MUSICPORT - an Out Of Town Preview

Musicport bringing the World to Whitby!

Not many miles away from our part of the world in the picturesque town of Whitby, a very nice neat package is getting ready to be unwrapped. Inside that package are musical delights from around are planet. The package, this year’s Musicport Festival (18-20/10),now in its fourteenth year  ^h, will see over 50 acts in one indoor venue and over 5 stages take you to countries as diverse as Tuva, Denmark, Peru, Zimbabwe, Bosnia, USA, Tanzania, Mali, Iran & Egypt and Turkey.

The festival builds towards a climax on the Sunday night when Bosnian singer Amira brings the music of Sevdah, a complex music of multiple layers of meaning to the festival. I have fallen under the spell that Amira’s reverential care brings to this powerful music. Having read that she went from being a 16 year old hiding in the burnt out basements of Sarajevo  to being recognised as “one of the great voices of her generation, and almost certainly the finest from eastern Europe" it is evident she brings the emotional impact of  her life’s to the music in a way Musicport attenders will find utterly entrancing.

Another eye catcher  is the delicious near Eastern musical flavours of Amsterdam based Turkish band Arifa. Their music is deeply evocative of the near east with its such that I am he heavily scented aroma. Songlines Magazine, a leader in spreading World Music awareness described them as combining the “musical heritage of Babylon, Istanbul, Bucharest and Amsterdam with electronics and contemporary improvisations. The result transcends the sum of its parts and is a journey far into the realm of imagination”' Can’t disagree with that.

There is plenty more within what is already a heady  to delight either the world music devotee or just the lover of music and the curious. Amongst the acts catching my eye are the gritty Malian Touareg desert rockers Tamikrest, who convey the signature earthiness of a music that has been described as “desert blues”, with powerful intensity; the cheeky infectious “chicha” music of Peru from London based Peruvian/U.K. combo “Los Chinches”, the deep growls of Tuvan throat singing from Radik Tulush  which if you have never heard this music will be a “where were you when you heard “ moment it is so distinctive, whilst Tantz bringing “hard hitting” hip swaying klezmer to the party.

If you feel that you need to reduce your sensory carbon footprint, help is at hand from the very funny and very talented vocal trio from Teesside The Young ‘Uns who might even have a lusty sea shanty in French up their sleeve if you ask them nicely, the complex mullti-layered folk of Southampton’s Moulettes or the “lyric driven dirt-swing” of Louis Barrasbas and the Bedlam Six. A familiar voice and face to many of you NE:MM readers will be Neville Staple the voice behind the Specials who will be there with his band and that strutting ska that makes the most music resistant melancholy go away. Finally, there probably won’t be a dry eye in the house as veteran reggae DJ Derek makes Musicport his final bow to an adoring following.

As always so you are fully informed:  musicport.com and look out on Twitter for tweets from me with an “NE:MM” mention, with links to Musicport listening! 

Roots of the World