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“The decision to devote ourselves to such eclectic music wasn’t an easy one to take,” said Hollander in his acceptance speech. “But I’ve always had a phobia about being trapped in a box. Mixtures and hybrid forms can be exciting, so why not take advantage of globalisation to create our own cocktail?” A sentiment echoed by WOMEX director Christoph Borkowsky Akbar. Reflecting on the four days of showcases (450 artists), networking (2,000 delegates, 200 trade fair stands) and debate (29 conferences), he underlined the growing diversity and creativity in ‘world music’: “Hollander is absolutely right in saying we are fighting the dictatorship of formats. This is an open space without the restrictions you see elsewhere in the music industry. In these difficult financial times it’s up to us to define in which direction we now want to take it. And I feel optimistic.” There was a sense that this anniversary edition marked the end of a decade of gestation full of nomadic restlessness and technical quirks. “WOMEX needs to find a new stability,” explained Borkowsky. “So far, we have had to adapt to a new environment every year. After the 11th edition in Gateshead, England, we are going to stay in one place for three to five years. We have become so big that it’s the only way to sort out our networking problems.” The WOMEX cofounder said he is juggling with a dozen potential venues going from Lisbon in the west, to Budapest in the east. “The decision will have to be taken quickly to set up structural and technical partnerships. One thing I hope settling down will help eliminate is the poor sound quality of our showcases. It has been a permanent disappointment since we began in 1994.” Participants at the 2005 WOMEX in northeast England could get a first taste of the site’s acoustics by going to the final of the BBC Radio 3 awards for world music next spring. 32 finalists were announced at the closing ceremony in Essen, and the winners from the eight categories will be hosted at the Sage music centre designed by the star British architect Norman Foster. An enticing warm-up to the next WOMEX bonanza taking place between October 26-30, 2005.
Daniel Brown
* Hat’s off to Laurent Benhamou of the Studio Mondomix
crew for vividly bringing to life Crammed’s contribution to ‘world music’. |
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The Mondomix team in Essen (Germany) : Journalists Daniel Brown, Benjamin MiNiMuM Video Thomas Babot Pla, Arnaud Cabanne Multimedia Arnaud Cabanne Production Marc Benaïche, Laurent Benhamou, Catherine Zbinden | Explore virtualShowcases  Interviews and videos are in Real Player format [Free Download]  |