Our beloved guest mix section is back on air tonight with the first guest of the 17th radio season. Polyafrica is a project inspired and created by Tania Vlachomitrou, a cultural manager, passionate music collector and DJ. Since 2006, she has been DJing in various venues, festivals and events, while involved in many creative projects as a coordinator and production manager. For the past few years, she has been exploring the mingling of groovy sounds and traditional rhythms of Africa, the African Diaspora and beyond, consistently attracted to unique psychedelic sounds based on heavy basslines, distinctive percussions and synth-led tunes, to build her energetic sets. A life-changing trip to Tunisia in 2018, triggered her decision to channel some of the musical energy she had taken in during this trip to her hometown (Thessaloniki, Greece). So she started organising the so-called “Polyafrica” sessions: a series of events featuring important guest artists (label owners, DJs, producers, musicians) from abroad who share a love of unknown and unique music traditions from all over the world, focusing mostly on non-western cultures. Some of the artists and labels that have joined Polyafrica so far are: Burnt Friedman & Joao Pais Filipe, Hailu Mergia, Samy Ben Redjeb (Analog Africa), Mark Ernestus (Hard Wax), Julien Lebrun (Hot Casa Records), Deni Shain (Atangana Records), Jannis Stürtz (Habibi Funk), Umoja, Victor Kiswell and many more.
Ahead of Polyafrica's next event in Thessaloniki with the enigmatic Ak'chamel on Wednesday 23/10 at Krau, Tania has prepared an all Ak'chamel mix showcasing the sounds of the mysterious duo. Few bands are as inscrutable as the mysterious Texas duo Ak’chamel. The pair are known for their countless cassettes, films, and full-length records (such as the publicly and critically acclaimed ‘The Totemist’), as well as for performing their ritualistic sounds in homespun costumes with self-made instruments. Their second LP offering, this year’s ‘A Mournful Kingdom of Sand’, includes titles such as ‘Clean Coal is a Porous Condom’ and ‘Amazonian Tribes Mimicking The Sound of Chainsaws With Their Mouths’ - an irrefutable invitation to their secretive, cabalistic desert world.
Get ready for a deep dive into Ak'chamel world as seen by Tania tonight Saturday 19/10 at 21:00 on Paranoise.
Ak'chamel are playing in Thessaloniki next Wednesday 23/10 at Krau SKG alongside Psychofono (IT) and Sbrama (IT) in an event organised by Polyafrica & Krau.
Tickets cost 8euros. Show your support!
https://polyafrica.gr/akchamel/
