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.

Canada’s diverse and challenging storytelling flow. Stories told in a time of reckoning, rooted in cultural expression, social consciousness and Mother Earth connection. Featuring a new album from spoken word poet Brandon Wint, recent albums from poets M.L. Holton and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, a remarkable collaboration between poet Shane Koyczan, Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq and folk artist Kym Gouchie, another great Rise Ashen remix featuring Eivør Pálsdóttir, Native hip hop from Jb the First Lady, Wellspoke, Mob Bounce and the Mag 7 Standing Rock collective, orchestral electronics with deep roots, from Francois Couture, Ziibiwan, and Quantum Tangle.

A slow chorus. A slow driving mix of spoken word and hip hop and multi-voice harmony, music with many layers, complex melodies and harmonious fusions of electronica and folk origins. Musicians and poets from the United States, Spain, Colombia, Canada, and Guatemala. Big questions and big problems being addressed head-on. Stories being told from the heart, voices coming from deep in the chest. An energising way to start a new year!

Opening with the beautiful Song For Elijah (Wrap Our Arms Around You), dedicated to the memory of a young life tragically lost in Australia, and also a call for all to help the family in difficult times. La Danza Poetica #58 is “A Call To Arms”. As it’s the end of a tumultuous year, I’ve created a tumultuous mix featuring some favourite tracks of 2017 that I haven’t been able to include in the radio show so far. Covering a lot of ground, from wild upbeat global bass to Latin hip hop, Los Angeles and New York City poetry and rap, Native American fire, French orchestral beats, very intelligent downbeat soul, and songs for the end of everything.

Chile – between the mountains and the sea, the poets and musicians sing of the land and the heart. This month’s mix features poets Vicente Huidobro, Pablo Neruda, and Nicanor Parra, plus a focus on the expressionistic poetics of Cecilia Vicuña, Como Asesinar a Felipes, and Kali Mutsa, and the delicate, fierce, Violeta Parra. Also some favourite folktronic producers including Lata / MMNI, Matanza, and Australia’s Galambo. 

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!

Sung poetry, the oral tradition, passed down from generation to generation, continuing today, no break in the chain…

Eclectic electronic, folk and poetic wavelengths from Greece. Featuring electronica pioneers Lena Platonos and Stereo Nova, fascinating composers and bands Carte Postale, Imam Baildi, ION, Anna Stereopoulou, and May Roosevelt (mixing the poetry of Dinos Christianopoulos), hip hop / low bap from Active Member with Luka Lesson, and Poetic [Low Bap], a new album from Savina Yannatou, postcards from the multicultural history of Thessaloniki, and honoured ghosts, rebetika singers Stella Haskil and Sotiria Bellou, who are the waves beneath all of our boats. 

In this December edition of La Danza Poetica we travel through poetry, song, hip hop and folk traditions down the peninsula of Italy through the Magna Graecia and the Griko culture of Greek settlers on the Italian coast.