>
<

Let’s start with this: Caribbean vibes from Amsterdam shooting stars Kuenta i Tambu. The hypnotizing beats of the Tambú drums are central to the sweeping sound of the five-man combo and sure to get everyone and anyone out onto the dancefloor. According to Rolling Stone, they sound like “A super-crunk, blacklight warehouse party surrounded by four separate Carnival parades”. But K I T also have a message to convey and combine their drumsound with lyrics from the “work songs” of slaves from the formerly Dutch-occupied island of Curaçao – after all: Kuenta i Tambu literally means “words and drums”.

A great voice, helluva lot of heart, controversial lyrics and above all a truly irrepressible will to propagate positive energy – that’s what makes 33-year old hip hop and soul singer Nneka from Nigeria so special. Now living in Hamburg, her fourth studio album so far naturally deals with the lives of Africans in the diaspora. The album “My Fairy Tales” was recorded and produced in France, Denmark and Nigeria – a concept album with music largely based on afrobeat and roots music. These influences are not just random – over the last years, this very unique artist, who won the MOBO-Award for Best African Act in 2009, has toured extensively with some of the greatest acts in black music: The Roots, Gnarls Barkley, Nas and Damian Marley.