Real World

Portico Quartet will be playing at the Deloitte Ignite 09 Festival on Saturday 5th September. This is a three day festival of art at the Royal Opera House, curated by Time Out.

Portico Quartet have long been favourites of Time Out and have been described as an indie band meets post-jazz.

They will be appearing alongside Chipmunk, seen as one of the grime scene's best MCs. Also appearing will be Wiley, known as the Godfather of grime and rising talent Emeli Sandé.

This will be a fantastic evening of music.

The venue is Paul Hamlyn Hall

8pm -12 midnight on Saturday 5 September | £20, £15 concessions.

Charlie Winston will be playing the Peace One Day concert in Paris on Saturday September the 21st. This is the 10th anniversary of the Peace One Day concerts and this year the line-up features Kasabian, Ayo, Olivia Ruiz, Keziah Jones and Lenny Kravitz as well as of course, Charlie Winston.

The venue this year is the Grand Rex in Paris.

Until now David's been more than content to be the supporting artist in the shadows, a few paces back from the main attraction. As well as his lengthy tenure on the shoulder of Peter Gabriel, David's also been an in-demand session player, his fluid guitar lines adorning the records of Tim Finn, Talk Talk, Paul McCartney, T-Bone Burnett and even Roy Orbison. Then there's the sizeable soundtrack work he undertakes with musical partner Richard Evans, much of it for documentaries on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. But Bittersweet is the turning of a crisp new page, a fresh chapter whose plot has yet to be written.

Catch up with a couple of appearances by Charlie Winston in London.

Sunday 16th August marked the 12th anniversary of the death of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, also known as Shahen-Shah-e-Qawwali which translates as 'The Brightest Star in Qawwali'.

Qawwali music is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia with a tradition which stretches back for hundreds of years. It is a primarily vocal music with eight or nine singers accompanied by one or two harmoniums and percussion. The best Qawwali draws and holds the audience's attention, altering the listener's state of consciousness to make it intensely receptive of the content.

Nusrat was responsible for bringing Qawwali music from Pakistan to the Western world and this was largely due to his collaborations with many Western artists. He collaborated with Peter Gabriel for the album 'Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ a film by Martin Scorsese'. Nusrat also sang with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam on the film soundtrack to 'Dead Man Walking' exposing his unique voice to a global audience.

Nusrat has one of the largest recorded outputs of any artist with over 125 albums to his name. His collaborations on Real World Records with Michael Brook are regarded as modern classics - 1990's 'Mustt Mustt' and 'Night Song' from 1996.

The late singer Jeff Buckley was a huge fan and referred to Nusrat as "My Elvis".

Nusrat's voice and music continue to enrapture and entertain audiences worldwide and his legacy lives on, inspiring artists from all different creative backgrounds.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - October 13, 1948 - August 16, 1997.

Yet, as I pulled-up through the leafy woods of Charlton Park, my anxieties evaporated. Flags fluttered in the bucolic camping vale. The toilets were spotless. For every old hippy there was a pack of horny, drunk teenagers. For every tie-dyed jacket there was a pair of skinny jeans. It was how Michael Jackson imagined Utopia - the cool and uncool, old and young, black and white dancing in harmony.

For a limited period the WOMADSHOP are giving away a copy of 'A Return to Addis' EP, Dub Colossus EP and 'A Town Called Addis' CD with the purchase of a Dub Colossus T Shirt. The T shirt which is 100% cotton is available in Small, Medium and Large.

Charlie Winston's appearance at the ITunes Live London Festival 09 is now available to purchase from the ITunes store at a special price. This offer is available in the UK, USA and other selected ITunes stores worldwide.

For Charlie's fans in France, this release will be coming soon to ITunes France!

Click the link below to buy:

Dub Colossus will be making their debut at this years' Edinburgh Festival with a residency as A Town Called Addis at the World @ St George's West between 6th and 26th August.

This extraordinary event will transport you to the music halls and smoky night clubs of Addis Ababa, their show will incorporate a wide range of musical styles from Azmari (traditional Ethiopian) songs, Ethiojazz, 70's reggae to Afropop.

The group played sold out shows at the Barbican last year and at the Glastonbury festival, more recently they have played successful gigs at Roskilde and WOMAD.

To buy tickets for the concerts please follow the link below.

Also click below to go to the artists page on Real World Records and also to the Dub Colossus myspace site.

'Sounds of Music' - a book of photography by Frank Drake was released on July 17th and WOMADSHOP are selling the title both in paperback and hardback editions. The first 200 hardbacks are signed and numbered by Frank Drake himself.

To accompany the book, a compilation entitled 'Sounds Of Music: A musical companion to Frank Drake's Sounds of Music' has also been released. This compilation features songs recorded by artists featured in the book and includes S.E Rogie, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Geoffrey Oryema and Little Axe.

The compilation is included when you buy the hardback book on CD. The paperback comes with instructions to download the compilation of artists featured in the book at a special price.

However for a limited time, paperback copies will include a copy of the compilation on CD, so hurry while stocks last!

Also available are exclusive sets of cards of photographs.

Frank Drake has been working as a professional photographer for most of his life and was the official photographer at WOMAD festivals from its early years. This remarkable book includes images of and quotes from many legendary figures who have had a huge impact on western music.

The images range from live pictures and album covers to more formal portraits and spontaneous backstage shots capturing the vibrancy and energy of the festivals. But mostly it is about the musicians themselves, the quotes accompanying the photographs help to develop the sense of the greater role that music plays in our society and effects it can have on both musician and listener.

In the Foreword to the book Peter Gabriel suggests that: 'Music is a universal language and is one of the most effective tools in the fight against racism'.

Please follow the links below to the WOMADSHOP to buy the book!