Arts Council concert has an African flair
NORWICH – Burkina Electric, the first electronica band of the West African country of Burkina Faso, presents its American debut in a month-long performance and residency tour. The tour begins at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Chenango County Council of the Arts’ Martin W. Kappel Theater, in Norwich, and will include a three- day residency with students of the Unadilla Valley Schools; followed by a performance on Oct. 15 at Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville, VA, following a University of Virginia residency; Oct. 17 at RPI in Troy; Oct. 18 at Johnny D’s in Somerville, MA; and Oct. 20 at Joe’s Pub in New York City.
Burkina Electric oscillates fluidly among the traditional soundscapes of the African nation of Burkina Faso, fusions of techno/trip-hop, and the rhythms of contemporary electronic dance culture, creating what many call a new genre of African electronica “both experimental and exciting.” Renowned composer/percussionist Lukas Ligeti brings his downtown New York background to Burkina Electric, where it is mixed with German vj/electronicist Pyrolator’s synthi-pop influences, paralleled to the spirit of African culture delivered by fellow band members: award-winning Burkina vocalist Maï Lingani, one of Burkina’s premier guitarists Wende K. Blass, and Burkina dancers As Zoko and Vicky.
New York-based Lukas Ligeti has found an exceptional interpreter for his contemporary work in lead singer Maï Lingani, and with Burkina Electric; he frees African music from the folkloristic and traditionalist inclinations of Western observers. “Africa is not a museum, and tradition only makes sense if it continues to live and is capable of fulfilling its social function in today’s life,” explains Ligeti.
Burkina Electric continues to enrich the fabric of African electronic dance music by using different rhythms, equally danceable but rarely heard. Many of the songs are built upon ancient rhythms of the Sahel such as the Mossi peoples’ Waraba and Ouennenga, little-known even in Africa outside of Burkina. The dancers, whose choreographies meld elements of the traditional and the modern, invite audiences to discover that these exotic rhythms groove at least as powerfully as disco, house or drum and bass. The group toured throughout Austria in 2004, and in May 2006, the group performed at the Festival Jazz à Ouaga in Burkina Faso and released its debut album Paspanga. Two video clips, produced for Burkinabè TV, are now receiving heavy play in Burkina Faso and surrounding countries. With the upcoming international release of a new album in the United States, Burkina Electric is emerging onto the world stage.
Burkina Electric will also present a three-day series of workshops with students of the Unadilla Valley Schools. This is the first of three Chenango County Council of the Arts presented artist residencies supported by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Upcoming residencies include the Latin Cumbia quintet Grupo Greg Ribot Nov. 7-9 at Oxford Central School; and Bob Halligan, Jr. with Celtic flavored pop group Ceili Rain Dec. 10-14 at Norwich High School. Both of these residencies will be followed by public performances at the Council of the Arts. Other performances in the 2007/08 Council of the Arts’ performance series include Babes in Toyland on Nov. 25, fiddler Eileen Ivers on Feb. 29 and Rick Benjamin’s Paragon Orchestra with the silent film classic The Mark of Zorro on April 27. Both season and individual tickets are available.
For more information, call the Chenango County Council of the Arts at 336-2787 or visit www.chenangoarts.org.
Burkina Electric oscillates fluidly among the traditional soundscapes of the African nation of Burkina Faso, fusions of techno/trip-hop, and the rhythms of contemporary electronic dance culture, creating what many call a new genre of African electronica “both experimental and exciting.” Renowned composer/percussionist Lukas Ligeti brings his downtown New York background to Burkina Electric, where it is mixed with German vj/electronicist Pyrolator’s synthi-pop influences, paralleled to the spirit of African culture delivered by fellow band members: award-winning Burkina vocalist Maï Lingani, one of Burkina’s premier guitarists Wende K. Blass, and Burkina dancers As Zoko and Vicky.
New York-based Lukas Ligeti has found an exceptional interpreter for his contemporary work in lead singer Maï Lingani, and with Burkina Electric; he frees African music from the folkloristic and traditionalist inclinations of Western observers. “Africa is not a museum, and tradition only makes sense if it continues to live and is capable of fulfilling its social function in today’s life,” explains Ligeti.
Burkina Electric continues to enrich the fabric of African electronic dance music by using different rhythms, equally danceable but rarely heard. Many of the songs are built upon ancient rhythms of the Sahel such as the Mossi peoples’ Waraba and Ouennenga, little-known even in Africa outside of Burkina. The dancers, whose choreographies meld elements of the traditional and the modern, invite audiences to discover that these exotic rhythms groove at least as powerfully as disco, house or drum and bass. The group toured throughout Austria in 2004, and in May 2006, the group performed at the Festival Jazz à Ouaga in Burkina Faso and released its debut album Paspanga. Two video clips, produced for Burkinabè TV, are now receiving heavy play in Burkina Faso and surrounding countries. With the upcoming international release of a new album in the United States, Burkina Electric is emerging onto the world stage.
Burkina Electric will also present a three-day series of workshops with students of the Unadilla Valley Schools. This is the first of three Chenango County Council of the Arts presented artist residencies supported by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Upcoming residencies include the Latin Cumbia quintet Grupo Greg Ribot Nov. 7-9 at Oxford Central School; and Bob Halligan, Jr. with Celtic flavored pop group Ceili Rain Dec. 10-14 at Norwich High School. Both of these residencies will be followed by public performances at the Council of the Arts. Other performances in the 2007/08 Council of the Arts’ performance series include Babes in Toyland on Nov. 25, fiddler Eileen Ivers on Feb. 29 and Rick Benjamin’s Paragon Orchestra with the silent film classic The Mark of Zorro on April 27. Both season and individual tickets are available.
For more information, call the Chenango County Council of the Arts at 336-2787 or visit www.chenangoarts.org.
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