Tuesday 14 May 2019

Kaykay Chauhan - Bollywood Swing



Kaykay Chauhan
Unifying genres, Kaykay & Co. on this A World in London!
Click: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-8th-may-2019/

Anj & Kaykay Chauhan exceeded all our expectations with their limitless, eclectic, genre-hopping set on this AWIL! Kaykay’s artist biography points to collaborations with the crème de la crème of bollywood playback singers like Asha Bhosle and Kumar Sanu, whose latest album he also produced. But actually Kaykay has always harboured a secret passion for 80s electro pop, formed in his teenage years whilst taping Top of the Pops every Thursday onto VHS. Bands like Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, and The Pet Shop Boys inspired Kaykay to take up keyboards, along with his dad’s harmonium, and soon he began performing on a global level. Vocalist Anj, Kaykay’s partner, is also self taught, natural and spontaneous. In the medleys you’ll hear on this show, she roars, purrs, and giggles, but most of all she sings in every style with perfection and panache. Anj’s ability to ‘act with the voice’ is reminiscent of top playback artists like Asha, but she has the raw gutsy power & soul of Usha Utap. Anj identifies with Etta James’ mantra:“Even if a song has been done a thousand times, you can still bring something of your own to it”. Anj’s influences include Tina Turner and of course Etta, but she can carry a Bhajan or Bollywood tune skilfully too. Both Anj & Kaykay are huge fans of The Beatles too and in their Lennon-esque ‘Human Medley’, you’ll hear Hindi film favourite Kal Ho Naa Ho, rubbing shoulders with John’s ‘Imagine’. Kaykay & Anj are testament to the bountiful rewards of being British and South Asian, and the diasporic strings to our bow which cannot be confined within stereotypes. See Kaykay and Co. around town at a multitude of gigs and concerts, with their full line up which includes fellow superb vocalists Rekha Sawhney and Shahid Abbas Khan. Bollywood Jackson is their latest project and a treat for all ears! Later, I asked them whether being a married couple means they’re always making music at home? ‘Nah’ was Kaykay’s emphatic reply, but then this is guy who can improvise with anything and aside from composing, producing, and playing the piano, he’s also a music education teacher plus avid Liverpool FC supporter. After the show though, AWIL assistant Lucas Keen bid me farewell by saying ‘So I’m not gonna be with you for a few weeks cos hey, I’m getting married.’ Clearly some of Anj & Kaykay’s marital & musical magic had spread! Find out more here: Instagram @kaykaychauhan Twitter @kaykay_chauhan Facebook Page - Kaykay & Co. 
Anj

8/5/19 – AWIL 209. Online: https://www.mixcloud.com/Re…/a-world-in-london-8th-may-2019/ Production & pics by Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Lucas Keen, artist Alban Low, and Jess Low. Also this week Janine Irons & Gary Crosby from Tomorrow's Warriors at SOAS Radio, click: https://www.mixcloud.com/…/a-world-in-london-299-tomorrows…/ Next week global music at SOAS Radio and glam-pop singer Jason Kwan Music at Resonance. Download the AWIL Album Wonderland 2018 from #Spotify! Top 50 global CDs handpicked by #AWorldinLondon – Click here: https://open.spotify.com/…/34igi7n6p14p56303se0gtkyj/playli… #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. Join us on Twitter & Instagram @aworldinlondon @djritu1 http://www.djritu.com
#London #globalmusic #worldmusic #Jazz #Bollywood #PopMusic #livemusic #music #radio #BritishAsian #composer #pianist #arranger #producer #singer

Wednesday 8 May 2019

Samaïa - Polyphonic Wanderlust

Luna Silva
Samaïa
Luna Silva
Noémie Nael
Eléonore Fourniau

A tryclone of unaccompanied voice with Samaïa on this A World in London! 

Eléonore Fourniau
Vivacious vocal trio Samaïa are in town for the London leg of their European tour. Their debut album is a rich powerhouse of women’s voices reinterpreting folk songs from across the globe, gilted with unique harmonies. On this AWIL they gifted us with treasures from Sweden, Turkey, and Bulgaria, and we learned about their unconventional warm up exercises that include massage and yoga! ‘We sing with our whole body’ explains Luna Silva, going on to describe the athletics of intertwining melodies through three voices. Samaïa weave a rich tapestry of polyphony, mostly accapela, but with minimal touches of percussion, that add to the primal feel of their songs. In fact they met at a Georgian polyphonic workshop, which hints at how extraordinary they are. Luna is the daughter of a Spanish clown and English actress, studied ethnomusicology at SOAS, plus Hindi, ukulele, and jaws harp. Noémie Nael comes from a theatre background. Eléonore Fourniau, studied in Istanbul, plays the saz, and is a queen of Anatolian ornamentation. The three might all have been raised in France but when it comes to music, possibly even The World Is Not Enough to contain their wanderlust! Samaia take their name from a Georgian dance performed by women which originated in the 12th century. Sample a glorious tricolour of harmony, magic, and shakti with the 21st century Samaïa now - three wonderful voices dancing in one superlative body of sound! 

Find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/SamaiaGroupe/ See Samaïa live across France in June & July, and back in the UK at Shambala Festival Aug 25th & Campfire Club Aug 30th!

Noémie Nael
1/5/19 – AWIL 208. Online: https://www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/a-world-in-london-1st-may-2019/ Production & pics by Norman Druker, Sophie Darling, Lucas Keen, artist Alban Low, and Jess Low. Also this week Nina Swann from Live Music Now at SOAS Radio, click: https://www.mixcloud.com/SOASradio/a-world-in-london-298-live-music-now/ Next week Janine Irons & Gary Crosby from Tomorrow’s Warriors at SOAS Radio and glam-pop singer Jason Kwan 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. Join us on Twitter & Instagram @aworldinlondon @djritu1 http://www.djritu.com