"WOMEX always blows you away with artists you never saw before." Afropop
You can download the night schedule here (pdf)
Last minute: Akli D. (Algeria / France) replaces El Gran Silencio (Mexico)
 | Akli D. (Algeria / France) Kabylian Berber singer´s avant-Afro/Algerian/Blues/world mix with Manu Chao producing his latest. www.aklid.com |
Last minute: Eskorzo (Spain) replaces Kassai Allstars (Congo)
 | Eskorzo (Spain) Una mezcla fantástica! From Adalusia to Bulgary, from Uruguayan ´Canbombe´to the funk of New Orleans, from reggae to rock and hip-hop comes this home grown, high energy group of musical revolutionaries from Granada. www.eskorzo.com |
Last minute: Go Lem System (Spain) replaces Free Hole Negro (Cuba)
 | Go Lem System (Spain) From Barcelona via Argentina, mestizo music from this great band and with 2 great albums the latest featuring their great friend Manu Chao on one track “Caille Go Lem”, always a great Latino party with Go Lem.. www.frusion.co.uk/artists/dance/europe/go-lem-system.html |
OPENING
 | Son De La Frontera (Spain) Fusionists at the frontier putting the Cuban tres into flamenco www.lanota.es |
 | Afel Bocoum & Alkibar (Mali) Mali's messenger of desert blues tends musical and agricultural roots www.afelbocoum.com |
| | Akli D. (Algeria / France) Kabylian Berber singer´s avant-Afro/Algerian/Blues/world mix with Manu Chao producing his latest. www.aklid.com |
 | Aterciopelados (Colombia) Columbian roots-rockers blend cumbia, electronica, mariachi, pop and more.... www.aterciopelados.com |
 | Aynur (Turkey) Quiet revolutionary bringing Kurdish song into the mainstream www.pasionturca.net |
 | Boom Pam (Israel) Twanging guitars of Tel Aviv mix heady Eastern Mediterranean cocktail http://www.boompam.org |
 | Darko Rundek & Cargo Orkestar (Croatia / France) Croatian poet in Paris exile views world from deck of rusty freighter www.rundekcargoorkestar.com |
 | Los Patriarcas de la Rumba (Spain) a meeting of 5 masters of the rumba Catalana no homepage, following url about the musical tradition: www.sabordegracia.com |
 | Niyaz (Iran / Canada / USA) Ancient poets meet modern beats on the Persian diaspora dancefloor www.niyazmusic.com |
 | Orange Blossom (Algeria/Mexico/France) West African rhythms, Middle-Eastern melodies and European electro-beats clash in global rock shock www.orange-blossom.fr |
 | Salsa Celtica (UK) Made in Scotland: Reel'n'Rumba from the Highlands of Havana! www.salsaceltica.com |
 | Sergent Garcia (France) Corruscating Caribbean collisions from the Prime Minister of salsamuffin www.sergentgarcia.com |
 | The Shin/ Project "EgAri" (Georgia) Georgian virtuosi take on regional trad and world jazz in a seamless, acoustic mix. www.theshin-music.com |
 | Tomás San Miguel + Txalaparta (Spain) Ancient Basque traditions inspire new sounds www.musimagic.com |
DJs
 | DJ Click (France) Electric gypsy of the turbtables spinning hip-hop, jazz and electronic with a global dancefloor perspective www.nofridge.com |
 | Los Rumbers (DJs) (Spain) getting down on the urban flamenco dancefloor www.losrumbers.es |
subject to change
The WOMEX Jury 06
The 7 - actually 6 - Samurai met back in May. One, Martin Morales, was excused at the last moment due to family matters. Said Bogdan Benigar (Slovenia), "We chose most artists with consensus or with great majority. I believe that there's a good balance between known and unknown, modern and traditional, loud and quiet in the final list, and there are also some surprising pickings, which is always good." Hanna Gorjaczkowska (Poland/Belgium) agreed. "I think from what we got we managed to make a nice balance between the traditional modern, north, south, all the countries possible."
The whole process requires Kurosawa-like qualities of discipline and sheer stamina from our Samurai. It's made more difficult each year as WOMEX's track record for launching and sustaining careers grows - along with the number of proposals. This year there were over 600. All were assessed in a single weekend. "Proposals have been flooding in," mused Ros Rigby (UK), the jury chairman after the first day of listening. "It's a great sign of the health of the world music industry worldwide. It's something that I'm really pleased about. The fact that it gives the jury a bit of a problem is a separate matter. But it's wonderful." "It's a lot of work," said Juan Villafruella (Spain). Although people had said to us that it's a very hard job, we cannot imagine until we came here."
"I'm really interested in seeing them live," Katja Lucker (Germany) said after the selection was formalized. "We made a great selection, I think so. It's a very nice selection, but I hope I will be surprised in a good way when I stand in front of the stage and see the bands playing. It's what we're expecting. I'm looking forward to it."
And we'll give the last word to Bogdan: "It's hard to judge because I'm part of the jury, but I think this will be one of the best WOMEX's!"
