BATUCADA SOUND MACHINE (New Zealand)
Loosely translated, ‘batucada’ means percussive samba jam, which aptly summarises Batucada Sound Machine’s musical roots. BSM began in 2003 when five passionate drummers met once a month in a dimly lit Auckland nightclub to experiment fusing batucada with local Kiwi beats and influences. Before long, a talented collection of diverse musicians had joined in and the band had grown to 13 members. The one overriding thing that united them was a deep passion for music. It still is.

Over the years BSM has continued to evolve with various expansions and contractions of members. Their tasty concoction of Brazilian, Cuban and Afro-beat rhythms was given a hip-hop flavour in 2006 courtesy of MC Hazaduz, (of Che-Fu and the Krates fame) whose solid rhymes over the massive samba-reggae percussion add to the band's rich Pacific soul, reggae and funk flavours!

Having developed a solid reputation for delivering blistering live performances, fusing fine musicianship and collective impulsiveness, the group’s soulful vocals and super-tight horn section are layered into the Latin-infused rhythms and wall-of-sound percussion, creating an intensity that has left crowds throughout NZ, Australia and the UK begging for more. The rising popularity and festive nature of BSM has also resulted in the band making the bill at numerous well-respected events, alongside global heavyweights such as Damien Marley, Michael Franti and The Cat Empire.

After years of dutifully perfecting their live performances, plus the successful release of their 2005 EP ‘Live at The Bowl of Brooklands’. the time was finally right to record their debut studio album. After meeting British producer Neil Sparkes (Transglobal Underground/Temple of Sound) at WOMAD UK, an immediate friendship was struck and arrangements were put in place for Neil to come out to NZ to produce the album. All came to fruition, and Rhythm & Rhyme was conceived. With a guest appearance by Che-Fu, the album swings from pure dance-floor afro-beat to funk, hip-hop, and deep samba-reggae, combining  the best vibes from both Brazil and Aotearoa.

BOB BROZMAN (USA)
A remarkably prolific artist, Bob Brozman combines wit, energy, and musical technique to create a powerful and unforgettable live performance. A master of slide, fingerstyle and percussive guitar styles, Bob's exhilarating show spans the entire spectrum of global genres.

Brozman's familiarity with diverse world music cultures produces a novel blending of rhythmic and melodic influences. His dexterity incorporates elements of blues, jazz, Gypsy swing, calypso, sega, ska and modern hip-hop beats, with chords and harmonies that articulate an acute blend of timbres from Hawaiian, Indian, African, Japanese, Caribbean, and American roots. His fingerwork has been variously described as unique, staggering, and full of humour, and his collection of hand-tricks make audiences look for electronic effects that in fact don't exist, as his performance is the clean product of acoustic genius.

Born in New York in 1954, Bob has been a guitarist since age 6 and discovered National guitars at age 13. In their unique sound, the young Bob found his musical calling. He studied music and ethnomusicology at Washington University with an emphasis on the earliest roots of Delta blues. He’s also become a respected authority on historical Hawaiian music, publishing articles and amassing a large collection of vintage 78rpm records, from which he has produced several re-issue albums that document Hawaiian recordings from 1915 to 1935. His lifelong study of the global migration of musical styles ensures his respect for each of the cultures in his repertoire.

Bob's passion for National guitars led him to build a large collection of these fascinating art-deco era instruments, and after becoming friends with the National’s inventor John Dopyera, Bob’s research led to his definitive ’93 book “The History and Artistry of National Resonator Instruments”.

Since his first solo album in 1981, Bob's recordings have grown to over 30 titles.  Recent projects have made him a pivotal player in the international world music scene. His 2005 release Songs of the Volcano documented Bob's recent journeys to Papua New Guinea, where he recorded with five traditional string bands. Other notable projects include his ’03 album Mahima with Indian guitar master Debashish Bhattacharya; ‘02s DigDig with Reunion Islands’ René Lacaille; Jin Jin with Okinawa’s Takashi Hirayasu; Ocean Blues with Guinean Djeli Moussa Diawara; and Rolling Through This World with Australia’s own guitar king Jeff Lang. His most recent release Lumiere proves Bob's virtuosity in both blues and world music genres.

In addition to his superhuman touring schedule, Bob is an adjunct Professor at Macquarie University in Sydney, where he periodically lectures in ethnomusicology. He’s also creating a foundation to help third-world musicians obtain the musical basics that western musicians take for granted, such as playable instruments, strings and basic recording equipment.

MARY MACMASTER & DONALD HAY (Scotland)
Mary Macmaster is one of the world's leading exponents and innovators on metal strung clarsach and Camac electric harp. Donald Hay is known throughout the traditional music world for his imaginative percussion. Together they create a mesmerising and magical music that combines acoustic tradition with contemporary technology.

Through her work in the ‘80s & ‘90s with traditional folks groups such as the harp duo Sileas, the Poozies, Clan Alba and Shine, Mary’s sparkling playing and emotive singing have been an integral part of the development of Scottish music. As a drummer/percussionist with an exceptional ability to play with power, empathy, delicacy and drama, Donald is an in-demand band member and session player who has worked with the likes of folk superstars Eliza Carthy, Jerry Douglas and Kate Rusby.

Performing in duo mode, Mary and Donald source songs and tunes from ancient Scotland to modern Europe, creating beautiful soundscapes that utilise percussion, samples, voice and different aspects of the electro and metal-strung harps. With a deep and complex love for the tradition, as well as an innate knowledge of contemporary music, their extraordinary combination revitalises the old and enhances the new. So far, in their short life as a duo they’ve recorded for the BBC’s “Late Junction” program, toured the Czech Republic and played at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival and France’s Lorient Festival Interceltique. Their debut CD will be ready for release in late 2008.

“Donald's sensitive drumming was always an illuminating compliment to Mary's harp, bringing out different nuances in either electro or wire harp… Here was a brand new, innovative musical landscape…”Edinburgh International Harp Festival 2007

PACIFIC CURLS (New Zealand)
From Aotearoa this tour de force trio have travelled the globe, wowing audiences from Australia to Holland, Germany to Scotland, Ireland to Italy. Bringing together Pacific roots and Celtic soul, Pacific Curls are multi-instrumentalists Kim Halliday and Ora Barlow, along with the extraordinarily talented Scottish fiddle player, Sarah Beattie.

Formed in 2004, the Curls have recorded three albums, including a collaborative album with Planet Woman - a 5-piece fusion band of Pacific and Celtic musicians. With consummate musicianship their impressive use of over fourteen instruments includes Taonga Puoro (traditional Maori instruments) - Nguru, Koauau and Putorino – along with ukuleles, stomp pedals, guitars, fiddle, cajons, djembe and truly awesome vocals. In recent times, The Curls have introduced the use of loop pedals because there are only so many hands and lips that a musician can call upon!

Kim Halliday (Rotuma Island, NZ Scottish) has studied and performed with some of the world’s finest musicians, including guitar greats such as Robert Fripp and Nigel Gavin. She has emerged with a style of guitar playing and musicianship truly her own. Ora Barlow (Te Whanau-a-Apanui, Aotearoa/NZ) is an exciting musician, singer and songwriter who has toured extensively in Europe, Australia and New Caledonia. She’s been involved with many musical and film projects, including Manuhiri, Tim Finn and the Dalai Lama Dedication album. Sarah Beattie (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) started playing the fiddle at the age of six. She has performed with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Glasgow, as well as string quartets, a regular gigging ceilidh band The Jiggers, and toured Australia with the Brave Hearts of Scotland show.

“extraordinary and uplifting…it’s worth a trip to New Zealand just to hear them.” Wombat Music, Australia

TÉTÉ (France)
One of France’s fastest rising stars, Tété Niang was born in Dakar, Senegal in 1975 to a Senegalese father and a mother from the Caribbean French-Antilles. When he was three, the family moved to the northeastern French village of Saint-Dizier, where he grew up and his mother was the village doctor. Thinking back, Tété says that he remembers suffering no racism. “I was the doctor's son, not a black man,” he says. At the age of 18 he broke his leg and his mother gave him a guitar to help him through the weeks of inactivity. He began to play and sing in bars and cafes in Nancy and Strasbourg, then moved to Paris in 1998 where Sony/Epic signed him in 2000.

Tété sings in French and his songs are about universal subjects such as love, modesty, ego, and solitude. He cites such influences as the Delta blues, Lenny Kravitz, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan, and has been called the “French Jeff Buckley.” With his wry sense of irony he once has described himself to a French journalist as “…a charming black troubadour, a very smart young man, a manufacturer of pop-folk-bluesy songs with intellectual pretensions.”

Tété’s debut album A La Faveur De L'Automne has sold over 100,000 copies – and has been certified gold in France. Proving to himself “…that it's possible to be a black musician without playing reggae, rap or African music”, Tété performs in public about 100 times a year - sometimes alone with his guitar, sometimes with his small band. “As an African in the Occident, I live between two cultures,” he says. “Like many children of immigrants, I don't really exist anywhere. My real identity is in the music that I make.”

VINOD PRASANNA (India)
From the holy city of Varanasi (Benares), Vinod Prasanna is one of India's leading flute players from the younger generation. Hailing from the famous Prasanna family, renowned for nurturing flute and shenai playing for more than two and a half centuries, Vinod has inherited and developed technical brilliance and emotional sensitivity that delivers a passionate and powerful style of playing.

Vinod's late grandfather, Pandit Vishnu Prasanna, introduced him to the art of the flute (bansuri). In more recent years, Vinod's uncle and acclaimed musician Pandit Rajendra Prasanna has taught and inspired his playing. Although Vinod specialises as a solo artist, he is equally proficient at duo and fusion combinations, intertwining classical Indian music styles with jazz, folk, Arabic and other world music forms.

Besides playing and teaching in Varanasi, Vinod has performed throughout India including Delhi, Himachal, Mirjapur and Bihar. He has appeared in many religious programs, including Bhagavad Gita recitals and Sri Hare Krishna Mission ceremonies. Vinod has also performed throughout Nepal, France and Japan, and in 2006 he won 1st prize at the Sahara All-India Flute Competition.

For his Global Carnival performances, Vinod will be joined on tabla by Glen Kniebeiss who is currently teaching and performing tabla in Melbourne. He performs solo tabla lehera and plays regularly with Chris Sprague, Ria Soemardjo and Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, as well as high level artists on tour from India such as Pandit Debiprasad Chatterjee. In 2003/2004 Glen was awarded funding from the Australia Council for the Arts and the Ian Potter Cultural trust to undertake further tabla studies in India with Ustad Anthony Dass

Vinod's style takes the listener on a musical and spiritual journey, and on listening to his emotive ragas audiences are often deeply moved by both his authenticity and the stirring beauty of his music.

ARREBATO ENSEMBLE
Led by flamenco guitarist Greg Alfonzetti, the Sydney-based Arrebato Ensemble is a diverse group of talented musicians who have developed an original music, with contemporary flamenco as the compositional and rhythmic driving force. “Arrebato” is a Spanish word meaning a sudden and intensive burst of emotion, a feeling of fury or ecstasy – and it’s an apt description of the ensemble’s unique style. Their collaboration creates a passionate synthesis, with an intensely international flavour that appeals to many audiences - from flamenco aficionados to jazz and world music fans.

Alfonzetti began playing at an early young age and for over 20 years has been dedicated to flamenco guitar. He studied extensively in Spain and has worked at all levels of flamenco performance, from solo work to theatre and dance accompaniment, including appearing with many internationally acclaimed flamenco artists. He eventually became interested in composing and taking flamenco outside of its traditional applications, believing that like all great musical genres, flamenco had an extraordinary capacity to evolve and touch people from a multitude of cultural and musical backgrounds. This ultimately led to the establishment of Arrebato Ensemble.

With considerable musical virtuosity amongst their ranks, Alfonzetti is joined by Damian de Boos-Smith (cello/guitar/mandolin), Dave Ellis (double bass), Lloyd Gyi (percussion) and Andrew Poniris (saxophones and harmonica). The group’s self-titled debut CD has received significant critical acclaim.

“No matter how far Sydney flamenco guitarist Greg Alfonzetti moves from pure flamenco in favour of a contemporary style, the sprit, a dramatic, sexually charged and haughty sadness remains intact.” - Sydney Morning Herald

ARTE KANELA
Melbourne’s Arte Kanela would have to be considered the most innovative and inspired flamenco music and dance ensemble in Australia. Under the musical direction of guitarist Richard Tedesco, the group’s powerful stage performances feature the fiery flamenco dance mastery of his agile brother Johnny.

Accompanied by female dancer, Chantelle Cano and Manuel Varela, the Tedesco brothers present a dramatic sojourn into the traditional world of flamenco, a triumphant rhythmic execution of duende (soul) – the expressive, emotional heart of Flamenco.

As well as their regular appearances at the well-known Kanela Tapas Bar and Restaurant in Fitzroy, Arte Kanela have performed nationally at venues as diverse as the Victorian Arts Centre, Brisbane’s Powerhouse, the South Australian Arts Centre, Sydney’s Seymour Centre, and the Port Fairy festival. In addition to their traditional work, Arte Kanela have collaborated with classical musicians, jazz artists, electric groove rockers, and conceptual soundscape artists. They released their inaugural self-titled CD in 2002.

Global Carnival regulars (with good memories) will recall Johnny Tedesco’s incendiary appearances at the very first event back in 1995, when he performed as a featured dancer with Diana Reyes’ excellent troupe.

“Naturalness is one of Arte Kanela’s assets. (They) displayed the easy mastery of those who have been playing all their lives, and who have music in their bones. - Melbourne Times

“Johnny Tedesco stole the show with his proud and playfully virtuosic solos. One piece was an extended demonstration of technical bravura where his phenomenally fast heeltaps blurred and became a tremble that vibrated through his body. On other occasions, his swift turns and almost violent footwork became visual metaphors for the ardent guitar flourishes from his brother Richard.” - The Age

Clazzmenco
Clazzmenco is a newly established Bellingen based guitar duo featuring two HSC students, Dudi Shaul and Jackson Simon. Both are highly accomplished young musicians who strive to incorporate a wide variety of musical styles in their performing repertoire. Having created music together since mid 2007 and taken the stage on a regular basis, they have recently explored the rhythmic sounds of the Darabouka, (middle-eastern drum), the stomp box and the body of their guitars expressing a diverse range of tone colours in their performance.

Inspired by Middle Eastern cultures, as well as contemporary Australian artists, the Clazzmenco duo offer a unique and intriguing performance, exploring an array of avant-garde sounds and techniques that reflect the growing musical vibe of Bellingen. Their music is arranged through the wonder of improvisation, including a combination of original and adapted classical pieces, showcasing their various influences and styles

CROOKED FIDDLE BAND
The Crooked Fiddle Band are a young, high-octane quartet from Sydney, who rally around the whirlwind violin of Jess Randall to brew up a steaming cauldron of original and trad-inspired world music. Supporting Jess’ wild and and wicked violin is a rapid-fire rhythm section comprising Gordon Wallace (guitar/bouzouki/mandolin), Mark Stevens (double bass/charango) and Joe Gould (percussion/drums).

From furious Romanian melodies, bluegrass swamp-stompers and punked-up Celtic reels to tragic gypsy airs and Appalachian laments, the band’s energetic performances delight a truly diverse audience. Hard-core folkies, earth-children, inner-city punks and teeny-boppers are all drawn in by the band’s swinging groove and mosh-pit intensity.

Favourites on Triple J, Radio National and FBI Radio, The Crooked Fiddle Band
released their self-titled debut EP in 2006. Described by one reviewer as “...a kamikaze gypsy wagon hurtling earthward through the stratosphere in flames towards your lounge room”, they’verapidly becoming the latest darlings of the Oz festival circuit. The band has already proven to be a hit at Woodford, Peat’s Ridge, Tamworth Country Music Festival and the Illawarra Folk Festival, and their packed-out Sydney gigs have included lively performances at The Vanguard, The Basement, Gaelic Club and The Factory.

Attendees at last year’s Global Carnival ’07 will remember Jess Randall’s astonishing contribution to the vibrant nu-gypsy band Lolo Lovina.

“See, anyone who can include ‘roots’ AND ‘metal’ in their genre... I'm intrigued. This is great gypsy klezmer with a lot of energy and spice.”   - Zan Rowe, Triple J

DEREB DESALEGN’S LION OF JUDAH
Born in a mud hut in Northern Ethiopia, Dereb Desalegn comes from a family of musicians - his father played the accordion and his mother and sisters were renowned singers and dancers. Dereb's destiny was sealed when as a four year old he first performed publicly with his family. His vocal talent was immediately evident, and with his parent acting as mentors he went from strength to strength. Adding the traditional one-string masenko or spike-fiddle to his repertoire at the age of ten, by the time he was sixteen he was drawing crowds in the bars of Addis Ababa, both as a solo artist and with other Ethiopian musicians.

In 1998 he migrated to Australia and has been introducing his music and culture to people here ever since. Singing traditional songs in Amharic and accompanying himself on the masenko, Dereb plays new wave Azmari, the acoustic indie rock of his homeland. This style of music developed when the Azmaris, the wandering minstrels of rural Ethiopia, began frequenting the drinking holes of the capital city. Through them, the musical heritage of the country’s 70 ethnic groups collided with soul, blues, reggae, satellite TV and Bollywood.

Dereb’s first solo CD, Korkoro Yalew was recorded in Ethiopia in 2003, and included the song ‘Wollo’,which hit the top of the charts in Addis Ababa. In 2006 he teamed up with Melbourne multi-instrumentalist Nicky Bomba to create Drums and Lions, an album rich in East African influences. Hailed as one of the very best Australian World music albums of that year, it combined Nicky’s seamless production and instrumentation with Dereb’s moving vocals and virtuosic playing. The duo performed at Womad festivals in UK and New Zealand, as well as joining Joe Camilleri’s Limestone project at Womadelaide ’06. Dereb has also toured nationally with Nicky’s band Bomba.

In early 2008 Dereb formed an exciting new band of his own in Sydney. The Lion of Judah are Rory Brown on bass, Sean MacKenzie on keyboards, saxophonist Peter Farrar, guitar legend Jon Pease and exciting young drummer Lisa Purmodh. A guaranteed roots-rockin’ experience, Ethiopian-style.

INGA LILJESTROM
Raised in Bellingen, singer/songwriter Inga Liljestrom’s ethereal voice has graced recordings by Aussie bands Gerling (on their hit single ‘Dust Me Selecta’), D.I.G. (Directions In Groove’s Curveystrasse album), and DJ/producer Friendly. Her own compositions beautifully merge her amazing vocals with evocative lyrics, a talent for programming, plus an unexplainable otherworldly quality.

Inga studied jazz improvisation at University and has worked extensively as both a vocalist and a composer for Australian feature films, radio and SBS television documentaries. The Australia Council for the Arts has awarded her two grants to produce original recordings.

Her first solo album Urchin was independently released in 1998 and features a collage of corroded beats, rich strings and sung poetry, with overtones of Bjork and Portishead. Inga’s 2003 landmark release Elk artistically drew on her Scandinavian roots, embracing the expansive beauty and freshness of icy audio landscapes, juxtaposed with the smouldering warmth of her remarkable vocals. Elk spawned a number of adventurous remixes and won deserved praise from many quarters, with Radio National’s Tim Ritchie calling it “21st Century film-noir for the ears…a world-class piece of work that lives at the edge.”

Her latest album, 2006’s Quiet Music For Quiet People, is a collection of improvised songs where sounds such as the shuffling of paper, creaking floorboards and people coughing were as important as the notes themselves.
Recorded live to tape, Inga created a stripped-back style of music that had lots of space, atmosphere and room for incidental sounds.

With past triumphant appearances at Big Day Out, Adelaide Fringe, Homebake and Sydney’s Opera House, the Global Carnival is proud to welcome Inga back to Bellingen.

“Inga Liljestrom's voice tickles angels' ears...Whether it's flirting with string crescendos that bound over the subtlest electronic programming, or delivering haunted folk over lonely guitar, her sultry voice of yesteryear is the mesmerising centerpiece.” - Sydney Morning Herald

LINSEY POLLAK’S ‘CYCOLOGY’
Linsey Pollak is known as one of Australia’s most creative and talented performers, and a champion of community music. He’s also renowned for his hilarious live shows, where he coaxes music from some very unlikely objects. Linsey has a reputation for making and playing instruments made from rubber gloves, carrots, watering cans, chairs, brooms, bins, and other found objects.

For the last 20 years, his work as a Community Music advocate has taken him all over the country, working as Musician-In-Residence in communities from Hobart to Broome. He established The Multicultural Arts Centre of WA and has co-ordinated five cross-cultural music ensembles. He’s performed at most major festivals around Australia, coordinated the legendary Fire Events at Woodford, and toured to Europe, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, America and Canada.

A celebrated musical instrument maker, Linsey has designed a number of new wind instruments as well as specialising in woodwind instruments from Eastern Europe. He also specialises in designing and making marimbas and other tuned percussion.

A regular visitor to the Global Carnival, Linsey’s past Bellingen shows have included ‘Knocking On Kevin’s Door’ (where he played a musically resourceful roadie), and ‘The Art of Food’ (where he uproariously elicited sounds from specially crafted fruit and vegetables). His other music projects have included the multicultural ensemble Slovene, the duo Diva (with Toni Beyer) and the percussive group Xylose. He’s also recorded over twenty albums with various groups.

In his outrageous new solo show‘Cytology’, Lindsey appears as Professor Squeal Dee bum, the world's leading researcher into the Art of Playing the Bicycle). He delivers a lecture demonstrating the fundamental principles of bicycle music. Sounds are recorded and mixed live during his discourse, as the cycle’s seat, handlebars, gear cable, wheels, spokes, frame and pump are all turned into musical instruments. Don’t miss this one!

THE LIYARN NGARN SHOW – ‘Coming Together of the Spirit’
- featuring Archie Roach, Shane Howard, Ruby Hunter & friends
In the Yawuru language of the West Kimberly region around Broome, Liyarn Ngarn means ‘the coming together of the spirit’. Recognizing our common fate, it connects an individual to family, to country and to spirit. It is also the name of a recent documentary film, which brought together British actor Pete Postlethwaite with indigenous singer/songwriter Archie Roach and national indigenous leader and Yawuru man, Patrick Dodson. For him, Liyarn Ngarn is at the very heart of bringing about a lasting and true reconciliation. It has been his life-long journey.

Born from the recent ‘Murundak’ tour by the 35-artist Black Arm Band which featured the cream of contemporary Aboriginal talent, the slightly more compact Liyarn Ngarn Show maintains the same heartfelt spirit. It again brings together two of this country’s most respected and treasured singer songwriters, indigenous song-man Archie Roach and Shane Howard, former front man of the legendary 1980’s band ‘Goanna’, whose massive anthem, ‘Solid Rock’ from the album ‘Spirit of Place’ continues to reverberate across the country’s airwaves. Both Archie and Shane are prolific songwriters who have been sharing their spirit with audiences around Australia and overseas for the past two decades. Their contribution to the musical soundtrack of this nation has been a critical force and through song and story both Archie and Shane reach out to bridge the divide between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. Their friendship epitomises the essence of Liyarn Ngarn.  The 9-piece ensemble is led by them and includes Archie’s amazing singer/songwriter wife Ruby Hunter.

Archie has long been hailed as one of Australia’s most gifted artists, and an unofficial spokesman for “the stolen generation” - those indigenous children who were forcibly removed from their families and communities by the State and Territory governments of Australia. His own poignant story was immortalised in his classic song ‘Took the Children Away’, which appeared on his debut 1990 album, Charcoal Lane. With equal measures of both hurt and hope, Archie’s subsequent releases - Jamu Dreaming, Looking for Butter Boy, Sensual Being and the recent Journeys – represent a powerful body of work which continues to inspire and educate listeners all around the world.

In addition to his legacy with Goanna, Shane Howard has spent many years writing, performing, touring with and producing Australian musicians, many of them Aboriginal artists. A prolific songwriter, his own work continues to champion the cause of the underdog, providing meaningful insights into the human spirit and interpreting the Australian landscape in a way that has helped to build bridges between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples. Frequently journeying to his own ancestral homelands in Ireland, Shane has recorded nine solo albums, including 2004’s Another Country and ‘06’s Songs of Love and Resistance.

From the Ngarrindjeri clan of South Australia, Archie’s wife, Ruby, was the first Aboriginal woman to record her own album, ‘94’s critically-acclaimed Thoughts Within. Her deep warm voice is instantly recognisable and provides a unique and valuable insight into world of indigenous women. Her 2000’s release Feeling Good and ‘05 theatrical collaboration with the Australian Art Orchestra, Ruby’s Story, have  served to solidify her reputation as this country’s most articulate indigenous female voice.

The group also features drummer Bart Willoughby - founder of two seminal indigenous bands, No Fixed Address and Mixed Relations, acclaimed Tiddas vocalist Amy Saunders, Gunditjmara/Googatha songman Dave Arden, didge/guitar master Robert ‘Froggie’ Taylor, violin/mandolin virtuoso Ewen Baker and Archie and Ruby’s own talented son Amos Roach. This unique group of artists combine to bring together stories of Aboriginal Australia’s ongoing struggle for justice. They sing about their deep love for the land, country, identity, beliefs, love, pain, loss and always through their songs they share a hope for a better future for ALL Australians.

Share the music and the spirit of Liyarn Ngarn. These are the very songs that Australia needs right now.

MAJA PETROVNA
Maja was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where she studied guitar, piano and vocals at the Conservatorium of Sarajevo. She was deeply affected by the Gypsy culture of her home, as well as the musical traditions passed on by her Jordanian mother and an Orthodox-Russian father. Maja’s musical studies have been diverse and global, from playing lute and classical guitar with the Ansamble Renesanske Muzike Sarajeva, and teaching piano at a school for war orphans, to studying a classical piano scholarship at the Conservatorium of Western Chicago, and Flamenco Guitar at the Lutheir Academy in Barcelona. She has also held a number of teaching positions and is a trained opera singer.

A relatively recent migrant to Australia, Maja has rapidly established herself here as one of the alternative music scene’s most intriguing new vocalists. For the last few years she has performed alongside violinist Naomi Radom as the critically-acclaimed indie duo PonyClub Massacre. She has also collaborated with experimental group Coda, DJ/producer Oli Chang (Ubin) and The Gypsy Dub Orchestra. Maja is currently composing in collaboration with film maker Baz Luhrmann for his new film Australia. She will be launching her debut solo album later this year.

Maja’s theatrical performances combine ethnic and operatic vocals with a rich tapestry of musical and visual theatre. Her solo performances incorporate instruments such as accordion, guitar, piano, harp, glockenspiel or toy drum, looped and put through various electronic effects. She sings in her haunting native Bosnian language, with her compositions ranging from dramatic emotional soundscapes to enchanting gypsy lullabies. There’s a blending of light and darkness in her music, which unmistakeably reveals the intense emotional landscape of the war-torn environment, which was her childhood in Bosnia. Combining complex melodies, Maja creates a mosaic of influences that take her audience on a journey into the dark, mysterious heart of Eastern Europe.

MISTA SAVONA
Melbourne-based dub/downbeat producer Jake Savona has previously been responsible for two independently released solo albums of decidedly dub/reggae and dancehall-flavoured material - his 2001 debut Bass & Roots and its 2004 follow-up Invasion Day. But his third album, 2007’s Melbourne Meets Kingston represented his most ambitious and creative venture yet. Working under his Mista Savona persona, it was a release that represented a pivotal moment for the Australian dub and dancehall scenes, in the sense that it marks the first time that a local producer has worked extensively with Jamaican vocalists over an entire album. Savona spent considerable time recording the artists in Jamaica, before polishing the instrumental elements back in his Melbourne studios. The list of Kingston talent pressed into service was certainly an impressive one, with the likes of the legendary Big Youth appearing alongside newer Jamaican talent, such as Determine and Anthony B.

Praised by music critics both here and overseas, Melbourne Meets Kingston also managed to traverse a wide range of divergent styles, with the unmistakable influence of broken-beat rhythms and dubstep coexisting comfortably alongside more roots-oriented excursions.

In order to present the album’s music live, Jake put together an all-star band of Melbourne’s best reggae and dancehall musos, featuring the dynamic vocals of Vida Sunshyne-Borquaye, whose credits include working with Nitin Sawhney and Lionel Richie amongst others. Having presented this exciting line-up at Womadelaide ‘08, Savona and his riddim-heavy friends recently followed up in July with a blistering appearance at Womad UK.

The current line-up also includes Barry Turnbull, Julian Goyma, Andy Papadopoulos, Neda Rahmani, Grant Smith, Jordan Murray, Andrew Jackson, Glen Christiansen and Desire Sibanda.

"’Melbourne Meets Kingston’ is a landmark for Australian music….it is the strongest reggae & dancehall album produced in this country to date." – Jesse I, Chant Down Sound, PBS

NORIKO TADANO & TOSHI SAKAMOTO
Noriko Tadano plays both traditional Japanese folk songs (Minyo) and original pieces on the tsugaru shamisen (Japanese banjo). She has been playing shamisen since she was eight years old, and has performed in Japan and at festivals all over Australia. Noriko's ability to cross-over between traditional and modern Japanese music has recently seen her perform with renowned blues and jazz musicians, as well as with traditional Japanese musicians. While Minyo depicts the life and feelings of 'older' Japan, centring around the themes of love, family and the close connection with nature, Noriko's original pieces explore her own feelings and experiences through melody and heart-pounding beats. Based in Melbourne, Noriko is currently working on her first album, due out later this year.

Toshinori Sakamoto is an accomplished player and teacher of Wadaiko (traditional Japanese drums), who has studied under the renowned conductor and lead percussionist of the Kumamoto Philharmonic Orchestra, Takashi Fukuda. Toshi was a founding member of a Kumamoto-based Wadaiko group and played with them from 1987 until he moved to Australia in 1995. Along with his wife Junko, who is also an accomplished Wadaiko player, Toshi founded the group Wadaiko Rindo in Melbourne in 1998. They have appeared at many national events around the country, as well as touring to Fiji and New Caledonia.

As a duo, Noriko and Toshi have been entertaining audiences with their beautiful and powerful music since 2005. They recently featured on ABC-TV’s Sunday Arts program.

PIN RADA & THE MELBOURNE/ISTANBUL KOLEKTIV
Pin Rada is a gifted World music producer and multi-instrumentalist performer based in Melbourne, who regularly collaborates in studio work and onstage with other musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds. A migrant from Chile himself, Rada specialises in unique Eastern bowed and wind instruments, and has a passion for modal composition and improvisation. He produces recordings from his home studio in Eltham, Victoria 'Telluric Music' and is gaining a growing reputation for his versatility across a wide range of instrumentation.

He performs on North Indian sarangi, Turkish ney, and Creten lyra, as well as didjeridoo, Turkish saz, dulcimer, Indian Basuri flute, and various western stringed instruments. His proficiency on so many instruments reflects his passionate love affair with the music of Turkey and the Middle East, and his haunting solos reveal the deep spirituality that underlies his music.

Pin has been the recipient of several traveling grants, and has studied wind and bowed instruments with master musicians in Turkey, Greece and India. He has also performed with many of Melbourne’s most adventurous multicultural ensembles, including Zarafa, Unified Gecko, Camel Magic, Carlos ‘Kubya’ Panguana and Brahim Benhim's La Kasbah Moroccan Ensemble. As a music producer and sound engineer Pin always travels with laptop and recording equipment, and has recorded music projects throughout Australia, Turkey, and Thailand.

His latest CD, 2007’s The Melbourne-Istanbul Sessions brought together top musicians from both Australia and Turkey in a hypnotic blending of the two cultures. The “Melbourne/Istanbul Kolektiv” is a local ensemble trio performing compositions from the CD, featuring percussionists Matt Stonehouse and Ben Last. “…varying in mood from quietly ambient to energetically rhythmic…this intriguing project deserves to be heard, and proves that the two countries have more in common than just Anzac Day.” - CD review from ABC Limelight

PSYCHO ZYDECO
Since forming in 1991 Sydney-based band Psycho Zydeco have been pumping out their energised version of the much-loved zydeco style to rapturous audiences, both nationally and internationally. Australia’s foremost purveyors of the genre, the band got together when blues-oriented accordionist Stefan Sernek and guitarist Gregg Hatton discovered the Louisiana-based music. They assembled the custom-made instruments necessary for the zydeco sound, such as washboards and various triangles, and combined them with their 'squeezebox' and R&B-style guitar.

Cajun and Zydeco music were spawned from the melting pot of cultures that is New Orleans and Louisiana. When French-speaking Acadians were exiled from Canada in the 18th century, many settled in Louisiana alongside the local Native America Indians, African slaves and European colonists already living in the region. They became known as Cajuns and their folk music became influenced by all of the surrounding cultures. Utilising button squeeze-box, fiddle, whistles, triangle and washboard, by the 19th century accordion was introduced, as well as Spanish guitar and black Creole influences.

Joining Stefan and Gregg in Psycho Zydeco’s lively musical gumbo are saxophonist Chris Wilson and drummer Gene Gill, creating a rollicking rhythm and blues mix that’s guaranteed to keep any dancefloor crowded. With four rockin’ albums under their collective belt - ’95’s debut SwampBox, ‘97’s Sell Your Soul and 2000’s Zydeco Factory - their most recent release Get On Board spans the evolution of this irresistible music from its bluesy beginnings, right through to the funkier style of ‘zydeco nouveaux’.

THE RED EYES
Considered by fans and music critics alike as one of the few authentic dub/reggae groups to come out of Australia, The Red Eyes are a 10-piece monster band that has been shaking foundations around the country since their inception in 2002, with a heavyweight bass ‘n’ mind-altering dub sound.

Led by the powerful vocals of Kiwi frontman El Witeri, and anchored by the innovative live dub mixing of producer/founder King Charlie (aka Damien Charles), The Red Eyes’ ricocheting rhythms, killer horn section, inventive turntable sampling and clever sonic manipulations combine to give an unforgettable live experience. Having supported the likes of Mad Professor, Salmonella Dub, Black Seeds & Resin Dogs, their shows have received glowing reviews, often claiming that The Red Eyes’ set eclipsed the main act.

With funding assistance from the JB (John Butler) Seed Grant, the band recorded two critically-acclaimed EPs, 2004’s High Place and ‘05’s Prolific/My Kingdom, before following up in ’06 with their first full-length album Rude World. Their recordings have received solid radio airplay in Oz, New Zealand, Canada and across the Pacific.

Last seen at the Global Carnival in 2004, where many considered their tent-shaking sets to be the highlight of that year’s festival, The Red Eyes have also graced the stages of Earthcore, Great Escape, Woodford, Peats Ridge, Meredith and Pyramid Rock Festival gatherings.

It’s time to get down with some seriously skanking dub/reggae. The Red Eyes are back in town!

SALSA CRAZY
Ever wanted to learn to Salsa? Here’s your chance! Simeon and Lyanne are the lead dancers for Salsa Crazy, the heart and soul of Byron Bay’s Salsa scene.  Simeon learnt to dance in San Francisco, following his formal training with dancing in the streets and bars of Colombia.  Lyanne is a graduate of the UK’s Sylvia Young Theatre School and has trained internationally. Together, they run immensely popular classes in Byron Bay, with a unique mixture of technical precision, sensuality, cheekiness and pure fun. Join them for workshops that will get your hips wiggling, your shoulders shimmying and your heart pounding.

SAYON SOUARE
Sayon Souare is a Mandinka percussionist and dancer who hails from Guinea-Conakry in West Africa. Both of his parents were members of the traditional Guinean group Ballet Joliba - his mother as a dancer and singer, and his father as a dancer and djembe player. He has been playing dundun, sangban and djembewith some of the old drum masters of Guinea since he was a young teenager at traditional ceremonies, festivals and celebrations, and has accompanied some of the most popular Guinean musicians and singers.

Sayon learned gongoma (thumb piano) - a traditional instrument originally from Sierra Leone - when he was thirteen, and at eighteen he began teaching himself bolon, a traditional hunter’s harp of the Manding and Bambara tribes. He was a member of several troupes in Guinea, including Circus Baobab where besides performing as a drummer and dancer he also gained circus skills in juggling and acrobatics. He moved on to Gambia and Senegal where he began teaching both European and African students.

A recent migrant to Australia, after being in the country just one month Sayon was a last- minute entrant into the African section of the SoCo Cargo Latitude World Dance Competiton, which he won. He then became the overall champion in the Grand Finals, held in Melbourne in February ’08. He has since appeared at a number of regional Victorian festivals and is quickly gaining a well-founded reputation as a sensational performer. Welcome to Australia Sayon!

TRIBE OF JUBAL
Led by veteran Bougainville drummer Ben Hakalitz - best known for his hard-hitting role in the iconic Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi - Tribe of Jubal is a new Cairns-based project that brings together an unusual combination of talented musicians from the surrounding Pacific region. Quite an Oceanic supergroup, the Jubal Tribe features several members of the legendary ‘90s Papua New Guinea band Sanguma (The Magic Men), percussionist Airileke Ingram from Darwin performance group Drum Drum, and PNG bassist Richard Mogu.

Inspired by the traditions and legends of PNG culture, Tribe of Jubal delivers a truly unique performance. Mixing traditional Melanesian rhythms with a modern sound, the band creates an intense tone of tribal harps, flutes, horns, warups, garamuts (drums) and kundus, all seamlessly melded with contemporary jazz and funk arrangements. Their collective sound moves from laid-back island groove to steaming Melanesian funk - from intricate log-drumming patterns to the screaming jazz sax of Sanguma alumni Pius Wasi. Tribe of Jubal’s impressive debut album T’mme Yakinso (Celebration) was released in 2007.

Founder Hakalitz’s musical career spans over 20 years. In addition to his long-time association with Yothu Yindi, he has toured internationally with Peter Gabriel, George Telek and Not Drowning Waving. Awarded the Centenary Medal for Services to the Australian Community through Music, Ben also worked on the soundtrack for the AFI award-winning film The Savage Land, performed at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Sydney, and co-wrote the music for the PNG National Theatre Company’s stage musical Sana Sana, which was performed at the South Pacific Festival of Arts in the Cook Islands.

In addition to Ingram, Mogu and Wasi, the other Tribe of Jubal band members are Buruka Tau (keyboards;/vocal); Phil Bywater (tenor sax); Nikki Doll (vocals); and Ian Lewerisa (guitars).

“Tribe of Jubal prove themselves to be a big, powerful and exciting new outfit, and a very welcome addition to Australasia’s vibrant World music scene.” - Songlines (UK)

VICTOR VALDEZ’S REAL MEXICO MARIACHI TRIO
Victor Valdes is a professional musician, singer and dancer. For ten years he was a central member of the highly acclaimed Mexican folk group Tien Huicani from Veracruz. A multi-instrumentalist, Valdes is a specialist in guitars of Latin America, and as a percussionist he plays congas, bongos, timbal, maracas and much more. Performing as a solo harpist he has given concerts in over 25 countries. His talents as a dancer were recognised when he became Assistant Director of Folklore Ballet in Veracruz, and for three years running he won 1st place in the National Folklore Dance Competition in Mexico City.

From 1992 to 1997, Victor visited Australia each September to perform at Sydney’s annual Mexican Festival, playing traditional Latin American harp music and mariachi music. In 1998, He relocated permanently to Australia, teaching Latin dance at the Sydney Dance Company and teaming up with leading local Latin American musicians to put together Australia's first 'authentic' mariachi band.

Mariachi is originally from the Mexican state of Jalisco, and is the most well- known genre of Mexican traditional music. Utilising a mix of trumpet, guitar, viheulas (Mexican guitar) and guitarron (Mexican bass), mariachi’s lively tempos and sentimental love songs are an essential ingredient at any Mexican celebration, capturing the essence of traditional culture.

With his vast instrumental talent and passionate vocals, Victor and his Real Mexico Mariachi Trio bring the true spirit of Mexico to this year’s Carnival.

YILILA
Yilila are an exceptional band from Numbulwar, a remote Aboriginal community on the Arnhem Land coast in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Through their music and dance performances they tell the story of Dhumbala or Red Flag. This story is their culture and is unique to only a handful of remote Aboriginal communities on the East Arnhem coast, which over hundreds of years were visited by Maccassans traders who sailed from present-day Indonesia. Pre-dating any European contact, these visits began in the 16th century, and as a result new songs and dances were created, and shared cultural ties developed.

Yilila was formed in 2002 by the group’s founder Grant Nundhirribala, a leader of both traditional and contemporary dance and singing in his community. After working with Bangarra Dance Company’s Stephen Page for the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Nundhirribala collaborated and toured with Bangarra all around Australia. Grant also dances and sings many other styles from Numbulwar, Gapuwiyak, Groote Island and Yirrkala.

The band’s debut CD Manilamanila was released in 2005 and took out “Album of the Year” and “Song of the Year” honours at that year’s NT Indigenous Music Awards. Their ’06 EP Aeroplane featured John Butler on slide guitar as well as the Indian vocals of Raka Mukherjee. Yilila have also released a captivating DVD Red Flag Jamajama,an intimate video journey into the unique culture and lifestyle of their East Arnhem Land home.

Yilila have at appeared at the internationally renowned Garma and Burunga cultural festivals, as well as the Darwin, Alice Springs and Port Fairy festivals. They were a highlight of the 2004 Womadelaide festival, where they concluded the event as part of a collaborative performance with acclaimed Indian tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussein.

A spectacular meeting between traditional Aboriginal music, reggae, and world styles, Yilila brings the best of the Top End to Global Carnival ’08!

ZULYA & THE CHILDREN OF THE UNDERGROUND
Having won last year’s coveted ARIA Award for “World Music Album of the Year” for her latest critically-acclaimed album 3 Nights, Zulya Kamalova and her fabulous band The Children of the Underground occupy a very special place in Australia’s World music scene. The leading proponent of Tatar and Russian music in Australia, as well as one of our most accomplished vocalists, since moving here in 1991 Zulya has developed a totally original approach to her music as an affirmation of her unique identity.

A native of Tatarstan-Udmurtia region of Central Russia, Zulya began performing Russian and Tatar songs at the age of 9. Later she studied music and languages at university level. She made a dramatic decision to settle in Australia in 1991, and inspired by the diversity of cultures that she found here began to share her music on a wider scale. Zulya’s first release in Australia, Journey of Voice (1997) was a collection of World vocal styles and traditions, and received accolades for its versatility, passion and the "achingly beautiful" tone of her voice. Her later albums, Aloukie (1999) Elusive (2002) have also been released in Europe and have been awarded and nominated for various awards. 2004's magical release The Waltz of Emptiness spent 16 weeks in the Top 20 of the European World Music charts - a feat no other Australian album has ever achieved. The album also debuted her new band The Children of the Underground (Andrew Tanner, double bass; Anthony Schulz, accordion; Lucas Michailidis,  guitar; and Justin Marshall, drums).

Zulya’s music features traditional and original songs in her distinctive Tatar style, but with unusual instrumentation, presenting traditional music from a new perspective. Whether she’s exploring folk-based songs of deep yearning or indulging in high-spirited cabaret whimsy, it is Zulya’s astonishing vocal range and emotional energy that provides the musical glue. Her vocals are complimented by the individual skills of her band, their intricate arrangements perfectly shadowing her voice.

A favourite at festivals and venues from Serbia to Siberia, Luxembourg to Moscow, Tatarstan to Helsinki and almost everywhere in between, Zulya was a featured guest at the original Global Carnival back in 1995, as well as in 2003. We warmly welcome Zulya and her marvellous band back to Bellingen.

“Swinging like a Bolshevik Marlene Dietrich, Zulya and her Underground friends are able to strike a deft balance between melancholic sadness and the unbridled joy that’s never too far away. 5 stars out of 5.” - Songlines (UK)