BARMER BOYS

Wedding and celebratory songs, boisterous jams with beat-boxing Barmer Boys are the next generation of performers that carry forward the centuries-old musical traditions of the Manganiyars. The global ambassadors of Rajasthani folk and Sufi music, the trio's versatility of styles and bubbling energy infuses each performance – from soulful Sufi kalaams and Krishna bhajans, to uplifting wedding and celebratory songs, boisterous jams with beat-boxing and live DJ sets.

The group formed in 2011 at the Amarrass Desert Music Festival, and made their international debut in 2014 with a US tour, showcase at Borneo World Music Festival, and Roskilde Festival. The trio has featured on MTV CokeStudio, BBC, NPR, and have released two critically acclaimed albums – ‘At Home’ (2012, Amarrass Records, 4 Stars in Songlines), and ‘Kesariya Balm’ (2017, Amarrass Records) debuted on the Transglobal World Music Charts Top 40 in 2017.

AZIZA IBRAHIM

Voiced with deep passion and grace, Aziza Brahim’s music adeptly travels the expanse between her Western Saharan roots and Barcelona, the European cosmopolis where she now lives. Aziza is both a contemporary sonic poet and a prominent and eloquent spokesperson for the Saharawi people and their ongoing struggle for recognition and justice. Born and raised in the Saharawi refugee camps lining the frontier between Algeria and Western Sahara, Aziza’s life has been marked by both daunting hardship and inspired will. Fleeing from these camps and the regime of political oppression that followed Morocco’s 1975 invasion of Western Sahara, as a young teenager Aziza travelled to Cuba for her secondary school studies. There she experienced first hand the deep Cuban economic crisis of the 1990s and the subsequent denial of her request to pursue a university degree in music.