Damon Albarn’s Africa Express: not a band, but a mission
If the Puerto Rican Bad Bunny has been the most stream artist for weeks on Spotify, if Tyla in 2024 with “Water” has become the first South African artist to win a Grammy Award, if Arijit Singh is allowing the Indian record industry to win the attention of the world media (the duet with Ed Sheeran confirms it) and if the BTS and the other K-pop groups they depopulate in the world rankings is due to Spotify, who contributed to one globalization of musicturning on the headlights also on markets considered peripheral. But In 2005 the situation was decidedly different. When Damon Albarn He founded in a bar in Covent Garden, in London, Africa Express, he did it to protest against the paradoxical choice of the organizers of the charity concert Live 8set up by Bob Gelfod and Midge Ure to help the African continent, to include in the line up of the Rock marathon One African artistwhich for the record was the Senegalese Youssou N’Dour. The initial idea of the Blur frontman, backed by the journalist Ian Birrell, was to gather a full -bodied number of colleagues – among the first to join the initiative there were Fatboy Slim, Martha Wainwright and Jamie T – for Decolononize the western musical approach and to build real bridges between cultures through the universal language of music. In these twenty years Africa Express has become much more than a parallel project of Albarn compared to the Blur (like the Gorillaz). On Wikipedia, to say, Africa Express is not cataloged as a band, but as “A non -profit organization based in the United Kingdom that facilitates intercultural collaborations between musicians in African, Middle Eastern and Western countries». In fact, over the years, Africa Express has edited commendable projects, bringing western musicians to countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Mali, organizing collaborative concerts of over seven hours (from Liverpool to Lagos), crossing the United Kingdom by train with a wagon full of artists to celebrate the London Olympics, gathering a Syrian orchestra divided by the Civil War and Realizing the first African interpretation of the minimalist classic in C by Terry Riley. “Africa Express’s message will never cease to be relevant because it has to do with the idea that people of different cultures can communicate through music better than anything else», It is the mantra of Damon Albarn, who Tonight he will bring the collective for the first time in twenty years in Italy. To host the show will be the Roman theater of Ostia Antica, in Rome.
From Africa to Mexico
Damon Albarn on this lap is flanked by 50 artists from the four continents: from South African Moonchild Sanelly (The queen of the future Ghetto Funk, just as she herself renamed her musical genre) to the British Django Djangofrom Mexican Luisa Almaguer to the Congolese Jupiter & Okwesspassing through Joan As Police Woman. Together they will present the songs of the new album “Africa Express Present … Bahidorá“, That It will be released this Friday, 11 Julyfor World Circuit Records (BMG). The album is Born after a show from last year at the Bahidorá Festival, Mexico: a real party that unites Cumbia, Kuduro, Salsa, Hip Hop, Soul and Popby bringing together talented local artists such as Mare Advertencia, La Bruja de Texoco, Eme Malafe and Luisa Almaguer. The operation was a further piece placed by Africa Express in the mission of promoting the collaboration between Western and non -Western musicians, overcoming the cultural barriers and prejudices present in the global music industry, moving this time from Africa to Central America. The collective brought last year on the stage of the Mexican Festival A five -hour long musical marathonthen recording the songs that make up “Africa Express Presenti … Bahidorá” in the following days between curtains and hotels. “It is my first time in Europe and my first tour, and honestly I can’t imagine a better way to start except with Africa Express. What a dream, what a privilege. I haven’t even finished high school, but this looks like a degree», Smile Luisa Almaguertransgender artist who has become an icon in Mexico in recent years. “Luisa has one of the most unique and enchanting voices I have ever heard,” says Albarn.
Each live is unrepeatable
Africa Express is a continuously evolving journey, an exploration of new artistic and human boundaries. Try to promote a simple concept: What we are stronger as human beings when we collaborate and when we communicate openly. Each live is unrepeatable, built on dating, improvisations and authentic exchanges between artists of genres, origins and different generations. “Making collaborative music is one of the best ways to understand how the world can live together. If there is something more important right now, it doesn’t come to mind“, explains Joan As Police Woman. The Congolese Jupiter Bokondji is among the historical members of the collective: «I am very proud to have started my career in Europe 15 years ago with Africa Express, and to continue to collaborate in this new experience with Mexican artists. Returning with all these meetings in Europe is wonderful. We continue to demonstrate that the cultural diversity of Africa, Europe and Americas unites us in a world too divided ».
On stage also one of the Gorillaz
On stage with Albarn there will also be Seye Adelekanùbassist of Nigerian origins who supports the Blur frontman also in Gorillaz: «I am always happy to be part of this wonderful wild circus, this extraordinary cultural clash of sounds, emotions and beauty. I am so happy to return to tour this summer. ” The Italian date is part of the Summer Tour Calendar of Africa Express, which will also see the collective perform at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark, at the Müpa in Budapest, the Elbphphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Cruïlla Festival in Barcelona.
