The organiser decided to present SIMPHIWE DANA last date of her One Love Movement UK tour in the 900-capacity main room @ Queen Elisabeth Hall and the scenery was appropriate to experience this young songstress from South Africa.
Most press release hail her as the new Miriam Makeba and that is typical of media to look for a known and obvious reference points in order to digest new information. Is it because she sing, while being a female, while coming from South Africa and being black that she automatically is compared to the great Miriam Makeba? Is it because, she, too, sings in both her native Xhosa and English?
Is it fair to the artist? Is it fair to Miriam Makeba? The simplistic approach...the new this, the new that....??!
It is when she step on stage, with gracious and subtle movement, she immediately draw you into her world, musically sparse, beautifully delivered, politically engaged, Soul, Jazz and traditionnal perfectly blend, fiercely conscious of who she is and what her purpose is...
All become clear, here is a unique singer, an engaging performer with subtle yet riveting stage presence....
You want more? Get to know more about SD on www.voxafrica.com flagship cultural show AFROBUZZ; Cosmopolitan and WAHALA....coming soon
Simphiwe Dana, we salutes you!!!
SIMPHIWE DANA, KADIJATHOU, YEMI FROM AFRO POP LIVE, KIRENGA ERIC SOUL
Only 1 day to recover from a gruelling tour, we are at ULU to welcome Best African Act Mobo winner NNEKA for the 1st date of her forthcoming UK tour!
It was interesting to see the attendance at NNEKA concert at ULU. University Of London Union's concert venue was a very appropriate choice for this special evening.
The place filled up quickly with a young, sexy and hip multicultural crowd who came to check a unusual line up...
Gnawa-esque Ragga dub from Amazigh K from Algeria and sensation NNEKA from Nigeria
It was an great sight for someone like me, I mean the audience....
as London music scene is sometimes unecessarily secluded and me being an inquisitve DJ, I always felt it was natural and necessary to swing from World music exclusive circles to underground afro-boho spots while hanging at hip hop and Jazz jam and continue raving in illegal warehouse blasting loud bleeps and bassline from hand-made sub-woofer...for me its all good!!!! If one need to hop from scene to scene to see what is really cooking ...so be it, its part of the job.
To bring those scenes and audiences together has alwyas been a difficult and constantly challenging mission for various marketeer and concert promoters.
What the NNEKA-buzz effortlessly created last nite... or should I say, what the NNEKA-buzz easily destroyed last nite was the division the existed within various and disparates audiences.... young, sexy and hip listenners of BBC Radio 1 rubbed shoulder with the white and middle-age elite of the World music scene, Arabic and Africans community members of all ages and top industry executive nodded in unisson to the music of Nigeria and Algeria, the lines were blurred, the music once again brought everyboy together under one roof.
NIGERIAN CHART-TOPPER JUSTINA AND CHARLIE GILLET
Delivered and sealed by the partnership of Afro Pop Live and Enchanted Tunes, it was a great evening and should be the template of many others fresh live music event in the forthcoming future...
NNEKA is back on her 1st UK tour later this month, stay logged!
NNEKA and Amazigh K, we salutes you,
And finally, as it always comes in three!! Another great Afro lady will be performing 2nite @ Passing Cloud as part of Dele Sosimi's annual celebration of FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI's birthday.
Toli Nameless (empress of Afro beat) meets Dele Sosimi (legendary keyboardist to Fela Kuti) in a rare Afro Beat jam session. Special guest including but not limited to Helen McDonald (vocals & talking drum). It’s going to be a night to remember. Please join us at Passing Clouds in London on Nov 5th.
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