La Danza Poetica #50 Poesía Callejera

My 50th show for Groovalizacion Radio, and my first for the year 2017. Starting us off right on this journey around the sun, I’ve mixed up poetry from an inspiring organisation out of Los Angeles, and music from an inspiring record and film company out of Buenos Aires. Street Poets Inc. is a non-profit poetry-based, peace making organisation dedicated to the creative process as a force for individual and community transformation – they are literally saving lives with poetry. ZZK Records is an independent record label born out of the Zizek Club nights in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Producing some of the greatest works to come out of the ‘folktronic’ movement in South America. Both these collectives exist to inspire, to bear witness, to record and promote and amplify voices that need to be heard. A musical mix for the southern hemisphere summer – come dive into the lovely warm ocean of sound of Latin American folktronic rhythms and Los Angeles poetic medicine. 

Tracklist

Mati Zundel - Amazonico Gravitante
Taylor Code - Half-Boy (Street Poets Inc.)
Kameron Lyons - The Shaman's Apprentice (Street Poets Inc.)
El Buho & Barrio Lindo - Loa
Jaynese Poole - The Reasons (Street Poets Inc.)
Taylor Code - The Pest (Street Poets Inc.)
Mati Zundel - Taki Onkoi
Taylor Code - Exile (Street Poets Inc.)
El Remolon - Poyeyu (feat. Mariela Gerez)
Nicola Cruz - Sanacion (Begun Remix)
Candace Wade - What Keeps Me Alive (Street Poets Inc.)
Taylor Code - In The Jungle (Street Poets Inc.)
Taylor Code - Shy Girl (Street Poets Inc.)
Chancha Via Circuito - Gevgelis, Karpis & Papas – Deropolitissa (Chancha Via Circuito Remix)
Susy Sobel - Closer to the Cuts (Street Poets Inc. feat. Inside Out Writers and The Anti-Recidivism Collective)
La Yegros - Iluminada
Uji - Romper el Hechizo (feat. Femina)
Taylor Code - The Shadow (Street Poets Inc.)
Mateo Kingman - Levanta
Mati Zundel - Amazonico Gravitante
ÌFÉ - House of Love (Nicola Cruz Remix)
Taylor Code - Oneness (Street Poets Inc.)
Mayda Del Villa - Call for Water (Street Poets Inc.)
Luzmila Carpio - Tarpuricusum Sarata (King Coya Remix)
Taylor Code - Stumble Fall Walk (Street Poets Inc.)
Taylor Code - The Return (Street Poets Inc.)

Notes on the show

STREET POETS Inc. is a non-profit poetry-based peace-making organisation dedicated to the creative process as a force for individual and community transformation. Based in Los Angeles, the organisation takes inspiration from Audre Lorde:

“Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundation for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.” 

In 1995, Street Poets founder Chris Henrikson began teaching a poetry workshop in an L.A. County Juvenile Probation Camp as a volunteer through the Writers Guild of America. In 1997, he and the alumni of that workshop, known collectively as Street Poets, joined forces with the NYC-based DreamYard Project to form DreamYard/LA. In 2005, DreamYard became Street Poets Inc.

Through various initiatives, including a mobile recording van, mentorships, workshops, reading series, a studio and compilation albums, Street Poets Inc. harnesses the healing power of poetry and music to save lives, create community and transform culture. They are breaking the cycle of violence in the lives of at-risk youth and building creative communities, all through the power of poetic self expression. Street Poets Inc. produces and distributes a CD of spoken word, hip hop and song each year to amplify the voices of youth and the healing power they carry. So far they have released something like nine compilation albums containing poetry collaborations, rap and music.

The poetry in motion van is a thing of great beauty:

Check them out, and make a donation if you can to keep this wonderful thing going, at http://streetpoetsinc.com/product/donate/

The story of Half Boy, read by Taylor Code, is borrowed from Borneo according to Arturo Quiros, one of the producers of the Street Poets Inc. albums. This story features on the Live from Turtle Island release (click on the album covers above to get the albums).

If you've listened to my South American-focused shows before, you'll know about ZZK Records. They consistently release some of my favourite music – electronic music with traditional and organic roots, heart and soul and deep connections to the poetic and musical past. In early 2016, the new arm of the organisation ZZK Films released a full-length video documentary, A Musical Journey, which follows La Yegros on her debut tour of Europe and is a great background on this important musical movement.

ZZK Films is now working on more documentaries, including Analog Memories: In an abandoned office in Quito, a grandson finds the master recordings from his grandfather's lost record label and discovers the history of the golden age of music in Ecuador...

 The new documentary series is planned to follow many other unique stories, presenting new perspectives on the amazing music coming out of the region, and its history.

There has been a crowdfunding campaign that I believe you can still contribute to, over here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bring-compelling-latam-stories-to-world-with-zzk-music-films#/

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