33 f
Kalia Lyraki
Web site:
donkipper.com Booking:
info@donkipper.com Watch:
youtu.be/Qshjj7eWOYs
From London, Senegal and The Gam- bia, the irresistible Fofoulah are sonically shaped and lifted by the galvanising rhythms of the sabar drums, in a “cos- mopolitan mélange” incorporating elec- tronic music, dubby bass lines, trance grooves, improvisation and Afro-rock, all fronted by charismatic front man Batch Gueye, a dancer and singer rooted in the Senegalese Baye Fall religious tradition (and former dancer with likes of Youssou N’Dour!). As fRoots said of their debut Glit- terbeat CD: “Really intelligent, infectious and effective … It’s subtle, beckoning with its toes in the ancestral mud, but this is modern music, intriguing, well-textured and very likeable.” Also features Dave Smith, notable as the drummer with Robert Plant’s band.
Web site:
fofoulah.com
Booking:
davesmithdrums@gmail.com Watch:
youtu.be/PSdDILmbvSY
And it’s worth reminding ourselves of
the very fine Krar Collective, whose rootsy, energetic interpretations of a variety of Ethiopian traditional styles is almost impos- sible not to dance to. With the electric lyre as centrepiece, and driving percussion and vocals, the small trio ensemble have a big sound. Traditionally dressed, the band can also feature four dancers for larger stages. The band often offer a dance workshop before their shows, teaching the basic moves to three or four songs, so that audi- ences can join in.
Web site:
http://krarcollective.com Booking:
info@kazum.co.uk
Watch:
boilerroom.tv/recording/krar-collec- tive/#/video
Looking for a quality listening experience?
Kalia Lyraki is a singer, songwriter and song-collector performing contemporary music of Crete based on women’s songs, often, according to her, “overshadowed by
Valentina
the macho lyra-driven music that has domi- nated the island until now”. Her sound is a blend of joyful wedding dances and soulful laments, rich in mandinada poetry, intricate melodies and archaic rhythms. In her quin- tet, Kalia sings and plays nay, mandoura pipes, thiaboli recorders and daoulaki drum, alongside the lyra and mandolin (Vassilis Chatzimakris), electric laouto (Nikos Ziarkas), double bass (Theodoris Ziarkas) and drums and percussion (Vasilis Sarikis). With addi- tional looped layers, amplified instruments and a driving drum and bass, the set works well on big stages, or, as a quartet, can be adjusted to an acoustic set for small stages. Teaching is an integral part of Kalia’s musical projects, frequently giving workshops to children and adults in the music and songs of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East as well as directing the community choir Fones – London Greek Voices.
Web site:
kaliamusic.com Booking:
info@kaliamusic.com Watch:
youtu.be/k0sUqKz1-oI
Edinburgh residents Valentina &
Voces del Sur was formed by Valentina Montoya Martínez, Chile’s leading female singer and songwriter in the UK, and Scot- tish guitarist David Russell. The four-piece band fronted by Valentina (also known through her work with McFall’s Chamber) features lead guitar/tiple, rhythm guitar, double bass and acoustic percussion on poignant songs inspired by the singer’s pas- sion for the musical traditions of her country of birth. The second part of an oral history project about Valentina’s experience of exile, Daughter Of Exile, is due for release in spring 2017.
Web site:
vocesdelsur.co.uk Booking: via
vocesdelsur.co.uk Watch:
youtu.be/-LA7ewu4Bpc
World Music Network’s label winner of Battle Of The Bands in 2016 (with a debut album scheduled for this year) is Ethiopian artist Haymanot Tesfa, an extraordinary Amharic singer and krar player. Performing solo or with an ever-changing trio, often Mina Salama on ney, kawala and oud and Arian Sadr on tonbak, cajon, daf frame
drum, Tesfa offers intense, compelling inti- mate shows.
facebook.com/haymanottesfamusic/ Booking:
info@konimusic.co.uk Watch:
vimeo.com/125259550
One of our early fRoots front cover
stars, singer Najma Akhtar is still going strong – her latest Five Rivers project an exploration of the shared reference points between the Indian tradition of Ghazal and that of the lyric poets of the west, with musical arrangements drawing in delta blues, jazz, western folk music, North African ‘desert blues’ and her own Indian heritage.
Web site:
http://najmaakhtar.com/ Booking:
mcole7591@aol.com Watch:
youtu.be/BMjGeiRZuVY
Exquisite Bulgarian folk a cappella
group The Perunika Trio are well-known to fRoots readers, but currently Eugenia Georgieva is the only UK-based artist in the trio. She continues to be a prolific performer, including work with Yantra, combining spiritual and folk music from Bulgaria, India and England, and her own band. Eugenia’s band perform Bulgarian folk music arranged for solo voice and traditional instruments – kaval (shepherd’s flute), tam- boura, gadulka (Bulgarian fiddle) and dou- ble bass “and everyone sings!”
Web sites:
eugeniageorgieva.com perunikatrio.com
Booking:
eugenia.georgieva@
gmail.com Watch Yantra:
youtu.be/FlEjMoLFwAI Perunika Trio:
youtu.be/vLvBsLYeNeQ
Los Desterrados perform the tradi- tional music of the Sephardic Jews, Spanish flamenco, fiery Gypsy melodies and North African rhythms infused with modern influ- ences, plus a healthy dose of London atti- tude. Their songs all come from the Judeo- Spanish musical tradition with each member of the band bringing their own musical inspirations to the mix in a lively set which tugs heartstrings with tales of unrequited love, and tugs at the hips as they dance a Jewish wedding.
Photo: Tonia Koinaki
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