Where were you @ Amsterdam Roots Festival 2010

 

Amsterdam Roots Festival 2010 visited by 60,000 people. 

A long weekend with four successful nights in venues and a full open air free festival day in the Oosterpark.

The  long festival weekend started on Thursday  June 17 with a sold out show in Theatre Carré by Portuguese singer Dulce Pontes with  fado and more. The Sugar Factory hosted four young bands from Africa having their European premiere. On Friday June 20 the award winning  Staff Benda Bilili  gave a spectacular show in Paradiso. The band, some in wheelchairs, with heartwarming Rumba Congolaise conquered the Dutch public  supported by the youthful  Fatoumata Diawara, who (despite her broken foot) came, sang and conquered all.

The 13-piece band Kassav ' from the French Antilles celebrated on Saturday June 19 their 30-years anniversary during a warm, Caribbean Night in the Melkweg where a crowd of more then 1000 people enjoyed their zouk dance music.  On the second stage Asere presented a new sound by mixing Cuban son and flamenco. Earlier our 'own'  Izaline Calister warmed the audience with her charming latin-jazz from Curacao.

The Alliantie Roots Open Air free festival day on Sunday June 20 attracted about  55,000 visitors to the Amsterdam Oosterpark, where music and audience mixed  to a unique blend. It was party time with La Pegatina from Barcelona and the Colombians of Choc Quib Town, the festival hit of 2010 with their unbridled power hip hop. Highlights were Hanggai with their particular voice acrobatics from China/Mongolia, the tasteful berberrock of Amazigh and the elegant rhythms of Cape Verdean singer Lura.

Music Mayday presented their  project SKOP GAT: young South African talent meets Dutch newcomers. The Alliantie Roots on the Road showcases in two Amsterdam districts had its finale on the Ortel Mobile Urban Groove stage, where the young Afrobeat band Jungle by Night won the prestigious Alliantie Award.

www.amsterdamroots.nl

EU Culture Programme: new category!

SUPPORT FOR EUROPEAN CULTURAL FESTIVALS (strand 1.3.6)

The purpose of this strand is to support European cultural festivals with a view to:

1. encouraging exchanges of experience through the mobility of European professionals in the cultural field

2. promoting the circulation of cultural works by giving access to non-national European cultural works to the largest possible audience

3. promoting intercultural dialogue

Organisations can choose to apply for either of the following types of grant:

(a) support for one edition of the festival

(every year until 2012)

(b) support for three editions of the festival - partnership (for three years, 2011-2013)

More info on criteria and applications: : http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/culture/programme/documents/programme_guide_culture_05_2010_en.pdf

A Call to DJs and radiomakers

The Mogadishu Music Festival

Hello DJs and radiomakers,

Since the 13th of April, broadcasting, listening and making music is forbidden in the Somali capital Mogadishu. All the local radio stations had to comply to the wishes of the Islamist militants who are controlling large parts of the country to not risk their lives. Instead of music, radio stations are playing traffic noise, sounds of the nature and gunshots to excite their listeners. The Mogadishu Music Festival is founded to speak out against this barbaric act of banning music. Mogadishu Music Festival is a fictive festival with the purpose to make people aware of these inhuman practices in Somalia. We believe there's such a thing as 'The Right to Listen Music' and that this right is being infringed in Somalia. And not only this right, but also the Freedom of Speech/Expression.

Our concrete manifestation is an international radio broadcast on the 5th of July. Radio stations participating are given songs to play, songs bands dedicated to the festival. Bands that already are 'playing' on the festival are Joanna Newsom, John Grant, De Staat and The Frames. Radio stations will play these and other songs and tell their listeners about the project. Each program is free to give a spin on the project and do it their own way.

We are speaking to Amnesty International for sponsoring and they are willing to help us. An idea is that virtual tickets will be sold and the money raised will go to Amnesty. Much bands and artists are willing to participate and have sent in songs. Radio stations participating are Radio Patapoe and Don Letts on BBC 6. 'Stichting Nedsom', a Dutch foundation who is building schools in Somalia and helping the Somali to get good quality drink water, is interested to help and many other parties like the initiative.

Want to be part of this project? Send an e-mail to info@mogadishumusicfestival.com! More information can be found on our website, http://mogadishumusicfestival.com

AWME - showcase applications

Australasian World Music Expo (Melbourne, 18 - 21 November 2010)

2 WEEKS REMAINING TO GET YOUR SHOWCASE APPLICATION IN!

CLOSING DATE: MONDAY 31 MAY 2010.

SHOWCASE APPLICATIONS ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH SONICBIDS www.sonicbids.com/awme

Time is running out! The Australasian World Music Expo (AWME) 2010 is inviting Roots, Indigenous, World, Hip-Hop, Reggae, and Electronic artists to send in applications to perform at the region’s premiere music industry and conference event, taking place in Melbourne from 18^th - 21^st November 2010.
Now in its third year, the Australasian World Music Expo (AWME) will once again take over Melbourne's city streets for three days and nights of the finest traditional and contemporary Indigenous, roots and world music on offer!
With two distinct components, AWME brings together industry representatives from all over the world to talk shop and sample music from the region, while also offering punters one of the most eclectic public festival programs in the country.
By day, AWME is a trade fair, which attracts prominent and influential festival bookers, talent agents, record labels and media for workshops, panel discussions and industry networking.  By night, AWME transforms a variety of Melbourne venues into a festival showcase in which delegates and music fans rub shoulders and sample some of the most exciting roots music on the planet.

Featuring more than 50 performance groupsand attracting national and international representatives, AWME aims to raise the profile and commercial opportunities for contemporary and traditional roots/world music groups from Australia, the Pacific and beyond. AWME provides artists the unique opportunity to perform to and network with music industry delegates from Europe, North America, Australia and the Asia Pacific region.

Please refer to the website for further information, criteria and details regarding the application process.  www.awme.com.au

KAMS - EFWMF tour grants

The KAMS-EFWMF Tour Grant was launched in 2010 by the European Forum of Worldwide Music Festivals (EFWMF) and the Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS). The EFWMF‘s member-festivals can apply to KAMS for the grant, and the Korean performance groups invited receive the grants including airfare and freight.

We hope that this program will contribute to promoting interaction between the EFWMF and Korean music groups by helping Korean performers establish a presence at EFWMF events and by supporting festival programs that feature Korean music.

Eight EFWMF festivals applied for the grant. The invited Korean groups include “Sonagi Project,” “Gut Performance - Mr. Dong-ho Choi,” “Dulsori,” “Be-Being” and “Ahn Sook-sun.”  

“Dulsori” has been invited to four festivals – the Czech Republic’s Colors of Ostrava (slated for July), the International Petra Festival and the Heraklion Festival in Greece, and the Roskilde Festival in Denmark – and should enhance the efficiency of Korean performers’ European tours through joint program at all four festivals.  

Sfinks Mixed of Belgium requested “Gut Performance - Mr. Dong-ho Choi” and “Ahn Sook-sun” after two years of research conducted by its art director Patrick De Groote, who visited Korea in 2009-2010. The related programs will likely be based on the director’s well-rounded understanding of Korean music and performers. “Ahn Sook-sun” will be also presented at the Brave Festival of Poland under the auspices of Sfinks Mixed.  

“Be-Being” has been invited to the Uppsala International Sacred Music Festival. Part of a Buddhist music project, it will introduce unique Korean religious music to European audiences.

Austria’s Festival Glatt&Verkehrt has invited “Sonagi Project.” The Korean production was designed specifically for this festival, which celebrates world, contemporary and jazz music. Glatt&Verkehrt promotes collaboration among musicians from all over the world through joint projects with local cellists.

The 2010 KAMS-EFWMF Tour Grant will support the aforementioned festivals and performers to contribute to their co-prosperity.

Jury:    

Hee-Sun Kim (Professor, Kookmin University, School of Education)

Woo-Chang Hwang (World Music Journalist)

Yeon Woo (Director of International Dep. Korea Arts Management Service)

Korea Arts Management Service www.kams.or.kr