WOMAD

WOMAD set to sizzle in Dubai

t5m — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:37:24 +0000

WOMAD is certainly living up to its name of international implications as its organisers are set to stage a festival in the sunny climes of the Arabian desert. The three day event will take place in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, in April.

Peter Gabriel’s world music festival - of West-Country origins - has already acclimatised to Australia, Spain, New Zealand, Italy and The Canary Islands.

Billy Cobham beats the bongos

t5m — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:49:10 +0000

In t5m’s last interview with master drummer Billy Cobham, we found out more and more about the music legend. Borrowing the dramatic official motto of the US state of New Hampshire, Cobham told us his personal mantra is “live free or die!” He is also very aware of his heritage, telling us that although he now calls Santa Clara in northern California home, his favourite place in the world is still his native Panama. Cobham gave us a taste of his drumming skills, giving a superb performance on the t5m bongos going up for charity auction.

Billy Cobham’s magic moment

t5m — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:17:55 +0000

Billy Cobham talks to t5m about a transcendental experience during a concert and how he prepares his performance. One of the leading drummers of his generation and a true musical pioneer, Cobham says that in order to get his music across, “I approached my performances in a very aggressive way.” His trademark power during shows was rewarded one night in Sri Lanka, where Billy Cobham says he had “an out of body experience.” Looking out from the stage onto the Indian Ocean, Cobham tells us “you didn’t know where the people stopped and the bay continued.” You’d think he’d need a huge prep routine before going on stage, but the consummate pro says with a grin needs “only a shortbread cookie and a cup of tea!”

Billy Cobham’s musical meaning

t5m — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:27:07 +0000

Billy Cobham tells t5m about the music in his blood, and shared with us where his trademark mix of raw energy and perfect timing comes from. Cobham says his “Nigerian, Central American, Caribbean background” and the lively musical traditions contained within these cultures have nurtured his growth as a musician. Tongue in cheek about his precocious start in drumming at only three years old, he says the reason he started playing was because “we didn’t have a drummer in the family!” Billy Cobham is one of the WOMAD institutions, having performed at the festival for the past seventeen years, a testament both to the strength of WOMAD and Cobham’s enduring popularity. Or, as Cobham said, why not when the “food’s good, people are good!”

Billy Cobham on first class funk

t5m — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:01:32 +0000

Billy Cobham, the renowned Panamian-American jazz drummer, joined t5m after leading a percussion workshop. What he tries to teach his students is that “music is a sonic reflection of your personality,” one of the best lines of the day, and a priceless nugget of musical wisdom. Cobham is well known for his time playing with artists such as Miles Davis and Carlos Santana and believes that having a good personal relationship with the rest of the band is the key to living a musical life that will be both “wholesome and fruitful.”

Rapping up with Dynamite MC

t5m — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:59:09 +0000

Wrapping up our interview with drum n’ bass darling Dynamite MC, we get the lowdown on his personal motto. Tongue in cheek, Dynamite says his is “Eat, drink. For tomorrow we die,” admitting he “stole it” from the Biblical book of Corinthians. Ever the joker, Dynamite says the soundtrack for his life would be the Faithless tune I Can’t Get No Sleep, also known as Insomnia, as his schedule is so hectic! Finally, we asked Dynamite MC to sign the t5m bongos, which are being auctioned for charity, and got an impromptu imitiation of an African drummer!

Dynamite MC stays focused

t5m — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:01:18 +0000

Top drum n’ bass man Dynamite MC has done pretty much all the festivals this year, and his favourite is the huge Exit Festival held in a castle in Serbia. Exit attracts performers such as The Streets, N*E*R*D and DJ Snoop Dogg among many others, and has upwards of forty five thousand attendees each year. Dynamite MC isn’t done yet, and is working on his new album and has many more performances to come. Not liking to get too bogged down in his work, Dynamite jokes, “I don’t like to look too far ahead ‘cos it’ll scare me!”

Dynamite MC; full of soul

t5m — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:18:33 +0000

The son of an army man, Dynamite MC moved all over England and the world, hence his “confused” accent, flecked with many different brogues. His parents also helped to shape his musical tastes, introducing him to reggae and soul, which he pursued himself and into the faster beats of hip-hop, house and rave music. Dynamite MC told t5m “It was a great time to grow up, when the music was ever-changing.” When he’s not working, Dynamite MC leaves the drum n’ bass in the studio and listens to R&B artist Jill Scott and the American rap group Little Brother, among many other prime acts.

Dynamite MC lights the fuse

t5m — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:37:33 +0000

Dynamite MC tells t5m about his current work, including his tour with Bristol based drum n’ bass outfit Reprazent, and the progress of his upcoming album Stars Galore. Despite all this on top of his radio and production work, he takes the most pride in his status as a “general sambuca consumer!”

Inside the world of WOMAD

t5m — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:56:45 +0000

T5m was at the WOMAD festival in Wiltshire, a fabulous collection of some of the most influential and funky artists, performers and musicians from all round the globe.

With WOMAD standing for World Of Music Art and Dance, the festival takes that name seriously, bringing together everyone from drum n’ bass impresario Roni Size to Malam Mamane Barka of Niger, playing the traditional music of the Boudouma tribe.

That’s really what it’s all about says Senon Williams of the LA based, Cambodian influenced, Dengue Fever. He described the festival as “a completely insane mix of music, that’s why you come to WOMAD, there’s something for everybody!”

Eddy Grant, the godfather of black music in the UK, was full of praise for the ideals of the festival, telling t5m “what is being done here is laudable because it gives an opportunity for musicians from all kinds of backgrounds and cultures to ply their trade.” Grant was right on the money, as throughout the day we discovered talented musicians from every corner of the world who would usually not be playing at such a big venue.

That’s the best thing about WOMAD, that it gives musicians and audiences a chance to discover each other, as the Hebrew singer David d’Or tells us; “Being on stage reminds me why I’m alive and what is my goal in life!”

Who could ask for more than a festival where the performers and spectators are so excited to interact? All this adds up to make WOMAD one of the must-see highlights of the British festival circuit.