Ranagri - Playing For Luck

Eliza Marshall

Ranagri

Dónal Rogers

Eliza Marshall

Joe Danks

Ellie Turner

23rd March 2019

The Slaughtered Lamb, London, UK

Alt folk band Ranagri are a combination of Irish and English musicians; Dónal Rogers (Vocals/Guitar), Eliza Marshall (Flutes/ Whistles), Ellie Turner (Electric Harp) and Joe Danks (Bodhrán/Guitar). Since forming in 2013, Ranagri have recorded three studio albums at Grammy Award Winning Record Label Stockfisch Records, with their latest record ‘Playing For Luck’ released in January 2019. Acclaimed previous albums are Fort of the Hare (2014) and The Great Irish Songbook with pop legend Tony Christie (2015). ‘Voices’, recorded at Real World Studios and produced by Grammy-nominated producer Graeme Pleeth, and ‘Tradition’, were both released on Goatskin Records in 2016. Festival performances include Cambridge, Gate to Southwell, Wath, Lyme Folk Weekend, Trinity, Bloom (Dublin) and Purbeck. No strangers to large venues, Ranagri have performed at Birmingham Symphony Hall, Fairfield Halls, The Union Chapel, Buxton Opera House and Camac Harp Festival in France to name a few. Combining their love for world music, they have collaborated with top Indian musician Kuljit Bhamra OBE, and members of Britten Sinfonia at The Bhavan Centre, London. Ranagri toured in 2017 with Justin Currie (of Del Amitri) at Islington Assembley Halls, Perth Concert Hall, Holmfirth Picturedrome and Cambridge Junction, followed by a tour of Scotland and Germany whilst writing and recording their latest album ‘Playing For Luck’ at Stockfisch Studios throughout 2018.

Dónal Rogers

Dónal Rogers (Vocals/Guitar)
 Dónal has written music for Film, TV, Radio, multimillion selling artists and is published by BMG. He wrote Tony Christie’s last release in 2017 which charted in Germany. His music has been performed worldwide in venues including The Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall and many UK and European festivals.

Eliza Marshall (Flutes/ Whistles)
 Eliza is one of the most in demand flautists in the country - from performing onstage as soloist for the Royal Opera House in A Winter’s Tale to playing principal flute on numerous film scores, albums and live touring. Eliza has performed and recorded alongside Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, White Stripes, First Aid Kit and Peter Gabriel.

Joe Danks

Joe Danks (Bodhrán/Tenor Guitar).
 Joe was the winner of Ireland’s 2016 International Bodhrán Soloist of The Year. He has appeared at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and is currently ‘Musician in Residence’ at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Joe is director of Pulse Arts who specialise in music in healthcare settings working in Great Ormond Street Hospital amongst others.

Ellie Turner

Ellie Turner (Electric Harp)
 A former winner of first prize in the European Harp Competition, Ellie is currently Head of Harp at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and has graced some of the best stages in the world in Shanghai, Sydney, Berlin, London and Hong Kong. A composer and collaborator, Ellie has instigated a wide range of musical projects exploring everything from hip hop and Electronica to Indian classical music.

Marina Deligianni - Contemporary Greek Chanteuse

Marina Deligianni

Marina Deligianni

Dimitris Gionis

Spyros Katsaros

20th March 2019

A World in London, Resonance FM, London, UK

The delicious voice of Marina Deligianni on this A World in London! 

Click to listen: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-20th-march-2019/

Spyros Katsaros

Marina Deligianni sings a tribute set to Marinella, the iconic Greek chanteuse that has recorded sixty-six solo albums. This week on AWIL, we feasted on some of these songs and also played a Game of Threes with Marina and her trio mates, Dimitris Gionis and Spyros Katsaros. All three artists were locked in spellbinding brilliance between bouzouki, piano, and vocals, that we could have happily listened to forever. It was a family affair in every sense as Marina’s dear mama & papa tuned in from Athens to our studio near London Bridge, linking two great cities, and her proud parents with her musician siblings, through the gift of her gorgeous voice. But then Marina’s voice has the power to unite a universe with its rich exquisite tones and expressive depths, plus her skilful, passionate, pitch-perfect delivery, across vast emotional and genre range. When she covers popular numbers they sound extra-special and unique, part of Marina’s completely eclectic repertoire, encompassing everything from Mariah Carey ballads to Salsa. The songs closest to heart though are classic & contemporary Greek, and she is one of the key instigators of the unmissable Rebetiko Carnival festival - together with other members of her talented extended family like Pavlos Carvalho - which returns in June 2020. Of Marinella, Marina says ‘nobody sings quite like her’, but we say, nobody sings quite as beautifully as Marina Deligianni. 

Dimitris Gionis

20/3/19 – AWIL 202  Online: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-20th-march-2019/ Production & pics by Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Lucas Keen, artist Alban Low, and Jess Low. Also this week Jazz legend Branford Marsalis at SOAS Radio, click: https://www.mixcloud.com/SOASradio/awil-293 Next week Shuva Das at SOAS Radio and Daemonia Nymphe at Resonance. Download the AWIL Album Wonderland 2018 from #Spotify! Top 50 global CDs handpicked by #AWorldinLondon – Click here: https://open.spotify.com/user/34igi7n6p14p56303se0gtkyj/playlist/5hjexMuYohZ6d4zjuoGIfm?si=Gy0ckfI_QaWw4xqKQ-VGhw  #TheSoundofDiverseLondon #ConnectingCulturesThroughMusic – thirteen years - #DJRitu. Live on Wednesdays 6.30pm Resonance 104.4 https://www.resonancefm.com/ & 4pm SOAS Radio https://soasradio.org/  Online worldwide at #Mixcloud  http://www.djritu.com  EqualisingMusic

Arhai - Where Light Resides

Jovana Backovic

Arhai

Jovana Backovic

Adrian Lever

13th March 2019
A World in London, Resonance FM, London, UK

Radiant new rays of musical light by Arhai on this A World in London! 

Click tolsiten: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-13th-march-2019/

One of our favourite London duos is back with a brand new E.P. called ‘Where Light Resides’ and they’ll be launching it tonight at Library London in Covent Garden! Vocal-sculptor Jovana Backovic and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Lever are the talents behind ArHai, fusing a path between ancient music and digital tech, through electronica, folk and EFX, with tamboura, dulcimer, darbuka, and that most divine instrument of all, Jovana’s pure and powerfully elegant voice. ArHai released their critically acclaimed debut album, Eastern Roads, back in 2013, so we’re all thrilled to welcome in their new material! This fine pair of London musicians explore every nook and cranny of what their instruments are capable of, pushing their boundaries, and as we heard in their live session on AWIL last night, Adrian even squeezes sitar sounds from his tamboura, while Jovana filters her voice through the prism of Ableton, drawing out a magnificent spectrum of rainbow sounds. Lyrically, one of the potent messages from Arhai for our Brexiting  times, was poignantly expressed by Jovana who grew up in Belgrade, former Yugoslavia: ‘I come from a country that was broken, and still is. Music is my way of putting myself back together’. Where the light is, the love resides too – feel it with ArHai! More about Arhai here: www.arhai.com

Adrian Lever

13/3/19 – AWIL 201  Online: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-13th-march-2019/ Production & pics by Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Lucas Keen, artist Alban Low, and Jess Low. Also this week Kurdish-Celtic connections with Peyman and Parastoo Heydarian at SOAS Radio, click: https://www.mixcloud.com/SOASradio/awil-292-peyman-heydarian/  Next week Branford Marsalis at SOAS Radio and Blue Zoo at Resonance. Download the AWIL Album Wonderland 2018 from #Spotify! Top 50 global CDs handpicked by #AWorldinLondon – Click here: https://open.spotify.com/user/34igi7n6p14p56303se0gtkyj/playlist/5hjexMuYohZ6d4zjuoGIfm?si=Gy0ckfI_QaWw4xqKQ-VGhw  #TheSoundofDiverseLondon #ConnectingCulturesThroughMusic – thirteen years - #DJRitu. Live on Wednesdays 6.30pm Resonance 104.4 https://www.resonancefm.com/ & 4pm SOAS Radio https://soasradio.org/  Online worldwide at #Mixcloud  http://www.djritu.com  EqualisingMusic

Olcay Bayir - The Voice of Dreams and Harmony

Olcay Bayir

Olcay Bayir

Ignacio Monteverde

6th March 2019

A World in London, Resonance FM, London, UK

The voice of harmony & dreams, Olcay Bayir on this A World in London! 

Click to listen: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-6th-march-2019/

Olcay Bayir’s hotly anticipated second album, Ruya, comes out on March 29th via ARC Music, and it’s a triumph! On this deeply personal CD, Olcay has tuned in to her inner thoughts and dreams, creating songs drawn from her experiences between Antep and London, adding some vivid story-telling, as well as lush instrumentation topped by her gilted, luxurious voice. Olcay is a trained opera soprano with a three-octave range, which we verified in the studio, but she never sat comfortably in the western classical world. Her musical heart lies in the Anatolian region of her childhood, offering up a vast range of material to inspire and challenge, though Olcay skilfully manoeuvres through Maqams and tricky vocal ornamentations that are easy to get wrong but which she gets  absolutely right - making them seem easy. She’s put her new music partner, Ignacio Monteverde, through his paces with complex Arabic time signatures, despite his prowess with flamenco guitar, but he seems to relish the steep learning curves! Other contributors to Ruya include Kefaya’s virtuosic guys Al MacSween and Guilliano Modarelli, so from start to finish this album has been built by an outstanding cast of musicians, led by Olcay herself. When we first met her in 2015, just after her debut album ‘Neva’ was released, we knew she was special, and ‘Ruya’ affirms that initial insight, but also completes our joy in seeing how much she has evolved as a singer AND songwriter, now graduating in the school of stardom, with flying colours. Hear Olcay and Ignacio live on this AWIL, our 200th edition at Resonance FM, and book tickets now for her album launch at St John’s Church, Leytonstone on April 12th! More about Olcay here: www.olcaybayir.com

6/3/19 – AWIL 200  Online: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-6th-march-2019/ Production & pics by Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Lucas Keen, and artist Alban Low. Also this week Luganda nursery rhymes with Diana Lwanga at SOAS Radio, click: https://www.mixcloud.com/SOASradio/awil-291-diana-lwanga/  Next week Peyman Heydarian at SOAS Radio and Arhai at Resonance. Download the AWIL Album Wonderland 2018 from #Spotify! Top 50 global CDs handpicked by #AWorldinLondon – Click here: https://open.spotify.com/user/34igi7n6p14p56303se0gtkyj/playlist/5hjexMuYohZ6d4zjuoGIfm?si=Gy0ckfI_QaWw4xqKQ-VGhw  #TheSoundofDiverseLondon #ConnectingCulturesThroughMusic – thirteen years - #DJRitu. Live on Wednesdays 6.30pm Resonance 104.4 https://www.resonancefm.com/ & 4pm SOAS Radio https://soasradio.org/  Online worldwide at #Mixcloud  http://www.djritu.com #InternationalWomensDay #WomensHistoryMonth #WomenInMusic #EqualisingMusic

Mieko Shimizu & Keiko Kitamura - A World in London

Mieko Shimizu

Mieko Shimizu

Keiko Kitamura

27th February 2017

A World in London, Resonance FM, London, UK

The soul of Japan from the heart of London with Mieko & Keiko on this A World in London! 

Click to listen: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-27th-february-2019/

Next week a sea of women will march through our capital’s streets with Million Women Rise and connect with sister events globally on the one day of the year when 52% of the population is fully acknowledged and prioritised. There will be showcases everywhere spotlighting the wealth of female musical talent that is too often marginalised in our festivals & live music scene, and one of these is at The London Jukebox in Islington on Thursday MARCH 7th. On the EVE of International Women’s Day AWIL has programmed a perfect line-up that includes this week’s radio guests Mieko Shimizu & Keiko Kitamura - two of London’s finest musicians with a unique sound bridging this city with Japan. Their music is built around Mieko’s latest album, ‘I Bloom’, which juxtapositions electronica and left field neo classical elements with Keiko’s traditional 13 string Koto. Mieko is the vocalist in this sumptuous duo with a voice you can float away in, to a higher state of consciousness, and maybe to the edge of Mount Fuji where she spent her childhood. Her lyrics come from dreams and nightmares, oscillating between the real and surreal and last year reality struck big time when Mieko became ill and nearly met her maker twice. They say that life is never the same after a near-death experience, and perhaps ‘I Bloom’ is even richer as a result. Certainly the bond between Mieko & Keiko as artists which was instant and has been constant since they first met in 2012 has deepened, synchronising them into one of the most special musical duos ever created.

I’ve been lucky to receive many beautiful gifts from guests on AWIL but – ha! – never dog biscuits for my birthday girl Rottweiler. Keiko remembered because she shares the same Earthday! So while my dogs greedily devour their new treats, I’ll savour every musical note by Mieko & Keiko, and so should you when ‘I Bloom’ is released in June on Street Furniture Records. Meanwhile, catch Mieko & Keiko live at The London Jukebox on March 7th for A Women’s World in London alongside Nina Miranda, Luzmira Zerpa, Marina Deligianni. Sofia Pechlivani, Garance, and me! Mieko Shimizu’s website: www.miekoshimizu.com Keiko Kitamura’s website: www.keikokitamura.com

Keiko Kitamura

27/2/19 – AWIL 199  Online: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-27th-february-2019/ Production & pics by Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Lucas Keen, and artist Alban Low. Also this week global music mix at SOAS Radio, click: https://www.mixcloud.com/SOASradio/awil-290-winter-summer/  Next week Diana Lwanga at SOAS Radio and Olcay Bayir at Resonance. Download the AWIL Album Wonderland 2018 from #Spotify! Top 50 global CDs handpicked by #AWorldinLondon – Click here: https://open.spotify.com/user/34igi7n6p14p56303se0gtkyj/playlist/5hjexMuYohZ6d4zjuoGIfm?si=Gy0ckfI_QaWw4xqKQ-VGhw  #TheSoundofDiverseLondon #ConnectingCulturesThroughMusic – thirteen years - #DJRitu. Live on Wednesdays 6.30pm Resonance 104.4 https://www.resonancefm.com/ & 4pm SOAS Radio https://soasradio.org/  Online worldwide at #Mixcloud  http://www.djritu.com #InternationalWomensDay #WomensHistoryMonth #WomenInMusic #EqualisingMusic