 On Monday 18th
October MOBO
fever started in Liverpool with
the MOBO ‘Industry takeover’ event held at the CUC in Liverpool. After a day full of workshops, industry panels and networking, it was only right that the day ended with some of the best Urban Music talent in Liverpool gracing the stage for the MOBO Street-waves ‘ones to watch’ winners showcase. A judging panel made up of some of the best locally based Urban Music Producers, Directors, Videographer’s, Presenters, Promoters and DJ’s were asked to Listen to Music which was submitted virally by Local Artists between the ages of 14-25. The five Winning Acts performed alongside MOBO Tour’s Unsung Artists Marvell, RoxXxann, Mike Hough, G Town Desi, R.I.O and Liverpool’s very own KOF and also received tickets for the industry takeover and the MOBO Awards Ceremony as part of their prize. First on was local grime artist, Logik, who wowed the Street-waves panel and the audience alike. A combination of youthful energy, street edge and big rhymes, Logik is definitely one to look out for in the future. Next was Lanca, who has been making waves with his bass line and grime tracks. High energy, a flurry of metaphors and bravado permeates through his uptempo music.  Lanca was followed by The E-Laborators who repped Hip-Hop to the fullest - bringing a uniquely UK sound to the stage. The E-Laborators are known for their quality production and this sibling one-two tandem are not only bringing the goods but they also are wholly self-produced, self written as well as shooting their own videos and releasing their music. The guys also brought on local singer, Paislie Reid to perform Don't Judge Me, proving that there is literally so much unearthed talent in this city.  Jay Norton took to the stage bringing some beautiful vocal ability to the awed audience. He breezed through some of his biggest tracks, an acoustic cover of Professor Green's Just Be Good to Green and also brought on local favourite Future to perform a new collaborative track. Headlining the evening was Janiece Myers; a local singer-songwriter now gaining national attention with her debut single Underground Love. Janiece's set was an accumulation of Pop, Dub step and RnB, and she literally had the crowd in her palm as they sang along. To cap off a great performance Janiece brought out KOF and R.I.O for the premiere of a new song called Future Sounds.  All in all the Street-waves Competition was a wonderful success and showcased some of the best musical talent in the City and every single person, including the industry heads in attendance, definitely took notice! Thank you to all of the young people who were employed to work behind the scenes of the MOBO Street-waves Showcase Event. Oyé Touring and Trading and Black Routes are committed to educating, and training the next generation of Event Managers, Artist Liaison, Production and Stage Managers. Please email your CV to paul@africaoye.com if you would like to be considered for work or training on any future Oyé Projects. 
Oyé Touring and Trading Presents Help Haiti Learning and participation Workshops. Date: Friday 18th June 2010 Venue: Knotty Ash Youth and Communty Centre Number of Workshops: 4 Attendance: 100 people of all ages and social backgrounds Time: 10am-4pm Ahead of Africa Oyé 2010 a day of pre-festival workshops took place at Knotty Ash Youth and Community Centre. Local community groups, school children and 25 lucky competition winners were invited to take part in a fantastic afternoon of workshops hosted by two of Haiti’s most prominent musical exports – Boukman Eksperyans and Ti Coca.  Participants were first able to learn about the history of Haiti and its music from the musicians themselves. Speaking about the country on topics ranging from its founding to the present day and the recent earthquake, this was a fascinating insight into a country which has seemingly only recently entered the Western consciousness. After this introduction to the culture of Haiti, participants were able to take part in practical workshops with the bands and have a go on some of the traditional instruments of Haiti. The drums were a particular hit with the school children as the band encouraged them to keep up with increasingly complex beats! Lunch was provided by Caribbean restaurant Raggas of Smithdown Road and consisted of a succulent chicken and rice dish which was well received by all. Then it was time to hand over to the professionals. Both bands treated the participants to exclusive performances of some of their festival set in the main hall of the community centre. In addition to this, the talented members of dance organisation Movema were on hand to teach some traditional Haitian dance so no one was just sat watching for long! Movema were a massive hit with participants of all ages and the dance sessions carried on well into the afternoon.  Overall, everyone (including the bands!) appeared to have a great time at the workshops and the whole experience served as a great precursor to the sights and sounds of the superb Oyé festival that took place the following weekend.  The Legacy: Roots and Music is a learning and participation project about black music; its past, present and future. This project is for young people from South Liverpool who have an interest in making and performing music and want to learn more about the music they make! Within the project participant will look at African and Caribbean Music and its influences on modern music. The project culminates in a showcase event consisting of workshops for the general public and performances of the works that the young people have created and/or developed.  2010 is the Year of Health and Wellbeing in the Liverpool City Region and is a great opportunity for everyone to join together and make positive changes to their health and the way they feel about themselves. With this in mind Africa Oyé, working with Liverpool NHS Primary Care Trust, is introducing the Health, Learning and Participation Zone to this years' festival. The zone will feature • African and Caribbean Dance Workshops by Movema • Drumming and Percussion Workshops with River Niger Arts • Performances by drum troupé Beatlife • Womad’s legendary Chai Chapel • Capoeira Brazilian Martial Arts performances and workshops • CALMzone • Holistic therapies • Massages • Information about health and well being • A mobile climbing wall • These additions for the 2010 festival see Africa Oyé continue to grow and will take place in a designated area on the festival site with its own PA system, marquees, performance area, platforms and risers for public viewing and participation. The festival brings something to each of the five ways we know contribute to wellbeing. It connects people in celebrating with each other and international visitors to our city. It lets us be active by dancing and take notice of the music and our fantastic park. There's the chance to learn how to make music and dance and to give something back either as a performer or an appreciative audience. I hope many will join us in enjoying this fantastic celebration and feel good for it!" Building small actions into your daily life can make you feel good, and feeling good is an important part of being healthy. There are five ways to wellbeing that are proven to make a real difference to your life so throughout 2010 we will be asking you to build these into your daily routine.
Evidence shows that building these actions into your daily life can add 7.5 years to your life! To find out more visit: www.2010healthandwellbeing.org.uk |
