Berlin, Germany – This year’s WOMEX FOCUS will focus on the world music activities in the lowland area between Brussels and Amsterdam. Be prepared for a wide range and mix of global music styles and languages. The famous TOWER of BABEL, painted by the older Bruegel (check it out in Rotterdam), stands for the well organized Babylon you should prepare yourself for.
BENELUX nowadays boasts with an impressive cultural diversity and heavy influences from immigrants from former colonies between Surinam in South America, the Dutch Antilles to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia in the Far East, new immigrants from North Africa, Cape Verde and the Mediterranean countries as well as refugees from all over the world. A hotbed set-up to create new interpretations from these rich roots and the sounds of the city.
WOMEX will give you an insight and the chance to check why the place is so attractive for Americans like Putumayo or Knitting Factory to establish their European headquarters on location.The Worldwide Music Expo WOMEX is a great networking point exclusively dedicated to world, roots, folk, ethnic, traditional and local music of all kinds.
After its debut in Berlin (1994) and editions in Brussels (1995), Marseilles (1997), Stockholm (1998), WOMEX returned to Berlin (1999 and 2000) to celebrate 100 years of World Music in the capital of many cultures in the heart of Europe.
In 2001 the show continues traveling across Europe, this time to The Netherlands, hosted by the Dunya Foundation . Address: WOMEX c/o Piranha Kultur, Carmerstr.11, 10623 Berlin, Germany. Phone: +49 (30) 318 614 0, Fax +49 (30) 318 614 10. E-mail: womex@womex.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
