Hailing from Sicily, and rooted in the traditional music of a place that has always been a receptor to many cultures, Agricantus made their name in Europe blending Sicilian traditional themes with contemporary styles such as ambient and trance, before swiftly adding Arabic and North African influences to their Mediterranean melting pot.
By 1996 they were looking even further afield, travelling to Mali to record the multi-awarded album "Tuareg" with local musicians - long before the successes of Tinariwen and the Festival In The Desert made such trips de rigeur. In 1997, their song "Istanbul" is included in the sound-track of the famous movie "Hamam" by director Ferzan Ozpetek. In a decade, the band has released no less than 12 adventurous albums.
Agricantus are currently working on new recorded material, and planning an album for June 2018 inspired by their new project AKOUSTIKOS.
Line-Up:
Mario Crispi (wind instruments, laptop, vocals),
Mario Rivera (bass, laptop, vocals),
Giovanni Lo Cascio (drums, percussion),
Anita Vitale (lead vocal, keyboards),
Special guest: Enzo Rao (violin)
article posted by:Eric van Monckhoven, Music4you + World Music Lab