Aar Maanta moved from his native Somalia to the UK in the late 1980's due to the civil war. As a lone child in a new country he turned to music for comfort absorbing many genres including pop, rock, hip hop, RnB and house. He now produces an eclectic mix of styles blended with traditional Somali music. Aar Maanta's first notable performance was in July 2006 at Rise: London United the UK's largest multi-cultural festival.
Born in Kolkata (Calcutta) in 1963, Debashish Bhattacharya began learning classical Indian music from his parents in his childhood, and went on to a groundbreaking career. His invention, the 24-string Hindustani slide guitar, was modified from the Western guitar to create an entirely new instrument that is nevertheless faithful to the classical Indian tradition. Bhattacharya has collaborated with the American slide guitarist Bob Brozman and the jazz-fusion artist John McLaughlin of Shakti.
Sam Smith is a singer/songwriter from Port Lincoln is South Australia. Influenced by the likes of Neil Young and Led Zeppelin, he found comfort in the family nylon string and slowly started to create an innate style of his own. He started surfing around the age of five and now at 24, still lives for the ocean, surfing and waves - a big inspiration for a lot of Sam’s songs. Currently residing in Perth Western Australia, Sam Smith cut his teeth playing his easy listening acoustic blues/folk tunes at Mojos bar in North Freo.
He belongs to one of the great flamenco dynasties, the Habichuelas, and to the generation of Paco de Lucía, Camarón de la Isla, Enrique Morente, Manolo Sanlúcar... which has opened the way for the current generation of young flamencos and whose work has brought about the enormous popularity that this art form enjoys nowadays. From Pepe´s trajectory, it is possible to perceive the surprising evolution of flamenco in the last few years clearly.
The son of a preacher, Winston was born in 1957, in the hills of Manchester parish, near Christiana, in Jamaica. His parents were very fond of music and it was only natural for him to sing in church. After his father died in 1971, Winston left his native home and moved to Kingston, where his sister was a teacher. In this new city environment, he became friend with Hugh Mundell, Earl Sixteen and Wayne Wade. Because he was sure of their talent, he went with them to their first auditions and even wrote some of their first songs, like Earl Sixteen's "Malcolm X", later taken up by Dennis Brown.
Milton Nascimento (born 26 October, 1942) is a singer-songwriter who is considered one of the icons of Brazilian Music. Nascimento was born in Rio de Janeiro, and grew up in Três Pontas, Minas Gerais. His mother was the maid Maria do Carmo Nascimento. When he was just a few months old, the boy was adopted by the family for whom his mother had previously worked: the couple Josino Brito Campos (a banker, mathematics teacher and electronic technician) and Lília Silva Campos (a music teacher). He lived in the boroughs of Laranjeiras and Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro.
17 Hippies are a band from Berlin, Germany, playing largely on acoustic instruments. Leader Christopher Blenkinsop is originally from Manila, Philippines. Their music is a confection of various folk influences, and is performed with considerable style and energy. They are probably best known for the soundtrack to the 2002 German film Halbe Treppe, released in English as Grill Point. The band was founded 1995 in Berlin by Christopher Blenkinsop (bouzouki, ukulele & vocals)...
In Haiti, the most "African" country in the Caribbean, the drums are the guardians of voodoo, while the rhythms and songs of the local troubadours keep the Black heritage alive. Ti-Coca and his musicians take us to the roots of the Merengue, a high-tech variation of which is played in the neighbouring Dominican Republic. The Haitian version is smoother and less jittery. Other local dances evoke the music of voodoo ceremonies, bringing them to the dance halls. Simbi the sea god and Dambala the serpent god celebrate a party together.
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are a Cajun band band from southern Louisiana. The band formed in 1988 and has since recorded 10 albums, nine of which are on Rounder Records. The bands members include: Steve Riley (accordion), David Greely (fiddle), Sam Broussard (guitar), Brazos Huval (fiddle/saxophone/bass) and Kevin Dugas (drums). An additional member, Jimmy Domengeaux played guitar with the band up until his death in 1999. Domengeaux was killed in a motorcycle accident in southwestern Louisiana.
Read more about Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys on Last.fm.