FIRST LADY RELEASING THIRD ALBUM! Carla Bruni, former model, pop singer, and France’s first lady, will be releasing a new album, ‘Comme si de rien n’était,’ on July 11th.
Fans of French chanson better get ready, because guess who’s back? Carla Bruni, the popular first lady of France and prolific chanson and pop singer, is releasing her newest album, ‘Comme si rien n’était’ (Naïve), on July 11th across Europe. Carla Bruni hardly needs an introduction – the Italian-born girl who grew up in France left her successful modelling career to go into music, and to date has released two very successful and very different albums. ‘Quelqu’un m’a dit,’ her debut album in 2002, met with great success throughout the Francophone world, while her second album ‘No Promises,’ released in January of last year, took inspiration from famous English and American poets and met with yet further success overseas. As first lady, her music career has been going strong, and her state visits with President Nicolas Sarkozy have created media sensations and increased her popularity, especially in the UK. ‘Comme si de rien n’était,’ her third album, has been produced by Dominique Blanc-Francard. The album will include 14 tracks written and composed by Carla Bruni, with the exception of two songs written in collaboration with French novelist Michel Houellebecq and singer Julien Clerc respectively, and two cover versions. Sales of the album will be leveraged for a good cause – the first lady has asked that her royalties be donated to the “Fondation de France,” a charitable organization that assists with the creation of social and charitable programs and the distribution of donations, as well as the awarding of prizes and scholarships.
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BLUFUNK HITS THE WORLD AGAIN WITH KEZIAH JONES? NEW ALBUM! ‘Nigerian Wood,’ the new album from the Nigerian-born musician, will hit stores across Europe this September, while Keziah Jones will be touring all summer and autumn.
This summer, get ready for a new Blufunk masterpiece – Keziah Jones is back with a new album, ‘Nigerian Wood’ (Because Music) coming out in France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Canada and Japan on September 1st. A single from the album, ‘My Kind of Girl,’ has already been released in digital format; and following the September 1st release the album will be available in the UK and US in the spring of next year. And that’s not all – Keziah Jones will be touring all this summer and autumn, and believe us when we tell you these are must-see shows! Keziah Jones is every inch an original. Born in Nigeria, educated in England and starting his musical career in the streets, clubs, and subways of London and Paris, Keziah Jones’ distinctive musical style of “Blufunk” caught the right people’s attention and helped launch his first real tour in England. Since then, Keziah Jones has released several albums: the first, ‘Blufunk is a Fact’ and its single ‘Rhythm is Love’ launched him into the international spotlight, selling 500,000 copies in Europe alone, while the second, ‘Black Orpheus,’ sold 200,000 copies in France and 400,000 worldwide. Check out tour dates below, or visit Keziah Jones’ website at www.keziahjones.com
18 July – Belgrade: Summer Festival 12 September – Le Noirmont: Chant de Gros 26 October – Fribourg: Le Fri-Son 27 October – Zurich : Maag Hall 1 November – Luxembourg: Den Atelier 8-10 November – Spain (locations to be announced) 15 November – Ghent: Handelsbeurs
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SOHA WOWING AUDIENCES FROM HERE TO THERE! French artist Soha has met with fantastic success since the release of her first album, ‘D’ici et d’ailleurs,’ last autumn.
The songs are playful, switching from English to French to Jamaican patois with the ease of switching a light. They are heartfelt, filled with emotion – but never heavy. And they are, over all else, a joy to listen to. Don’t take our word for it; ‘D’ici et d’ailleurs’ (EMI Music France), the first album of the Marseilles-born singer Soha, was nominated as best world music album in the Victoires de la Musique awards! Lauded by critics and fans alike, her album has already sold more than 45,000 copies to date. She is in very high demand for live performances, with upcoming shows throughout Europe, including an appearance at the prestigious Glastonbury Jazz Festival in England, where her album was released in June. The album will also be released in Germany this August, and Spain, Latin America and the US later in 2008. Born just north of Marseilles to Algerian parents, Soha grew up with eight brothers and sisters, whose unique musical tastes gave her a rich and varied appreciation for different styles and genres. “I tried to absorb their tastes,” she remembers, “forcing myself to be attentive…” Today, the fruits of that attentiveness show themselves off in the diversity of the tracks on her latest album; with its global influences, ‘D’ici et d’ailleurs’ truly earns the oft-overused title of ‘world music.’ To find out more about upcoming tour dates, or the album itself, visit Soha’s MySpace at www.myspace.com/sohamusic
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SEBASTIAN PERFORMING ACROSS EUROPE! While fans eagerly await the release of his first long-format album in September, SebastiAn will be performing around Europe in July and August.
If you know French electro, you should know SebastiAn, that ever-hard-to-classify mixer, performer, and all-round musician. Having worked with the radical Jean-Louis Costes, the legendary duet of Daft Punk and the eccentric but popular Sebastien Tellier, SebastiAn’s musical background and influences span the spectrum from rap to house to indie rock, encompassing every facet of the French electro scene. So it’s no surprised that this multi-talented French musician who toured with Daft Punk is hitting the road again – audiences abroad just can’t get enough! SebastiAn has already released several EPs on Ed Banger records – ‘Smoking Kills’ in 2004, ‘Ross Ross Ross’ in 2006, and ‘Motor’ just a few months ago. Today, besides touring, he is working on his first full length album of remixes, entitled ‘SebastiAn Remixes’ (Because Music), coming out in September around the world. Don’t miss the release, and be sure to catch him live in the next two months!
11 July – Lisbon, Portugal: Alive Festival 18 July – Dour, Belgium: Dourfestival 19 July – Dortmund, Germany: Loonyland 14 August – Hasselt, Belgium: Pukkelpop Festival
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RACHID TAHA TO COME TO THE US AND CANADA ON A ?DEFINITIVE? NORTH AMERICAN TOUR Franco-Algerian star Rachid Taha will tear through the United States and Canada this July, gracing seven stages with his distinctive raï-reggae-rock.
Born in Oran, Algeria, Rachid Taha is known internationally for his politically-charged songs, rich musical fusions, and rousing live performances. Since the 1989 dissolution of Carte de Séjour, the French rock band he led for six years, Taha has made twelve solo and live albums. The most recent of these is 'The Definitive Collection' (Wrasse), a Best Of album that features fifteen carefully culled tracks from seven of his albums prior to his 2006 release, 'Diwân 2.' A limited edition of the European-released version includes a DVD of Taha’s recent Algeria tour, complete with English subtitles. The US-Canada tour announces the July 1 North American release of the Definitive Collection, which hit England in April and will appear in France in October. The tour will start off onJuly 5th in New York at Central Park’s annual outdoor SummerStage concert series. On July 7th and 8th Taha will perform in Ottawa and Toronto respectively, at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest and the Phoenix Concert Theatre. He’ll give a July 10th concert at the Philadelphia arts haven, the Kimmel Center, before swooping west to California. There, he will perform on the 12th at Grand Performances, the non-profit arts institution in Los Angeles. The tour will conclude the next day in San Francisco with a concert at the 71st annual Stern Grove Music Festival. The tour will continue to nourish Rachid Taha’s respected place among North American world music fans. In re-releasing his cornerstone songs, 'The Definitive Collection' reinforces some of the musician’s most powerful and enduring themes. To bear witness, just listen to “Douce France,” Taha’s deeply ironic Charles Trenet cover, or “Ya Rayah,” the ageless masterpiece from his 1998 album, Diwân.
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PAPIER TIGRE EMBARKS ON BRAZILIAN TOUR! The French indie rock group Papier Tigre will be touring Brazil this August in cooperation with the French Music Export Office and the Brazilian Association of Independent Festivals.
Papier Tigre, the hit French indie rock band, will be embarking on a 5-concert tour of Brazil from the 1st to the 10th of this August, with concerts in Brasilia, Goiania, Sao Paulo and Cuiaba. The tour, which coincides with the release of Papier Tigre’s album ‘S/T’ (Effervescence) on the Brazilian label Monstro Discos, will be coordinated by the French Music Export Office in Brazil in partnership with ABRAFIN (the Brazilian Association of Independent Festivals), and the album’s Brazilian release will be followed quickly by CD releases and tours in the United States and Mexico this August and September. This tour is the beginning of a global project promoting young French pop-rock artists in 2009 in the context of the Year of France in Brazil with the ABRAFIN festival network, which unites 25 events distributed throughout 20 cities across Brazil. In order to report on the project, a number of professionals and members of the local media will be invited on Papier Tigre’s tour, and the French Music Export Office in Brazil plans to distribute a promotional compilation of French artists in the rock scene for free in October 2008.
WORLD
AKIM EL SIKAMEYA BRINGING THE WORLD A BIT OF LOVE! The acclaimed Algerian violinist and singer is releasing his latest album worldwide, celebrating with a tour throughout Europe in the next few months.
Akim El Sikameya, acclaimed by fans and critics worldwide for his self-styled Mediterranean music and winner of the “World Music Song” award from the International Songwriting Competition, will be releasing his newest album ‘Un chouia d’amour’ (Lila Records / World Music Network) this September in over 40 countries! To celebrate the release, the artist will be touring Europe throughout the summer, performing frequently in Italy, Spain and Portugal, with a nine-day German tour in August. Akim’s current project is the Med’Set Orchestra, an ensemble of musicians from around the Mediterranean dedicated to the performance of a music uniquely Mediterranean in form. Hailing from Algeria, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece, the group aspires promote a common Mediterranean identity among the myriad of cultures surrounding the sea – as Akim himself says, “Before being Portuguese, Spanish, Algerian, Italian or Greek, we are Mediterranean.” Akim El Sikameya will be performing with the Med’Set Orchestra in his upcoming tour; check out the concert dates below or visit his website at www.akimelsikameya.com
18 July – Lisbon, Portugal 19 July – Cartaya, Spain 20 July – Lisbon, Portugal 21 July – Pisa, Italy 22-23 July – Florence, Italy 24 July – Sicily, Italy 25 July – Rome, Italy 1-9 August – Tour throughout Germany 14 August – Valencia, Spain 15 August – Granada, Spain 12-13 September – Lisbon, Portugal
WORLD
A FILETTA BRINGING A CAPPELLA BACK ON TOUR! The Corsican A Cappella group will be touring Europe to promote their newest album, ‘Bracanà’
A Filetta, 7 Corsican singers performing everything from classical religious pieces to contemporary abstract songs, have exemplified the tradition of Corsican singing since their creation in 1978, celebrating their homeland with their voices. With a long career and extensive discography, the group is as fresh and on-key as they’ve ever been – so it’s no surprise that they’re hitting the road again! Their latest album ‘Bracanà’ (Deda) just came out last month, distributed worldwide by Harmonia Mundi, and the group is touring Europe this July to promote their new record, visiting Poland, Switzerland, Spain, the UK, Belgium and (of course) France. Over the course of their career, A Filetta has recorded many albums and engaged in collaborations in almost every performing art: theatre, opera, dance, jazz, on stage and on television. The praise has been flowing from critics ever since they started singing – this tour is not to be missed! Make sure to look out for performances later in the year at Womex and La Fira Mediterrania de Manresa; check out their MySpace for details.
11 July – Wroclaw: Brave Festival 12 July – Ostrava: Colours of Ostrava 19 July – Vilanova y la Geltru Festival 21 July – London: Voices across the world, Royal Opera House (with Dhafer Youssef) 26 July – Boechout: Sfinks festival
WORLD
VANESSA DA MATA TOURING EUROPE AS HER ALBUM IS RELEASED ACROSS THE CONTINENT! The fantastic Brazilian singer and composer will be touring Europe this July as her album ‘Sim’ is released in still more countries.
Vanessa de Mata, the Brazilian sensation whose new album has already gone platinum in Brazil and Portugal, is finally releasing her album across the rest of Europe! ‘Sim’ (Discograph), already released in France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands, will be released in Greece, Poland and Italy in July, followed by Germany, Austria, the UK, Scandinavia and Australia in August. ‘Sim’ has met with popular and critical acclaim, and rocketed this wonderful Brazilian singer onto the international music scene. A self-taught musician, nominated for a Grammy for a composition with Chico César, her album benefits from the collaboration of fantastic producers (Mario Caldato) and directors (Sly & Robbie), but before all else benefits from the smooth sound and musicality of Vanessa’s voice. ‘Boa Sorte/Good Luck,’ a track from the album written, composed and recorded along with Ben Harper, has hit #1 on Portuguese, Brazilian and Swiss radio. To celebrate the release of this fantastic album, Vanessa de Mata will be touring Europe with 14 dates in July throughout Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland (where she will be performing at the Paleo festival with Ben Harper). Check the tour dates below, or visit the artist’s website at www.vanessadamata.com.br
09 July – Barcelona 11 July – Madrid 17 July – Cisternino 18 July – Rome 19 July – Livorno: Arezzo Wave 21 July – Turin 22 July – Nyon: Paleo Festival (with Ben Harper) 27 July – Milan: Festival Latinoamericando 30 July – Brussels 31 July – Amsterdam
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NELSON COMING TO BRITAIN THIS JULY! The Parisian-based rock group will be touring Britain with 6 concerts this July.
A cross between Joy Division, The Rapture and Animal Collective, Nelson's band is JB Devay, Gregory Kowalski, David Nichols and Thomas Pirot; four guys with a nervous energy and the right look for the rock music of today, mixing bright red adolescent energy with a certain wisdom. The group lives in Paris, being the masters of the young up and coming rock scene of the Capital. Signed on Diamondtraxx label, funded by Benjamin Diamond, which also handles Hushpuppies, they’ve headlined and run turbulent gigs, and supported The Kills. Their music is brutal but melodic rock, with tortured guitars pumping behind the lyrics. The band will perform at the final Stage of the Art (the unprecedented music collaboration between the ICA and Palais de Tokyo in Paris) of the 2008 season with These New Puritans and Zombie Zombie. Nelson promises in July explosive performances where aggressive guitars compete with delicate electronic sounds.
4 July – Darlington: Inside Out 5 July – Sheffield: Razor Stiletto 6 July – Castleford: The Loft 7 July – Coventry: Kasbah 10 July – Southsea: Fat Fox 11 July – London: ICA
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SEUN KUTI AND EGYPT 80 COMING TO UK FESTIVALS THIS SUMMER! The Nigerian Afrobeat star and his famous group will be performing at festivals in Britain this July and August.
Seun (pronounced “Shehoun”) is an abbreviation from his Yoruban name Oluseun: “God has done great things”. There’s no doubt that Seun is the worthy heir of Fela Kuti’s hardline militancy. Deeply engaged, every track on his latest album 'Seun Kuti and Fela's Egypt 80' (Tôt ou Tard) is a ravaging pamphlet against the corruption and carelessness of African leaders from Think Africa and Many Things to Na oil and African Problems. Seun had recently joined Youssou N’Dour in a major project fighting against malaria and Mosquito Song explains how the governments’ negligence in teaching the importance of hygiene is responsible for the effects of this plague that kills more people than AIDS... With the same energetic and booming voice as Fela, Seun has added his own raging rhythm clearly influenced by rap. He cites Chuck D, Dr Dre and Eminem among his musical heroes. But Seun’s orchestra isn’t a clone of his fathers, even if we do see as much crazy, frenetic movement on stage and even if two thirds of the orchestra’s members were already there in Fela’s time. Above all they are just the best funk group today, which is no surprise really. For the last 25 years they’ve played and rehearsed daily in Lagos at the Shrine Club... Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 are more than just an orchestra, they’re a musical family who deserve enormous respect for having stayed united so long, especially since the last years of Fela and those that followed were so hard. His first Londonner concert at the Barbican on 28th May has drawn the UK media's attention: his press review is impressive, including a whole page in the Independent. The band will perform in the main British festivals, notably Lovebox London weekender (20th July) and The Big Chill (3rd August).
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ZOMBIE ZOMBIE COMING TO ENGLAND WITH FOUR CONCERTS IN JULY AND AUGUST The French group is following up their May success with a new tour in Britain this summer.
Following a successful tour in May, Zombie Zombie is back in the UK. They have been chosen to perform as a band from the emerging French scene at the final Stage of the Art (the unprecedented music collaboration between the ICA and Palais de Tokyo in Paris) of the 2008 season with These New Puritans and Nelson. Zombie Zombie is a crazy science and music project from Paris led by Etienne Jaumet and Cosmicneman (from Herman Dune), gathered by their passion for horror movies and soundtrack (George Romero, John Carpenter, and music from bands like The Goblin, Suicide, Raymond Scott, Silver Apples or Can) and old machines from the 70's. Their music is instinctive and always an unique performance, thanks to vintage synthesizer and analogic keyboards. They aim at going into a trance, improvising melodies and rhythms around a main driver.
11 July – London: ICA 7 August – London: Mac Beth 8 August – London: Faction 9 August – Leicester: Summer Sundae Festival
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LES FRERES GUISSE RELEASING THEIR FIRST INTERNATIONAL ALBUM! ‘Yakaar’ (Mon Slip) will be the first of the group’s five albums to be available worldwide.
Les Frères Guissé, three Senegalese brothers with beautiful voices and a musical gift, have just released their fifth album, ‘Yakaar,’ (meaning ‘Hope’ in Peulh, a Senegalese language) on the label Mon Slip, June 16th. While this is the group’s fifth album, it is the first available worldwide, after three albums released in Africa and one available in Holland. The three brothers Aliou, Cheikh Tidiane and Ousmane Guissé lend their superb voices to the tracks on the album, and the guitar and percussion work plays its role perfectly, supporting and adding to the vocal lines without drowning the singers out, leaving us with the quality and beauty we have come to expect from this fantastic group. Just because this is the first worldwide released doesn’t mean the group doesn’t have experience overseas! Les Frères Guissé have been touring the world for over ten years, since the release of their first album ‘Fama’ in 1995. They will be touring France this July and August, with a few dates in surrounding countries, and are gearing up for several major tours in 2009 to Holland, Brazil, the US and UK. Check out their MySpace for the latest news: http://www.myspace.com/lesfreresguisse
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SPEED CARAVAN SETTING OUT FOR FESTIVALS THIS SUMMER AFTER THE RELEASE OF THEIR NEWEST ALBUM! After releasing ‘Kalashnik Love’ in June, Mehdi Haddab and his group Speed Caravan will be playing in several festivals across Europe and North Africa this July.
Speed Caravan isn’t your typical group. Careful and respectful of one another the three musicians, led by Mehdi Haddab, blend together in order to thrust us into a world where the music encompasses the five continents and creates a cutting edge sound. Decompartmentalising styles and breaking down barriers, they cite The Cure or The Chemical Brothers as influences as well as welcoming the old vocalists of Algerian hip hop collective MBS thereby creating an incredible sound which encompasses the spirit and soul of the cities of Istanbul, London, Algiers, New York, Tokyo, Kinshasa or Paris. With a musical and artistic heritage so geographically diverse, it’s no surprise that the group is heading overseas this summer, playing at festivals all over Europe and North Africa, before heading to Womex 2008, and performing at Womad in the Canary Islands, this November. Their new album, ‘Kalashnik Love’ (Newbled) was just released in France this past June, and will be released abroad soon – keep an eye out!
3 July – Timitar: Agadir, Morocco 12 July – Croydon Festival: UK 13 July – Rise Festival: UK 19 July – Italia Wave Festival: Italy 25 July – Womad: Charlton Park, UK
