African Beats, the live music project that sees DJ, producer and poet Charlie Dark reconnect the dance rhythms of West Coast Africa with the digital beats of his East London home, will be touring the UK between 7 and 14 March. The production is the product of Charlie´s life-long love of, and a career in, the communicative nature of rhythm, and in it him and a host of musicians explore rhythm´s role at the root of all music and its evolution through the history of dance music.
Coming along for the African Beats ride are Paris-based Nigerian musician Chief Udoh Essiet, broken beats champion Mark de Clive-Lowe, one of the leading figures of the British jazz scene, Dave Okumu, and one of the country´s most in-demand Bata drummers, Crispin Robinson.
Mining the seam of their diverse and rich backgrounds in African, electronic, jazz, soul and hip hop, the group will set out to create a revelatory musical experience that will take audiences on a journey from the deep roots of traditional African dance music to the clubs of the big smoke. Joining them will be VJ Nathaan Jones, who will be coupling the audio with an album of images from Africa and close-ups of the inner workings of the technology behind the digital sounds.
For more info visit www.cmntours.org.uk
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