Transglobal Underground: a loose London-based musical collective, most active in the 90s, making worldbeat dance music. Less ambient and more percussive than contemporaries such as Banco de Gaia. In their approach (not their sound) they are a little like The Incredible String Band: taking sounds and instrumentation from a wide of non-western sources. TGU claim to be influenced by the Krautrock band Can.
The Raghu Dixit Project, founded by Raghupathy Dixit, is an open house for musicians and artistes from different genres to come together, collaborate and create a dynamic sound and expression. Though a gold medalist in Masters in Microbiology and a proficient Indian Classical Dancer (Vidwat in Bharatanatyam), Raghu is now known more as a self-taught guitarist-singer-composer-song writer-musician, based in Bangalore, India.
Mèkurya began his musical studies on traditional Ethiopian instruments such as the krar and the messengo, and later moved on to the saxophone and the clarinet. Upon reaching adolescence, he began his career in 1949 as a part of the Municipality Band in Addis Ababa. In 1965 he joined the famous Police Orchestra. He was also one of the first musicians to play an instrumental version of the Ethiopian war chant "Shellela.
Michael Beach is a San Francisco-based musician. The formative years of his musical career were spent in Melbourne, Australia where he released several EPs with Electric Jellyfish (Ecstatic Yod, Twin Lakes) as well as his debut LP, Blood Courses (2008). Michael has toured the USA three times with Electric Jellyfish (2007, 2008, 2010) and twice solo (2008, 2011). He has toured Australia twice with Electric Jellyfish (summer 2009, winter 2009) and twice solo (2009, 2011).
Buika (b.1972) is a Spanish singer. Her music mixes flamenco with soul, jazz ,and funk. Born Concha Buika in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, her family came from Equatorial Guinea; she grew up among gypsy people. Ever since she was a child her musical talent was evident, but it was after a visit to London to study drama when, after being invited to a Pat Metheny concert that her life changed. From that moment she began her musical career. During the 1990s she took part in different productions, such as Ombra by La Fura Dels Baus and the soundtrack for the Spanish film Km.
Self-described genius and musical megalomaniac, committed blogger at The Time Being and compulsive music-maker. Multi-instrumental arch wit and vegan. His band the Church have survived for almost 30 years (since 1980) in spite of/because of him. A joker, a toker, a midnight sleeper with five incredible daughters in two hemispheres. Handle with extreme caution.
Watcha Clan are a French quartet that fuses together influences as diverse as its members' heritages. Drawing on North African, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew, French, and modern electronic musical styles for inspiration, the Clan claim a nomadic ethic, calling no single style "home." Since their inception at the turn of the century, Watcha Clan's touring schedule and lifestyle have been as nomadic as their philosophy.
The No Smoking band (Zabranjeno Pušenje in their original Serbian or Croatian language) was born in Sarajevo in 1981 and soon became the most significant musical expression of "New Primitivism", a cultural resistance movement created in the transition years of post-Tito Yugoslavia. After two years of live performances in small Sarajevo concert halls, in 1984 the No Smoking (which musical critics have defined as a Rock band) recorded their first album, "Das ist Walter".
Roshi is a welsh born singer of Iranian descent. She sings individual interpretations of Iranian folk as well as her own evocative songs. They are encapsulated in sparse electronic and cello arrangements produced by Gagarin. Her debut EP And Stars was experimental ep of the month in Mixmag, has been well reviewed in the Wire and elsewhere and she has performed live on Radio Three.
NIAMH PARSONS AND GRAHAM DUNNE, BIOGRAPHIES NIAMH PARSONS Niamh Parsons has come to be known as one of the most distinctive voices in Irish music. Her voice has drawn comparisons to such venerated singers as Dolores Keane, June Tabor and Sandy Denny. The great Scottish balladeer Archie Fisher said of Niamh, "a songstress like her comes along once or twice in a generation." It has been said that Niamh Parsons may not be the most famous Irish Balladeer, but many feel she's the best.