Yesterday, I journeyed to Dun Laoghaire, in South County Dublin for the Festival of World Culture, where I caught multi-cultural British rockers Fun-Da-Mental on stage with The Mighty Zulu Nation from Durban. This wasn't some kind of earnest load of string-twanging - these was sheer, anger and passion - rock'n'roll global style.
I'd lost track Fun-Da-Mental years ago, after I'd marvelled at their partnership with Pop Will Eat Itself for Ich Bein Ein Auslander. I didn't realise they were so hardcore live - they describe themselves as punk rock - imagine the prodigy with a African tribal choir and middle-eastern elements, mixed up with samplers and DJ's scratching records.
The band was formed back in 1991 by the director of Nation Records Director Aki Nawaz - he wanted a musical platform to address injustice towards Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities in Great Britain. Originally from Pakistan, Nawaz - grew up in Northern England - Bradford, actually during the punk era. This comes out in the music. It is, dare I say it, a fusion of musical styles from different cultures - western punk, hip-hop, Zulu voices, tablas, dhols, harmoniums, and break-beats from an Indo-Pakistani source.
They don't disappoint - it's long long bloody time since I've seen such honest, raw passion flowing from a live stage - never mind in broad daylight outdoors.
Dance Your Ass Off...
daev
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Fun-Da-Mental at the Festival of World Cultures
Comments (3)
Thanks Dave for your shots and warm words. It was a great pleasure to share our find of MZN with you and the thousands of others that were present on Sunday. At times I have to slap myself hard to make sure I'm not living in a dream capsule whenever we take the stage with the Zulu's.
Hope to return in the future.
All the beats
Dave Watts
Posted by The Guan-ton-of-a-Mess Boiler Suit Man | August 30, 2005 10:31 AM
Posted on August 30, 2005 10:31
Nice one Dave- we enjoyed it as much as you did hopefully will be back soon
Posted by Aki Nawaz | August 30, 2005 3:06 PM
Posted on August 30, 2005 15:06
damn, niyayishaya bafana...thatha South Africa thatha.. ya pips can dance, I hvnt seen the vidio but u can tell frm the images ukuthi niyashisa..
Posted by ZAMA N NTULI | March 9, 2007 1:36 PM
Posted on March 9, 2007 13:36