SXSWORLD

African Musicians at SXSW Reflect Continent's Diverse Musical Styles By Allen Thayer hosted African musicians before, this year's group made quite an impression, while challenging the idea of what constitutes "African music." S XSW Music has attracted domestic and European musicians for more than a decade, but 2010 witnessed the arrival of a dynamic group all hailing, at least origi- nally, from the continent of Africa. Though SXSW has Categorizing these up-and-coming artists by their continent of origin is about as explanatory as referring to Shakira as "World Music." The equalizing force of the Internet has broadened the definition of "African music" so that African-sounding music can emerge from Brooklyn with Vampire Weekend, while the jazz, hip- hop and electronica musician Oy, who was born in Ghana but raised in Switzerland, can honestly state that, "I don't really consider myself an African musician." The spectrum of talent originating from Africa at this year's festival certainly reflected this broad definition. One of the artists who made a big splash at SXSW was Nneka. Raised in Nigeria until she was 19, Nneka Egbuna moved to Hamburg, Germany, to go to university. She ended up graduating but along the way, she managed to become a rising R&B star as well. In Hamburg, she teamed up with producer and DJ Farhot, who has provided the music for all of her official releases to date. Like Lauren Hill, whose work with The Fugees was reportedly the first Western music the young Nigerian digested, Nneka's music mixes soul, hip-hop and heartfelt storytelling that transcends simple categorization. To call her music "African" is no more accurate than calling it "German," as all of her releases have been conceived and recorded there. Reflecting on the differences between living in Nigeria and Germany, Nneka told The Telegraph that, "the fact that they see me as somebody in Germany I found very shocking. Back home in Nigeria it's: 'OK, you sing. Anybody can sing. So what?'" Nneka has had a fantastic year so far, with her third full-length album, Concrete Jungle, released domestically. She also collaborated on a mix-tape with renowned hip-hop DJ J. Period Nneka Overtone and undertook a U.S. tour, which included several buzz-worthy shows at SXSW. Still, although she has a rabid following in Europe and a growing one in the U.S., she said in the aforementioned interview that, "My heart's desire is to be recognized in Nigeria. I don't want to be a big star. I just want to get my message across." Wouter Kellerman, South Africa's foremost flautist, brought his unique brand of crossover pop-jazz to Austin. Unlike many smaller domestic groups playing SXSW for the first time, Kellerman is used to playing larger theater-size venues, both at home and on frequent European tours. This forced him to adapt his show for the smaller venues he played at SXSW, giving audiences a rare chance to see him in such intimate settings. Kellerman is clearly forging his own path with an eclectic style that mixes African, Celtic, Jazz and Latin elements, yet when asked if he feels a connection with the tradition of African musical superstars such as Fela Kuti and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, he replied, "there is something in that music that speaks to the soul, circumventing the conscious mind, and for me that is the essence of music – I try to reach those heights with my own music." Since Overtone's breakout as featured performers on the soundtrack to the Oscar-nominated film Invictus, the seven- piece group has been touring its distinctive style of a cappella pop to international audiences, including a West Coast tour with Corinne Bailey Rae after SXSW. In an email sent collec- tively, the group said that it sees itself as, "a local band playing in the pub of the global village." Coming from such a cultur- ally diverse country as South Africa where there are 11 official languages spoken, the members of Overtone feel influenced by multiple cultures on a daily basis: "this [influence] develops our mindset to not only use local music, but incorporate the full worldwide music spectrum." n 40 SXSW ORLD / M AY -J UNE 2010 JAY CONLON SANTIAGO FORERO

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