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WOMAD 2025: NANA BENZ DU TOGO

 

Members of Nana Benz Du Togo : Lady Apoc : lead vocals / Izealedu : lead vocals / Parus Kekeli : lead vocals & synth / David Kasanku : Gazé Tuyau Toto Do It Yourself : drums

Mesmerising and exceedingly cool, this quintet from Togo brings a completely organic sound with electronic rhythms expressed through handmade percussion, drums, a Korg synth and three powerful female voices. Firmly anchored in the group’s voodoo heritage, their songs extol the value of freedom and the importance of respect for the planet and its inhabitants. “We’ve always been ecologists, without knowing it, because Voodoo is in fact Nature,” explains Izeale, one of the three vocalists. Nana Benz du Togo never really intended to put voodoo culture under the spotlight, yet they set alight the Transmusicales de Rennes festival in 2022 with a juggernaut of ceremonial electro-voodoo-soul and released their first album Ago in 2023.  It’s music that grabs you deep inside and makes you want to dance.

From their publicity materials 

"There are five of them, five, like the fingers of one hand, a hand ready  form a st,  slam down hard

on a table but also  gently caress the planet.

They all grew up in Togo, only a few frontiers away from Benin and Nigeria, several decades separa-

ting them from the great Fela, the man who turned a Yoruba proverb into a hit: Water No Get Enemy.

The members of Nana Benz also grew up with the knowledge that water was so precious it had no

price, and that Mother Nature was a figure  be celebrated.

In respect of the planet and its inhabitants lies at the very heart of their catalogue of songs,

songs firmly anchored in the richness of voodoo heritage, songs extolling the value of freedom in

English, French and Mina. Earth, wind, fire and water - Nature : that’s what voodoo is! 

“We’ve always been ecologists, without knowing it, because Voodoo is in fact Nature”, explains Izeale, one of the three vocalists. 

“At a given moment in our lives, we all dived headfirst into this heritage we had left

behind. And there, we discovered the power of voodoo, but also its scales, its incredible rhythms, and its wonderful melodies. And now we dive back in once more, body and soul, because we need to possess enough strength to carry these songs!”

Before walking down the path that led them to convents and voodoo ceremonies, these musicians

experienced many trials and tribulations. 

“When you have been raised in a Christian environment, when you sang the praises of Jesus Christ, it’s not easy to turn to voodoo”, admits Parus. “But when I lost my parents at the age of 13, I ended up in charge of the family, and with my younger brothers and sisters, I was looking for a beacon! And that’s where I discovered that voodoo is not just a question of dolls and all that evil folklore we have made up, but that voodoo is within all of us, it’s life itself. And that saved me...”

From that time onwards, Kasanku, Lady Apoc, Parus, Toto and Izealedu never really intended to put

this culture under the spotlight, yet they set alight the Transmusicales de Rennes in 2022 with a

juggernaut of ceremonial electro-voodoo-soul.

Many years of work in the shadows were required before Nana Benz dared get up on stage. 

First of all, there was a chance meeting during a musical workshop, piloted by Peter Solo (the man

behind the surprise and success of the group Vaudou Games, amongst other achievements). 

The five artists did not know each other yet, but instantly discovered that they were on the same

wavelength. The first musical seeds sown quickly flourished. They started out with this completely

organic rhythm, one that grabs you deep inside and makes you want to shake your hips. The

instrumentarium of the two percussionists became more than powerful despite being 100%

recycled. 

The formidable basslines were in fact created by two PVC tubes (the Gazé Tuyau), and a

suitcase belonging to Toto’s grandfather, “a voodoo travelling salesman who visited the four

corners of the earth”, provided a robust bass drum. Toto added genuine ceremonial pots belonging

to his grandmother to the mix, equipment used to prepare potions for the “voodoo practising older

ladies who would sing all the time, and whose voices ended up imprinted there”. 

These drums, charged with the voices of ancestors, quickly came to life thanks to the bass of the Gazé Tuyau and took on the name of “batterie Do It Yourself” (DIY drumkit). This organic groove gorged with subbass, and complex polyrhythms became a bedrock for the voices of three awe-inducing

electro-soul preachers, accompanied by a small vintage Korg keyboard. The setup is minimalist,

but oh so powerful, and managed to place thousands of spectators in a trance during the

Transmusicales de Rennes festival. 

“The trance in our music is supplied by repetitive energy! It comes straight from the heart, and this is why our message carries Nature within it, as we honour this Nature in all that we do”, explains Lady Apoc. “We compose a lot using the voodoo scales of the snake (Dan) and that of Mamie Wata”, confides Kasanku, a former bass player, who took four years to assemble his incredible Gazé Tuyau.

All that was left was to find a name for this truly atypical quintet carried aloft by three voices and

three very strong personalities. 

The band therefore settled upon Nana Benz, a tribute to the impressive wax print retailers of Lomé central market (Togo) who liked to drive a Mercedes Benz, women the powerful confided in as they knew better than anyone how to thread together the many strains of money and power, with feminist strength .... “We admire these women for displaying such courage and force within our patriarchal societies, but also voodoo, that teaches us that the material corrupts mankind, and that we must search for peace and harmony above all, so we are also far removed from commerce!”, adds Izealedu...

When the music starts, the five men and women who form Nana Benz are rise to this challenge with

flying colours!"

WOMAD 2025: O.

O. – the London-based duo of baritone saxophonist Joe Henwood and drummer Tash Keary – return with details of their highly anticipated debut album “WeirdOs” and a colossal new single titled “Green Shirt”.

The album is due out 21st June via Speedy Wunderground. Honing their fearless sound through a residency at Brixton’s iconic venue The Windmill, as well as on support slots across the UK and Europe with fellow heavyweights black midi and Gilla Band, O. have now distilled their unique live energy into their debut album, “WeirdOs”.

Featuring production from Dan Carey, WeirdOs is Tash and Joe at their most raucous and free. Across 10 tracks of high-octane instrumentals recorded live to tape, the duo encompass everything from cathartic dancefloor drops, to junglist breakbeats, intricate jazz lines, and sludgy, menacing doom metal.

Coming hot on the heels of last November’s debut EP “SLICE” – which won enthusiastic support from DIY, Dork, NME, Louder, and Rough Trade – the new single “Green Shirt” sees the band expanding on their ever evolving, epiphanic sound combining thundering blast beats with labyrinthine sax.

The band describe the single as “a short rock/metal rinse out. To match the distorted amp sounds coming from Joe, we put Tash's drums through distorted guitar amps on this one. It's named after Tash's favourite green flannel shirt, that was lost several times and then eaten by a dog.”

WOMAD 2025: The Ukulele Death Squad

This Hybrid 'Aussie' eight-piece uke extravaganza declare themselves to be the planet's "most dangerous ukulele band." 

A tall order indeed.

As their suggests their music and stage presence is more than a little bit of menace and peril.  People in the front row beware! 

Sporting a dangerous aray of miniature, titular instrument along with their epic vocal performance, pulsing conga-led rhythms, and of course, their big, bold brass battalion ready for combat with a repertoire set to destroy!

The 'death squad' blast out a bazooka laden set of gypsy jazz, R&B, and folk with a strong sense of showmanship, theatricality, and raucous energy in their live shows that has gained international recognition and critical acclaim at The Adelaide & Edinburgh Fringe, WOMAD (Adelaide), WOMAD (UK), Boomtown (UK), Dranouter Festival (Belgium), to name but a few.

But don't take our word for it... check out their website and a few vids on youtube.  No flac jackets required. Just don't F*** With Them! 

WOMAD 2025: Amaru Tribe

Naarm/Melbourne-based Amaru Tribe seamlessly fuses traditional Latin American music with contemporary electronic innovation, crafting a distinctive sound they call "Cumbia Oceanica." Their folktronic style blends the vibrant tones of charangos, Afro-Latin rhythms, urban beats, and powerful vocal harmonies, creating a dynamic and culturally rich sonic experience. 

Described as a vital addition to Latin America's burgeoning experimental electronic scene, Amaru Tribe's music represents the latest evolution in the continent's long tradition of musical hybridity, offering listeners a portal into a world where heritage and modernity intertwine.

They are, at heart, a 'Folktronic' act comprising music producer/singer/songwriter Oscar Jimenez (Colombia- Australia), Muralist/singer/songwriter Katherine Gailer (Colombia- Australia), percussionist Cristian Saavedra (Chile- Australia) and Sebastian Barahona (Chile-Australia).

The 'project', they describe as a playground to explore the vibrant intersection between "cultures, traditional music from Latin America and new contemporary sounds; Vibrating charangos, urban flow, electronic & afro-latin beats, and powerful vocal harmonies create a portal that gives birth to an unknown genre they called “Cumbia Oceanica”."

Their act was nominated for the 2020 Music Victoria Awards as Best Multicultural Act, and have  captivated audiences at major festivals including Womadelaide, Bluesfest, Queenscliff Festival and  international gigs such as SXSW, and events in Colombia, Thailand, and Taiwan.  

Amaru Tribe are currently preparing the release of their Debut Vinyl LP (and 2nd full length album) together with a National tour in late 2021 and early 2022.

WOMAD 2025: Róisín Murphy

This week we begin a new series showcasing some of the amazing acts coming to WOMAD Taranaki in 2025. 

First up is a woman with an indomitable artistic spirit.  Ireland's Róisín Murphy has established herself as one of electronic pop’s most ingenious and forward-thinking voices. 

She first became known back in the early 1990's as part of Moloko, an English-Irish electronic music duo formed in Sheffield, England, with producer Mark Brydon.  

The group made a number of successful hits including their indelible hit Sing It Back.  After four albums  Moloko split and Murphy began a new creative era as a soloist.  She released her debut solo album Ruby Blue (2005), which she wrote and produced with the experimental musician Matthew Herbert, receiving plenty of support from reviewers.  Her follow up, Overpowered, released in 2007, was also well received.

In 2015, after an eight-year break, sporadically interrupted by a number of stand alone, side projects and guest appearances on other's , Murphy released her third solo album Hairless Toys, which went on to be nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and Ireland's Choice Music Prize. 

A year later came album four, Take Her Up to Monto.  Then in 2018, dropped four twelve-inch releases in collaboration with producer Maurice Fulton.  Murphy released her fifth and sixth solo albums Róisín Machine and Hit Parade, which received critical acclaim, in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

Murphy has clocked up a few unique moments including being the first singer to play Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and has headlined Glastonbury's West Holts Stage, along with Homobloc, Coachella and Primavera Sound.  

WOMAD Taranaki is in for a treat.  Look forward to a show-stopping stage wardrobe and electrifying live band, she recently joined the ranks of star-studded performers to play at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall. 

WOMAD 2025 14-16 March 2025 Bowl Of Brooklands, New Plymouth