Beat Making Lab has had a ton of successes making some incredible music, but they’ve also had some challenges.
So this is a good opportunity to take a look not only to the whole season, but also to check how the progress, consequences and contact information if you happen to travel, or actually want to collaborate, donate or have a direct contact with the organizations.
SEASON 1:
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
Host Non-Profit: YOLE AFRICA
Congolese BML started the whole process, in where, we could see part of the movement, and actually the final result was an amazing global collab called Cho Cho Cho!
Posted in many blogs, and got great reviews.
But we could not see at the moment what local impact, if any, had the actual collaboration between Yole Africa & BML.
So we dug a bit more, and then we learned that the actual process ended in a public perfomance in the SKIFF (Saalam Kivu Internatinal Film Festival)
Further & Detail information, feel free to Contact:
contact@yoleafrica.org (FR, SWAHILI)
or allason@yoleafrica.org (ENG)
But what about artists?
There are a good number of acts that might get a highlight, but to keep this post flowing, let’s post Mazao
more updates:
October 2013:
Celebrating Congo: Yole!Africa’s Art and Advocacy fesitval at UNC
African Cup of Nations compilation project: link
Again, feel free to contact this link for further info!!
NUMERO 2, Number Two is my personal favorite!! as they moved to the unique Portobelo, in Panama
Second BML: Diablo/No puede Conmigo
Host: La escuelita del Ritmo
And from this lab, the update we can highlight from one of the artists,
Yomira who made the amazing track Portobelo
In each location, BML has donated a studio (laptop, Reason software, microphone, USB keyboard, headphones, speakers).
Sadly, due to local crime, in few locations, part of the equipment was stolen; but as far as the last update goes, the organizations in charge of the equipment have reported labs are still going on.
That is what happened in the third installment
Senegal
Hosts: Speakup Africa + Blaise Seghor
Contact:
fara.ndiaye@speakupafrica.org
This in particular, was the one in where the Lab faced some challenges, not only in terms of communication as English is not very fluent in the locals, but also it represented a change in the dynamics of the lab.
At that particular point, and seeing the amazing response from blogs and public, they decided to do a fundraising-for sale- release at the end of the season with the original songs,
They started doing these challenges
And later on they added Walshy Fire from Major Lazer as a host!!
But as we suggested in the first paragraph, not everything has been a fairy tale:
BML worked with Speak Up Africa to identify Blaise Senghor as an ideal location for the Lab but a window and door knob were broken and needed replacement.
-June 2013: window and door knob fixed
-July 2013: Beat Making Lab laptop stolen from Speak Up Africa.
And there has been a constant exchange of emails between the GOTAL, an all-female collective of 11 MC’s and singers, and their founder Toussa, regarding the actual original songs & the possibility of those songs to be sold in a release, or given out without the whole approval from the collective.
As a result, BML, & Walshy Fire dropped the Kora Riddim as the only release from Senegalese adventure, and NONE of the original songs NOR the ones from any challenge will be released in a for-sale release!.
Instead BML moved to an impressive challenge that eventually paid off.
Like the rest of labs, things kept evolving, and here’s a short update from Senegal.
-October 2013: Beat Making lab collaborator Toussa travels to USA as a OneBeat fellow, conducts workshop at Chapel Hill Beat Making Lab, performs and collaborates with Grammy award nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon to christen the opening of the Chapel Hill Beat Making Lab.
-October 22, 2013: After her tour of the US with OneBeat, Toussa and GOTAL visit fully functioning Senegal Beat Making Lab for the first time.
And future location may be Jokkolab
Next BML was set in FIJI!!!
Suva, Fiji
Host Non-Profit: Oceania Centre for the Arts
Contact: dave.lavaki@usp.ac.fj
And because this one was so recent, with the Moombahton Challenge from Walshy Fire and ETC ETC,
with the most impressive submission so far, I think it is safe to move forward and see the results AFTER THE BML
Track
AND OUR FINAL EPISODE FOR THE SEASON 1 will be ETHIOPIA
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Host Non-Profit: IntraHealth + Music Mayday + Save Your Generation
Contact: ifamesfin1@gmail.com
From this one, stay tuned to see Walshy Fire’s Challenge and hopefully some updates!!!
Remember if you want to donate, collaborate, or independently research about Beat Making Lab, their results, and partners, feel free to contact this link for further info
or any of the provided emails for specific labs.
