Darek MazzoneBio: Darek Mazzone has been a Producer/DJ for the last 20 years, starting in Boston, MA at a production company called Interlock Media Associates. Darek produced films about the struggles of indigenous tribes to protect their land and way of life from encroaching modernization and exploitation. Films such as “Rainforests Proving their Worth” and ” The First Link” gave Darek a deep understanding of the importance of cultural exchange. In 1992 Darek moved his operations to Seattle, WA, where he began working in a wide range of media projects. He focused his attention for the next four years on the advertising industry and gained experience in the technical equipment and skills that the high budgets of ads could afford. While working in advertising, Darek produced and directed work for a wide range of international clients in all forms of media. In 2000 he produced ten films for Seattle’s Experience Music Project that were met with wide acclaim and continue to be a showpiece of the 300 million-dollar facility. Darek also created music+film programming for the Paris based world music broadband channel Mondomix, where he found himself producing films in France and South Africa. Darek eventually returned to music Producing and Hosting the highly regarded World Radio Music Program, “Wo Pop.” For the past 19 years, “Wo Pop” has been the driving force toward engaging audiences through modern global music and currently aires every Tuesday night on 90.3 KEXP and online at KEXP.org. In 2006, Darek started the non-profit event company, Juice. Raising over $90K in 3 years, Juice hosts quarterly events where diverse groups of people come together for the love of global music and simultaneously raise money for charities committed to international outreach and support. Darek continues to DJ around the world, playing at various clubs in the US and Europe, playing with such artists as Santana, Pearl Jam, REM, Ozomatli, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Paul Oakenfold, Roots, Dengue Fever, and numerous others. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife Amy and two children. |
The Mongolian folk music band out of Beijing, Hanggai, recently headlined a show at Chicago’s Millennium Park and are set to play at the Fuji Rock festival July 29 (Niigata, Japan) with big names like Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Chemical Brothers, Beach House and a slew of others. Like recent pop bands taking up banjos and reaching back to their folk roots, Hanggai is a modern take on Mongolian folk music. The bands most recent album, He Who Travels Far (the second album available on the West Coast) was co-produced by Ken Stringfellow, formerly of The Posies and who later formed the band Big Star. With the Pacific Northwest catapulting folk inspired bands as Head and the Heart (who recently graced the cover of Billboard Magazine) and the Fleet Foxes, it would be a shame to not take heed on what Hanggai is dishing out. Their sound is shaped by Western influences such as Pink Floyd and Radiohead, but their sound is all their own. With a voice you can feel pulsating in your chest and traditional garb that coincides with the epic sounds of their music; the band introduces audiences to a new flavor of folk inspired music. Make sure to check out their stuff here .
 It’s been a busy June so far. At the beginning of the month, I played at the MUTEK electronic music festival in Montreal with my dear friends Deadbeat and Pezzner. MUTEK was a revelation as was Montreal. The festival showcased new audio and video work by Amon Tobin, Palstikman, as well as Chan Chan Circuito out of Buenoa Aires. The synthesis of sound and image was perfect and we were all inspired to create more. Next week, in Barcelona, is SONAR, an International Festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art that promises to be stellar this year. On Saturday, June 19, I’m playing with Deadbeat again at the Pulitzer Hotel. The line up for the festival includes M.I.A., Aphex Twin, Buraka Som Sistema, Die Antwoord, Steve Reich and… the freaking Human League! Barcelona will be awash in new wave glory. Also, I’m planning to do one hour of my show Wo’ Pop from the festival. If you’d like to learn more about SONAR, check out their website here.
Mo’Glo is here! And this Friday, Mo’Glo will be hosting a live party in Brooklyn, at Rose Live Music in Williamsburg. What is Mo’Glo? It’s hottest radio program in NYC, featuring modern global beats from around the world. It’s the music that kids are making outside the studios, mixing what their parents listen to withRead more…
Review and phoot by Rebecca Campeau French/Israeli folksy/pop singer Keren Ann played, most appropriately, the Triple Door on Tuesday, June 12, bringing at least this attendee to tears and not because she was terrible. No, quite the opposite: this singer, compared to a lighter Norah Jones, but live reminded me more of Mazzy Star orRead more…
Photos & review by Catherine Roth: “We were formed,” announced lead vocalist Reuben M. Koroma of Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars with a contemplative pause, “in a refugee camp.” The nine-piece band then launched into their famous title track song, “Living Like a Refugee,” which lyrically is cold and dark. Yet the All Stars keepRead more… |
