With album, tour, Paula Cole reignites career

New music due for June release

By Jason Simpson, GLOUCESTER DAILY TIMES (GLOUCESTER, Mass.)

ROCKPORT, Mass. — After a seven-year hiatus, Paula Cole says her music career has come full circle.

Cole, who grew up in Rockport before becoming a hit singer-songwriter in the 1990s, will embark on her first concert tour in seven years, “Lessons in Life 07/08,” later this year.

Cole’s fifth album, “Courage,” tentatively will be released in June. Cole said the music is more gentle than her earlier albums, recorded prior to her hiatus from the public spotlight.

Before her cross-country tour, Cole will perform at her alma mater, the Berklee School of Music in Boston, on Feb. 16. Cole said she views this show as a “thank you” to her college, her family, her hometown and others who have supported her career throughout the years.

“I want to thank the Rockport community for their support, and this show will be for them, my hometown,” Cole, the daughter of Stephanie and Jim Cole of King Street, said.

Cole said she’s preparing for the upcoming show by singing a little bit each day and trying to not get sick. Cole is also thinking about the overall arch of the show, which will include songs the audience knows as well as songs from her upcoming album.

Cole will also feature her new band at the concert, which she said is “breathtakingly great.” Rehearsals with the band have given Cole goose bumps, she said, because of their talent and energy.

Cole’s ‘Courage’

“Courage” has been Cole’s mantra over the past seven years, the 38-year-old said. She knew for years that her next album would have this title — the word is sung in numerous instances throughout the album, Cole said.

It took courage to get out of an unhappy marriage in her time off, she said, and to start working again in an industry in which her former record label said she would never get a second chance.

Cole said she took the time off after spending seven years of constant touring and recording, which she said was a long time to work nonstop. It began in 1993 when she joined Peter Gabriel’s world tour as a backup singer. During that time she recorded three albums: “Harbinger” in 1994, “This Fire” in 1996 and “Amen” in 1999. She toured as an opening act for Melissa Etheridge and Sarah McLachlan. She had hits with “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” and “I Don’t Want to Wait,” both from her second album. She won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1998, along with a number of Boston Music Awards.

“My personal life atrophied, and I needed to step off the hamster wheel,” she said. “I wanted motherhood. I wanted a child. It felt increasingly inauthentic to be living the young dream (of a life of touring).”

When under the radar of the public’s sight, Cole moved to Los Angeles, severed her ties with Warner Brothers, her recording label, and had her first child, Sky, who is now 5.

But more recently, she moved back East and became reacquainted with Bobby Colomby, who managed a deal with Universal/Decca Records for Cole’s next album.

“Now I’m working on resurrecting everything,” Cole said. “It’s exciting not to know (what the future holds) and to be in the moment. ... (With a music career and being a mother) I’m not going to have a cookie-cutter life, that’s for sure.”

Cole said her “wonderful little girl” is her first priority, and her “Lessons in Life 07/08” tour will be scheduled around Sky’s school schedule. She adds that singing keeps her happy, and it was weird to be a singer every day, then all of a sudden not to be.

Cole said she’s looking forward to the second chapter in her life, which she will appreciate more after reflecting on her life in her time off.

A new sound

“Courage” will offer a new sound from Cole, which she said is not as angry as her earlier work.

The album has a greater stylistic range, she said, with an eclectic mix of songs for the radio, and others — including one that features Herbie Hancock — that sound as though they could be from the 1940s.

“‘Courage’ is about love and picking up the pieces,” Cole said. “All my albums are honest and autobiographical.”

Cole attempted to compose her fourth album with her former record label during her hiatus, but it never came out. After composing 20 songs, she “had to walk away” from the songs as part of her contract, she said. Cole said this was a positive thing, however, because it released her from the baggage she felt she was carrying with her at the time.

The new album is a “completely new body of work,” she said, in which she co-wrote her lyrics, rather than writing them by herself.

Unlike her earlier albums, Cole didn’t produce the new album. She was solely a singer-songwriter on the project, making the project more fun. Colomby also helped bring the fun back into music writing, she said.

Coming full circle

Moving to Los Angeles was a “delusional attempt to find happiness,” Cole said, because your life will follow you wherever you go.

In her time there, she said, she found herself missing her East Coast roots. And having a child made her want to go “full circle.”

“I’m so lucky that I grew up in Rockport; I know that now,” Cole said. “When I was younger, I was antsy and wanted to move to the big city. I might have taken for granted the delicious salt air, the small, caring community and the natural beauty (of Rockport).”

Cole said Rockport’s small-town charm created her work ethic and her inclination to be naive at times.

“East Oceanside,” the fictional location of her greatest hits album, “Postcards from East Oceanside,” which was released last summer, is Rockport, she said, a town she tries to go back to as much as possible. Cole said her best friends to date are the ones she met in kindergarten and third grade.

Cole said returning to her old stomping grounds of Rockport and Boston recharges her heart and soul. When looking to her upcoming concert at Berklee and beyond, Cole said there are “a lot of good things” to come.

Jason Simpson writes for the Gloucester (Mass.) Daily Times.

Real World Studios Choose sE

Real World’s Studios take delivery of the sE range of microphones and conclude: ‘great results’, ‘the best performance for the money’ and ‘build quality amongst the best out there’…

Real World Studios should need no introduction. This idyllic suite of top class recording and writing rooms has become something of a legend in its relatively short existence. Set up by Peter Gabriel, the complex houses the most state of the art equipment within some of the most beautiful surroundings the UK has to offer. The facility has recently taken stock of a range of sE microphones for its new Mill Side studio, as in house engineer Dom Monks and senior sound engineer Marco Migliari explain…

“Real World own both a Gemini, an sE2200a and a pair of sE3s. (I also own a z5600a),” explains Dom. “Bruno Ellingham [another producer and engineer at Real World], first put me on to sE mics. He had a few on demo and was getting really great results from them.”

“The great thing about sE mics is their value for money. Because any producer or artist can afford their own sE mic they're not restricted to where they record, so it's that much easier to maintain continuity. And compared to other 'low cost' mics on the market they just sound more expensive.”

Marco agrees: “We wanted to offer a selection of microphones that would both fit the budget and be rugged enough to withstand the abuse they're typically subjected to, and also deliver the best performance for the money.”

And both Dom and Marco are agreed that the build quality is another major plus point of the range…

“The value for money is obvious, but beyond that the sonics and the build quality are amongst the best out there for new mics,” says Dom.

“Also priceless are the rugged cases they come with, something that mics three times the price often don't have,” adds Marco. “The accessories that are included in the price such as cradles, mounting kits etc. have proved to be useful and reliable in all situations.”

In summary, then, it’s fair to say that the sE range has been a hit over at Real World…

“Whilst both the Gemini and the z5600a are both great work-horse mics,” says Dom, “I have had experiences where they are just better suited to a certain singer than some high-end vintage valve mics. I've seen this happen on other people’s sessions as well. They just suit some people’s voices better than any other mic.”

“They're easy to position and have all of the on-board options you'd need to do a good job, like roll-off filters, pads and changeable polar pattern,” concludes Marco. “The package was just right: good quality mics, solid build, a selection of useful and lasting accessories and a decent aluminium case for each mic or pair. Add this to a competitive price, and you've got an easy decision in your hands. I particularly like the tone of the SE2200a – it's hard to find another mic in the same price range that could deliver a better performance.”

Marco is currently producing the band The Moonfish (see their page at www.myspace.com/themoonfish) with a lot more production and mixing work lined up for 2007. Dom also has lots of work lined up at Real World: “plenty of things to do and lessons to learn!” he says.

More information from:
www.seelectronics.com
realworldstudios.com
www.marcomigliari.com

World Peace One

Le samedi 11 Août 2007, EarthOne Productions proposera "World Peace One," le plus grand rassemblement humanitaire jamais organisé au monde.

L'évènement sera retransmis en direct depuis les quinze plus grandes villes du monde pendant 24 heures non-stop en respectant les 24 fuseaux horaires.

Tout au long de sa diffusion, World Peace One réunira le monde en musique et touchera la bagatelle de 3 milliards et demi de téléspectateurs potentiels à travers 180 pays puisque ce concert sera diffusé non seulement à la télévision mais aussi sur les ondes radio, sur Internet et sur le réseau des téléphones mobiles.

En parallèle une campagne de sensibilisation sera organisée pour récolter des fonds pour la plus noble des ambitions : faire cesser de manière définitive tous les conflits mondiaux.

World Peace One réunira non seulement des chanteurs mais aussi des acteurs, des athlètes, des prix Nobel, des docteurs, des scientifiques, des diplomates, des leaders politiques et des citoyens du monde qui à leur échelle donnent de leur temps et des moyens pour cette cause primordiale de la paix dans le monde.

Parmi les villes choisies on peut citer :

Sydney, Tokyo, Seoul, Pékin, Moscou, Dubaï, Johannesburg, le Caire, Berlin, Londres, Rio de Janeiro , New-York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles.

Enfin, voici la liste ( non-exhaustive ) des participants qui ont d'ores et déjà donné leur aval pour se produire ce jour-là :

U2, Madonna, Pink Floyd, Carlos Santana, Yes, Shakira, the Rolling Stones, Earth Wind & Fire, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting, David Bowie, Lionel Richie, the Goo Goo Dolls, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Tina Turner, The Eagles, Pearl Jam, Moby, Alanis Morissette, Phil Collins, Eminem, Wyclef Jean, Will Smith, Usher, Mary J. Blige, JZ, Beyonce, Pink, Peter Gabriel, Eric Clapton, Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz, Janet Jackson, Baby Face, Greenday, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Bon Jovi, Outkast, Sarah McLachlan, Enya, Paul Simon, The Dixie Chicks, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Rascal Flatts, Tricia Yearwood, Keith Urban, Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Ricky Martin, Mark Antony, David Bisbal, Juanes, Luis Miguel, Alejandro Sanz, Gilberto Gil, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Tony Bennett, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, et plein de célébrités représentatives de chaque pays du monde.


Retrouvez tous les détails de cet évènement ici

Sun City Owner

The shock news that Manchester has won the race to provide the site for the UK's first "super casino" has turned the spotlight on South African Sol Kerzner...

"Sanctions breaker"

Sun City made Kerzner one of the richest men in Africa. While he was able to persuade artists such as Elton John and Shirley Bassey to perform at the casino, on the pretext that it was in an "independent" country, other stars boycotted the venue.

A 1985 album, Sun City, by Artists United Against Apartheid including Little Steven and Peter Gabriel, attacked Kerzner as a sanctions breaker. It was something he continued to deny claiming the resort encouraged harmony among the races.

In an interview in 2005 he said what excited him "was that, in a country where the races had been kept apart by law, we'd created a place where people of all colours could eat together, gamble together, watch international shows together, even sleep together."
Kerzner began facing other attacks, this time over alleged corruption. He was acused of having bribed a homeland leader, a charge that hung for years until it was finally dismissed by the South African attorney general.

Further allegations, in 1986, claiming he had bribed the former leader of Transkei, were dropped in 1993.

Kerzner gave money both to the white National Party and the African National Congress. After coming to power, Nelson Mandela confirmed that the ANC had received £140,000 from him saying "[the Kerzners are] an example of a family not only interested in their own enrichment, but willing to give something back."

Kerzner remained close to Mandela and now lives a flamboyant lifestyle, not least in his choice of brides. He numbers the first ever South African Miss World among the four women he has married.

He has a taste for the company of celebrities with Liza Minnelli, Shirley Bassey, Bono and Tracey Emin among the guests for his 70th birthday party at his Monaco villa.

Over the years Kerzner has moved his core businesses away from South Africa, expanding into the Bahamas, where he is now based, the USA and, now, the UK.

While he still has to retender for the Manchester casino it would be a brave man who could look at his record and bet against him getting it. Unlike the many punters who will eventually cross the threshold of the new venue, when it comes to business deals, Sol Krezner is not a gambler.

Riffs & legends

...One way and another, there was a lot riding on Wednesday's Real World concert. Featuring artists from as far afield as Africa and central Asia, it was the most conspicuous example of the festival's expanded horizons under new artistic consultant Donald Shaw, and also the first time Peter Gabriel's celebrated record label had produced such an event in Scotland.

A near-capacity crowd was treated to a succession of outstanding performances, starting with the young Mauritanian singer-songwriter Daby Touré, whose supple, soaring vocals were framed by bracingly taut, reggae-infused guitar, bass and percussion backing.

Next up were Cuillin Music, the band who continue to promote the rich creative legacy of visionary composer and performer Martyn Bennett, who died two years ago. With Kirsten Bennett on synth/percussion, fiddlers Adam Sutherland, Greg Lawson and Martin Swan, and Ross Ainslie and Fraser Fifield on pipes and whistles, they delivered a thrilling handful of tracks from Bennett's Bothy Culture and Hardland albums, keeping the flame alive by reworking the material rather than seeking simply to replicate the originals. Then came Uzbekistani singer Sevara Nazarkhan, a pixie-like figure with a ferocious voice, matched by a dub, dance and electronica backdrop from her four-piece band.

Finally the Fruitmarket resounded to the mighty guitar virtuosity of Skip "Little Axe" McDonald, flanked by the heavy-duty rhythm team of Doug Wimbish and Keith LeBlanc (of the Sugarhill Gang) with live mixing by DJ/producer Adrian Sherwood. Drawing largely on the recent Little Axe album Stone Cold Ohio, they stirred together a dark, delicious stew of blues, gospel and soul...

February's Full Moon

Catch up with Peter in February's update which just scrapes in under the full moon - we've had a few technical hitches putting this one together. Watch the video for news of The World Economic Forum, new music, new ideas and artist as curator.

Watch the update in The Full Moon Club.

Win a unique guitar signed Peter Gabriel

O2 and Q are offering one Q reader the chance to win the beautiful Gibson Les Paul Custom Plus VS guitar pictured here. A genuine one-off, the iconic axe was signed by the likes of Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, Razorlight, The Kooks, Peter Gabriel, Gnarls Barkley, Smokey Robinson and the Manic Street Preachers at last year's Q Awards ceremony...

Realworld old fruit market Glasgow

Scotsman

There was a truly international flavour to this showcase of artists on Peter Gabriel's Real World record label, with all the musical diversity that implies. Mauritanian singer/songwriter Daby Toure was first up, with his organic blend of voice and percussive guitar easing the crowd into his instinctive musical realm. In slick contrast to his almost improvisatory approach, Sevara Nazarkhan, previously a Radio 3 World Music Award-winner, turned out to be the Uzbek Enya, with a sound as pristine and floaty as her white dress. There were hints of a Bjork-like eccentricity to her soaring voice, but mostly her quirkiness was tempered by a practised professionalism.

Closer to home, special guests Cuillin Music continued to celebrate the memory of piper Martyn Bennett, under the direction of his widow Kirsten. Their urgent, dynamic assault with three fiddles, pipes, whistles and beats was particularly poignant as it marked the precise anniversary of Bennett's untimely death two years ago.

It was a shame the crowd had thinned out slightly by the time guitarist Skip McDonald, aka Little Axe, took the stage, accompanied by his Tackhead compatriots, bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Keith LeBlanc, plus a soulful chorus of bluesy singers led by Bernard Fowler, as theirs was the most assured set of the night, anchored by a low-slung dub groove over which McDonald and Wimbish laid out some impressive flourishes.

-----
The Herald

The Celtic Connections crew deserve huge praise for persuading Peter Gabriel's label to put on a showcase gig at the festival, but it was a disappointingly sparse crowd that greeted the arrival onstage of Mauritania's Daby Touré. Backed by a wonderfully fluid rhythm section, Touré smiled his way through tracks from his album Diam (Peace), mixing jazz, reggae and rock with irresistible African beats.

Two years ago, Martyn Bennett's tragic death cast a shadow over the festival, and Cuillin Music paid a fitting tribute to him. Bagpipes, fiddles, tin whistles and slamming beats kept the pot boiling nicely in advance of the astonishing talent that is Sevara Nazarkhan. Uzbekistan's most famous musical export hypnotised with tracks from her album Yol Bolsin (Where Are You Going), utilising traditional instruments over modern jazz and dance tracks. Indeed, Nazarkhan's dance was fundamental to her music. Overall, this was an expressively elegant, captivating performance.

In splendid contrast, New York's Skip McDonald, aka Little Axe, with a band including Sugarhill Gang drummer Keith LeBlanc and the former Living Colour bassist, the wickedly good Doug Wimbish, blasted through the new album Stone Cold Ohio and brought the evening to a blistering blues-funk conclusion.

Another Day

Every day, we bring you the best thing we've seen on YouTube - a great piece of archive footage, a music promo or a clip from one of our favourite movies or TV shows.

Today: Watch a classic TV performance by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush from 1979. The couple performed a frankly weird cover version of Roy Harper’s “Another Day” on Kate’s Christmas TV special from that year.

The duet was even discussed as a possible single release – but as all keen pop historians know, that never happened. Kate later contributed vocals to Peter Gabriel’s 1986 single “Don’t Give Up.” That duet was a huge success, spending 11 weeks in the UK singles chart. For added ‘watchability’, check out the chemistry between Gabriel and Bush as they ‘act’ out the lyrics of the song, including touching arms across a shoddy-looking kitchen table. Sexy stuff.

See the talked about Gabriel and Bush duet by clicking here now

Peter Gabriel Drums Up Support for Witness

And The Eyes Of The World Are Watching Now

In an era where YouTube makes it possible for anyone with an Internet connection to broadcast their every whim, Peter Gabriel is making a plea to harness video voyeurism for good. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Gabriel engaged in a little fundraising for Witness, his latest venture which seeks to document human rights abuses throughout the world on amateur video cameras. "With the phone and Internet, anyone, any place, can tell their story," said the politically-conscious singer.

A longtime supporter of Amnesty International, Gabriel provided one of the defining performances of the Eighties during the 1986 Conspiracy Of Hope concert at Giants Stadium. With 80,000 people singing along to "Biko," Gabriel not only made one high school junior realize that music can do so much more than entertain, he motivated many in attendance to join the Nobel Prize winning organization with his understated "the rest is up to you."

Peter Gabriel dématérialisé

Uncut rapportait la semaine dernière que Peter Gabriel prévoyait commercialiser son prochain album en format numérique. Du moins aux États-Unis. Le créateur aurait établi un partenariat avec une entreprise baptisée Ingenious Media, qui a déjà publié un album de Mick Hucknall, du groupe Simply Red. Il sera très intéressant de suivre l'aventure de Peter Gabriel, puisqu'elle pourrait constituer un bon indice quant à la viabilité d'une telle méthode. Si un artiste jouissant d'un tel renom et d'un bassin de fans aussi fidèles échoue, il ne s'agira pas d'une voie d'avenir pour les groupes qui sont encore confinés à leurs sous-sols...

Peter Gabriel veut un Youtube des droits de l’homme

Peter Gabriel était présent au World Economic Forum de Davos pour soutenir un site ouvert de surveillance des droits de l'homme

Peter Gabriel était présent au WEF de Davos pour rechercher les fonds et la technologie pour son projet Witness, un site vidéo de surveillance des droits de l'homme. Le but est de faire une sorte de Youtube qui permette d'uploader des vidéos témoins du non respect des droits de l'homme. « On a vu la tendance du journalisme citoyen » a souligné Peter Gabriel « avec le téléphone et Internet tout le monde peut s'exprimer depuis n'importe où ». Pour lui, la vidéo de la bastonnade de Rodney King en 1992 par la police de Los Angeles a démontré le pouvoir de la technologie. Peter Gabriel est en discussion avec Google pour son projet.

Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited

Rise Up [Calabash Music; 2005; r: Real World; 2006]

As far as nicknames go, you can't do much better than the "Lion of Zimbabwe." Forget, for the moment, that much of Zimbabwe's lion population has fallen prey to poaching or succumbed to the depletion of its habitat. Concentrate instead of the power conveyed by that title. Lion. King of the Jungle. King of All Beasts. The Lion King.

Hmm, that's another word to consider. King. King. If there's one word that trumps "lion" it's "king." No wonder, then, that musician Thomas Mapfumo, Lion of Zimbabwe, is considered a security threat by the paranoid, oppressive government of his homeland and in particular leader-for-life Robert Mugabe, Mapfumo's fellow former freedom fighter turned monster.

The lion is the national symbol of Zimbabwe, and Mapfumo has long been one of the country's national treasures. Yet even Mapfumo, an outspoken critic of Mugabe's destructive and dangerous dictatorship, can no longer call Zimbabwe home, having relocated from Zimbabwe in 2000 to the not-very-exotic environs of Eugene, Oregon, where he's lived as in exile ever since, safe but homesick. Much of his family remains in Africa, and so, clearly, does his heart.

That certainly explains how Mapfumo has been able to sustain his anger over three productive decades of music making, which have not just extended but deepened his reign as folk hero. What's been even more remarkable has been the prolonged power of his songwriting itself. Even in Oregon, away from the horrors and vast disappointments of Zimbabwe, Mapfumo's no lion in repose. He's kept up a prolific pace, releasing nearly a disc of his Chimurenga (or "music of struggle") a year while constantly touring with his band Blacks Unlimited.

Originally released as a download-only album but picked up last year by Peter Gabriel's Real World, Rise Up features a slightly more pared-down Blacks Unlimited, who now include a few Americans in their midst. Yet most of the hallmarks of classic Mapfumo remain intact: the circular guitar patterns, the pulses of organ, the pluck of multiple mbira, the call of horns, the cry of female backing singers. Mapfumo's often drawn comparisons to Bob Marley, and the melodies and performances here do share a certain soulfulness, spirituality, and conviction. If Mapfumo chose to sing in English rather than his native Shona, who knows? Maybe frat guys across the country would be listening to him as well.

They're not, of course. Nor are they likely troubled by the same issues that trouble Mapfumo, even if they're delivered with a hint of a reggae (particularly in the drum fills) and hypnotic polyrhythms. As Mapfumo's anthems helped fuel Mugabe's 1980 rise to power-- Mapfumo's "songs of struggle" were originally enlisted against then-Rhodesia's white-minority rule-- the singer no doubt feels the need to pay penance in the form of his critical songs, his moral authority heightened not hampered by the ironic role he played in the corruption of his own ideals.

That's not to strike idealism from the repertoire. Like Marley, Mapfumo excels at lifting your spirits even as he decries the things bringing his people down. There's a pulsing, double-time bass drum pattern in "Vanofira Chiiko? (What Are They Dying For?)" that helps transform the lament into an unlikely fist-pumper. The synth-bass prodding "Ndodya Marasha (I'm Mad as Hell)" lends an almost imperceptible urgency to the repetitive, deceptively static chord progression, until an upbeat break busts you out of the funk.

Then there are the other moments of outright ingenuity, invention, and surprise. The first few minutes of "Marudzi Nemarudzi/Different Races" shames, say, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Snow (Hey Oh)" while using a similar melody and a straight backbeat, but then jumps the rails in the best sense and heads off on a skanking half-beat tangent. "Ndodya Marasha" uses the same trick, only the other way around, suddenly shifting gears and picking up the pace when you least expect it to.

Maybe the tempos are slightly slower than they once were, and Mapfumo himself sometimes sounds surprisingly sedate for a man with so much on his mind. He's older, after all. But if there's anything Rise Up proves, it's that you don't need to scream to be heard.

-Joshua Klein, January 29, 2007

Davos: «Avant qu'il ne soit trop tard»

La presse suisse se montre majoritairement sceptique lundi matin face aux promesses faites à Davos par l'élite mondiale sur la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique. Seuls quelques commentateurs voient des aspects réellement postifs dans le bilan de ce Forum économique mondial (WEF), 37e du nom...

...Au final, ce Forum moins «glamour» que les éditions précédentes ne retient pas même lundi l'attention du quotidien de boulevard 'Blick'. Son pendant romand 'Le Matin' se contente quant à lui de quelques photos des people de Davos, Claudia Schiffer et Peter Gabriel en tête, réunis dans un igloo par les jeunes décideurs du WEF autour d'un slogan, «CO2 à la baisse, profit à la hausse»...

Concert de Daby Touré à Charleroi

Né sur les rives du fleuve Sénégal, fils d'un membre du groupe culte Touré Kounda, Daby Touré grandit dans un petit village de Mauritanie. Sous la pression des conflits ethniques qui secouent le pays, Daby suit son père à Paris à la fin des années 80.

Cette période sera riche en découvertes mais aussi en concerts. C'est également de cette époque que date la sortie de l'album Laddé, réalisé avec son cousin Omar sous l'appellation Touré Touré. Première reconnaissance du public mais expérience unique pour Daby qui voit dans ce projet une filiation encore trop évidente avec la musique de ses aînés. Il se souvient alors des sonorités très typiquement africaines qui ont baigné son enfance, mais aussi d'une certaine radio locale qui lui permit d'apprivoiser le son de Bob Marley, Police et autres Dire Straits. 2004 voit naître son premier projet solo, Diam (« Paix »), mélange d'une pop-folk aérienne finement ciselée, chantée en wolof, soninke ou pular.

Afro-jazz ? World music ? Pas vraiment. Nous sommes ici en présence de quelque chose d'inédit. Daby Touré mélange à loisir les influences et les intègre à ses racines africaines. Sa voix, qui n'est pas sans rappeler Salif Keita, Baaba Maal ou même Youssou'n Dour, chante l'amour de la famille, de la femme, des enfants, mais aussi l'importance de demeurer optimiste quand les temps sont durs. Peter Gabriel est séduit : Daby remplit depuis peu les stades du monde entier à ses côtés...

'Concert de Daby Touré' Le 10 février au Centre culturel de Charleroi, 1 Boulevard Jacques Bertrand , 6000 Charleroi, Téléphone: 071/31 12 12,

http://realworldrecords.com/dabytoure/

Le Forum de Davos se donne une teinte sociale

Leçons du sommet économique mondial

Le Forum de Davos, souvent décrié comme le “sommet du capitalisme”, s’est attaché, cette année, à donner une image socialement responsable en multipliant débats et initiatives sur le réchauffement climatique, la pauvreté et les conséquences de la mondialisation.

Parmi les questions posées aux grands de ce monde, certaines auraient pu figurer sur l’agenda du Forum social mondial qui vient de s’achever à Nairobi. Quels sont les effets de la mondialisation ? Quelles sont les solutions pour limiter le réchauffement climatique ? Où en sont les programmes de lutte contre le sida ?

Aux côtés des P-DG et des chefs d’État, plus d’une cinquantaine d’organisations non gouvernementales étaient conviées, comme Care, Amnesty International, Greenpeace ou le WWF.

Comme tous les ans, certains philanthropes célèbres se sont déplacés, comme le fondateur de Microsoft Bill Gates, venu parler non seulement de nouvelles technologies, mais surtout de sa fondation qui finance des projets humanitaires en Afrique.

La présence d’autres célébrités engagées dans l’aide aux pays pauvres, comme le chanteur irlandais Bono et le musicien britannique Peter Gabriel, eux aussi des habitués de Davos, ont permis de mettre les questions humanitaires sous le feu médiatique.

Certaines grandes entreprises ont aussi profité de leur présence au Forum économique mondial pour s’afficher avec des organisations caritatives ou humanitaires, telles que le numéro un mondial de la finance, la banque américaine Citigroup, aux côtés du Programme alimentaire mondial de l’ONU (PAM) ou Manpower, le géant américain du travail temporaire avec le Haut-Commissariat des Nations unies aux réfugiés (UNHCR).

Proclamé l’un des thèmes majeurs de la 36e édition du Forum économique mondial, le changement climatique a, quant à lui, occupé dix-sept débats et tables-rondes, sans compter les multiples déclarations de responsables économiques ou politiques assurant de leur prise de conscience et de leur détermination à agir.

Publiée à la veille du forum, une étude auprès de ces “leaders” invités au forum indiquait pourtant que seulement 20% d’entre eux considéraient la protection de l’environnement comme une priorité. Mais le chiffre est deux fois supérieur à celui de l’année précédente, se sont réjouis les organisateurs du forum, qui ont commandé le sondage. À titre de comparaison, selon un sondage publié début janvier, près de la moitié des Français estiment que le réchauffement climatique est “l’enjeu de ce siècle pour l’humanité”.

Malgré l’omniprésence de ce thème à Davos, certains “leaders” ne se sont d’ailleurs pas montrés très convaincus, comme le P-DG du géant pétrolier ExxonMobil. Interrogé sur la réalité du réchauffement climatique lors d’un débat, Rex Tillerson a répondu, lacunaire : “C’est clair qu’il se passe quelque chose. Mais quoi ?”

“Les plus grands “réchauffeurs” de la planète sont ici. Il y a forcément un peu d’hypocrisie et de bonne conscience”, résume le photographe Français Yann Arthus-Bertrand, invité du forum. “On parle de réchauffement climatique”, mais les participants “viennent ici en jet privé, en hélicoptère, en grosse voiture 4x4”, a-t-il déploré.

Djelic i Piter Gebrijel

DAVOS -- The Democrat’s candidate for prime minister meets [...] Peter Gabriel, and blogs about it at B92.net.

“Thirdly, I attended the LOVE dinner dedicated to climate change, where I met Peter Gabriel, whose art I enjoy very much. Of course, right away I asked him to come to Belgrade where he has a lot of fans, and we exchanged contact information. We’ll give it a try, though it doesn’t seem likely at this time as he is involved in many other things. We’ll try. He arrived here with his ex-girlfriend Claudia Schiffer, who attracted a lot of attention…”, Đelić concludes in his third blog entry in Serbian at B92.net.

WEF 2007 Cérémonie de clôture consacrée à la dignité humaine

La 36e édition du Forum économique mondial (WEF) de Davos s'est officiellement terminée dimanche. Plus d'une dizaine d'intervenants de tout bord et de tous les continents, dont le prince Haakon de Norvège, ont a appelé à plus de dignité.

Le WEF s'est terminé sur un appel à l'espoir et à la paix. Les défis mondiaux ne pourront être résolus qu'en travaillant ensemble, ont estimé les différents participants de la cérémonie de clôture dans une ode au Forum.

«Agissons collectivement pour plus de dignité humaine», a déclaré Irene Khan, présidente d'Amnesty International. Un appel repris par le prince de Norvège, au bord des larmes. Celui-ci s'engage notamment avec le WEF pour améliorer la condition des gens à travers le monde.

La rencontre annuelle du WEF a débuté mercredi, réunissant quelque 2400 personnes du monde des affaires, de la politique, des sciences et de la société civile autour du thème du nouvel équilibre des pouvoirs. Quelque 24 chefs d'Etat ou de gouvernement, 85 ministres et 800 patrons d'entreprises ont fait le déplacement.

Moins glamour que les autres années, le WEF a néanmoins reçu son lot de personnalités populaires. Les travées du Centre des Congrès de Davos ainsi que les soirées de la station grisonne ont notamment accueilli le chanteur de U2 Bono, le musicien Peter Gabriel, l'écrivain brésilien Paolo Coehlo ou le mannequin allemand Claudia Schiffer.

Social entrepreneurs at Davos

People are often surprised when I tell them how social entrepreneurs are well received at Davos. We're full participants in panels, including being speakers. I think the reason for this integration is the strong support of the WEF's founder, Prof. Klaus Schwab, for the regard of social entrepreneurs.
One great example of this was a major reception held last night with the following hosts: Marc Benioff (CEO of Salesforce.com), Prof. & Mrs. Schwab, Michael Dell, Peter Gabriel (rockstar and founder of Witness), Alan Hassenfeld (Hasbro) and Marilyn Carlson Nelson (Carlson Travel). The reception was held in honor of social entrepreneurs and marking the release of a new book edited by Marc Benioff entitled The Business of Changing the World, which is a compendium of essays about business people and their engagement with the social sector. I had some great conversations with people explaining what Benetech does.

Talking to other Social Entrepreneurs

At least half of the highpoints of this week in Switzerland are the interactions I have with other social entrepreneurs. I feel very much at home with these folks, which are my peer community. Last night I was talking to John Wood about his book, Amazon.com: Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. He gave me the direct advice of a social entrepreneur in the middle of marketing his first book: immensely useful.

Moving on to dinner, I sat next to Garth Japhet of Soul City in South Africa, a doctor/social entrepreneur who leads an organization that uses media to influence behavior that affects HIV/AIDS. Garth was able to give me (in less than ten minutes) the reason why HIV spreads so much more quickly in southern Africa than in most other places in the world. He explained that immediately after infection, you are extremely infectious for around three weeks until your immune system beats HIV down to nearly indetectable levels. He noted that while southern Africans do not tend to have a larger lifetime number of sexual partners, they tend to have longer term relationships with multiple partners at the same time. Because a person might be with several long term partners in that several week initial peak infectivity, you will infect several people (and you are less likely to use a condom since it is a long term partner and not a one night stand). And if your partners are similarly oriented, they could infect several more people. Garth noted that a single infection leads to many more infections given this profile compared to societies where you might have as many sexual partners over your lifetime, but where the likelihood of having multiple partners during this three week period is much less.

Like many of my conversations with social entrepreneurs, I feel like I have a window into a crucial social issue from someone with an unparalleled vantage point. And, I get to have at least a dozen of these in-depth conversations every time I come to Davos!

Posted by Jim Fruchterman on January 27, 2007 at 10:45 AM in Davos07 | Permalink |

Davos pas plus concluant que Nairobi

Deux visions du monde se sont affrontées cette semaine lors du Forum social de Nairobi, au Kenya, et lors du Forum économique de Davos, en Suisse, qui se termine ce soir. Avec des bilans peu concluants...

Ils parlent climat et "viennent en jet privé" !

Le Forum de Davos a par ailleurs tenté cette année de se donner une image socialement responsable en multipliant débats et initiatives sur le réchauffement climatique, la pauvreté et les conséquences de la mondialisation. Le fondateur de Microsoft Bill Gates est venu parler non seulement de nouvelles technologies mais surtout de sa fondation, qui finance des projets humanitaires en Afrique.

La présence d'autres célébrités engagées dans l'aide aux pays pauvres, comme le chanteur irlandais Bono et le musicien britannique Peter Gabriel ont permis de mettre les questions humanitaires sous le feu médiatique.

Certaines grandes entreprises ont aussi profité de leur présence au Forum économique mondial pour s'afficher avec des organisations caritatives ou humanitaires, tel le numéro un mondial de la finance, la banque américaine Citigroup, aux côtés du Programme alimentaire mondial de l'ONU ou Manpower, le géant américain du travail temporaire avec le Haut commissariat des Nations Unies aux réfugiés.

Le changement climatique a quant à lui occupé dix-sept débats et tables-rondes. Publiée à la veille du Forum, une étude auprès de ces "leaders" invités au Forum indiquait pourtant que seulement 20% d'entre eux considéraient la protection de l'environnement comme une priorité.

Il y a forcément un peu d'hypocrisie et de bonne conscience", résume le photographe français Yann Arthus-Bertrand, invité du Forum. "On parle de réchauffement climatique" mais les participants "viennent ici en jet privé, en hélicoptère, en grosse voiture 4X4", a-t-il déploré.

Peter Gabriel enlists videos for human rights

British musician Peter Gabriel speaks during a Reuters interview at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos January 27, 2007. Top politicians, monetary policymakers, senior business executives and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) hold their annual meeting, the WEF, in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland, until Sunday.

REUTERS/Sebastian Derungs (SWITZERLAND)

Photo :Sebastian Derungs

Veteran rock star talks up his project as a ‘YouTube’ to fight abuses...

Peter Gabriel proposes "YouTube for human rights"

Gabriel has been trying to get the businesses gathered at Davos to come up with cash or technology for Witness, a group he founded and which seeks to use video from cameras or phones to bring human rights abuse to light.

Peter Gabriel would like you to see unpleasant things on the likes of YouTube -- human rights abuses. The veteran rock star, goateed and relaxed in casual gear, has been cutting a different figure among the business suits at the World Economic Forum in Davos over the past few days.

More than a quarter of a century after energising a generation against South Africa's Apartheid system with the chill-inducing song "Biko", he has, in his own words been "hustling".

Gabriel has been trying to get the businesses gathered at Davos to come up with cash or technology for Witness, a group he founded and which seeks to use video from cameras or phones to bring human rights abuse to light. "With the telephone and Internet, anyone, any place can tell their story," he told Reuters in an interview.

One of Witness' main goals at the moment is to build a video hub where evidence of human rights abuse can be uploaded. "You have seen the trend to citizen journalism," Gabriel said, referring to the ability of people to record and distribute news and events rapidly with phones and cameras.

What he wants his hub to be, he said, is a kind of "YouTube for human rights". He is in conversation with Google, owner of YouTube, about the project. YouTube and other Internet sites such as MySpace are popular online social communities where users share videos, pictures and personal views with each other.

Witness, in the meantime, is continuing with campaigns around the world with other human rights organisations to use videos to create visibility and expose issues. Last year, for example, it produced a 27-minute video entitled "Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and Disappearances in the 'War on Terror'". It aimed to expose secret detentions by the U.S. and other governments.

Evidence in courts

The group also teaches others how to use video to be used to show abuse, build campaigns or just provide evidence in courts.

Gabriel said it was the death in custody of anti-Apartheid activist Stephen Biko in 1977 that triggered his commitment to fighting for human rights. The song followed and then a multitude of activist concerts including the 1988 Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour with Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman and Youssou N'Dour.

In 1992, he founded Witness. Gabriel said it was the video of the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police that showed the power of the technology. As for now, he is hoping to put together a collection of unrecorded songs to help the Witness campaign.

Davos: Elite Meet or Delete?

Photo: Alorie Gilbert

Peter Gabriel talks about his human rights work at the Piano Bar.

DAVOS, Switzerland -- Wired News may have blown a last-minute attempt to score a press pass for the World Economic Forum's exclusive conference, but it wasn't too late to squeak into a soiree Friday at the elegant Piano Bar of the Europe Hotel.

Word had trickled in from one quarter that Davos, with its air of privileged self-congratulation, has become "boring" and not worth the trip. But that message apparently hadn't been received by the packed house of reveling celebrities here, which included Dell CEO Michael Dell, rock star Peter Gabriel, Salesforce.com chief Marc Benioff and a few hundred other Davos elite.

The forum, which started on Wednesday and ends Sunday, attracts the world's most powerful people in business and politics to this ski resort in the Alps. Major figures rubbing elbows at this year's elite schmooze-fest are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, Google chief Eric Schmidt and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Celebrities on tap include rockers Bono and Gabriel, and supermodel Claudia Schiffer. All told, some 2,400 conference-goers have congregated in Davos, among them 800 CEOs and chairmen, 24 heads of state and 85 cabinet ministers. Benioff was holding court at the Piano Bar. He has a new book out about corporate good deeds called "The Business of Changing the World." Gabriel and Dell each contributed a chapter. Gabriel said his human rights work brings him to Davos. He'd like his nonprofit Witness to become "the YouTube for human rights," he said...

By Alorie Gilbert

"Come into my world" (Peter Gabriel Interview)

Jan Fairley / The Scotsman

Talking to Peter Gabriel, one is struck by how he is as much into technology as music, and deeply involved in the political implications of both. You can see why Gabriel brought out the late Martyn Bennett's powerful roots-electronic album Grit on his label, Real World, and why he's excited that his connection with Bennett's "brave new music" has led to Real World's first Scottish showcase, at Celtic Connections next week.

"At its heart it's a Martyn Bennett tribute," he says of the show. "Even when Martyn was ill he had this remarkably philosophical approach to a permanent state of crisis, and, underneath it all, always this sharp mind. He was an enormously gifted, soulful, passionate, generous musician, so we are bringing up a wide variety of artists to celebrate that."

Bennett died in 2005 at just 33, after a prolonged battle against aggressive cancer. He was an acclaimed virtuoso on pipes and fiddle, a self-styled "Dreadlocked Funkster" who created hardcore dance music as well as composing for symphony orchestra and string quartet. Gabriel sees Bennett's vision of tradition and experimentation walking hand-in-hand as a Real World trademark. "In different ways Daby Touré and Sevara [Nazarkhan] share things with Martyn," he says of two of the performers appearing at the showcase (see box). "Sevara shares Martyn's bold approach. She also has Martyn's sense of mischief. Daby is stripping back, simplifying and purifying his approach, like Martyn did."

I've been lucky to meet Peter Gabriel several times over the years. Once, at an early WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) Festival in Cornwall, before his 1980s Amnesty Tour, we talked in his car about Chilean singer Víctor Jara and the exile of Inti Illimani. Another time, down at the Real World Studios for BBC Radio 4, he took me and the producer by surprise by rowing us up the millstream that runs under the studios, because, as he remembers now, "it was a glorious day!" The movement of the oars made recording the interview impossible, so we chatted until he stopped mid-river, then were slowly carried back downstream as the tape ran, before he insisted we stay for lunch.

To understand Gabriel, the Real World studios label and the "recording weeks", one has to understand their mutual link with WOMAD. In 1982 Gabriel helped found WOMAD, and he and Genesis - the band he had formed many years earlier but left in the 1970s - bailed them out with a concert benefit following huge losses. While not directly involved after the first year, he's been in the background ever since. The Real World Studios were built in 1986, while the Real World label, founded in 1989, has always been associated with WOMAD artists. The recording weeks were Gabriel's brainwave, as he saw how musicians met backstage at WOMAD but had no space or time to really explore musical ideas.

Held in 1991, '93 and '94, "the idea was like a dating service for musicians with a 24-hour café attached," Gabriel says. He has always been preoccupied with opening things up, encouraging the possibility of musical interaction between musicians from all parts of the world, bringing them together to work out their own agenda. It's very much a musician's way of doing things, I suggest to him, "It's a way, by no means the only way or even maybe the best way," he responds. "But it's an exciting way! We were trying to encourage this cross-cultural breeding ground and it was one of the things I have enjoyed most about being involved with music. We had to make two or three records during those weeks as it was the way we got things funded, but most of the interesting stuff would happen naturally: different producers would be in different studios and invite different people in. With a 24-hour café, people meet together with ideas, it's a bring-your-own studio party, on the lawn, in the garage, in the bedrooms, anywhere, you can make music together.

"And the Afro-Celts and quite a few collaborations happened from people who met during those sessions. Even when stuff wasn't recorded, they were fertile musical networking events."

The weeks eventually stopped, as they proved too expensive to run, but this year - after dedicated editing by producer Steve Hague - an album called Big Blue Ball, culled from many hours of recording weeks material, will finally emerge. Is Real World as much a team effort as WOMAD is, I ask him? "Definitely. We try and find artists we are all enthusiastic about, for a starting point. My personal involvement is in A&R and artwork, which I'm pretty passionate about. For many years I tried to keep text off the images but I sort of lost that battle in the end. But I managed to keep them clear for a time, partly to keep a label identity and partly just to allow the images to speak."

The label has been consistent and persistent. How has it managed to survive in a difficult market? "It's been harder the last couple of years," he says. "We used to rely on putting out 20,000 but now digital record stores are closing and those that still exist have gone into mobile phones, games, DVDs and videos, so there is less shelf space for minority interest music of any sort. We're trying to secure a good future for the label at the moment. Breaking even is great and when we do better we are delighted."

GABRIEL'S AFFINITY FOR WORLD MUSIC and access for world musicians has a deeper side to it. Last year, at the Seventh World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, former President of the USSR and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev presented him with the prestigious Man of Peace award for his extensive contribution work on behalf of human rights. We talk about Steve Biko and the worldwide Amnesty 1988 Human Rights Now! Tour with Youssou N'Dour, Sting, Bruce Springsteen and Tracy Chapman.

That tour helped raise awareness of torture in unofficial prisons and the disappeared in Latin America. Today, with Guantanamo Bay, secret flights, "extraordinary renditions" and rumoured secret prisons, things seem bleaker. "I was talking to Amnesty people recently because there's another big anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights coming up," he says. "It's a powerful thing when people get together around a common purpose and it was life changing for all those who took part. We may try to get some of the old artists to hand over the torch to a new generation of artists, enlist them to politicise their own generation. And now we have the internet and the power of the bottom-up revolution with YouTube and Wikipedia. We haven't seen that in politics yet, but music and film will help fuel that revolution. We've been working for five years on a YouTube for human rights, allowing people to turn the cameras on those pointing at them. It's a 'little brother little sister' instead of 'big brother' attempt to bring the dark underbelly of power out into the daylight."

We finish by talking about more positive personal things. Gabriel confesses that, rather than listen to music all day, he's mostly a talk radio and film man. As a founder of the OD2 music distribution firm used by 60 online music stores he's a digital revolution visionary. He tells me about his involvement with prototype software called The Filter (www.thefilter.com). Based on the concept of music as a box of mood pills, it allows professionals and ordinary people to stream music for others. "My dad was an inventor and electrical engineer - he's still around actually - and I have his passion for technology and how it might make the world a fairer and better place," he says.

He tells me about watching a Kenyan woman on Newsnight's "Geek Week" talking about how the impact of the mobile phone in Africa - in terms of access to information and education - will be as transforming as the fire and wheel were before them. "I couldn't live without music," says Gabriel. "I go on holiday and after ten days I'm like a junkie looking for a piano. But these things excite me as much as music does."

• The Real World showcase is at the Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, on 31 January. For more Celtic Connections previews see Going Out, page 9.

Peter Gabriel on the performers who will be playing at his Real World Celtic Connections show

SEVARA NAZARKHAN, UZBEKISTANI SINGER

"She's very bold and her persuasive powers have got Russian electronica-techno producer Viktor Sologub on board. He's opened up her music, adding colours and textures to her grooves. We hope she'll tread the traditional and contemporary path simultaneously."

DABY TOURÉ, MAURITANIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER

"Daby's measured approach is to evolve, like growing his songs in his garden rather than making forays into the jungle to forage. Now he's stripping back, simplifying and purifying his approach."

JOI, BRITISH-ASIAN FUSIONISTS

"Joi's Farook had to come to terms with losing his brother, Joi's Haroon, and it's been a difficult journey. Now he's settling back, mixing in colours from their background while keeping the trance-like grooves moving forward. The joy is back in Joi."

SKIP MCDONALD AKA LITTLE AXE, 21ST-CENTURY BLUES PLAYER

"Skip's visible pedigree is more on the veteran side. He's a master of feel and groove, and he has a minimalist approach. He's exploring uncharted territory with Adrian [Sherwood] and his band, cooking up the unfamiliar."

ADRIAN SHERWOOD, JAMAICAN INFLUENCED DUB-MIXER/PRODUCER, AND PRODUCER OF LITTLE AXE'S ALBUM STONE COLD OHIO

"A self-effacing, gentle man who's happy to carve his own path, focused on what he wants and how to get it. He's not going to compromise his musical interests for a hit."

Realword January News Update message

The start of 2007 sees some exciting new releases on Real World Records, a competition to remix a track from one of these that coud see you winning a day in the famous Big Room at Real World Studios, and an imminent evening of exciting live entertainment at Glasgow's Celtic Connections. You are subscribed to either our Real World Records, Real World Remixed, or Real World Studios mailing list, so we thought you'd be interested in the stories included here. If you want to change the way you receive mail from us, the details of how to do so are at the bottom of this page. View this newsletter in your web browswer: Web Version Real World Records: www.realworldrecords.com Real World Studios: www.realworldstudios.com Real World Remixed: www.realworldremixed.com

'Without Zero' (UK Released February 19) The latest creative offering from the mystical maestros, the Eastern experimentalists! Joi are in the area with a new album on Real World Records. Having blazed a trail in the mid Eighties with their DJ-led mix of brittle breakbeats and flowing Eastern grooves - a trail that the so-called 'Asian Underground' followed in droves - this British Asian collective released two compelling, intelligent albums, 1999's One and One Is One and 2002's We Are Three. Celebratory and devotional, progressive and respectful, laden with different emotions yet bound by a one-love aesthetic, they stole the hearts of critics, clubbers and exemplary music-lovers alike. Now comes the shamelessly upbeat 'Without Zero'. "There is dance and drama and passion throughout this record. We've highlighted Asian culture. We've extended our electronic roots. And this time there's a distinct Arabic influence," says Farook Shamsher aka Joi supremo. "Asian music and Arabic music merge beautifully. They're actually very similar, which people don't tend to realise, and Joi is about uniting different cultures." Visit the Joi Microsite: www.realworldrecords.com/joi Farook of Joi introduces tracks from Without Zero: MP3 Audio Stream

Remix Joi and win a day's free studio time in Real World's Big Room To celebrate the release of 'Without Zero' Real World is running a competition on it's highly successful website www.realworldremixed.com. Launched in 2006 this is a site where you can download multitrack recordings from Real World artists and Peter Gabriel. Use the sample packs to create your own remix, then upload the finished work back to the site for others to hear. Join the community in voting, commenting and discussion in the sites forum - you might even top our charts!. 'What You Are' by Joi is the new sample pack and will provide remixers with a fantastic new track to get working on. This is the opportunity to win a day in the legendary 'Big Room' at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios. This room is why Real World is justifiably famous. As its name suggests, it offers space and versatility on a grand scale that provides both interesting and alternative methods for live recording and tracking. It is also a unique environment for mixing in all formats. The 72 channel SSL 9000 XL K series console installed in 2006, together with a varied array of outboard equipment ( including a large selection of vintage Neve modules) offers the potential for truly state of the art recording and mixing. Visit Real World Remixed for more information: www.realworldremixed.com More information on the Big Room: www.realworldstudios.com

Join Us for a Live Real World Party in Glasgow Wednesday 31 January 2007 8.30pm - The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow - as part of Celtic Connections Festival In this unmissable one-off event Real World brings together uplifting voices, superlative musicianship, dub-heavy grooves and irresistible rhythms from West Africa to Central Asia, from London to Ohio - a truly global celebration, bursting with talent. The legendary blues-and-beyond guitarist Skip McDonald, aka Little Axe, will be joined by the renown rhythm section of Doug Wimbish and Keith LeBlanc (Sugarhill Gang, Tackhead) with Bernard Fowler (Tackhead, Rolling Stones) on vocals. They will be joined by production maestro Adrian Sherwood, of On-U Sound Records, who as well as producing their current album, Stone Cold Ohio, will also perform his own live sound-system. Other special guests include the latest incarnation of pioneering Asian fusioneers Joi and the young Mauritanian singer-songwriter Daby Toure who has been described as an African Cat Stevens or Nick Drake. Also flying in is the gorgeous, vibrant Sevara Nazarkhan - Uzbekistan's ravishing young star and winner of a BBC radio 3 World Music Award. We will not be forgetting the much loved, much missed Martyn Bennett and will be paying tribute to his special legacy to Scottish music. Celtic Connections: information and booking

Coming Soon On Real World Records Daby Toure 'Stereo Spirit' African music's young rising star has been putting the finishing touches to his new album for Real World Records. Mixing the tracks was finished in Paris with Bob Coke (Ben Harper's engineer) in November after which Daby took a month's well earned sabbatical back to his homeland of West Africa. 'Stereo Spirit' will be released first in France and Switzerland on February 19 and later in the Spring with a special version for the UK and America. Daby is proud of his African roots but values creative freedom above all else and stepped beyond his traditional roots to create this superbly-crafted global pop album. His lilting, warm-toned, wide-ranging voice lifts above the layers of sparkling acoustic guitar and detailed percussion. The heart-stopping songs are suffused with tenderness and intimacy. Daby is an outstanding, charismatic performer, his music has a simplicity and soulful nobility capable of crossing any cultural or geographical barriers. More on Daby: www.realworldrecords.com/dabytoure Sevara Nazarkhan 'Sen' The much-awaited new album from the spell-binding Uzbek diva is nearly with us. Watch out for a spring release date. Sevara is irrepressible and simply cannot be tied down. She is always ambitious to explore new areas in her music and on 'Sen' has taken a leap into contemporary writing and production. She took her songs first to Viktor Sologub - a St Petersburg based electronica/techno producer whom she sought out (he had never heard of her!) and convinced him to work with her (he is now her biggest convert - a fan for life !). The album then came back to Real World Studios and Sevara and her band of Uzbek players recorded and mixed with Bruno Ellingham (a young and up and coming West Country producer). The influences and inspiration can be heard - Goldfrapp, Air, a kind of European cinematic feel, flavoured with Central Asian exoticism - gorgeous and totally new. More on Sevara: www.realworldrecords.com/sevara In Case You Missed...This is What They Said about.... Little Axe 'Stone Cold Ohio' "Skip McDonald's time-traveling career has gone from cooking up the original rap revolution at Sugarhill to dubbed-up 21st century Delta blues. The fifth album from his Little Axe incarnation is an affirmation of his mission to make ancient visions thrive in a modern setting. There's euphoric gospel (Rockin' Shoes), whipcrack soul (Victims) and deep blues (Trouble In Mind), all relayed through Skip's inimitable voice and guitar. The glorious sound of history collapsing into itself." The Mirror (5 out of 5) More on Little Axe: www.realworldrecords.com/littleaxe Adrian Sherwood 'Becoming a Cliche' "As well as being one of the world's most influential producers, the Tackhead/On-U Sound mainman and former Clash DJ is a highly rated chef. Sherwood's second album adopts a cook's approach to music: taking a basic stew of reggae and hurling in flavours from drum'n'bass and Asian tablas to Gregorian chants. With vocal/dinner guests including Dennis Bovell and the Pop Group's Mark Stewart, political assaults, and underlines his gigantic contribution to the way music sounds today." The Guardian More on Adrian Sherwood: www.realworldrecords.com/adriansherwood Thomas Mapfumo 'Rise Up' "This is a truly masterly return to the international scene. If Mapfumo's trademark Chimurenga rhythm is taken with a stately slowness on the opener, Suffer in Silence, the overall tone is defiant and exuberant. Plaintive guitars and crashing drums sound out over a deliciously swinging and exquisitely irregular whirl of sound. If Mapfumo's wearily authoritative voice has probably never sounded young, let alone fresh, there's certainly a new spring in his step, a new energy to one of the world's most compelling sounds." The Telegraph More on Thomas Mapfumo: www.realworldrecords.com/thomasmapfumo

Real World Remixed new look

New Look and New Competition - win a day in the Big Room

Today sees some major changes to realworldremixed.com and the launch of our second Remix Competition - remixing Joi's 'Without Zero' could see you spending the day in Real World Studios flagship space, the Big Room. We hope you enjoy the new look, the forum searching, the new sample pack, the radio, player improvements and competition features. As ever let us know if you have any problems with the site.

Competition details
Feature on Joi

More on Joi's releases: We Are Three, One & One is One & Without Zero.

Newscorp and Myspace Side By Side?

I joined Peter Gabriel last night at a private Media Governors meeting which was off the record so I cant attribute remarks....But it was interesting to see the newly established upstart Chris DeWolfe of MySpace, recently acquired by the media giant Newscorp, in conversation with mega-mogul Rupert Murdoch about the future of media.

Legacy media (ie newspapers, television, radio etc) is in the midst of a revolution (of sorts), racing to adapt to the new media Web 2.0 landscape characterized by citizen journalism, the blogosphere, and the likes of MySpace, Face Book, YouTube, etc. The challenge from the legacy media perspective is how to "monetize" online content while sustaining the traditional cost-heavy infrastructure, ie if you are in the business of delivering and distributing newsprint. In the US, media giant and newspaper chain Knight Ridder was recently acquired by the highest bidder....a smaller chain.

While legacy media troubles over the challenge, we see the opportunity for a more democratizing, bottom-up influence in how issues are framed and responded to -- hence, the forthcoming Hub!

Posted by Gillian Caldwell on January 26, 2007 at 04:05 AM in Davos07 | Permalink