Jude Law peace doc sells across world

Jude Law in The Day after Peace

3DD Entertainment has sold its Jude Law-fronted Peace One Day concert to a host of territories including the US. The concert was held on 21 September at the Royal Albert Hall and featured performances by John Legend, Lenny Kravitz, Annie Lennox, Bryan Adams and Peter Gabriel.

It was presented by film star and Peace One Day ambassador Jude Law and celebrated the UN's International Day of Peace. The 60-minute HD special comprises highlights from the live event and has been sold to VH1 in the UK, Viacom-owned HD music channel Palladia in the US, Network 10 in Australia and Globosat in Brazil.

The concert is accompanied by the documentary The Day After Peace, which tells the story of how British film-maker Jeremy Gilley launched Peace One Day in 1999 and his struggles leading up to Peace Day being recognised by 200 countries around the world.

The documentary has been picked up by Network 10 in Australia, SVT in Sweden and OPTL in the Middle East. There are further deals to be confirmed in the US, Japan and France.

The Filter returns with a wider net

Posted by Seth Rosenblatt, October 29, 2008
We last took a look at the iTunes plug-in The Filter way back in 2006, so it's high time to see what this alternative to the Genius playlist is up to. Of course, when it first came out there was no Genius playlist, nor a Mac version--now that there's both, does it hold up?

Certainly the most obvious benefit is that although you do need to register to use the playlist, you don't need to hand over your credit card number to this Peter Gabriel-supported plug-in. These days many people probably don't care, but to me this is a strong vote in The Filter's favor.

Paranoia aside, The Filter seems to have made some serious, quality improvements. It still uses Bayesian mathematics algorithms and evidence models to make its suggestions, and it still takes what feels like forever and a day to scan large collections. That's not an improvement, of course, but it no longer lives on top of all other windows, either.

Instead, its icon lives on the Quick Launch bar. Right-clicking accesses a context menu, and from there users can jump to Preferences, thefilter.com, or change the default playlist generation from being based on the song to the genre. Double-click on the icon and it automatically generates a playlist, as long as a track is currently playing. Aside from scanning your collection I found The Filter to be reasonably responsive, if not zippy.

The Taste Profiler is a mandatory aspect of using The Filter. Before it can recommend playlists, and before you even finish installing it, The Filter requires that you rate at least three musicians and movies. In addition to music and movies, you can also rate TV shows and Web-only video.

The overall experience is slower than using Apple's Genius playlist, probably in no small part because it's a plug-in. However, The Filter now works with Windows Media Player and Winamp, although not MediaMonkey, on the PC, so non-iTunes lovers will probably be willing to suffer through the one- or two-second delay in getting their playlist kicked back to them. Rolling in all kinds of videos make this even more useful to today's mediascape.

Womad NZ line-up announced

NZherald, Thursday Oct 30, 2008

Natacha Atlas will be entertaining at New Plymouth's Womad festival.

The line up for Womad has been announced and a renowned Nigerian musical family make another headlining appearance at the annual three-day world music festival in New Plymouth in March.

This time round it's saxophonist, singer and band leader Seun Kuti who plays the March 13-15 event at New Plymouth's Brooklands Bowl, following in the footsteps of older brother Femi who played the festival in 2007. The pair's father, Fela, was the pioneer of Afro-beat and Seun now leads his dad's former band Egypt 80 (whom he first played with aged 8). So expect some psychedelic, arse-shaking African jazz and funk.

The big local name on the bill is Fat Freddy's Drop who - all going well - should have the follow-up to their multi-platinum-selling debut, Based On A True Story, out before the festival.

Elsewhere the line-up is a lolly scramble of bands and musicians from countries and cultures around the world. Belgian-born belly dancer and chanteuse Natacha Atlas, who mixes Arabic and North African music with Western electronica and pop, will be one to see, as will Dengue Fever, who conjure up Cambodian psychedelic pop via the lusty streets of Los Angeles, and former Yothu Yindi member Geoffrey Gurrumal is also on the bill. Then there's Egyptian storytellers Bedouin Jerry Can Band, blind Portuguese singer Dona Rosa, The Gyuto Monks from Tibet and Australia, and Ska Cubano who, as the name suggest, fuse Jamaican ska and Cuban mambo.

Other locals include Shona Laing, Little Bushman, harmonica player Brendan Power, and Moana and the Tribe.

Womad, which stands for World of Music, Arts and Dance, was started 24 years ago by musician and former Genesis singer Peter Gabriel and while it has visited other venues in New Zealand it has been held in New Plymouth since 2005.

Tickets to the festival are available from Ticketek with 3-day passes $179 and there are also camping ($229) and marae-style ($249) accommodation passes on sale.

For more information and full line-up go to womad.co.nz

Lanois on Halifax, deadwood and old guitars

Posted By LUKE HENDRY

There's only one problem with interviewing a guy like Daniel Lanois: you get more information than you can use. But we'll give it a shot. This column is the first of two featuring material that didn't fit into Wednesday's main story on Daniel Lanois, winner of 10 Grammys and five Junos.

Lanois was jazzed about playing live, saying he has a new appreciation for Halifax, an "old-fashioned town with contemporary thinking ... a lot of Bohemian energy, a lot of appreciation for quality, a lot of intelligence in the air."

Lanois said he'd rather "bump into people" from that sort of background than some of the more superficial folks he's been meeting in Toronto. "(They say), 'I'm an events promoter.' What the f---is that? 'I throw parties. You need me to have a nice party.' F---off!"

Then he laughed at his little rant, promising to stop using 'f---off' -- which, I might add, loses all of its impact when it's spelled with hyphens. "Maybe the state of the new economy will flush out some of the deadwood," he laughed. "If all the stockbrokers move out of Manhattan then all the musicians can move back in. That suits me fine."

Lanois is also a fan of old guitars, and said he's glad for the return of his old friend, a Fender Telecaster which has been in the employ of another star. "I got my Tele back from Peter Gabriel. I left it at his house for about 10 years." I don't know about you, but I hate it when Peter Gabriel borrows my stuff.

Genius of Lanois shines

Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen, Saturday, October 25, 2008

CREDIT: Christopher Pike, The Ottawa Citizen

Daniel Lanois performs at the Centrepointe Theatre in Ottawa on Friday October 24, 2008.

At one point during an exquisite concert at Centrepointe Theatre last night, legendary producer Daniel Lanois warned the audience that he and the band would be venturing into unknown territory. "This is the improvised part of the set," said the soft-spoken 57-year-old.

Normally, an artist risks alienating his audience with that sort of advisory. But in the case of Lanois, a guy who's worked with Bob Dylan, U2, Emmylou Harris, Peter Gabriel and Robbie Robertson, to name a few, ears perked up so as not to miss a note of what might happen, an opportunity to gain insight into the workings of a musical genius, who's also known to be a demanding perfectionist.

Dressed in a black-leather motorcycle jacket and sporting a hat and bushy beard, Lanois appeared at ease, exuding a cool and quiet confidence. The stage was bare, except for the band's gear, but the tasteful lighting and live video contributed to the evening's sense of adventure. A videographer, working on stage, captured the entire show, the footage screened in gritty black-and-white behind them. It felt like we were watching an old newsreel of an historic battle.

Leaning over to check in with his compadres, guitarist Jim Wilson and bassist Marcus Blake, Lanois was clearly the commander-in-chief. But one glance at Steven Nistor and the fuzzy-haired drummer took off into a crisp and jazzy beat. Lanois dug in, and the others were quick to join, their musical telepathy evident as they wove a masterpiece of bluesy atmospherics.

Afterward, Lanois spoke of the "duality" of his career, referring to the dichotomy between his singer-songwriter fare and studio innovation.

Last night's improv was a demonstration of the experimental end of his musical spectrum, an approach that relies on the spirit of the moment and the interaction between the people at hand. In a soft-seat theatre with perfect sound, talented players and a near-capacity audience listening attentively, the results were magical.

There were several instances of anything-goes noodling during last night's concert, but also plenty of familiar material.

He opened with a soulful The Maker, bending the notes of his electric guitar to create the languid mood, displaying even more dexterity in the next song, the fluid The Messenger.

The melodic arc soared through an instrumental composition, coming to rest on Sometimes, from Lanois' album Shine. "This one comes from a place of solitude," Lanois said.

Then he performed solo, on electric guitar, for a string of story-songs from Acadie, his 1989 debut disc, inspired by his French-Canadian roots. Lanois, of course, was born in Hull, and still has relatives in the area. With a dedication to "les cousines" in the audience, Lanois sang heartfelt versions of Jolie Louise, Marie Claire and Under a Stormy Sky, his bittersweet voice making everyone feel they were part of la famille.

The musical adventures continued for almost two hours, and Lanois told funny, engaging stories between songs. Without a doubt, it was one of the best concerts of the year.

Navigation Cole 'Porter: Paula Cole returns to native Rockport

Rockport - Paula Cole is happy to be back at home.

The Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter recently moved from New York to Rockport, where she grew up. Cole, who lives with her 6-year-old daughter, Sky, said she wanted her parents, who live here, and her daughter to know each other. Cole also started a new relationship. “Love - that’s why I moved.” Cole said. “I wanted to do it for years.” Cole also recently concluded divorce proceedings. “It’s been a long and hard past few years,” Cole said. Now that the divorce is final, Cole feels free to sing and talk about it.

On Oct. 30, Cole will headline the annual benefit for The Center for Arts in Natick. “A lot of those feelings come out in my music,” Cole said. “Thank God for music - it’s my therapy.”

Cole hit it big with her 1996 album, “This Fire.” The album featured the singles “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” and “I Don’t Want to Wait,” which was the theme song for the show “Dawson’s Creek.” Cole won Best New Artist at the 1997 Grammy Awards.

After her 1999 album, “Amen,” she waited eight years before releasing a new one. “I just felt misunderstood and depressed by the music business,” Cole said. “I was in a bad place in my life.” Then Bobby Colomby, a producer and friend, came to the rescue. “He put fun in music again,” Cole said.

Now one of Cole’s managers, Colomby threw her into a new context of jazz, “which I love,” she said. Cole calls Miles Davis as big of an influence as Annie Lennox or Peter Gabriel, who she toured with in the 1990s.“Courage” came out last year.

“I’m having a second, more authentic career, without MTV, hit singles - for all the right reasons,” Cole said. “It’s just better, because I’m more comfortable in my own skin.”Cole got back to playing live shows last year. “I took a lot of time off,” Cole said. “The audiences have changed and dwindled.”

But she noticed that when she returned to the stage this year, the audiences have been building. Cole has never played at The Center for Arts in Natick, which last year hosted Judy Collins for its annual fall benefit concert. “I heard it’s a great place,” Cole said.

“We’re very excited about Paula Cole because she’s part of the next generation of artists,” said Terri Evans, a member of the center’s publicity team. Cole likes the cyclical feeling of interaction with an audience - a concept Evans thinks will work well in the intimate center. “For someone who is a significant and known artist like Paula Cole, that makes it even more special,” Evans said. “You’re seeing someone who would easily be in a larger venue.”

The benefit, celebrating its fifth anniversary at the center’s current location, is an event that regulars look forward to each year. The benefit features an online auction that starts Thursday, Oct. 23, Evans said. The auction includes contributions from past performers, such as a night out with one of them.

Cole has a light performance schedule right now, but said she is gearing up for a new album, possibly to be released next year. She still has a number of things she would like to accomplish, such as putting out a Christmas album. But she is sure of at least one thing - she won’t be taking another long hiatus. “I don’t expect big success,” Cole said. “I know how to listen to my heart more now. I’m not as afraid.”

WALL-E's Down To Earth Wins At World Soundtrack Awards

AWN Headlines news, October 24, 2008

Down to Earth, from Disney-Pixar's WALL-E, was awarded Best Original Song at the World Soundtrack Awards held last weekend in Ghent, Belgium. The song's music is by Thomas Newman and Peter Gabriel, lyrics by Peter Gabriel, and is performed by Peter Gabriel. Composer James Newton Howard won Film Composer of the Year in the night's big award for his work on CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, MICHAEL CLAYTON and I AM LEGEND. "Down to Earth" plays during the closing credits on the animated hit, which features multiple animated styles tracing the art form's history.

Daniel Lanois brings his eclectic style to the stage

Lynn Saxberg, canada.com, Thursday, October 24, 2008

Daniel Lanois plays a number of Ontario dates in the weeks ahead, but the Quebec-born musician has recently been busy working on U2's upcoming album. It's "very sophisticated, rhythmically," Lanois hints. "I think we've just done something that's never been done before. The president of the company is singing like a bird." (Getty Images)

Daniel Lanois is at a creative peak these days -- his brain not only brimming with the latest U2 licks, but also casting back 20 years to reflect on the shaping of his first solo album, Acadie.

A repackaged version of his 1989 debut is in stores this month. Lanois made himself available for a phone interview from New York City, where he was working with Bono and the lads on the next U2 disc.

Will it be another Achtung Baby, or more like How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb? We were supposed to be talking about Acadie, but couldn't resist pressing for hints about Lanois' most famous clients. U2 is due to release the new disc next year.

"It's very sophisticated, rhythmically," said a coy Lanois. "I'm talking high-grade and wicked. We've gotten to a place, a combination of myself and (Brian) Eno, I think we've just done something that's never been done before. The president of the company is singing like a bird."

While Lanois is renowned for the lush sonic landscapes he creates for other artists, his solo debut, Acadie, was a collection of simple story-songs in French and in English, some of the melodic snippets recalled from family gatherings in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec.

"I like that about my Canadian self," says the 57-year-old musician, "that Canadian ability to tell a story in song. I always sort of had a tug of war, because my studio laboratory is where my sonics are born and I get very excited about my experiments. But then I'm quite a traditionalist; I like it when a song tells a story. That's the duality I'm working with."

One of four children born across the river from Ottawa in Hull, Que., to Gilberte (Jill) and Guy, a carpenter, Lanois spent the first part of his childhood exploring the area around his parents' home. Many of the memories Lanois has of his French-Canadian roots involve music and family.

"There was a lot of hooting and hollering in the French-Canadian neighbourhoods," he recalls. "My father had relatives in Cornwall, (Ont.) so there were big gatherings in Cornwall -- there was shouting and the violins would come out. It was a self-entertaining operation, and I liked that about it. It didn't look to the outside world too much to have a good time."

The good times changed when Lanois' parents split up, and his mother packed up the children and drove to Hamilton, where her brother owned a bar and a rooming house. Not long after the move, Lanois decided he wanted to play clarinet, an urge he says probably occurred to him because he'd seen one on TV. One Saturday, while headed to the movies with a dollar in his pocket, he spotted a penny whistle in a store. The youngster thought it looked like a clarinet, so he handed over his movie money.

"I just played that little whistle until I made everyone crazy, and then I thought I'd like to play guitar like Elvis Presley," he says.

In another twist of fate, a salesman later came to the door offering a music program that taught slide guitar to children. To Lanois' delight, his mom signed him up. He had to walk a mile into the centre of town every week, but he loved it. "I kept going from there. I'm still a slide guitar player."

Lanois went on to open a studio with his brother, Bob, in Hamilton. Daniel's production work caught the ears of former Roxy Music synth man Brian Eno, who tracked him down, then moved into their studio to record a series of ambient albums. Eno also introduced the young Canadian to such people as Bono and Peter Gabriel. In Lanois' recent autobiographical film, Here Is What Is, he portrays the enigmatic Brit as a mentor.

Surprisingly, piano didn't enter Lanois' life until a couple of years ago. He learned to play after restoring an old, seven-foot Steinway grand piano he found in New York City and moved to his home in L.A.

"Just the beauty of that instrument and the commitment that went into the building of it, and the restoration of it, due to my efforts. Everything about it exudes commitment and beauty and respect for the past and an eye for the future," he says. "Everything I stand for lives in that instrument."

Although the illustrious ivories are inspiring Lanois to compose his own modern classics, he has no plans to record an entire piano disc. "It will make its way into my work as a flavour," he says.

However, Lanois is working on a new, as yet untitled solo project that he refers to as The Unknown. He describes the music as "very abstract and based on technology," adding that it "embraces my studio bravado."

As with the new U2 material, he says the music has a "rhythmic sophistication," a fascination sparked for him by American neo-soul artist D'Angelo, whose 2000 album, Voodoo, earned two Grammy Awards.

"D'Angelo did some beautiful rhythmic work that always made an impression on me, and I feel that I've entered the world of D'Angelo with the U2 work, but also with this rhythmic work of mine."

Back to Acadie, which marked the first time Lanois sat down to express himself as an artist. Then 38, he was already a highly regarded producer who had not only worked with bestselling Canadian acts such as Martha and the Muffins and Parachute Club, but also international acts such as U2, Robbie Robertson, Eno and Gabriel. His first Bob Dylan disc, Oh Mercy, came out the same year as Acadie.

"I had pretty much been a journeyman, and I had reached a place where I was very highly skilled in my studio, plus a few lucky breaks had come my way," he says.

"It was a nice vote of confidence for finding something that you believe in and sticking with it and hoping that it rises to the surface somehow. And that's exactly what happened with me.

"And then when I got to travel, I started seeing my roots as a song opportunity, a storytelling opportunity. That's when I wrote my novel, if you like. Everyone in their due time, I suppose. Some people are 18 years old and going to tell their rock 'n' roll story. I waited a little bit."

Twenty years later, he's still at it.

Daniel Lanois' Canadian Tour Dates:

October 24, Ottawa

October 25, Belleville, Ont.

November 6, London, Ont.

November 7, Mount Forest, Ont.

November 8, Parry Sound, Ont.

November 14, Toronto

Peter Gabriel’s YouTube for Human Rights: The Hub

Empowered: Witness equips and trains people to document human-rights violations (as above, in Kenya). Its new video-sharing site the Hub extends its reach astronomically. | photograph courtesy of Witness

Peter Gabriel's human-rights group embraces social media. A YouTube for unseen atrocities.

It was an ordinary day of skateboarding dog videos on YouTube last November when a harrowing clip appeared. The grainy shots from Egypt showed police officers beating and sodomizing a man with a nightstick. The clip had been distributed by Egyptian bloggers Wael Abbas and Hossam el-Hamalawy as a call to action against police brutality.

There was one problem. YouTube has strict guidelines against graphic sexual or violent material, and suspended the bloggers' account. Eventually the story got picked up by other bloggers and the mainstream media, and sparked international outrage that led to the prosecution of the offending officers and the reactivation of Abbas and el-Hamalawy's YouTube account.

But with thousands of undocumented abuses playing out around the world every day, the episode highlighted the potential for an online-video network devoted to human rights. Filling that void is the Hub (hub.witness.org), a video-sharing Web site launched by ex -- rock star Peter Gabriel to empower people to document and publicize unseen atrocities. Now in beta, the Hub allows anyone around the world to submit clips to a central site where its target audience of activists can connect and take action. "It's a YouTube for human rights," Gabriel says. And it shows how the dynamics of social networking can be applied in powerful new ways.

The Hub is an offshoot of Witness, the Brooklyn-based human-rights nonprofit that Gabriel started in 1992 after learning the extent of abuses worldwide while headlining a concert tour sponsored by Amnesty International. "What I found extraordinary was that people could suffer in this way and have their stories completely buried," he says. "But it seemed like whenever there was video evidence, it was very hard to deny and bury and forget."

For the past 16 years, Witness has provided video cameras to carefully selected activists and community leaders in more than 100 countries. The group has amassed one of the largest existing collections of human-rights-abuse footage and has shown its videos to policy makers and human-rights groups around the world. There have been plenty of success stories as a result, from the arrest of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo for war crimes in the Congo to raising money for land-mine victims in Senegal. Just last year, "Crying Sun," a Witness video on the impact of war on the community of the North Caucasus mountains, was presented to Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, whose private militia had been widely criticized by human-rights organizations. Afterward, Kadyrov funded the rebuilding of homes, a school, a medical center, and other infrastructure.

Despite Witness's achievements, though, the logistical challenge of getting citizens equipped and trained has been a major limitation. "Some cameras don't make it where they're supposed to go, or people don't know what way the film goes in," Gabriel explains. Not to mention it's simply impossible to get cameras in everyone's hands. In recent years, however, technology has provided an answer: cell phones. As handset makers began building both still and video cameras into their phones, ordinary people suddenly had the means -- and power -- to document their lives.

"Once everyone has a camera inside a mobile phone, the issue is about creating a place where people can upload footage safely and make connections with people who might further their cause and their campaigns," Gabriel says. "That's the dream for the Hub." The site also lets users comment on the content and eventually will host discussion groups, online petitions, and interactive maps. As on YouTube or Facebook, users will have their own profile pages with news related to their efforts.

To finance the project, Witness raised $2 million from individual and foundation sources, including Cinereach and Omidyar Network.

The Hub's executive director, Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, who was previously executive vice president of Joost, has initially focused on establishing a system to screen submitted videos before sending them out to the world. Editors at the Hub review each video for propaganda as well as privacy concerns. They know well that some users could be subject to harassment, arrest, or worse if their identities were revealed. Since launching in December, roughly 1,400 videos have been posted on the Hub.

Eric Tars, the human-rights staff attorney for the National Law Center on Homeless and Poverty in Washington, D.C., typifies the Hub's early adopters. In February, Tars attended a meeting of the UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, to advocate for issues such as housing rights for domestic-violence victims and affordable housing. While there, Tars caught early word of a UN report condemning the destruction of public housing in New Orleans. Rather than having to wait and hope for the word to trickle down to his constituents in grassroots advocacy groups, he took to the Hub, uploading detailed video blogs about the news. "In the past, we could get maybe a couple of news stories or op-eds; now we have over 6,000 views -- from our constituency," Tars says.

The challenge going forward, says Gabriel, is "to scale up effectively." YouTube recently launched its own channel of human-rights videos from various sources -- including Witness. But so far, there's no other site that's cultivating a community around the videos that can translate awareness into action.

"There will be more challenges," says Thijm, who is working to develop both a mobile version of the site and applications that will run on platforms including Symbian and iPhone. "But it's up to people to change the world. Technology is a tool. How we use it is what counts."

By: David Kushner,Fast Company.com, From Issue 130 | November 2008

Africaine du monde

23 octobre 2008, Auteur(e) : Pauline Lebrec, French Morning.com

Rendez-vous pris un dimanche après-midi dans sa maison de Brooklyn avec celle que les médias surnomment "la Diva Africaine". Pourtant, c’est un petit bout de femme qui arrive, à qui on donnerait à peine ses 48 ans. Mais tout de suite, Angélique s’impose par sa présence et son énergie hors-du-commun. Depuis le mois d’octobre, pour la promotion de son nouvel album, elle enchaîne les concerts aux Etats-Unis, revient tout juste de Milan, sera pour deux dates à New York la semaine suivante, avant de repartir pour Londres, et l’année prochaine l’Australie, la Nouvelle-Zélande peut-être...Infatigable, la chanteuse, qui a vécu au Bénin, en France et à New York, dit se sentir à l’aise partout.

Son secret ? Son identité africaine qu’elle assume et revendique. "Si on n’a pas d’identité, on ne peut rien faire. C’est grâce à elle que je peux me confronter à toutes les autres cultures sans me perdre en chemin". Et à toutes les musiques aussi. Angélique ne se reconnait aucune influence en particulier. "J’ai tout écouté quand j’étais gamine", du rock aux tubes des yé-yé, en passant par la funk, la soul américaine, le jazz et bien sûr la musique traditionnelle béninoise. Ses chansons sont le fruit de toutes ces rencontres musicales, et rien ne l’agace plus que lorsque les médias essaient de la catégoriser. "La musique n’a pas de frontière. Mes albums sont de la musique point. Aucun genre en particulier. Différencier les musiques est une invention marketing". La chanteuse n’admet qu’une source d’inspiration : elle-même. "Souvent je déstabilise les gens car je ne suis jamais là ou ils m’attendent. Je ne le fais pas exprès, je suis mon inspiration".

Pour son onzième album, Djin Djin, sorti en mai 2007, son inspiration l’a menée chez elle, au Bénin. L’idée de départ était de "construire le disque autour des percussions de [son] pays, en faisant appel à des musiciens traditionnels". Un retour à ses racines dont Angélique avait besoin, après un long voyage musical commencé en 1997 et qui l’a conduite, le temps de trois albums, aux États-Unis, au Brésil et dans les Caraïbes pour retracer l’histoire de l’esclavage. Une façon de clore un cycle, explique-t-elle. Pour cet hommage au Bénin, la chanteuse a également souhaité que ses amis l’accompagnent : Alicia Keys, Peter Gabriel, Carlos Santana, Joss Stone, sont autant de guest-stars sur l’album d’Angélique. Après avoir exporté la musique africaine tout au long de sa carrière, elle a voulu cette fois-ci emmener les autres dans son univers. C’est aussi le sens des deux reprises, version béninoise, de "Gimme Shelter" des Stones, et du "Boléro" de Ravel, car "toutes les musiques viennent d’Afrique". Au final, Djin Djin (comme le son des cloches qui annoncent le levé du jour en Afrique), est un album dense et varié, ou la voix puissante d’Angélique diffuse une joie de vivre et un optimisme sincère.

Dès sa sortie, le disque a été acclamé par la critique internationale, surtout aux États-Unis, ou il a reçu le Grammy Award du meilleur album World de l’année. Un succès qui ne se dément plus, la chanteuse a déjà reçu des trophées en France, au Danemark, en Afrique, en Grande-Bretagne...la liste est trop longue pour être exhaustive, et qui récompense 20 années de travail assidu. "C’est pour ça que je ne prend pas la grosse tête, parce que je suis constante dans mon travail". Cette réussite, Angélique a décidé de la mettre au service de causes humanitaires et caritatives. Depuis 2002, elle est ambassadrice de l’UNICEF, dont elle a elle-même bénéficié étant enfant. "Grâce aux vaccinations gratuites de l’UNICEF, j’étais en bonne santé. Et c’est la clé pour pouvoir recevoir une bonne éducation". En 2005, elle a également crée l’association Batounga, qui œuvre pour la scolarisation secondaire des jeunes filles au Bénin, Mali, Sierra-Léone, Éthiopie et Cameroun.

Pour autant, cette responsabilité vis-à-vis du monde qui l’entoure, elle l’a toujours eu. Sa première prise de conscience politique remonte à ses 9 ans, lorsqu’elle découvre l’esclavage sur une pochette d’un disque de Jimi Hendrix : "Comment des noirs pouvaient aussi être américains ?". Durant son adolescence, un sentiment de colère se met à l’animer : "Comment peut-on faire, chacun d’entre nous, pour ne pas mettre en danger le genre humain ?". Elle décide alors de devenir avocate des droits de l’homme. Espoir rapidement déçu quand elle comprend que les lois ne sont souvent pas au service de la Justice. Mais Angélique réalise aussi qu’à l’absurdité de ces lois s’oppose l’universalité de la musique.

"Par la musique, je cherchais un moyen de créer un pont de compréhension entre les hommes". "Quand je suis en concert, j’ai le monde devant moi" explique celle qui déteste le studio et préfère l’intensité des lives. Et Angélique l’humaniste s’anime, s’emporte contre les injustices, le racisme, le malheur des hommes. Elle se met en colère contre les gens qui préfèrent mettre des pulls à leurs chiens que secourir les SDF. "Tout le monde a le pouvoir de changer quelque chose dans sa et dans celle des autres". "Les gens me touchent, le monde me touche, c’est pour cela que j’écris. Je n’écris pas pour me faire plaisir". Elle raconte avec des frissons comment elle veut que ses chansons recréent l’espoir. "Ma plus belle récompense, c’est de voir les gens me remercier, me dire qu’ils ne croyaient pas que c’étaient possible qu’une musique leur fasse autant d’effets".