Somi

REGION: USA/Rwanda/Uganda

http://www.somimusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/somimusic

Somi is deep-voiced singer/songwriter of Rwandese and Ugandan heritage who is currently based in New York City. She rolls Jazz, funk, soul, gospel and African music into a new genre that she has coined “holistic new African soul.”  JazzTimes Magazine declared, “Imagine the earthy gutsiness of Nina Simone blended with the vocal beauty of Dianne Reeves. Such is Somi.” Similarly, Village Voice heralded her as “one of the most distinctive voices of New York’s progressive Soul Movement.”

Somi: “Ingele”

YAS

Region: Iran

http://www.myspace.com/yaspersian2

Iran’s premier rapper — the “Persian Tupac” — is the voice of the young and restless generation of Iranian youth hungry for change in their own country and around the world.

Yas: “Bayad Betoonim”

:: Cougar ::

Region: USA (rock-hiphop)

www.cougarsound.com
www.myspace.com/cougarsound

Cougar, a 5-piece instrumental rock/electronica band from Madison, Wisconsin, describes its music as “Emergency Rock” because it first captures the model of neutrality/purpose/efficiency that defines emergency procedures and then extends that raw, passionate and organic emotion to create unabashedly epic instrumental compositions.

Cougar: “Pulse Conditioner”

Slavic Soul Party!

Region: Balkan, USA

www.slavicsoulparty.com
www.myspace.com/slavicsoulparty

Fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, killer Gypsy accordion, and virtuoso jazz chops make Slavic Soul Party! NYC’s official #1 brass band for Balkan Soul Gypsy

Slavic Soul Party: “Teknochek Collision (Bellyhouse Remix)”

Chicago Afrobeat Project

Region: USA, Nigeria

www.chicagoafrobeatproject.com
www.myspace.com/chicagoafrobeatproject

The nine members of Chicago Afrobeat Project individually donate various influences and skills — funk, rock, jazz, afro-Cuban, high life and juju music – that help settle the group’s music into a hypnotic, dance-compelling pulse that is equal parts high-energy rock and experimental jazz.

Chicago Afrobeat Project: “Jekajo”

Haale

Region: Iran, USA

www.haale.com
www.myspace.com/haale

Haale (as in halle-lujah), is a Bronx-born woman of Iranian descent whose songs are trance-inducing, rhythmically propulsive, and lyrically engaging tapestries that draw on both Persian mystical and American psychedelic musical traditions.

Haale: “Ay Dar Shekasteh”

Celia Mara

Region: Brazil

www.celia-mara.net

Célia Mara is a guitarist and singer-songwriter from Brazil, now residing in Austria, who combines funk, samba, rock, electric-tango, and Nu-bossa into sophisticated, vibrant and socially aware pieces.

Celia Mara: “Brigada Rosa”

Nation Beat

Region: Brazil

www.nationbeat.com
www.myspace.com/nationbeat

At the heart of Nation Beat, a 6-piece group from Brooklyn, lies a totally original 21st century fusion between thunderous Brazilian maracatu drumming and New Orleans second line rhythms, Appalachian-inspired bluegrass music, funk, rock, and country-blues.

Nation Beat – “Sobe A Poeira”

Dazkarieh

Region: Portugal

www.dazkarieh.com
www.myspace.com/dazkarieh

Dazkarieh is a four-piece experimental folk rock band from Lisboa, Portugal, whose work suggests a never-ending search for acoustic sounds which merges into a powerful electric discharge through which an invigorating path is drawn in the “traditional root” of Portuguese music.

Dazkarieh: “Senhora Da Azenha”

Jah Dan & Noble Society

Region: Guyana, Jamaica, USA

www.noblesocietymusic.com
www.myspace.com/noblesociety

Noble Society is a trio broadcasting, from Brooklyn, New York, a musical hybrid of dancehall and hip hop, with a whole lot of reggae thrown in.

Noble Society: “The Swarm”