Lil drawing of this photo I took on Lamu Island. It was one of the most amazing places I've ever visited, and this photo I thought captured a lot of why I loved the place. I'm thinking of making some t-shirts with this design. I would love to know if anyone would be interested in getting one xx
Thankyou to everyone who came along last Friday!
What an incredible night!!!
Never felt so inspired and excited to be organising these events. The community we are building is beautiful and I’m so excited to see it grow .
We are taking a few months off but will be back with a load more ideas and events to bring to life.
Thanks for supporting our ideas
Twende xx
📸 - by my fav photographer @irenehacefotos
ITS A LEAVING THING!! ITS FREE!!!
We’re off for a bit so we thought we would throw a party!🎉
Us three doing some questionable DJing ; Boom bap, swamp rock, ragga, dem bow and lots of other stuff….
Come one come all. Bring or a friend or make one there xx ❤️❤️❤️
Lokkhi Terra and @delesosimi live @thejamjar_bristol
On the 16th of January!
Lokkhi Terra’s music spans across continents fusing together the sound of Cuba, West Africa, Bangladesh and London for a multicultural collaboration of music and culture! 💃🕺
This time with ex-Fela Kuti keyboardist and legendary UK Afro-beat ambassador Dele Sosimi! 🎉
Early birds in sale now. Link in bio
Twende ❤️❤️
We are back @thejamjar_bristol with one of my fav bands I’m actually so excited for this! I feel so lucky to be able to put this event on, there music is honestly incredible!!!
Lokkhi Terra’s music spans across continents fusing together the sound of Cuba, West Africa, Bangladesh and London for a multicultural collaboration of music and culture creating a sound that is distinctly new! This time with ex-Fela Kuti keyboardist and legendary UK Afro-beat ambassador Dele Sosimi!
Led by Classically trained Jazz pianist Kishon Khan whose musical vision for the band was inspired by his time spent living in Havana, exploring the links between Cuban genres and the complex rhythms of his south Asian heritage.
The band epitomizes the multicultural fondue that is London with members from across the globe drawing inspiration from the music of their homes. Expect fusions you’ve never heard before Afrobeat Rhythms colliding with Dub basslines and Bangla Vocals. You do not want to miss this!
Featuring the two pianos of Kishon Khan and Dele Sosimi – Cuban percussionist/vocalist Javier Camilo (Ibrahim Ferrer) - Conga Maestro Oreste Noda (Ariwo) - a horn section led by Justin Thurgur (Bellowhead) and Graeme Flowers (Kyle Eastwood) to name a few – this is an All- starcast.
Tickets on Headfirst, See you there !!!!
Been painting again after a while. Life has been very chaotic lately but making art has always grounded me. Thought i should share these 2 as im very proud of how they turned out. Xx
DJ ANNOUCEMENT 🎵
Cat n Alex are back on the 1s and 2s with some soul and blues to jig and jive too all night long.
With a vintage taste in tunes, we've been busy digging for a fresh selection of Rock N roll, soul, blue, swing, and jazz to get you shuffling those feet to the beat!
Expect a dandy old dance! 💃💃
Thursday 23rd of October
7pm - 1am
@locoklub
Back on @voidbristol this week! I’m going to be exploring Benga, Rumba , Soukouss and Tarab music from east and central Africa primarily focusing on the Swahili people. Swahili is a language spoken across east and central Africa mainly in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo and Mozambique . Swahili people are a mix of Bantu African,Persian and Asian peoples who settled along the east coast of Africa. In towns like Zanzibar, Lamu and Mombassa. They traded with the east as far as India and China bringing goods from the east and trading them with southern and central African countries.
“Twende” is a Swahili word meaning Lets go/Move. I was inspired to start the brand while living in Kenya working for a charity called EKO. It was my first experience living outside the UK and the music and culture inspired me to put on these events when I came back to Bristol. In this show I will talk about the history behind the music that inspired me to start Twende. Playing some records I picked up from @realvinylguru in Nairobi as well as some of my favorite songs I heard on my travels.
One of the main styles of music in Kenya and east Africa is Benga. Originated in Kenya’s Nyanza Province in the late 1940s and 1960s, evolving from traditional Luo folk music and influenced by soukous. It was pioneered by Daniel Owino misiani who named the genre after his mother Obengo Nyamagunga who was a successful musician and a big inspiration for his music.
Another popular style in coastal areas of Kenya and Tanzania is Tarab a style of music fusing together pre islamic swahili tunes and Arabic melodies to create a unique style of music. It is most popular in cities like Lamu, Zanzibar and Mombassa which have stronger connections to the Arabic world. One of the pioneers of Tarab is a woman called Siti Binti Saad She was a trailblazer as a female performer in the genre during a time when men artists controlled the industry. She performed in a variety of languages, but most significantly Swahili which contrasted earlier styles of the music sung in Arabic.
Tune in tomorrow 7-8pm on void ill be talking more in depth about the artists and music from across East Africa
Finished the biggest piece I've done to date. Spent a few months painting this bit by bit. I am so happy with the outcome. I think it's pretty beautiful. Was such a process, and I thought i had ruined it more than once, hahaha. It's up in @nectarhousebristol at the moment, so if you there send me a photo. This piece is for sale if anyone's interested x
Big thanks to @ktsills for letting me use your amazing photo as the reference. Her works pretty amazing, so go check her out.
Final got round to scanning all my recent work. All these pieces are available as a print. If anyone would like one, drop me a message ❤️
Also, I've got some of my work up @nectarhousebristol on Gloster Road ! Wanting to try and find some new inspo for my next few pieces, bit abit of an art block but hopefully that will change x
@generalbench has been hosting events as @twende_events , inspired by his time living in Kenya. Twende is the first Swahili word he learnt — it means ‘let’s go, let’s move!’
As Alex’s music taste has evolved, so have his events. His latest ‘all live’ music night featured stunning performances from @alokasacki , @penn3y_coin17 and @soulbeeartist , making for a beautiful Sunday evening 🎶❤️
Alex talks about creating a space to showcase artists and just how happy it makes him feel to be able to do this within the Bristol music community- something that’s becoming more and more important.
These events have brought a lot of people together and we can’t wait to see what’s next 🌀💙
Thank you, @generalbench@twende_events + @thejamjar_bristol 💫
I got my art in a gallery! @circular.artspace is a cinverted double decker bus thats bow an art gallery! Gonna be showing some of these pieces as well as some old bits. Really excited for it. Got the meet the artist event tommorow night 5-6 come down and have a look at some art there's loads of amazing artists showing there work. The exibit is going to be up for a few weeks would love to see Some friendly faces xxx
