SOWETO SOUL

Smashing concert with remarkable musicians from the South African townships. Featuring guests Pablo van de Poel, Broken Brass Ensemble and DJ Blue Flamingo. Prior to the concert at 7:30 PM the documentary Soweto Soul will be shown.

Soweto Soul pays tribute to the musical soul of the South African townships. Producer/guitarist Joep Pelt will bring a wide variety of South African musicians to the Bimhuis. Styles such as pennywhistle jive, hip-hop, mbaqanga and kwaito will blend together in a smashing performance, featuring well-known guests such as DeWolff-guitarist Pablo van de Poel and the Broken Brass Ensemble. DJ Blue Flamingo will be spinning beautiful African 78 RPM records.

Joep Pelt is a true ‘guitar globetrotter’, who had his musical education on the muddy banks of the Mississippi and Niger rivers by artists such as R.L. Burnside and Ali Farka Touré. He regularly travels over the world for new projects. The idea of Soweto Soul was born when Joep visited South Africa in 2010 to make a radio documentary, where he discovered that many older musicians who he considered to be legendary were virtually forgotten and unemployed, while younger artists were searching for a new identity in the midst of an Americanized pop music culture.

Joep brought musicians together who would virtually never came in touch with each other, such as rapper Zulu Boy, Pennywhistle legend Lemmy Special, Hammond organist Black Moses Ngwenya of the Mbaqanga group Soul Brothers, Shangaan singer Penny Penny and hip-hop sensation Gigi Lamayne. The result is the album Soweto Soul: a new sound built on South Africa’s rich musical foundations. The creative process was followed by filmmakers Bart Verhoeven and Jesse Bom and rendered into a full length documentary. Both the album and the documentary will be presented at the Bimhuis.

The Bimhuis restaurant is open prior to the concert from 6.30 till 8.30PM (reservations via 020-7882158). After the concert, the Bimhuis Café is open (free entrance).