300 music videos for stars including Elvis Costello and Bob Marley. Later, Don formed the hit band Big Audio Dynamite with former Clash guitarist Mick Jones, though Don has also stretched his talents from being a founder of the Rock Against Racism movement to popular DJ spots on UK radio and at clubs across the world. Some of Don’s greatest recognition has been in the art realm, with his work exhibited in The Kitchen at New York, The Institute of Contemporary Art, The NFT in London and he won a Grammy in 2003 for his documentary Westway To The World. Don Letts comes to WOMAD with support from the British Council.
Website: www.myspace.com/65223957
Experience Don Letts: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNnwPT7-c0Q&feature=related

Dva (AUSTRALIA)
Dva is the Macedonian word for two: Tunji Beier and Linsey Pollak use wind and percussion instruments to create improvisations and compositions that draw on the traditions of Macedonia and South India. Linsey and Tunji first performed together at the Border Crossings Festival in Germany in 1996 and have played together ever since. Although they have travelled very diverse paths and studied different musical traditions, they find their playing extremely compatible. Linsey's collection of wind instruments is unique with 30 years experience in making and experimenting with wind instruments. He has come up with new single reed designs, such as the various clarinis (narrow bored clarinets) made from bamboo, wood, aluminium and glass as well as various hybrid bagpipes based on the gaida (Macedonian bagpipe) which he studied in Macedonia and also the conical bore Saxillo. These wind instruments are combined with Tunji’s Gangan (a small Yoruba talking drum), Tavil (South Indian temple drum), Kanjira (South Indian tambourine with a lizard skin), Jaw Harps and other percussion instruments that Tunji has mastered while living in Nigeria, India and Europe. While their music has its roots in Eastern European, South Indian and African traditions, they have developed it their way and the repertoire of original compositions is constantly changing with performances featuring a great deal of improvisation that is both technically and emotionally dazzling. At WOMAD Linsey Pollak and Tunji Beier will also appear as their fun, alter egos Shopska in a late night upbeat Macecdonian gypsy set.
Website: www.linseypollak.com
Experience Dva: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIDu1XDb3n8

Faiz Ali Faiz (PAKISTAN)
This is the soaring voice of Islamic devotional music in full cry. The wider world first heard this mesmerising sound through iconic Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and now, more than a decade after his death, a new principal voice of exalted qawwali singing has emerged in Faiz Ali Faiz. Born in 1962, Faiz received training in the Hindustani classical music of northern India and Sufi devotional music before launching his professional career in 1978. Hailing from a family that has produced qawwali singers for seven generations, Faiz remains true to the deep devotional core of traditional qawwali repertoire, yet he is a bold innovator. In 2005, the Faiz Ali Faiz ensemble were joined by Spanish flamenco artists Miguel Poveda, Duquende and Chicuelo for a groundbreaking collaboration at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. His nod to the great qawwali mentor is clearly recognisable. His uncle Rehmat Ali Khan, who plays harmonium in Faiz’s ensemble ¬and also played for Nusrat, called on Faiz to fulfil a performance obligation when the great master fell ill. Such an honour has been marked by gratitude, with Faiz’s 2004 album Your Love Makes Me Dance carrying the subtitle Hommage à Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Website: www.faiz_ali_faiz.mondomix.com/en/artiste.htm
Experience Faiz Ali Faiz: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWDTPudUkUs

Hanggai (CHINA)
In two short years, Hanggai has established a radical new crossover style of Mongolian music, fusing modern and traditional elements in wild fashion. Taking its name from the big grasslands and bigger skies of Mongolia’s sprawling landscape, the six-piece band boasts four members from Mongolia – vocalist Yilalata, lutist Ilchi, horse-head fiddler Batubagan and bassist Niu Zin – though their interest in traditional music comes via an unexpected route. Ilchi was a singer at the core of China’s punk rock scene, but returned to his homeland and became inspired after rediscovering the lost sounds of his childhood – overtone singing, tsuur flute, horse-head fiddle and the tobshur, a two-stringed lute. The new group he formed created an instant stir with its 2008 debut album, Introducing Hanggai, with traditional songs boasting programmed beats and electric guitars beneath the ancient folk instruments and chilling drones of overtone singing. In early 2010, Hanggai took a giant further step, engaging producers Ken Stringfellow (REM, Neil Young) and JB Meijers to cut a new album in Beijing, He Who Travels Far. With guest performers including New York guitar ace Marc Ribot, it amplifies a distinctive rock edge at the heart of new Mongolian music.
Website: www.myspace.com/hanggaiband
Experience Hanggai: www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_RR_D3uses&feature=related

Horace Andy and Dub Asante (JAMAICA/UK)
One of Jamaica’s most distinctive vocalists, Horace Andy has released hit songs since first entering the recording studio in 1970 as a confident 16-year-old. Coming from the Allman Town neighbourhood of Kingston, Jamaica, Horace aspired to follow his cousin Justin Hinds, a chart-topping sensation through Jamaica in the 1960s with his group The Dominoes. Within a year, Horace Andy (a stage name, designed not to confuse him with his cousin) had cut four singles, and the following year Skylarking became a major hit that sealed his stardom in Jamaica. His classic recordings from the 1970s remain crucial listening, though his more recent work since leaving Jamaica has put Horace in touch with new generations. In 1977, he went to New York, recorded the Pure Ranking album that foreshadowed the rise of raggamuffin, and also laid the groundwork for the modern dancehall sound. Then he moved to England in 1990, and was invited to collaborate with trip hop pioneers Massive Attack (he appeared on all of their albums), the Mad Professor and Easy Star All-Stars on their Radiodread album. Curiously, Horace has revisited his old hits several times, a practice typical of Jamaican vocalists, though his later versions invariably sound new and fresh.
Website: www.myspace.com/horaceandy1
Experience Horace Andy and Dub Asante: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhG911mwm3Y&feature=related

Juan De Marcos Afro Cuban All-Stars (CUBA)
Cuban music enjoyed a massive international revival as a consequence of the Buena Vista Social Club recordings of the mid-1990s – and its great enduring legacy has been the Afro Cuban All-Stars. Led by Juan de Marcos González (formerly of Sierra Maestra), this 15-piece big band assembled for recording projects featuring both Cuban big band and traditional acoustic sounds. In addition to providing luscious backing to the Buena Vista Social Club sessions and Rubén González solo album, the All-Stars’ own hit album, A toda Cuba le Gusta, featured nearly 60 performers and gave rise to a phenomenal touring band. While many icons of Cuba’s music scene have been part of the All-Stars’ recordings and performances, the current line-up gathers expatriate Cuban musicians from around the world. These include Igort Rivas (trumpet), Albeto Muñoz (trombone), Calixto Oviedo (timbale and drums), José “Pepito” Espinosa (percussion), Yaure Muniz (trumpet), Miguelito Valdes de la Hoz (trumpet), Jorge Reiner Ardiles (trombone), Miguelito Valdes Aballí (congas), Laura Lydia González (clarinets), Gliceria González (keyboards), Alberto Pantaleón (bass) and Gabriel Hernández (piano) with singers Emilio Suarez, Evelio Galán and Jose Gilito Piñera. Spanning generations, the Juan De Marcos AfroCuban All-Stars embrace musical styles from rumba to son montuno to bolero. By arrangement with Musica Anima Entertainment
Website: www.worldcircuit.co.uk/#Afro-Cuban_All_Stars
Experience Juan De Marcos Afro Cuban All-Stars: www.youtube.com/watch?v=U84XwATnMy4

Luka Bloom (IRELAND)
Rarely can one performer fill the stage with their presence, yet Luka Bloom has the masterful talent to have an audience soar with his plaintive melodies and hang on his every word. Born in County Kildare as Barry Moore – the younger brother of legendary Irish songsmith Christy Moore – he went to New York in 1987 and transformed himself into much more than an ordinary Irish troubadour. Changing his name to Luka Bloom, he set about fashioning his own songbook, adding a soulful tang to original folk songs that told poignant, compelling tales. His new persona struck an immediate chord, earning him a call from Lou Reed to join David Byrne, Roseanne Cash and Lou in a songwriter’s night to celebrate the birthday of famous New York City club The Bottom Line. He charmed Australian audiences from his first visit in 1992 and has returned for eight subsequent tours. Now, 14 albums later, his shows incorporate a luscious sweep of enduring material from The Acoustic Motorbike album recorded in 1992 to his current Dreams in America album. Luka mesmerises with his thunderous acoustic guitar playing, sweet, lilting voice and engaging song stories. By arrangement with Adrian Bohm Presents and Irish Echo
Website: www.lukabloom.com
Experience Luka Bloom: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HUWn6udd1Q&feature=related

Maisey Rika (NZ)
Maisey Rika performs stripped-back, acoustic melodies with a spine-tingling fusion of English and Maori lyrics. Her hauntingly beautiful vocals have been described as a blend of Sade, India Arie and Tracey Chapman. Her songs are filled with touching tales and the universal emotions of hardship, happiness, love, justice and sorrow we can all relate to. At the 2010 Waiata Maori Awards Maisey won Best Maori Female Solo Artist; Best Maori Pop Album; Best Maori Song; and Best Maori Songwriter.
Website: www.maiseyrika.com/
Experience Maisey Rika: www.youtube.com/maiseyrikatv

Nga Tae (NZ)
A strong combination of keyboard, computer, taonga puoro and voice with Richard Nunns (traditional Maori instruments), Paddy Free (keyboards), Waimihi Hotere (vocals) and Horomona Horo (traditional Maori instruments). Richard Nunns, widely considered to be the living expert on Ngā Taonga Puoro (Māori traditional musical instruments) unites with Paddy Free, one of New Zealand’s best-known electronic musicians to create a uniquely Aotearoa sound which pays homage to the raw beauty of the New Zealand. The group is rounded out by Richard's protégé Horomona Horo and renowned singer Waimihi Hotere. This is a new project which features at the Australasian World Music Showcase.
Website: www.richardnunns.net.nz
Experience a previous collaboration between Richard Nunns, Waimihi Hotere and Paddy Free: www.myspace.com/paddyfree

Nitin Sawhney (UK)
There are no limits within the rich musical world of Indian/British multi-instrumentalist and composer Nitin Sawhney. An acclaimed flamenco guitarist and classical/jazz pianist, Nitin’s ability to transcend cultural barriers in his music has earned him respect from leading edge DJs to the classical community. As a consequence, his eight studio albums contain a lush bed of interwoven styles; jazz and electronica fuse with intricate Asian influences, orchestral meets hip-hop. These rich soundscapes serve as springboard for pointed social messages of multiculturalism, politics and spirituality. Prolific as a solo artists and producer, his collaborations stretch from Paul McCartney, Sting and Jeff Beck to Brian Eno, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Natacha Atlas. He has scored more than 40 films, popular video games and dance projects (including the National Ballet of China), is prolific as a producer (including the Varekai album for Cirque du Soleil) and remixing other artists. In turn, his material has been re-mixed by notables including 4hero, Talvin Singh and MJ Cole. His other great role is as a musical educator, which extends from serving as patron and mentor at several British musical institutions to being a media commentator on television and in print. At WOMAD he will perform a DJ set and be the Musical Director of the All-Star Gala.
Website: www.nitinsawhney.com
Experience Nitin Sawhney: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj6JiXjErTI&feature=related

Paddy Free (NZ)
Karekare: Te Reo o te Whenua (Language of the Land)
Paddy Free is one of New Zealand's best known electronic musicians. Recording and performing with Pitch Black and as a solo artist, he has written music for television, film, theatre, dance and multi-media art, as well as acting as producer and engineer for many world-renowned New Zealand bands. Paddy has been performing a live solo set of Pacific-influenced electronica since 1999, and his debut solo album, a collaboration with renowned taonga puoro expert Richard Nunns, entitled Karekare: Te Reo O Te Whenua was released in July 2008, on Dub Conspiracy Recordings. Combining electronica with taonga puoro and vocals in te reo Maori from Tiki Taane and Waimihi Hotere, Karekare represents a uniquely New Zealand sound, truly The Language of the Land.
Website: www.pitchblack.co.nz/?s1=about&s2=Paddy%20Free

Rajendra Prasanna (INDIA)
Only one Indian musician excels in playing both the flute and shehnai – Pandit Rajendra Prasanna. He was trained in the art of playing the shehnai, an ancient oboe-like instrument, by his grandfather Gauri Shankar, and was trained to play the flute by his father Pandit Raghunath Prasanna. Critics have declared that Prasanna’s flighty gayaki style of playing (like singing) resembles that of the great Panna Lal Ghosh. Presenting recitals that are characterised by simplicity, playful vivacity and sweet melodies, Prasanna has become internationally famous. He was the first flautist and shehnai player who performed in Pakistan after partition in 1986, participated in Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s 1993 Music Festival for World Peace in France, Holland, Lebanon and Cyprus, and played at Ravi Shankar’s memorial concert for George Harrison at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 2002. Prasanna is presently working for the National School of Drama in New Delhi. The Prasanna family from Varanasi have been custodians of the shehnai for five generations. This tour, during which Prasanna performs accompanied by his sons Rajesh and Rishab, marks the first time that the shehnai has been brought to New Zealand. By arrangement with the Nataraj Cultural Centre and with the support of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations
Website: www.prasannaflute.com
Experience Rajendra Prasanna: www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2N8AQtj3Ls&feature=related

Rango (EGYPT/SUDAN)
Sonic voodoo from Sudan. The Cairo-based Rango use ancient folk instruments to revive the sounds of darkest Africa, rooted in warfare, slavery, mystic conflict and powerful spirits. Pounding, relentless songs from healing ceremonies and wild wedding dances meld elements of trance, ritual, exorcism, invocation and delirious celebration. Delving deep into African history to bring a deeply spiritual form of Sudanese folk music back from the dead, this is the mystic music of dispossessed people, taken as a human tax after Egyptian ruler Mohammed Ali conquered Sudan in 1820. Sudanese slaves that served in the Egyptian army carried with them their music of the outlawed Zar ritual, a healing communion with the spirit world, thought to cleanse the soul and relieve suffering. By the late 1970s it had virtually become extinct in Egypt, although a 1990s documentary found the last surviving player of the 190-year-old rango xylophone, Hassan Bergamon, living in Cairo. Inspired by the filming, Hassan assembled a new band. Comprising veteran drummers and players of simsimiyya and tanbura lyres fitted with electric pickups, with singers and ritual dancers wearing mangor belts made from goat horns and playing shakers made from recycled aerosol cans, Rango made its stage debut in Egypt in 2001. During 2009, the group toured Europe to promote its first album, Bride of the Zar, with pounding, relentless songs of triumph and superstition, rooted in slavery, mystic conflict and powerful spirits, melding elements of trance, ritual, exorcism, invocation and delirious celebration.
Website: www.30ips.com/rango
Experience Rango: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHKlsn6r-gc&feature=related

Rhombus with Michel Tuffery (NZ)
Wellington based Rhombus is one of New Zealand’s most original and energetic live performance bands who consistently deliver a blend of hip-hop, soul, funk, dub and bass and roots-reggae creating a unique sound which has seen them establish a large fan base throughout New Zealand and internationally. At WOMAD they collaborate with contemporary New Zealand artist Michel Tuffery who creates live visual projection-based narratives, taking the live show to a new level of experience and sensory stimulation for the audience.
Website: www.rhombus.co.nz
Experience Rhombus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GXnRoAQVOw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xpD1Vk6F2c

Seu Jorge & Almaz (BRAZIL)
He may be the leading voice in Brazilian soul music but Seu Jorge treads a path unlike other popular singers in his country. Important as both an actor and singer in Brazil for the past decade, he cites influences from samba school to the songs of Stevie Wonder. Indeed, his versatility has been a key to his appeal. In addition to starring in Wes Anderson’s movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, performing alongside Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Cate Blanchett, Seu also cut the soundtrack – an astounding collection of David Bowie hits, sung in Portuguese. Soundtrack work also led to his current collaboration with Almaz, a highly respected Brazilian trio: drummer Pupillo, guitarist Lucio Maia and bassist Antonio Pinto, who is also an award winning film score composer. They first met Seu to record a song for the Walter Salles film Linha de Passe, then decided to record an album together. With production by Mario C (Beastie Boys and Jack Johnson) this recording stretches the bounds of their performing ideas: 12 new versions of songs by 12 different songwriters, from the psych-samba of Pai João to Michael Jackson’s Rock With You, to Kraftwerk, to a sublime version of Everybody Loves The Sunshine.
Website: www.seujorgealmaz.com
Experience Seu Jorge & Almaz: www.youtube.com/watch?v=I29dC0JdHco&a=GxdCwVVULXfnu05k5Go8kDHLRkOOPJ_g&list=ML&playnext=1

Sola Rosa (NZ)
Fusing elements of diverse genres with skewed soundtracks…. rubbing shoulders with elements of dub, hip hop, lounge and jazz along the way. Sola Rosa’s diversity walks an ever-erratic line between organic and electronic elements bewitching and beguiling ears in equal proportion. Since 1999 Sola Rosa’s Andrew Spraggon has been tantalising listeners with otherworldly aural experiences, honing his craft and taking Sola Rosa from a self-released one man project to fully-fledged live powerhouse along the way. He’s kept good company on the road and in the studio, Sola Rosa counting members of Dimmer, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Goldenhorse, Pluto and Sommerset amongst the ranks over the years, not to mention pilfering the best members of Che Fu, King Kapisi and Anika Moa’s bands and tapping the talents of internationally renowned artists like Nathan Haines and Spikey Tee. Add a succession of highly regarded releases on a slew of stunning labels including Ministry of Sound, Guidance, Different Drummer, Stereo Deluxe, and Satellite K, and you’ll see why so many eager ears are always fastened on what Sola Rosa does next.
Website: www.solarosa.com
Experience Sola Rosa: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V_txbJtB0M

Tanya Tagaq (CANADA)
Her first album, Sinaa, in 2005, caused a sensation. This was Inuit throat singing cast in a startling modern light, bringing a raw contemporary edge to ancient tribal vocal traditions. Quite simply, Tanya Tagaq from Nunavut in Canada has a voice like no other. Critics fumbled for phrases to adequately describe this searing new sound; an entire language of moans … like a combination of sex therapist and spiritual guide … drawing from animal noiseand nature sounds. David Harrington of Kronos Quartet made a more specific declaration, calling Tanya “the Jimi Hendrix of throat singing”. The extraordinary nature of her solo work, embracing a huge sonic sweep from orchestral to hip-hop beats, has prompted leading artists to collaborate with her, most notably Bjork and Kronos Quartet. Her sound has also provided a valuable foil to visual mediums, having recently contributed to the stunning video project Tungajuk with Jesse Zubot and Montreal filmmakers Felix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphael. While she pushes the boundaries of vocal performance, Tanya remains in tune with her native origins, explaining that “throat singing is a game between two women that is an emulation of the sounds from the land”.
Website: www.isuma.tv/lo/en/tagaq
Experience Tanya Tagaq: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNwB7CjZuTY&feature=related

Taste the World with Peta Mathias
New Zealand's own gastro-nomad, chef author and broadcaster, Peta Mathias takes the helm of the ever-popular Taste the World where our WOMAD artists cook up an international storm of music, food and conversation. Taste the World is presented with support from Nova Gas
Website: www.petamathias.com

Topp Twins Summer Hoe-down (NZ)
New Zealand’s well-loved musical and comic duo, The Topp Twins team up with the legendary Hamilton County Bluegrass Band, fiddler extraordinaire Marian Burns and award-winning country music singer Tami Neilson (Best Female Artist 2010 Country Music Awards) for a foot-stompin’ Summer Hoe-down at WOMAD NZ 2011. Twin sisters with their own primetime television series and hit movie, The Topp Twins are truly original entertainers and one of the few NZ acts which can undoubtedly be called a cultural institution. And with the Topps infectious humour, this is an act which even non-country-music lovers will love!
Website: www.topptwins.com

TrinityRoots (NZ)
They performed at the first WOMAD in New Plymouth back in 2003, and they’re back. TrinityRoots is comprised of three of New Zealand's most acclaimed artists – Warren Maxwell (lead vocals/guitars/keys), Rio Hunuki-Hemopo (bass/vocals) and Riki Gooch (drums/vocals) – who together embodied the New Zealand groove that was ground breaking in Aotearoa's roots scene. During their seven years together, TrinityRoots created a large and loyal fan base through hypnotic live performances which included evocative rhythms and harmonies steeped in a lineage of soul, reggae and roots that transcend the boundaries defined by genre. They split in 2005, but have reformed for a limited number of concerts.
Website: www.trinityroots.co.nz
Experience Trinity Roots: www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Hr6fl7zoI&feature=related

ENDS

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