A mix of sublime, poetic music and word from Morocco, Tunisia, Syria. Poetry and music are inextricably intertwined, in a constant dance, in music, language and rhythm, and life. Sukitoa o Namau’s field recordings from and around Meknés, Morocco, form the canvas on which this whole mix has been painted. Also featuring Moroccan slam poet Mustapha Slameur, very conscious and complex folktronics / electronics from Tunisia’s Ghoula and NURI, the France/Morocco collaboration of Titi Robin and Mehdi Nassouli, Syria’s Muudra paying tribute to Vîyan Peyman, and reworking Emel Mathlouthi’s great song ‘Layem’, DJ Tudo connecting Morocco with Brazil, plus, 'honoured ghost' Paul Bowles' sweet and sad little poems, and classic recordings from Morocco released by the Dust to Digital project.

Recent releases from Brome, J.Lamotta, Kuzich featuring Mei Saraswati, William Beale, Lido Pimienta, The Turbans, Besarabia, Anna Stereopoulou, Dat Garcia remixed by Space People, the Music Action Collective, DjClick, Lagartijeando remixed by Chancha Vía Circuito, and featuring Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet’s, “Landfall”, now released as an album.

On La Danza Poetica this month, surfing the poetic radio waves: une fête de la musique et de la poésie! A smooth and cool mix of new French abstract hip hop, alt-rap, spoken word, trip hop and jazz. Downtempo melodic beats and spoken word. 

Curated by Kwame Write Aidoo, and produced by Inkfluent, the Vocal Portraits albums feature many talented poets, storytellers and musicians from Africa, Europe and North America. 

This month, we travel light. Returning to Canada—because of course, at this moment in time, we had to. 

This month on La Danza Poetica, the spirit runs deep. Featuring the brilliant new album from Canada’s Tanya Evanson, debut EP from Australia’s Mirrah, and a poetic release from USA’s Solange. Alongside, the smooth spirituals of Canadian/American soul sisters: Cris Derksen and Jennifer Kreisberg, Marianne Verville, Sunni Patterson, Shauntay Grant, Queen Ka. And soulful brothers from Canada: Ivy, Ian Kamau, and Shane Koyczan collaborating with the inspirational sister of all activist poets, Ani Difranco.

A multi-layered mix of poetry, rhythm, melody en français, exploring the strong voices of la Négritude movement in France, a movement influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. Our honoured ghosts, Langston Hughes, and les trois pères (the three fathers) of la Négritude: Aime Cesare, Léon-Gontran Damas, and Léopold Sédar Senghor. Their eloquent descendants, Nikki Giovanni, Youssoupha, Sunni Patterson. Voices flow through a mix of deep electronic beats, abstract French hip hop and shimmering Haitian/American folk. Featuring Leyla McCalla, Caro C, Christine and the Queens (with Tunji Ige), Fauve, Odezenne, brome, Bleu éther. Très éclectique, très fort!

The Apollo Saxophone Quartet’s collaboration with poet Lemn Sissay is one of the deepest word/music journeys you can take - expressive, cinematic, arresting. Robert Frost’s 1920s poem “Fire and Ice” observes the end of the world with the cool objectivity of someone who is part of, not just observing, the changes of seasons. There is a goal! So, let’s become the rain...

Collaborative poetic jazz, organic electronics. From New Orleans to New York; France to Brazil; Poland to Trinidad; Mali to Cape Town; Portugal to Suriname. Stretching and tensing, sincopando.

Rêver en français… storytelling of emotion and delirium of loops, Being in transit in between times and places, in a woozy mood, a loose mix from a recent live set. No explanation, no reason, no solution. Just the enlightened, unapologetic emotion of French poets, under the spell of delirious analysis. From Saul Williams to Anaïs Nin, let’s hallucinate Napoléon Bonaparte together, la danse poétique!

This month I am presenting for you an excerpt of a special mix for Chimeres Radio and Circe:the Black Cut, performed live in Athens on 4 July at Kreuzberg bar, the eve of the referendum of 5 July. 

Following on from #6, Northern Soul dives into the deep, orchestral spaces and provocative political and social stories of Canada.

From the 15th until the 21st of December 2014 a series of events were held in various spaces and venues in the city of Athens, beginning with the release on 15th December of the album 'Vuelo Libre' - a “family work” album of nine tracks composed by sound artists and musicians from ten countries. This edition of the podcast is the one-hour mix I made of the album for this exhibition. Modern electronic classical music, organic sounds and poetics in six languages.

A joyful noise unto - yourself! The December podcast is up now on Mixcloud.

The power of the drum, the storytelling of music. Honouring The Spaceape, oscillating with the dark and the light in between the drum beats and breaths, exploring Creole, the language of rhythm and time.

Entering my third year at Groovalizacion - happy birthday to La Danza Poetica! The 24th edition is intercontinental, transnational - a world of poetics, mainly new releases, ranging far and wide in the spirit of the dance. 

Through the forests and cities of story... Explore the bright Northern and Eastern European lights of poetry and music, the 19th dance poetic.

Hip hop. The voice is the drum. The voice is rhythm, melody and story as one. From Australia to Latin America to the Caribbean to Africa, this is where poetry really dances.

LDP 013, ‘Poetree Caan Nyam’, aims to go deeper into the dub poetry groove. I wanted to really get into a poetic dancewith this one. And if any poetry can be danced to, it’s this! We dive into the deep dub seas of Jamaica, and sail around the worldwide ocean of reggae dub poetry. From Africa to the Caribbean, via the States, France, Canada, and the UK, with those poets who speak of identity, history, love, struggle, politics, belief, and society.

Coming from the Chilli Rooms studios on the island of Ibiza, La Danza Poetica 10 is a chilled hour of of music and poetry from various corners of the globe.