Making a splash : Womad Singapore 2007

Out of Africa: Catch Senegalese Youssou N’Dour at Womad Singapore 2007 at Fort Canning Park.

When it rains, it pours. The weather aside, that oft-used phrase took an appealing twist this year when three world music festivals were scheduled within one-and-half-months in this region.

Two of them – the Rainforest World Music Festival in Santubong, Sarawak, and Penang World Music Festival – opened the floodgates last month. Those were tasty appetisers leading up to Womad Singapore 2007, which throws the celebration to end all celebrations with an uncompromising line-up for their 10th anniversary bash.

Grouses over the quality of Womad Singapore performers have been growing louder over the last few years – but despite the complaints the festival did attract a record crowd of over 19,600 last year.

For Womad Singapore 2007 at Fort Canning Park, there will be no issues over the jaw-dropping group of musicians assembled to light up the three-day world music jamboree from Aug 24 to Aug 26.

Youssou N'Dour and the Super Etoile de Dakar, Mahotella Queens, Asian Dub Foundation, Sheila Chandra, Daara J, Oki Dub Ainu Band, Etran Finatawa and Shooglenifty are joined by master drummer Johny Kalsi and BBC Radio 1 jocks Bobby Friction and Nihal in what is arguably a list nearing hall of fame proportions.

Great Scot!: Shooglenifty of Scotland.

There is finally a solid reason to stay back and soak it all in for the entire duration of Womad Singapore 2007 rather than picking the days to turn up at Fort Canning later this month. Those who have been ardently following Womad Singapore since the late 1990s would legitimately feel that it has degenerated into summer camps for the island’s expatriates and an assortment of tourists rather than a genuine avenue for outstanding music from around the planet.

Bagging the “Best Event Experience” gong in Singapore’s Tourism Awards in 2004 further underlined this shift in scope and while it has grown boundlessly (the team headed by Womad’s Regional Operations Director for Asia, Sarah Martin, deserves nothing but unstinting praise for its progress), the music side of the event appeared to have suffered in the process. By way of compensation – or pandering to the needs of its younger crowd if you insist on being a cynic – we have had late night sessions by renowned deejays and a longer roll of musicians for Womad.

A beneficial offshoot of Womad Singapore is the community outreach programmes that have been engaging schools and institutions of higher learning – which explains the larger turnout of students and undergraduates in recent years. Essentially, this project is to introduce the music of the world to the “download” generation, and gradually create a market segment that would help sustain Womad Singapore. This is a tough proposition in any demography, more so in a nation eagerly in search of a cultural identity.

The workshops – the enduring hallmark of all Womad festivals around the globe – have also moved up a notch. This year’s scheduling features potentially enlightening discussions helmed by such articulate and vocal musicians as Asian Dub Foundation’s Chandrasonic and veterans in the shape of Womad director and co-founder Thomas Brooman.

Master musicians: Daara J, an impressive West African hip hop act.

Elsewhere, Womad Singapore’s commitment towards arranging collaborations between participating musicians and their aspiring Singaporean counterparts continues with the National University of Singapore’s Chinese Orchestra’s alliance with Niger’s Etran Finawatra.

Their joint effort on Aug 26 is a coup that must not be underestimated and will hold us in suspense until its revelation, as this is probably the first serious Afro-Chinese venture at Womad Singapore.

We have a great deal to look forward to as the countdown begins to the premier world music festival in South-East Asia.

Asian Dub Foundation (ADF), in their second Womad Singapore appearance since their debut in 2000, will headline the opening day in a 90-minute one-off gig. Since their last studio album, Tank in 2005, the group has undergone changes to their membership and music, and Womad Singapore 2007 will see a fresh and re-energized ADF.

One-off gig: Asian Dub Foundation will add a touch of Anglo-Indian attitude to the proceedings.

Only three of ADF’s eight – Steve Chandra Savale aka Chandrasonic, John Pandit aka Pandit G and Sanjay Tailor – who appeared in Womad Singapore 2000 will return to conquer Fort Canning. It is uncertain whether Deedar Zaman (Master D), ADF’s charismatic former frontman and co-founder who recorded a new track for their first ever compilation album Timefreeze this year, will join the Anglo-Indian collective for the Asian leg of their tour. Regardless of which ADF version appears on stage, mayhem is guaranteed.

Sheila Chandra, the other British-based world beat revolutionary at Womad Singapore – and one for whom the term avant garde would not be a misnomer – is also slated for a one-night-only show which precedes ADF on the same day.

Sheila is respected for her ferocious independence in making music and her relentless focus on experimental albums and projects. Noted for the output through the Real World labe, three releases that features her haunting vocals in a setting that can only be described as futuristic, Sheila’s show is one of curiosity and promise.

Two of Africa’s major names and another two upcoming bands from the continent will also grace Womad Singapore 2007 and it is fair to say that the organisers have struck the right note in balancing the acts. Mahotella Queens are pioneers in blending traditional music of South Africa with homegrown jazz of the apartheid era.

Senegal’s Yousou N’Dour and the Super Etoile de Dakar – the masters of incorporating folk tunes and odes with Western pop – need no further introduction while their younger compatriots Daara J are reputed to be the amongst the leading hip-hop outfits in the continent, fusing hard-edged rap with politically conscious words. Etran Finawatra, a late “discovery” in the burgeoning Toureg music field and a name to be reckoned with, complete Africa’s involvement.

The grand finale for Womad Singapore 2007 will feature Mahotella Queens, N’Dour and his band plus Daara J in addition to Sheila and Dhol Foundation’s main man Johnny Kalsi. That final fling alone is worth the price of admission. This is undoubtedly the best party that the Womad Singapore organisers have put together and it is apt for a decade of good live outdoor music.

Details on the Womad Singapore 2007 schedule, packages, and more are available at www.womadsingapore.com.

By NANTHA KUMAR

Festival watch : Womad, Charlton Park, Wiltshire

They called it Womud: in all directions primordial mire and people wading through it, falling over, moving with deliberation around immovable objects, with kids in tow/a pint in each hand. Backstage, performers from Rajasthan to Senegal were taking photos of each other in funny English wellies or, when there were no boots left, plastic bags tied round their feet.

Two centimetres of rain in two hours on the eve of Womad's 25th-anniversary festival, and its lush new site in the grounds of a stately home in Wiltshire (farewell, Reading...), complete with friendly viscount and only one dissenter in the village, was deemed a health hazard by some, who baled out early. Others, however, slowly sinking on the spot, danced from the knees up.

Memorable moments included Mexico's Lila Downs (imagine Frida Kahlo on maracas) singing 'La Iguana', wiggling her elbows in the air in an uncanny lizard impersonation to a dizzy surge of harp; Cape Verde veteran Cesaria Evora's onstage fag-break; a new generation of the Zawose family from Tanzania, all polyphonies and thumb pianos, later reappearing in full ostrich-feathered splendour to thunderously close out 'The Rhythm of the Heat' for Peter Gabriel; and Baaba Maal, sailing upstage in priestly white and gold, backed by the serried ranks of his luxurious big African band and a big, bright moon.

Less, however, was often more; Tuareg rebel riffsters Tinariwen, with a line-up depleted due to malaria and a missed plane, nevertheless worked their sinuous magic on Sunday's sunstruck crowd. Some way down the billing, Bassekou Kouyate, one-time ngoni player for Ali Farka Toure, now fronting a fine band on the up, won many new admirers, shaking deep Malian blues out of an instrument that could double as a cricket bat. And with her four faithful accompanists seated behind and following her every syllable, possibly no one attracted more adoration than Mariza, Lisbon's peroxide fadista, a unique combination of charm and drama, statuesque in long black dress, inhabiting the world's most intense songs to the point of tears, wellies waiting in the wings.

The Observer, Carol McDaid, Sunday August 5, 2007

his is the World Service - of global music

Listened to by millions, from Uganda to Iraq, Charlie Gillett may be the most influential DJ on the planet.

Charlie's world music hot properties

At last weekend's Womad festival in Wiltshire, a lot of the movers and shakers of world music - the record company bosses, promoters and media types - were absent, put off by the floods and severe weather warnings.

Wags had dubbed it Womud. But it would take more than that to put off Charlie Gillett, the 65-year-old DJ and hugely influential world-music enthusiast, who I watched playing a DJ set at the small but appropriately titled Under A Tree Stage on the Sunday.

For his weekly programme on the BBC World Service, Gillett has a considerably larger audience than the Womad crowd - it runs into millions. "One guy emailed last week from Uganda," says Gillett, "to say he woke up from a nightmare, put on the radio and heard me playing Ali Farka Touré - he included his phone number, so I called him back." Other recent emails have come from US military personnel and ordinary citizens in Iraq.

I met Gillett the day after Womad, in the South London house, where he has lived with his family and his massive record collection since 1969. He bought the place for £5,000. "The mortgage was less than my weekly paper bill," he says, which has helped him pursue his often poorly paid adventures in global music.

Next week sees the release of what has become the essential annual overview of the world music scene, his Sound Of The World compilation series. The two-CD set mixes better-known bands such as Tinariwen, Gotan Project and Ladysmith Black Mambazo with his latest discoveries. "One change in the last few years is the number of exciting new women singers," he says. "This compilation is two-thirds female."

Gillett first had the notion that he might have an ear for discovering music in 1962, when he became a Bob Dylan fanatic after hearing a track in a record store in the US "months, at least, before anyone back home". His Masters thesis for Colombia University, a history of popular music, was published to acclaim as a book, The Sound Of The City, in 1970 and is still in print.

He began his first weekly radio programme, Honky Tonk, in 1972 on Radio London, where he stayed till 1978. While punk didn't much interest him - "the rhythms were too boring" - he did discover numerous artists, including Dire Straits. "I played the demo of Sultans Of Swing and seven record companies had rung before the end of the programme." Other acts he brought to public notice included Ian Dury, who he managed for a while, Graham Parker and Elvis Costello ("the only one who rang in to thank you for playing his demo").

He joined Capital Radio in 1980 but "left before I was pushed" in 1983. Listeners complained, and he was offered another show. "I told the radio station I was getting a lot of response to what I called at the time 'tropical' records" and he began A Foreign Affair, the first world-music radio programme.

"I knew from experience that not only would there be an audience, but they would put me right if I made mistakes, and introduce me to music I didn't know about." He was the first British DJ to play Youssou N'Dour and Salif Keita.

The conservative nature of British radio disappoints him. "If you think of how other aspects of life have changed - the number of foreign players in the Premiership, the diverse range of global restaurants in the high streets - radio here is pretty xenophobic." He is puzzled that multi-million selling artists such as Spain's Manu Chao or Cesaria Evora from Cape Verde are so rarely played on Radio 1 or 2.

Gillett makes no claims to musical infallibility - he saw one of the first Velvet Underground gigs and "didn't understand them", and he has of a blind spot for Brazilian music: "a lot of it is a bit too much like lounge music for me." But he follows his enthusiasms wherever they lead "regardless of what is deemed hip or fashionable".

A bout of illness caused him to resign last year from his popular BBC Radio London show - he hopes to "come back with something maybe next year" - but the internet means his World Service show is more heard than ever, and his website soundoftheworld.com has an impressively lively forum.

With the demise of John Peel ("I didn't like most of what he played - but he was great to listen to anyway"), Gillett must be the most universally admired veteran broadcaster in the land - and his enthusiasm remains infectious. I saw him as the sun went down on the last night of Womad listening to the Portguese fado singer Mariza, who he, of course, has helped immeasurably.

"Where does she get that amazing voice from?" he asked, thrilled by yet another great global singer.

Interview by Peter Culshaw (telegraph.co.uk) 02/08/2007

Peter Gabriel Named as BMI Icon, Joining Paul Simon, Ray Davies

Peter Gabriel is to be honored as an Icon by Broadcast Music Inc., the U.S. performing rights organization announced today. The U.K. singer-songwriter, 57, who founded the rock band Genesis in 1967 and left for a solo career in 1975, will receive the award on Oct. 16 in London, BMI said in an e-mailed release. "Gabriel's achievements, whether musical, visual or humanitarian, are the work of a true visionary,'' BMI said.

Singer Peter Gabriel poses in New York on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2006.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News.

The BMI Icon award is given to songwriters who have had "a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.'' Previous winners include Ray Davies, Van Morrison, the Bee Gees, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton, James Brown and Paul Simon.

Gabriel's Grammy Award-winning solo career includes songs such as "Solsbury Hill'' and "Sledgehammer.'' He also has composed soundtracks for films, including Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ'' (1988) and is the founder of the Womad (World of Music, Arts and Dance) movement.

BMI, a not-for-profit entity, collects and distributes to its member songwriters, composers and music publishers money for public performance of music in the U.S., including on the radio, TV and Internet.

By Mark Beech (Bloomberg)

Jimi Mbaye - Habib Faye : Le Super Etoile se cherche au plan international

Des regards que les mélomanes portent sur le Super Etoile, il ressort que Jimi Mbaye et Habib Faye demeurent des éléments essentiels de la formation musicale de Youssou Ndour. Mais ce qui fait la force de ce groupe, fort de plus de vingt-cinq ans de compagnonnage, soutiennent les deux guitaristes, est que chaque musicien peut représenter à lui tout seul le groupe. Dans l’entretien qui suit, Jimi Mbaye et Habib Faye reviennent sur l’évolution musicale du Super Etoile, sur fond d’analyse du nouvel album Alsaama Day, sorti en avril 2007, sur le vécu artistique du groupe, ses hauts et ses bas.

Alsaama Day dans l’évolution du Super Etoile

Jimi MBAYE : C’est juste une nouvelle cassette qui est venue, et qui marche très fort. Musicalement, c’est vraiment bien. Je ne pense pas que Alsaama Day puisse apporter au Super Etoile ce qu’il n’a pas encore eu. Je ne pense pas également qu’il y ait eu de rupture. A mon avis, c’est une continuité par rapport à ce que nous avons toujours fait. Parce qu’à chaque fois que tu fais une rupture, en général, le premier produit de cette rupture n’est pas bien accepté par le public. Donc, si c’était vraiment une rupture comme vous l’imaginez, le public n’aurait pas suivi. Il aurait peut-être attendu la deuxième ou la troisième cassette pour comprendre réellement ce qu’il y a lieu de faire avant d’intégrer la nouvelle donne. Il faut reconnaître que les mélomanes ont toujours eu du mal à accepter totalement un produit du Super Etoile dès sa sortie. A chaque fois que nous sortons une nouvelle une cassette, on attend toujours un mélomane dire : ‘Je ne sais pas ce qu’ils ont essayé de jouer…’. Et une semaine après, on entend dire : ‘Je ne sais pas l’orientation qu’ils ont voulu donner à l’album, mais j’aime le troisième, le quatrième ou tel autre morceau’. Et après deux semaines, c’est l’adoption totale. Il arrive même que certains passent aux aveux pour dire : ‘Boy, cette cassette, elle est extraordinaire. Tu as entendu tel ou tel titre ?’. Pour en revenir à l’album Alsaama Day, je trouve que c’est un Super Etoile encore beaucoup plus jeune qui est venu avec toute une fougue. Et je trouve que c’est un très bon album.

Habib FAYE : Aujourd’hui, la musique est surtout axée sur la danse, c’est ce qui est la mode. Donc Alsaama Day a suivi la tendance. Et je pense que s’il y a eu une innovation dans cet album, ce n’est pas du côté musical. Dans la réalisation de cet album, c’est l’attente des mélomanes qui a été plus prise en compte. C’était une priorité par rapport à la création. Je vais vous le dire : je ne suis pas à la base de la conception de Alsaama Day. Je suis plutôt intervenu dans l’exécution. Le concept de Alsaama Day a été mené de bout à bout par Youssou Ndour, contrairement à ce qu’on faisait avant. Cette fois-ci, c’est son concept, ses idées qu’il a essayé de réaliser avec son frère Ibou et les autres. Pour en revenir à l’exécution, elle consiste à interpréter les idées de Youssou. C’est vous dire que je n’ai pas participé à la création artistique de Alsaama Day. Je pense que le Super Etoile, c’est d’abord Youssou. C’est son groupe, donc ce sont ses idées et sa philosophie. Il lui arrive de faire des projets avec ou sans le Super Etoile. Comme il m’arrive aussi de faire des choses avec Angélique Kidjo, Peter Gabriel entre autres musiciens du monde. Je n’y vois pas de problème. Alsaama Day est certes un album 100 % Super Etoile. Mais c’est très différent des autres albums. Je ne pense pas que cela soit lié aux réalités du showbiz d’autant plus que c’est nous qui l’avons exécuté.

Un nouveau défi musical...

Source: Walf-Fadjri, Propos recueillis par Yacine CISSE, Abdou Rahmane MBENGUE et Mbagnick NGOM

Independent Sector to Present WITNESS with the Leadership IS Award

Independent Sector will honor WITNESS, an international human rights organization, with the 2007 American Express Building Leadership Award for promoting leadership in other organizations and for building leaders from within. The award will be presented to the organization with a plaque and a gift of $10,000 at the Independent Sector Annual Conference in Los Angeles from October 21 to 23, 2007.

Founded in 1992 by musician and activist Peter Gabriel, the Reebok Human Rights Foundation and Human Rights First (formerly the Lawyer’s Committee for Human Rights), WITNESS trains organizations to use video and online technologies to increase awareness of human rights violations. In doing so, the organization empowers groups within the global human rights community to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice and policy change. Through its Core Partners program, WITNESS provides hands-on video training for grassroots organizations in the United States and around the world that advocate for political, social, and economic rights to help them become more effective advocates for their respective causes.

In California, the State Senate Majority Leader introduced sweeping legislation to overhaul the State’s juvenile prison system five days after the screening of “System Failure,” a film by partner Books Not Bars, which revealed rampant abuses in the system. In the Casamance region of Senegal, the Minister of Women’s and Family Affairs pledged unprecedented funding for women landmine victims following the release of a video by WITNESS partner, the African Assembly for the Defense of Human Rights, which exposed the devastating effects of these weapons of war.


From 2002 to 2006, WITNESS worked with Burma Issues, a human rights organization, to document the systematic repression of civilians by Burma's military government, and to place that footage in front of activists and government officials worldwide. The rising profile of this crisis helped lead to the introduction of a first-ever resolution at the UN Security Council on Burma, as well as significant increases in funding for displaced civilians.


“We applaud WITNESS for its commitment to building the capacity of locally based organizations that work to galvanize public support for human rights reforms in this country and abroad,” said Diana Aviv, president and CEO of Independent Sector. “WITNESS embodies the ideals of this award by helping other organizations become leaders and by developing policies and practices that promote leadership within the organization.”


Internally, WITNESS is committed to fostering an open work environment and has implemented several policies to encourage staff to take on leadership roles, advance within the organization and participate in professional development opportunities. To ensure maximum impact for its work, the organization developed a process called “5 Key Results Areas,” which enables staff to stay tightly focused on measurable results and regularly assess progress. Driven by the strong belief that each staff member has innate leadership potential, it has also committed to sending staff to the Rockwood Leadership program.


“WITNESS is honored to be recognized with the 2007 American Express Building Leadership Award for our commitment to training our partner organizations to turn video testimony and images into powerful human stories that make a difference,” said Gillian Gladwell, executive director of WITNESS. “We have worked with hundreds of organizations, advocates and media-makers to give them the tools they need to drive their own advocacy, and with the launch of our newest initiative, The Hub (www.hub.witness.org), in Fall 2007, we hope to inspire thousands more people around the world to use video as a tool for activism and policy change. We are also very committed to developing leadership within the organization.”


The American Express Building Leadership Award, formally known as the Leadership IS Award, is sponsored by the American Express Foundation. The award was established in 1999 to recognize the importance of investing in the people of the nonprofit community by celebrating an organization that embodies this principle in spirit and practice.

For more information about the American Express Building Leadership Award, please visit the IS web site.

Genesis’ Peter Gabriel To Be Honoured As Icon At awards ceremony…

Genesis co-founder Peter Gabriel is to be honoured as a BMI Icon at an awards ceremony in London in October. Gabriel will receive the awards at the US right organisation’s annual UK awards ceremony at London’s Dorchester Hotel.

Gabriel will join the likes of Ray Davies and the Bee Gees who have had their music recognized by the BMI – a US performing right organisation who collect and distribute monies for an artist’s public performances on US TV and radio.

As well as co-founding Genesis, Gabriel has released eleven solo albums and composed soundtracks for films, such as, Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Last Temptation of Christ,’ during his expansive career.

The BMI are also recognizing Gabriel’s humanitarian work with the award – which includes founding the world human rights advocacy supergroup theelders.org in July this year, alongside Nelson Mandela and Richard Branson.

The Filter élargira ses recommandations de la musique à la vidéo

The Filter, le site de recommandations musicales soutenu par Peter Gabriel, a réussi à lever 5 millions de dollars de fonds dans un second tour de table. Le premier, de 1,8 millions avait déjà permis au logiciel de s'intégrer à Facebook, en offrant aux utilisateurs la possibilité de partager leurs préférences musicales sur le site communautaire.

Cette nouvelle injection, financée par l'artiste et Eden Ventures, devrait maintenant pousser The Filter élargir son champ pour passer de la musique à la vidéo. "La première vague de la révolution numérique misait sur la liberté de choix, en essayant de rendre tout accessible à n'importe qui" analyse Peter Gabriel. "Je pense que la seconde portera sur la liberté à partir du choix. Elle offrira à The Filter la possibilité de vous donner plus de ce que vous voulez."

Son principal rival reste Last.fm, qui emporte un vif succès auprès des internautes, mais The Filter pourrait passer par un champ plus élargi pour se différencier, de la vidéo à d'autres domaines inhabituels comme les objets de marque ou même les bouteilles de vin.

Rappelons que Peter Gabriel a toujours été précurseur dans le domaine de la musique numérique. C'est lui qui fut notamment à la base du premier service de téléchargement à la demande, la plateforme OD2 utilisée maintenant par Microsoft. Seulement, le fondateur de Genesis s'aventure cette fois ci en terrain déjà occupé. Visionnaire ou opportuniste ? L'avenir nous le dira.

Peter Gabriel leads $5m cash injection into music website

Peter Gabriel has led a $5m (£2.5m) investment in the music recommendation technology company The Filter to help develop its expansion into new areas such as digital video and film content.

The Filter is a free download that recommends new music and builds play-lists from a user's existing digital music library. Users can enter an artist like Johnny Cash into the engine and the engine will suggest a variety of artists that the listener might like. The service, which can identify around 5 million songs, was developed by the Bath-based Exabre. It has attracted 150,000 users and is adding a further 25,000 a month.

However, Mr Gabriel argues music recommendations are only the tip of the iceberg as the swaths of digital content available online mean that The Filter's software could be used for recommending everything from television shows to bottles of wine and fashion items.

"The first wave of the digital revolution was about the freedom of choice, trying to make everything accessible to anyone, any place, any time. I think the second wave will be about freedom from choice. It will be able to filter and focus so that you get more of what you want," Mr Gabriel said.

He conceded not everyone would want a piece of software recommending what music they listen to or what films they watch, but said, given the amount of digital content online is growing exponentially, many consumers will want to be guided toward content relevant to their interest and tastes.

The investment in Exabre was led by Mr Gabriel alongside technology investors Eden Ventures, and follows an initial $1.8m round of investment by the two parties and The Filter's two founding members Rhett Ryder and Martin Hopkins. The new funds will be used to develop The Filter's technology around television and film content with a view to launching a wider recommendation service next year. "Our new round of investment from Peter and Eden will help us take our recommendation engine to the next level," the company said.

A slew of new technology companies has emerged around the area of recommending digital content, paralleling the rise of social networking sites like MySpace and Bebo where users upload their own content on to the web. Most notable have been Last.FM, the British recommendation site that was snapped up by CBS earlier this year, and Pandora, the popular online radio company.

Mr Gabriel, the former Genesis frontman who went on to have success in the 1980s with songs such asGames Without Frontiers, is a pioneer in digital music technology investment. He developed one of the first consumer music technology products - the Xplora and Eve CDRoms - in the 1990s and went on to found On Demand Distribution, or OD2, one of the first music download services, which is used by Microsoft's MSN portal.

By Nic Fildes, Published: 20 August 2007

Inside the mind of Daniel Lanois

New film reveals the mental legwork behind Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan and U2 collaborations.

Uber-producer Daniel Lanois' new film, "Here Is What Is," is an impressionist dissection of his creative process as a producer, composer and songwriter. The film reveals the mental legwork behind his collaborations with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan and U2.

"My friend said that porn ruined sexuality, because sexuality is all about mystery and imagination," Lanois said. "I'm trying to reintroduce those values from a time before mass communication caused people to be more interested in an artist's 'crib' than the actual record."

The film, which premieres at the Toronto Film Festival in September, follows Lanois on trips to Morocco (where he was recording with Eno and U2) and Shreveport, La. (with ace session drummer Brian Blade), and captures a rare and intimate piano performance from Garth Hudson. "Here Is What Is" is less a traditional documentary than a dreamy trip through Lanois' head.

Such a film could have been an exercise in navel-gazing, but in a music culture veering ever more toward instant gratification, Lanois believes that art takes commitment, and "Here Is" is proof of that.

"I wanted to celebrate dedication to one's craft," Lanois said. "That's not a lighthearted matter. The studio's not just a piece of documentation equipment. You only get out of it what you put into it."

By August Brown, Los Angels Times Staff Writer, August 16, 2007

Martha Ladly, Mobile Experience Design

Again apologies to Martha about not getting this up sooner, but I'm glad that I've had some time to digest what she was saying and also do some casual surfing to explore the projects that she was talking about. Twenty minutes is difficult to get a sense of the breadth of work that she's done.

I met Martha at the opening drinks of X|Media|Lab and really liked her ideas about digital storytelling and emerging mobile applications.

By way of introduction to her talk, she talked about how she got into design. She played in bands and designed album covers. OMG, Martha designed the Power, Lies and Corruption cover for New Order. She worked for Peter Gabriel for 10 years and designed 50 album covers for his Real World label including Sheila Chandra and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

In 1992, Peter Gabriel wanted to create an interactive CD. She worked on the Eve CD-ROM project with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. I actually have Eve. It's a fascinating interactive experience. You can't really call it a game. It's more of an experience. They also created an interactive CD called the Ceremony of Innocence based on the Griffin & Sabine books.

She now works with a group called Horizon Zero, a monthly web publication. They have created digital documentaries. They had a lovely project called Murmur in the Market. It was about a neighbourhood, Kensington Market, in transition, and they recorded stories about the neighbourhood that were overlaid on a hand drawn map of the neighbourhood. I like the flash-based map navigation, and the audio works well in the player that they developed.

I especially like the audio segments that have street sounds and give me an sense of the bustle and activity in the neighbourhood. One of the common mistakes with audio is to only do the interview in a nice sound-proofed studio, but if you're trying to evoke a sense of place, it's always good to have 'nat-sound' or 'wild track' to set the scene for listeners. In London, I often go and buy lunch at the market in Leather Lane around the corner for our offices. There is a great street vendor who has a wonderful sing-song quality as he hawks his wares. His voice falls up and down in pitch. "TOP QUALITY (then low) get it here. ONLY BEST BRANDS (then low) three for a pound." I'd definitely add that as a transition between more set piece interviews, and a good directional microphone can keep the voice of the subject in focus while letting a little street sound bleed through.

Back to Martha's talk...two years ago, a group got together about how to move mobile experience forward. She is working on the Park Walk project. They are telling stories about Toronto's High Park using mobile phones with GPS units. They also play a game called "The Haunting" with Mont Royal Park in Montreal. They have also done some great stuff in Banff called Global Heart Beat. As people move through GPS zones, they find out about the animals that live in that habitat.

Mobile technology can bridge the gap between virtual and real, and she highlighted, Blast Theory, a group of artists in the UK that have produced video games based in real space.

She talked about some open-source technologies such as Arduino, an open-source prototyping platform. (She mentioned quite a few, and I'll mention a few that I know of as well, including OpenMoko and their Neo open-source mobile phone. I am also thinking about trying the GP2X handheld game. It's not a mobile phone-data device per se, but it's very extensible, possibly a bit beyond my meagre tech skills but worth a play. I like the fact that you get a fully operational Linux device that can actually be used as a full-fledged pocket computer.)

I'm going to paraphrase Martha. Mobile has yet to hits its stride, but it has a lot of technologies that could be used to tell location-based stories. GPS, cameras and bluetooth all have application that is only being explored. From my point as a journalist, I think this is an area rich for exploration as far as newsgathering. Possibly in the future, information will delivered across cities based on not only subject relevance but also local relevance. As I said, lots of area for exploration.

Posted by Kevin Anderson

Filtering the music in your life

A problem with the rapid increase in our ability to store data, is not only that we might have trouble finding things but that it could be difficult just deciding what to look for.

As we collect thousands of digital music tracks or videos, how will we ever be able to decide what to watch or listen to? The choice becomes overwhelming. Or at least that's the thinking behind a recommendation engine developed by Bath-based physicist Martin Hopkins.

His idea came from trying to organise his own digital music collection and compile playlists. He says: "We find everyone has the Beatles in their collection so that doesn't really help us much , but if you have Frank Zappa or Captain Beefheart we'll be able to tell exactly what mood you're in." The search software spawned from the idea, and called The Filter, draws on comparatively ancient mathematics ; the statistical probability theorem invented by 18th Century churchman Reverend Thomas Bayes.

Mr Hopkins says Bayesian probability is the ideal mathematical model for this kind of search "It mimics how we come to a conclusion in life. It gathers evidence from a variety of sources and gives them weighting. From this we can work out the probability of an outcome." The software looks at the music you have and compiles playlists based on the relationships between tracks. "It's a software download that sits of your computer - it goes through every music track on your computer, and that information is sent anonymously back to our sever. From that we can create a whole series of cross references." The software is not foolproof, however.

On The Filter's website there is a facility to test it out and Digital Planet presenter Gareth Mitchell entered Stone Roses, Razorlight and Jethro Tull, as his favourite bands - but was startled to find that one of the recommendations was Busted. Mr Hopkins says the algorithm only has the data in the evidence base to work from, but that half the fun is trying to break the system.

"You can put in Nancy Sinatra and the Sex Pistols and see what you get. There may not be a relationship, in which case it will confuse the software." Despite the fun or annoyance of using this system to lazily suggest music, the software behind it may have a much wider use. Mr Hopkins says it could be applied to any type of data "The whole approach we have is content agnostic, we don't analyse the attributes of the content. It's really the relationships between pieces of content, so it works for movies, it works for books."

The software is being backed by musician Peter Gabriel, who describes it as being part of the second wave of the digital revolution; not offering freedom of choice, but freedom from choice.

Remembering Nusrat 1948-1997

Posted by Salman Ahmad on August 14, 2007

Long before 9/11 and the subsequent drum beat of a war on terror and talk of a clash of civilizations between Islam and the West, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistan's greatest musical export, sang ecstatically about the Oneness of God and love for humanity.

Muslim, Jew, Christian, Hindu, all people with or without faith who tuned into the power and emotion of his voice were transported to another place, beyond the self-created ghettos of the mind and into a spiritual wonderland of joy and transcendence.

I was first introduced to Nusrat in 1990 by the Pakistani cricket captain, Imran Khan, for whose cancer hospital we did a fund-raising tour of concerts together. Having been born in Lahore and grown up in New York, my musical leanings were the blues and classic rock: John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and Pink Floyd. As a result, I felt a little out of place arriving at Lahore's Alhamra arts council carrying a stratocaster and a guitar amp to my first Qawwali rehearsal with the celebrated Nusrat.

He sat onstage, cross legged on a Persian carpet, looking like a Punjabi Buddha, while his qawwali group brought out the harmoniums, tablas, and cups full of Lahori chai. After the traditional greetings of "Salaamualeikum" (peace be upon you) I nervously asked Nusrat what he wanted me to play on the first song "Mustt,Mustt" (lost in you), he replied with a childlike innocence: "do whatever your heart tells you to do". It turned out to be the strongest piece of career and personal advice anyone could've offered me. Nusrat's voice and the songs performed that day and later on the tour had a profound impact on my music.

To modify a Nirvana lyric, his music is "addictive and contagious". The poetry and the melodies opened doors inside my head, which allowed Rumi, Bulleh Shah and Iqbal to enter and coexist with John Lennon, Jimmy Page and John Lee Hooker. Nusrat also helped pave the way for my band, Junoon, to take the risks we did when we married electric guitars to bhangra drum and dhol grooves while chanting traditional sufi texts considered sacred by the orthodox. In fact it was Nusrat who broke the traditional mould of the Qawwali singer, when he collaborated with Peter Gabriel, Michael Brook and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam.

In one particular conversation I had with him about about his brilliant album "NIGHT SONG" with Michael Brook, he told me that he favored fusion because in the Qur'an it mentioned that God loves diversity, and Nusrat felt the most powerful way to celebrate and express diversity was through music.

Years later,in 1998, when Junoon's song Sayonee raced up the pop charts in India to help us become South Asia's biggest rock band, it was a special poignant moment for me because our album "Azadi (Freedom)" for EMI had been dedicated to the memory of Nusrat who had sadly passed on a year earlier while only 48 and with all the music still inside of him.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan left behind a universal DNA in his songs, for all people to share and celebrate the yearning, the joy and the timeless message of Oneness. Can music help build the bridge of Unity between East and West?

Nusrat certainly had no doubts.

"On Faith" panelist Salman Ahmad is a Pakistani-born rock star who started the wildly popular South Asian band known as Junoon.

Y Tu Mama' Mexican Stars Fight Injustices At Gala Event

Y Tu Mama Tambien co-stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna staged a gala dinner in Mexico City on Saturday night (11 Aug 07) in an effort to raise funds and awareness about poverty and injustice in the country.

The two actors and friends teamed up with rocker Peter Gabriel's Witness human rights organisation and Mexico's Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights to stage the $300 (£150)-a-head event.

At a press conference before the gala, Bernal congratulated filmmakers for bringing light to terrible acts: "Documentaries show us the injustices in the country where we live, that this problem exists. We can't escape it."

Luna and Garcia Bernal have launched a new production company, Canana, and plan to make a series of documentaries aimed at raising awareness about failures of the Mexican judicial system

Refugee to rapper: an interview with Emanuel Jal

Emmanuel Jal, one of the hottest rappers to come out of Africa, is a former child soldier from southern Sudan who uses his talent and fame to give a voice to the hungry poor, especially the children, in Africa. "When I make music, I keep in mind some hungry tots … that’s what makes my music, my music. I put my hunger into my music." - Emmanuel Jal...

...Who are your mentors?

Emma [McCune, a humanitarian worker] was my angel. She fed me, took me to school, paid my school fees. She was doing it from the heart. She invested in me by putting me into a British school. That’s why I’m effective. Now, I get a lot of support from people in the [music] industry. Peter Gabriel is a great mentor and friend. He goes around, asks a lot of his friends to pay attention and really listen to me. I’m still learning a lot. My mind is still empty. I’m listening to everything and not tired of learning....

Talking Heads: Once (or Twice) In a Lifetime

...“I would not disagree that Remain in Light had the most influence on other musicians,” said Harrison, the band’s main multi-instrumentalist, attempting to play down the album’s legacy. “I think the things we were doing in that middle period have resonated in other people’s music.”

“It has a lot to do with what Peter Gabriel came out with ; the moment we stopped touring,” noted drummer Frantz...

...Weymouth suggests the troubles that ultimately burned down the house began as Byrne was about to begin collaboration with Eno on their My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. A European journalist asked her, “‘How do you feel that David is leaving the group?’ And we said, ‘This is news to us.’ He told us he was going to make a solo record with Brian Eno.” Following completion of the recording, it’s Weymouth’s contention that Byrne and Eno had fallen out.

“But we didn’t know that. He didn’t tell us,” says Weymouth. “Chris and I, who had always loved Brian Eno, asked him once more to come in and jam with us…”

A Night With Nusrat: An Odd Place for an Epiphany

Posted Aug 7th 2007 5:00PM by Steve Hochman, Filed under: Around the World

It was a late Friday afternoon in 1990 when I got a call at the Los Angeles Times office inviting me to see a show by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan that evening. The qawwali master was performing in, of all places, a conference room at the LAX Airport Hilton, headlining a benefit to help build a cancer hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, hosted by that nation's cricket hero Imran Khan. Of course, I snapped at the chance, and then I asked my boss if I could review the show. He shrugged and referred me to the entertainment editor. I made my pitch: Nusrat's a breakthrough artist rising on the global stage, endorsed by Peter Gabriel, who had released two albums by him on his Real World label, I said. The editor was unmoved. Nusrat's the most popular, beloved singer throughout Pakistan and much of India, I added.

My editor laughed. Snorted even. Dismissively and derisively. Reluctantly, and still smirking, he agreed to give me a paltry 300 words in the coming Monday's paper. That, I figured, was about one word for each, oh, million or so of Nusrat's fans.

So as we note the Aug. 16 ten-year anniversary of Nusrat's death in London at age 48 -- twenty years to the day after Elvis Presley died, and make of that coincidence what you will -- let's take the opportunity to laugh right back at that editor, derisively and dismissively. Frankly, we probably could have started that retort not long after his patronizing response to my pitch, as Nusrat was soon to become one of the most familiar non-Western artists on the global stage.

By the time he died of complications from diabetes, he was an international icon, celebrated by figures from Eddie Vedder (who collaborated with him on a track for the 'Dead Man Walking' soundtrack) to Jeff Buckley (who went so far as to learn Urdu pronunciation in order to perform a Nusrat piece) to superproducer Rick Rubin, who was even talking about putting the qawwali giant in the studio together with Johnny Cash. By the mid-'90s, he was being promoted by the William Morris Agency, and a star no less than Madonna led a cadre of the beautiful people in attending a Los Angeles concert. Compact discs of the singer's recordings piled up: official releases from Real World, imports or bootlegs from Pakistani collections, concert recordings, remix projects galore (a few authorized, many more not). All Music Guide's certainly incomplete discography lists 66 titles released from 1988 on, plus more than three dozen anthologies. (See below for a brief buyer's guide.) "Nusrat" became a brand, a one-name identifier. Like, well, Elvis. Or Madonna. Pretty amazing, considering that he sang extended, sinuous Sufi songs of desire and devotion -- in Urdu.

As it turned out, it didn't matter how many words I had, or in what language, for that matter, to write up that 1990 event. I don't think I had the facility to describe what I saw and heard. Probably still don't. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party (the generic term for Pakistani ensembles) sat cross-legged on a low stage at one end of the room and -- after a little warm-up consisting of a bit of squeezed harmonium, tabla and vocal stretching -- launched into pealing, melismatic lines, calls-and-responses with the other singers, physically illustrated with snaky hand gestures from the ample Nusrat, who had entered what appeared to be a trance. The South Asians not only hung on to but anticipated every note, cheering and keening as the vocals twisted to heights of intensity, fans sometimes parading to the front of the stage to present currency of various denominations, some for the cause, some for the musicians themselves. I have no idea how long the show went on.

I don't recall what I wrote exactly, but I remember scrambling for comparisons. Attending Nigerian ju-ju music titan King Sunny Ade's early '80s L.A. debut was the only remotely relatable revelation I'd had before. For Nusrat I stretched for reference points that might mean something to readers -- American gospel, John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme,' Miles Davis, probably Ravi Shankar; none of them were adequate either individually or collectively. I do know that my editor (not the same one) took out all of those mentions except the gospel one, which left the impression very narrow. Regardless, I'd probably be embarrassed to read what I wrote then for how naive and uninformed it was. But at least we got something in. And I was hardly the only one who was uninformed.

The Hilton show stands at a turning point in the Nusrat legacy. All of his previous U.S. appearances had been house concerts and benefits with no awareness outside his community. But then his profile started to rise -- this was the last time he'd be appearing in such a modest setting here. "What he did for world music, first of all, was make it so all the people playing houses can do concerts," says Baba Ji, a Pakistani-born producer and promoter who worked closely with Nusrat in America. "It's like Bob Marley, though he sang in English. Nusrat came from Pakistan, a little village, and sang in Urdu. The thing was, when you went to his concerts, no matter what color you were or language you spoke, within 30 seconds you were connected."

But a decade after his death, Nusrat remains pretty much the only qawwali singer known widely outside the Sufi world, even more ahead of the rest of a large pack than, say, Marley in the reggae realm. In fact, the only other ones with much international profile have been relatives of his, in particular his nephew and protégé Rahat Nusrat Ali Khan (who will headline a tribute to his uncle Oct. 14 at London's Royal Festival Hall) and a cousin, Badar Ali Khan, who himself passed away in March at only 39.

"The thing I pick up from people is somehow there was something universally accessible and emotionally involving that he had," says Michael Brook, who will also be part of the London concert. "He certainly was very, very good at what he did, but there was something more than that. I quite honestly am puzzled. Not that I don't think he was great. But there was a mysterious universality that I don't think was just musicianship. I don't know what it was, but it certainly reached a great number of people."

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: A Buyer's Guide

Real World's 1988 set 'Shahen-Shah' provided the first nudge into "mainstream" consciousness for Nusrat, and it still might make for the best introduction. The tracks are mid-length (mostly around seven minutes or so) and to the point, the sound clear and crisp, and the performances all bear an immediacy. Further Real World releases expand their scope and bring fans further into the qawwali world, with the Michael Brook-produced (1990) and the slightly more unconventional 'Shahbaaz''Devotional Songs' (recorded in 1988 but released in 1992) and 'Love Songs' (a set of romantic ghazals from the same sessions) giving a full sense of Nusrat's blend of classical and folk, spiritual and secular. The 'Devotional Songs' opener, 'Allah Hoo Allah Hoo,' might be as close to a Nusrat signature piece as there is. A five-disc 'In Concert in Paris' series from French label Ocora gives a fuller sense of the extended live experience -- the set's five hours document just two performances, from 1985 and 1988. 'The Final Studio Recordings' collects the work Nusrat had been doing with Rick Rubin before his death and also is a solid starting point. As well, 'The Voice of the Century,' a set produced by Baba Ji in 1995, will see its first release this fall and is a strong complement to the other highlights.

When it comes to the untraditional and remix projects, step carefully. The two Brooks-produced albums, 1990's 'Mustt Mustt' and 1996's 'Night Song,' stand far above the rest and work entirely on their own terms. The former features subtle, sympathetic settings crafted by the producer for pre-existing Nusrat vocal tracks. The second, though, is a true collaboration, Nusrat and Brook each reaching to the other, artistically speaking, finding not just common ground but exploring new territory for both participants. An early remix album, 'Magic Touch,' features Nusrat tracks rejiggered into dance music by Anglo-Indian DJ Bally Sagoo, succeeding much better than nearly everything else of its kind, the others generally suffering from the common remix malady, with the productions being more about the remixers' sensibilities than the source's.

Mandela and the Global Elders

Daily Champion (Lagos) 6 August 2007

They may no longer have executive powers, nor are they in control of troops or in command of huge financial resources. But members of a new group, Global Elders, led by Nobel laureate and internationally-acclaimed statesman, Nelson Mandela, have earned, over the years, the moral authority to pontificate on issues of world concern and be listened to.

Inaugurated last month as part of the 89th birthday celebration of Mandela, the group of world renowned elder statesmen and women is made up of such personalities as former American president, Jimmy Carter; Archbishop Desmund Tutu of South Africa; former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, and ex-Irish President, Mary Robinson.

Also among this select group are the immediate past foreign minister of China, Li Zhaoxing; the Indian activist, Ela Bhatt; former Prime Minister of Norway and Director of the World Health Organisation, Gro Harlem Bruntland; the "banker to the poor," Muhammad Yunus and Burmese opposition politician, Aung San Suu Kyi, the prisoner of conscience, for whom an empty seat was provided on stage at the inauguration, as a message to the dictators in Burma that they should let her go.

This array of distinguished elders have been brought together courtesy of this novel initiative which is the brainchild of international businessman, Richard Branson, and musician Peter Gabriel, with the support of the United Nations Foundation and a couple of other private sponsors.

It is easy to wonder what use such a group of elder statesmen and women would be in a world that is being ravaged by diseases and is increasingly drifting towards a reign of terror, the use of might, increasing militarization, even in outer space; towards wars and other forms of conflicts as well as towards perpetuation of bad governance and dictatorship, especially in Africa.

Any doubt about the efficacy of the Global Elders Forum could be informed by the wrong impression that once a person is out of office or is old, the person becomes irrelevant or powerless to influence the course of events. This perception may be without basis, especially as it relates to the eminent personalities that constitute the Global Elders.

The power and influence of this group derive from the fact that while in office, they performed so creditably that they left indelible footprints, or lasting legacies of positive contributions to the well-being of their citizens and peoples of the world. This group of Elders represents an assemblage of men and women, world-wide, that currently are a positive force for good in the world. Operating from this new pedestal, it is expected that they would contribute, even to a more significant degree, to the resolution of the many questions begging for answers around the world.

For instance, the battle against HIV/Aids and malaria, two diseases that are raging, especially in the third world, would receive a major boost if these Elders group steps forward to mobilize the world to contribute the funds needed to stamp them out or at least control them significantly. The exploits of Jimmy Carter in the area of guinea worm control, has been very salutary and when these men and women team up, the effect of their efforts would be even better felt.

Corruption and bad governance have been the bane of many developing countries. These leaders who largely left exemplary legacies while in government can speak up against governments and leaders seen to be plundering their countries or to be engaged in other forms of bad governance or dictatorship. Indeed, the elders group can become the apostles of democracy, rule of law, free speech and multi-partism around the world, but especially in Africa.

They can and should speak up wherever elections are flawed or where basic freedoms are denied the people and for victims of genocide as in Darfur, Sudan; those at the mercy of famine or other forms of natural disaster. Whenever the world's powers begin to derail and run rough-shod over the rest of the world, especially in this era of increasing unipolarism, there can be no better check on such unilateralism or show of raw might than the measured words of wisdom and even chastisement from the Global Elders.

Admitted that their pronouncements would be largely advisory, such, nonetheless, should have the force of law and be binding on countries, regional groups or such continental bodies as the UN and its agencies, essentially because these personalities would not be speaking out of partisan or selfish considerations, having, as a consequence of their international stature, outgrown borders, ideologies and pecuniary considerations.

As though to allay the fears of potential critics of the initiative, Mandela, at the group's inauguration, outlined some of the objectives of the group. He said, that "the Elders can become a fiercely independent and robust force for good, tackling conflicts and intractable issues, especially those that are not popular."

He stressed that they will "speak freely and boldly, working both publicly and behind the scenes, wherever our help is needed" and that they derived their "strength not from military, political or economic power, but from the independence and integrity" of the members.

The objectives are expectedly noble and highly commendable, and belonging to such a group should be the dream of every elder in the world. Apparently, however, the criteria for membership must be very high, so high that none of those from Nigeria who would ordinarily consider themselves qualified for membership have been invited to join.

The challenge, therefore, is for everyone, both elders and those hoping to become elders, to strive to live their lives and render public service in such a way that they would be found fit to belong to the Global Elders forum or to such other select groups that may be formed in future with the aim of making the world a better place to live in.

The Global Elders deserve the respect and support of all and sundry to enable them make a mark. They have made up their minds to continue to serve humanity in spite of their ages. This means that at this stage in their lives they would not make any pronouncements or take any steps that would cause their integrity and wisdom to be questioned.

Youssou Ndour Interview / 1990-2005 : 15 ans, tout un monde en mémoire

SÉNÉGAL - Youssou Ndour, musicien et chanteur

Quel a été selon vous l’événement le plus marquant des 15 dernières années ?

La fin de l’apartheid et l’accession au pouvoir de Nelson Mandela après avoir passé vingt-sept ans en prison. J’ai d’ailleurs composé une chanson en l’honneur de cet homme qui symbolise la fin de l’intolérance.

Qu’est-ce qui a compté pour vous ces 15 dernières années ?

La transition démocratique au Sénégal à l’issue de la présidentielle de février 2000. J’ai été marqué autant par la sortie d’Abdou Diouf que par l’arrivée au pouvoir d’Abdoulaye Wade. Diouf a été grand, il a accepté de quitter le pouvoir. Il a montré que des pays africains pouvaient changer de régime sans que le sang soit versé. Je n’avais jamais vu une telle atmosphère à Dakar. Avec des sentiments mêlés de joie, de peur, d’inquiétude et d’espoir.

Quelle est votre vision des quinze prochaines années ?

Je souhaite de tout cœur que, dans les prochaines années, le monde se rende compte de la richesse qu’offre la diversité des langues, des cultures, des coutumes, des cuisines, et qu’il cesse de considérer ces différences comme un handicap.

Vous êtes à l’origine d’une grande campagne de lutte contre le paludisme ? Pourquoi cet intérêt pour cette cause ?

Cette maladie tue 3 millions de personnes par an, plus que le sida. En Afrique, un enfant meurt toutes les trente secondes. C’est inacceptable. Depuis mars 2005, j’ai entrepris une vaste entreprise de sensibilisation, dont le point de départ a été un grand concert à Dakar. Il s’agit d’une vaste campagne, d’un plan sur plusieurs années. Le festival Africa Live [les 12 et 13 mars 2005 à Dakar] a eu beaucoup de succès au Sénégal et dans le reste de l’Afrique. Les gens commencent à prendre au sérieux le paludisme. Ils commencent à avoir peur. Dès le lendemain du concert, nous étions dans un village dans la région de Thiès [à 100 kilomètres de Dakar] et nous avons offert 2 000 moustiquaires aux villageois. Ils nous ont dit que ce n’était pas suffisant. Ils commencent à prendre conscience de la gravité du problème. Sur le plan international, je vois que ça bouge. Au Sénégal, le Comité national de lutte contre le paludisme reçoit davantage d’argent. Je vois davantage de fondations, d’ONG se mobiliser. Mais il y a toujours un fossé entre le prix et le revenu des gens. Les moustiquaires sont vendues 5 000 francs CFA [7 euros]. C’est moins cher qu’il y a quelques années, mais le prix doit encore descendre. Une fois que l’on a une moustiquaire imprégnée, elle tient cinq ans. Et on sauve beaucoup de vies.

Au-delà de l’Afrique, comment réagit l’opinion publique internationale ?

J’ai fait une chanson, Roll back malaria (Faire reculer le paludisme), qui pourrait sensibiliser les gens encore plus rapidement. Je la chante avec Peter Gabriel, Neneh Cherry, Corneille, Tiken Jah Fakoly et Gilberto Gil. J’essaie d’être très international, de représenter tous les continents. Mon appel commence à être entendu : le Japon a offert dix millions de moustiquaires. La France a lancé un programme dans lequel s’est impliqué Jacques Chirac. Les Etats-Unis viennent de débloquer des millions de dollars pour faire reculer le paludisme. Il s’agit d’un problème de dignité, un problème humain, mais aussi un problème économique. Cette maladie coûte à l’Afrique douze milliards de dollars par an.

Pourquoi l’Afrique ne se mobilise-t-elle pas plus rapidement ?

Moi-même, je ne prenais pas cette maladie au sérieux jusqu’à l’année dernière. Je pouvais dire “Bon écoute, j’ai un peu de palu et à demain”. Dès qu’on parle avec les spécialistes, on se rend compte que c’est la maladie qui tue le plus. On commence à prendre peur. D’autant que les traitements sont de moins en moins efficaces. Notre meilleur médicament pour l’instant ce sont les moustiquaires. Les spécialistes pensent qu’il n’y aura pas de vaccins avant une dizaine d’années.

Comment mobiliser l’ensemble du continent noir ?

Je vais aussi chanter Roll back malaria avec des artistes locaux. Par exemple, je vais faire une version en wolof pour le Sénégal. L’année prochaine je veux organiser un nouveau concert à Dakar. Ensuite “la caravane” va se déplacer dans d’autres pays du continent. Je vais travailler essentiellement avec des chanteurs africains, parce qu’on a besoin des artistes locaux. On va faire une tournée dans douze pays africains. L’année suivante, on ira dans d’autres pays.

Quel a été l’impact des récentes inondations à Dakar sur la propagation du paludisme ?

Cela a eu des conséquences très graves : ça a entraîné une multiplication des moustiques. Il faut lancer un grand programme d’urbanisme dans les banlieues. Avec des moyens réduits, les gens ont construit n’importe comment. Du coup, l’eau stagne un peu partout dans les banlieues. Il ne suffit pas d’acheter des moustiquaires. Il faut aussi lutter contre le sous-développement sous toutes ses formes.

Vous avez participé au concert de Bob Geldof pour l’annulation de la dette de l’Afrique [Live8, le 2 juillet dernier]. Vous étiez le seul représentant de l’Afrique. Comprenez –vous l’indignation de beaucoup d’observateurs ?

Je l’ai dit à Bob [Geldof]. Je n’étais pas content. On ne peut pas célébrer l’Afrique sans inviter l’Afrique. C’est plus intéressant d’entendre [la chanteuse malienne] Rokia Traoré chanter avec Bono, que d’entendre encore une fois Bono chanter avec Paul McCartney. C’était aussi une grande occasion pour mélanger les gens. Nous l’avons ratée.

Ce concert a–t-il eu un réel impact ?

La musique doit toujours être une langue qui parle à tout le monde. On a mis la pression sur Bush et Blair pour que quelques décisions soient prises. Et ça a marché.

Le G8 a décidé d’annuler la dette de plusieurs pays africains, notamment le Sénégal ? Ces mesures sont-elles réellement efficaces ?

La question, c’est de savoir si on annule la dette pour les gouvernements ou pour les populations. Où va l’argent ? Il faut un certain contrôle de l’utilisation de ces fonds. Mais en même temps, il faut arrêter de dire que toute l’Afrique est corrompue. Il y a des pays modèles, notamment le Sénégal, où la démocratie a réussi à s’ancrer solidement.

Propos recueillis par Pierre Cherruau

Émilie Simon, Charmante, merveilleuse

Une histoire d’amour bel et bien réciproque dont chaque manifestation nous ravit quant à nous au plus haut point

05-08-2007

Il faudrait inventer une couleur pour Émilie Simon, une nouvelle couleur primaire, aussi chaude que le rouge, aussi profonde que le bleu et aussi lumineuse que le jaune. Une couleur propre à l’artiste française et qui donnerait tout de suite une idée de l’ambiance qu’on retrouve lors de ses spectacles, une couleur qui tiendrait compte à la fois de sa voix tantôt fragile, enfantine et haut perchée, tantôt plus grave et pétrie de basses, qui rendrait ses atmosphères touffues, texturées, à mi-chemin entre l’électronique et l’acoustique, et qui saurait exprimer avec justesse la force et le talent que possède la jeune chanteuse de 29 ans.

Dans sa robe blanche étoilée, nu pieds sur scène, Émilie Simon a d’abord entonné quelques titres de son dernier album, Végétal, paru en 2006 («Rose hybride de thé», «Fleur de saison», «Opium», «Swimming», cette dernière rythmée grâce aux clapotis d’un aquarium), pour alterner avec des pièces de son album éponyme de 2003 («I Wanna Be Your Dog», excellente reprise d’Iggy Pop qui, plus vigoureuse encore que la version studio, a soulevé d’un seul bloc l’assistance de la salle Jean-Paul-Tardif du collège Saint-Charles-Garnier, «Désert», «Flowers», «Chanson de toile»).

Ses acolytes, Cyrille Brissot (électronique, xylophone et bidouillages exploratoires sonores multiples) et Nicolas Gorge (percussions, clapotis et, mentionnons-le, présence incroyablement énergique qui, par moment, a presque ravi la vedette à une Émilie Simon plus posée et introvertie), ont brillamment appuyé l’envoûtante chanteuse dans ses jongleries vocales entre ses répertoires francophone et anglophone. Se lançant sous peu dans une période de création en vue de l’enregistrement de son prochain album, elle s’offrira entretemps sur une nouvelle trame sonore, après La marche de l’Empereur, celle du film de Vera Belmon, Survivre avec les loups.

Maniant principalement sur scène la guitare électrique et le piano (des lignes souvent simples, mais diablement accrocheuses), Émilie Simon a également interprété des reprises de «Mercy Street» de Peter Gabriel et de «Come As You Are» de Nirvana. On se demandait si elle attaquerait son cover de la compilation BowieMania parue en Europe en 2007, la puissante «Space Oddity» dont elle livre une interprétation sur disque littéralement renversante, mais on devra probablement attendre à sa prochaine venue pour l’entendre live, avec le lot de nouvelles chansons que nous apportera sa future galette.

Charmante, merveilleuse, remerciant candidement la foule à tout propos, la Française a conclu son spectacle par un vibrant «à la prochaine» laissant pressentir son immense plaisir de jouer au Québec et d’être ainsi appréciée par les habitants de la belle province. Une histoire d’amour bel et bien réciproque dont chaque manifestation nous ravit quant à nous au plus haut point.