People in Your Neighbourhood creating musical diversity
Thursday 22 January 2009, 6:55AM
By Beat Communications
533 views
New and exciting music collaboration People in Your Neighbourhood is taking place during March, which will showcase the creative diversity and multi-ethnicity of New Zealand alongside the acclaimed UK String Collective Urban Soul Orchestra.
People in Your Neighbourhood, a British Council New Zealand, involves aspiring artists and performers from New Zealand’s ethnic communities, working with the best of contemporary UK talent, to create an album, and perform a live music show which will take place at the Transmission Room in Auckland on March 12th Auckland and March 14th WOMAD Taranaki.
The self titled album includes ethnic musicians and songwriters, alongside modern Kiwi urban producers and artists, working together to create a work that has modern production values, whilst still retaining distinct elements of culture. The bulk of the tracks will include both English and another language.
“The album will act like long strands of a net, reaching out into ethnic communities in NZ and drawing the music back to a central creative hub. The idea is to create “stars” in each community,” says British Council Business Manager Gareth Farry
The live show will be a choreographed multimedia event that will incorporate motifs of movement and ethnicity from traditional Chinese strings, Pacific drumming, Asian street breaking, and African dancing.
Over 17 local artists will be taking part in People in Your Neighbourhood including Korean entrepreneur Joshua Jang, Indian born singer and model Kadambari Raghukumar, Hip Hop NZ’s top voted hype MC Khaled el sharreif, the Fijian Prince of percussion Levani Vosasi, the ex lead singer of One Million Dollars Richie Setford, Brother J who sings in Maori and English, GuZheng player Xiyao Chen, 2007 Play It Strange winner Anna McDonald, Niuean musician Baz Sualmili, singer Ray Sooula, Spanish Flamenco singer Maite Elguetta Clavelle, saxophone player Kelly Kahukiwa, Brazilian singer songwriter Mani Fegundes, Hong Kong Chinese spoken word artist Renee Liang, DJ Mike Haru, Daniel Larsen and Ekadek.
According to Farry People in Your Neighbourhood aims to highlight the increasing multi-ethnicity of New Zealand in particular Auckland City, and act as a vehicle to show the potential for intercultural collaboration in the arts.
Press Enquiries:
Katharine Broughton / Beat Communications / Katharine.broughton@beat.net.nz / 09 361 2326 / 0275 495 277