// PORTRAITS
Banksy // England
14/12/2010
Jean-Michel Basquiat // United States
Born in 1960 to a Puerto Rican mother and a Haitian father, Jean-Michel Basquiat became one of the crucial artists in the New York new wave of the 1970s and 80s. Starting out as a street artist and moving into studio work he was celebrated during his lifetime as one the greatest artists of his generation, a lifetime which was cut short in 1988 when he died of a heroin overdose aged 27.
13/10/2010
Wilson Das Neves // Brazil
Samba, the talismanic soundtrack of Rio de Janeiro, is part of Wilson das Neves’ DNA. And this charming 73 year old has made a unique and treasured contribution to Brazilian music since he started playing professionally in 1954.
28/07/2010
Gotan Project // Argentina, France, Switzerland
This Paris-based trio of electro-technicians is comprised of Argentine guitarist Eduardo Makarof, French composer Philippe Cohen Solal and Swiss musician Christop H. Müller. They first came to worldwide attention with their 2001 album La Revancha del Tango. This planetary success was followed by another platinum-selling release in 2006, Lunatico. «Gotan» is back-to-front French slang for « tango ».
18/05/2010
El Hijo De La Cumbia // Argentina
Argentinian DJ/producer Emiliano Gómez aka El Hijo De La Cumbia is one of the leading new cumbia pioneers. Mixing vintage cumbia with electronic beats his sound has a dense, psychedelic kick, wild and rooted.
18/05/2010
Carlinhos Brown // Brazil
Antonio Carlos Santos de Freitas, alias Carlinhos Brown, was born in the Candeal favela (slum) in Salvador do Bahia, (Brazil) during the 60s. He learnt to play the candomble rhythms (of the Afro-Brazilian religion) with the musicians from the poor neighbourhood where he lived.
03/05/2010
Mercedes Sosa // Argentina
With her warm, nostalgic voice, the great Argentinian vocalist sings of love, grace, life and the passage of time. Her unique musical adventure began in 1950, when she won a singing contest organised by the local radio. She was only 15 at the time, but her talent was already obvious. Since then she has graced world stages with songs plucked out of over twenty major albums. After a severe bout of illness Mercedes Sosa returned with a stripped-down acoustic album, “Corazon libre”, that proved her voice had lost none of its vitality and strength.
07/10/2009
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou // Benin
Founded in 1969 in Cotonou, Benin the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo went on to become one of the best known groups in West Africa. They recorded over 500 songs, including the massive hits ‘Gbeti Madjro’ and ‘Mille Fois Merci’. Driven by the powerhouse kit-drummer Yehoussi Leopold, the band anchored their sound in the complex rhythms played at Vodoun ceremonies. Mixing this with James Brown-style funk, Fela-inspired Afrobeat, American pop, soukous and highlife, Poly-Rythmo were a sensation in the 1970s and toured across the region through the 1980s. Following the release of several compilations featuring their work by labels Soundway and Analog Africa founder Melome Clement and a core of original members regrouped in 2009 for a debut European tour.
23/09/2009
vodoun
Lila Downs // Mexico, United States
A diminutive vocalist with a startlingly powerful voice Lila Downs has merged her Mexican and North American roots into a potent concoction, seducing audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Her first CD “Tree of Life” reflected the Mixtec Indian heritage. Her follow-up album “La Linea” lambasted US policies towards Mexican immigration. The 2002 release “Una Sangre” promoted the indigenous plurality of Mexico and bagged a Latin Grammy. In 2006, her fourth CD “La Cantina” returned to the “ranchera” music that bathed her childhood.
09/01/2009
Pernett // Colombia
Progressive folklore, that’s how Colombian innovator Humberto Pernett characterizes his sound. Born in Baranquilla in 1978, Pernett now lives in Bogota and is one of the leading lights of the new electropical generation.
26/11/2008
Bomba Estereo // Colombia
Bomba Estereo are Simon Mejia [programming, digital sampling] Liliana Saumet [vocals] , Diego Cadavid [percussion] and Kike Egurrola [drums] from Bogota. Part of the new wave of young artists playing cumbia-inspired electronica.
26/11/2008
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