RSS feedFrom Celtic Connections 2012
Posted on January 27th, 2012 in Songlines Blog by Sophie Atkinson.
It’s all go go go (with a little bit of snow) up here in Glasgow where editor Jo Frost and I have spent the last few days. The jam-packed line-up at Celtic Connections has much to answer for in terms of lack of blogs (and sleep) as we try to cram as much in to our five days north of the border as is humanly possible.
The sheer of wealth of awesome acts has often meant making some tough choices and dashing between venues to catch 20 minutes or so of sets – all of which always leave us wanting more. Highlights so far have included Songlines favourites the Cecil Sharp Project (who are playing London tonight), King Creosote and Jon Hopkins, C W Stoneking, New Country Rehab, Fatou with Michael McGoldrick, KAN, Rua McMillan and many, many more…
But to be perfectly honest, it seems a real shame to be in a hotel room on my laptop when there’s a city to explore, more music to be heard and whiskey to be supped! So I’m going to sign off for now with a promise to report back in greater detail tomorrow.
In the meantime, here’s a nice video of Le Vent du Nord who performed last weekend:
The Nile Project
Posted on January 27th, 2012 in Songlines Blog by Alexandra Petropoulos.
Having dedicated so much time and effort to our Music and Social Change special issue, we’ve been paying particular attention to interesting music projects that aim to do more than just create good music.
One such project recently brought to our attention is the Nile Project, created by Ethiopian-American singer and TED Senior Fellow Meklit Hadero and Egyptian ethnomusicologist Mina Girgis.
The project aims to connect the various people of the Nile, sharing music and culture. According to their Kickstarter campaign, ‘loosely based on the Silk Road Project, the Nile Project is a multicultural musical platform that will bring together hip-hop and traditional musicians living in the Nile countries (Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt) to play and record music, to tour down the river and its source lakes on a boat made of recycled water bottles, and to share an experience that will connect the peoples of the river.‘
At the moment the project is looking for supporters of their Kickstarter campaign, which ends next week. The money they raise will cover their scouting trip to connect with musicians and eventually create the Nile Project All Stars. If they raise more than the $10,000, they will create a residency for the Nile Project musicians, to record and distribute the CD and tour around the world.
Check out their Kickstarter campaign here and watch the video below to hear more from Meklit and Mina.
Music and Social Change off to press!
Posted on January 26th, 2012 in Songlines Blog by Alexandra Petropoulos.
Whew! Excitingly, our next issue (#82 March 2012), the Music and Social Change special is off to press.
With a historic 2011 having just ended and a new year, which even in its infancy, is poised to be as powerful, the special issue felt timely.
Last year saw some of the most impressive popular uprisings the world has seen in decades. The so-called ’99%’ made their voices heard throughout the events of 2011, but more and more are catching on as we head deeper into the new year. Youssou N’Dour has garnered support in Senegal as a presidential candidate and most recently Seun Kuti has led protests in Nigeria, urging the government to help support its economically distraught public.
We have been eagerly following the latest news and are delighted to see what an incredible role music has been playing in these revolutions. This next issue, on sale February 3, is going to be a in-depth and up-to-date look into the relationship between music, musicians and social change.
That said, we expect to see music play a part in more uprisings and revolutions, so don’t forget to follow us here on the blog, on Facebook and on Twitter for the latest news as it happens.
Finally, let us know how you feel about music and politics by answering our poll here. Come on, don’t be shy!
Our Music and Social Change issue (#82, March 2012) is on sale February 3.
Moringa Tree: a night of African-inspired music
Posted on January 24th, 2012 in Songlines Blog by Songlines Intern.
If you’re in London, head down to Hackney this Thursday (Jan 26) for an evening of beautiful African-inspired music, featuring Congo Dia Ntotila, Nick Mulvey and Mosi Conde. Congo Dia Ntotila are known to touch on Congolese rumba, zouk, Cameroonian makosa and much more. The night will see them doing an exclusive stripped back set of Afro-fusion dance. They usually get the crowd dancing with their strong elements of jazz and Latin American music.
Nick Mulvey, a key found member of Portico Quartet, will be providing Congolese guitar and folky vocals, whilst kora maestro and multi-instrumentalist Mosi Conde will be performing a solo set.
The Moringa Tree is a charity that runs music festivals around the world, celebrating arts and culture and benefitting local communities. All the money raised from this event will be going towards the Asabaako festival at Busua beach, Ghana. A key element of this festival is to promote and provide a platform for unsigned, under-supported, underground artists in Ghana, who don’t have the resources to make it into the Ghanaian music industry.
Watch Mosi Conde at the Moringa Tree launch, here.
You can buy your tickets here.
To RSVP to this event, click here.
