November 1st

At the closing ceremony of Womex 2009, the jury honoured a great professional of the world music field. 30 years ago the French producer Christian Mousset created what is now considered to be one of the very first European festivals open to worldwide sounds, Musiques Métisses in Angoulême. Through this event and his labels Indigo and Marabi he introduced famous artists such as Cesaria Evora, Johnny Clegg, The Super Rail Band, Wendo Kolosoy and Rokia Traoré to a large international audience. The Malian artist Traoré was called to present him his award and also received a prize herself  from Roskilde Festival for her newly inaugurated Foundation Passarelle which provides support to young Malian musicians. An emotional Christian Mousset mischievously announced that now he has won this award he might consider becoming a professional. 

Staff Benda Bilili, this year’s Womex Artist Award winners, are street musicians from Kinshasa, many of them disabled by polio and facing brutal poverty. When a band’s biography is as radically unusual and compelling as this one there’s always the doubt that the focus has been shifted to the backstory because the music isn’t going to convince on its own. At today’s closing ceremony Staff Benda Bilili proved that all the media attention they have been getting since the release of their debut album Très Très Fort on Crammed (voted Womex’s label of the year) is totally deserved. They play possibly the most inspiring and exciting set we’ve seen in Copenhagen, there’s a palpable energy surge coming off the stage. Congolese rumba is one of the most infectious rhythms ever and it’s the basis of their sound but Staff have invented something totally their own, including extraordinary solos on the home-made one string satonge. Incredible people making incredible music. It’s a cathartic goodbye to Womex Copenhagen 2009.

Mondomix

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