African Soul Rebels 2009
03 - 14 March 2009
The African Soul Rebels 2009 tour is the most pan-African yet. Opening the show with an irresistible East African beat are Extra Golden, a band who offer a unique collision between Kenyan benga and Midwestern rock. Alongside members of his longstanding band Daande Lenol, Baaba Maal will be digging deep into the treasure trove of Senegalese music for a powerful acoustic set. Closing the show is Oliver Mtukudzi and his band, the Black Spirits, for many years the most challenging outfit in Zimbabwe and guaranteed to get any dance floor shaking.
When Zimbabwe achieved independence in 1980, Oliver Mtukudzi was already one of the most respected singers and songwriters in southern Africa, his music having chronicled the years of struggle and civil war. Almost 30 years on, his latest album, Tsimba Itsoka asks hard questions of both his government and his compatriots, telling it like it is and forcing people inside and outside his beleaguered country to consider the consequences of their actions and confront their legacies.
Extra Golden was formed by members of Kenya’s Orchestra Extra Solar Africa and US rock band Golden, Championed early on by Barack Obama no less, this Afro-American collective has plugged into a unique new groove. Together they create an irresistible mix of guitar-driven benga (contemporary dance music from Kenya) and 70s funk rock.
Baaba Maal needs no introduction: although last year’s official bootleg, On The Road, was his first album in seven years, he has been working as a Youth Emissary for the United Nations Development Programme, raising awareness of the disadvantages faced by people whose countries are ravaged by poverty, a lack of education and the threat of disease. The past 12 months have seen him become an integral part of the Africa Express concerts, where he and his musicians have been mixing their music with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Damon Albarn and Jarvis Cocker.
Bookmark...
