Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST 2023: Dakh Daughters, Khadija El Warzazia, Cui Jian

For the third year, Tiny Desk concerts team up with globalFEST for a thrilling online music festival — Tiny Desk meets globalFEST.

Hosted by Angélique Kidjo, the series echoes globalFEST's live flagship event in spirit but is centered in the framework of the Tiny Desk concert series. This collaboration presents exclusive video performances from nine artists filmed in their respective homelands, on the road and in exile all over the world. There will be three nights of concerts, each featuring three bands, on consecutive nights beginning Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. ET. The globalFEST team wrote the following biographical information about each performer.

Dakh Daughters, Ukraine

Dakh Daughters create an atmosphere of a French saloon, where Mireille Mathieu befriends Marilyn Manson. On occasion, armed with a full set of strings, keyboards and percussion, the women shake the audience with a roar in the manner of the group Laibach, but can swiftly exchange anger for kindness, turning into fun-loving, Hollywood beauties of the 1950s who dream of tropical vacations in the Caribbean.

SET LIST

• "Viyna"
• "Fellini"
• "Umry"

MUSICIANS

• Solomiia Melnyk: vocals, cello, accordion
• Ruslana Khazipova: vocals, drums/percussion
• Natalka Halanevych: vocals, piano, double bass
• Ganna Nikitina: vocals, guitar
• Natacha Charpe (Zo): vocals, violin

CREDITS

• Director: Vladyslav Troitskyi
• Art Manager: Iryna Gorban
• Audio: Anton Ocheretyanyy
• Video: Nayan Ducruet
• Special thanks to Theatre Le Préau and Lucie Berelowitsch

Khadija El Warzazia's Bnat el Houariyat & Esraa Warda, Morocco / Algeria / USA

Khadija El Warzazia's Bnat el Houariyat & Esraa Warda is a pairing composed entirely of women artists: Bnat el Houariyat from the heart of Marrakech performs women's celebratory and trance music, including chaabi and houara. The group's percussion and call-and-response singing and complex polyrhythms build into a deeply transporting sonic experience. It is accompanied by the mesmerizing Algerian-American dancer Esraa Warda, a "rebellious spirit" known for her profound performances of the trance-like jedba hair-swaying dance.

SET LIST

• "Dyaf Allah Rjal el Bled"
• "Mra Sabra"
• "Li Guer imout"

MUSICIANS

• Fatiha Benmsinane
• Malika Nouader
• Khadija el Warzazia
• Nouzha Lagrimi
• Touria Nouader
• Esraa Warda: dancer

CREDITS

• Producer: Esraa Warda
• Audio: Simo Chafai
• Director, Producer, Camera: Ahlam Maroon
• Camera: Oussama Mountassir 
• Lighting: Amine Houmam
• Special thanks to Azzedine & Abdelghafour Art

Cui Jian, China

The most influential rock musician in China is Beijing-born, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist Cui Jian. The former leader of Chinese rock band Ado, Jian's solo music is continually embraced by new generations: his albums having sold more than 10 million copies in Asia. The Wall Street Journal said, "Cui Jian continues to be an inspiration for China's disenchanted youth." However, Jian's prime inspiration comes not from politics, but from personal issues. He said, "I talk about serious things in my heart and people's lives, including, of course, love. But, mostly it's about Chinese culture, the modern culture. They're not political songs. It's just the truth, the modern truth. I talk about our life in China."

SET LIST

• "Fake Monk"
• "Go On"
• "Wild in the Snow"

MUSICIANS

• Cui Jian: lead vocals, guitar
• Liu Yuan: saxophone
• Eddie Randriamampionona: guitar
• Liu Yue: bass 
• Lu Chao: drums
• Gao Xing: hand percussion
• Wu Na: Chinese guqin
• Zhou Tian: vocals
• Li Yanan: vocals

CREDITS

• Art Director: Cui Jian
• Executive Producer: Yoyo
• Executive Director: Ken Deng
• Live Music Recording Engineer: Li Feng
• Live Music Supervisor: Wang Zheng
• Live Recordist: Zheng Xiaofei
• Program: Wang Zheng
• Live Monitor Sound Engineer: Xu Xuan
• Audio Equipment Coordinator: Wang Chaojie
• Sound Mixing/Mastering: Li Make
• Musician Assistants: Yang Haitao, Gao Shuo
• Videographers: Ken Deng, Li Bingwei, Xu Zhu, Li Qianpeng, Jiao Mingjie, Jin Siwei 
• Assistant: He Chang
• Gaffer: Sun Qunliang
• Assistant: Sun Xujie, Cao Yawei, Wang Xinqiao, Cao Junfei
• Coordinator: Wang Zebin, Sira 
• Special thanks to East Shore Jazz Club

TINY DESK TEAM

• Creative Director: Bob Boilen 
• Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin 
• Series Producer: Bobby Carter 
• Editing: Joshua Bryant
• Tiny Desk Team: Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer

GLOBALFEST TEAM

• Co-Directors: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, and Bill Bragin
• 2023 Curators: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, Bill Bragin, and Meera Dugal
• Event Producer: Ian Thake
• Host: Angélique Kidjo
• Legal Services: Tamizdat
• Legal Services: Duane Morris
• Video Production: Karim Tabbaa

FUNDERS:

• The Mellon Foundation
• The National Endowment for the Arts
• NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

SPECIAL THANKS:

• Ken Umezaki
• Fabian Alsultany
• Steven Kirkpatrick
• David Komar

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