Download Participant Profiles

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL in partnership with MAV
IGNITING IMAGINATION
WORKSHOP WITH QUIQUE NEIRA
PARTICIPANTS PROFILES 2013
ANTONIO MOREIRA (Brazilian)
Instrument: Shaker
Brazilian, Antonio Moreira grew up in the cultural capital of Brazil, Recife. Set
on the coast of Pernambuco, his home town provided an abundance of
vibrant colour, food, dance and music. Antonio was proud to share his
Brazilian roots once he became a citizen of the world, moving to Canada in
2006. There, he connected others to the exotic rhythms of Forro, Coco,
Ciranda, Maracatu and Samba through his drumming performances and
cultural workshops.
Through forging new networks with Melbourne’s music scene he was invited
to perform at the Premier's Gala Dinner with Tumbarumba, and again at
AAMI Stadium for the Melbourne Heart Soccer Team as Tumbarumba are
their exclusive percussion band. Antonio is currently establishing a percussion
group in Melbourne with support of local and Brisbane artists. We can expect
to see and hear a lot more from this young and talented percussionist.
https://www.facebook.com/maracatuestreladomar
http://www.estreladomar.com.au/
Thando Sikwila (Zimbabwean)
Instrument: Voice
Thando Sikwila is an R&B singer raised in Canberra and moved to Melbourne
in 2011 to study at JMC Academy. Since her arrival she has been front
woman of Melbourne Dub Reggae band, Echo Drama. Thando's vocal
capabilities are drawn from years of listening to Whitney Houston, Mariah
Carey and Aretha Franklin. The crossover of Soul/R&B vocals and Reggae has
created a unique sound for the band, who are set to release their debut EP
this year.
The former JMC Academy student turned to her peers to complete the lineup
for her solo project, and 2013 saw the birth of 'thando' (the band). Thando
and guitarist Henry Robinson have taken her love of R&B and fused it with elements of Rock, Pop and
Electronica and have stepped away from the traditional qualities of R&B.
https://www.facebook.com/thandomusic/info
https://soundcloud.com/echodrama
https://www.facebook.com/thandomusic/info
MELBOURNE FESTIVAL in partnership with MAV
IGNITING IMAGINATION
WORKSHOP WITH QUIQUE NEIRA
PARTICIPANTS PROFILES 2013
Henry Peña (Colombian)
Instrument: Bass
Colombian born and Melbourne based bass player and composer Henry Peña
Salinas, has been obsessed and addicted to music from a very young age. The
first passion was with heavy metal and all things rock, but after a move to
Australia after just turning 18 to study sound production, his musical mind was
opened to any style. Henry has a particular love for mixing cultures and finding
unifying themes in rhythms and stories from different parts of the world that
can be blended into something that sounds new. This can be heard in the
compositions of the different projects he is a part of, including South American
Contemporary Roots band Madre Monte and Aztec-Dub project Nahuatl Sound
System.
http://madremonte.com.au/
http://nahuatlsoundsystem.com/
Ras Jahknow (Cote d’lvoire)
Instrument: Acoustic Guitar
Ras JahKnow was born in 1974 in the Isle of Santiago in the Archipelago of
Cape Verde Islands in West Africa son in a long lineage of family musicians.
In 1991, Ras was studying in Cuba, and there he started to discover the
Caribbean Rastafarian culture and music. This gave him a strong influence
towards reggae music and his own artistic development.
Ras Jahknow learned numerous instruments as a child: melodica, guitar,
percussion, piano and practiced with his brother and other family members.
After completing his studies in Cuba, he returned and continued his work as
a musician in Cape Verde, performing traditional songs but introducing his
newly acquired taste for reggae music. His music took him travelling again,
first to the Canary Islands, and then to Portugal where he began managing
and working with his brother as a professional artist. From Portugal they
relocated to London together, supported themselves by performing in reggae bands, playing in traditional Cape
Verdean venues and busking in the street to hundreds of onlookers. It was also during his time in London that
Ras Jahknow met and married his wife and had their first son.
In 2007 the family decided to relocate to Australia. For several years, Ras Jahknow performed as a solo artist
and guest musician and began tutoring guitar and piano. Ras Jahknow founded in 2010 the Roots reggae band
(Ras Jahknow Band) and have already established an impressive performance history. Establishing themselves
at community events and city venues, Ras Jahknow has performed at the 2011 Black Harmony Gathering, The
West African Festival – Immigration Museum, the 2011 Brimbank Festival, Emerge Festival 2012, Rise Festival –
Federation Square 2012, Bob Marley Birthday Bash – Corner Hotel 2012 & 2013, recently supported the
Ethiopian reggae icon Jonny Ragga, plus many more, already receiving positive radio reviews and media
acclaim. Ras Jahknow has released two stellar singles “You &I” in 2011 and “Get up & Live” in 2012 both
having regular airplay on Triple J and PBS radio. The highly anticipated debut EP is scheduled for release in late
2013, and the album debut is in early 2014. http://rasjahknow.com/
MELBOURNE FESTIVAL in partnership with MAV
IGNITING IMAGINATION
WORKSHOP WITH QUIQUE NEIRA
PARTICIPANTS PROFILES 2013
Luis Poblete (Chilean)
Instrument: Congas/Charango
Percussionist Luis Poblete has spent over a decade committed to Melbourne’s
active live music scene. He specialises in Latin Percussion and his principal
instrument is the Conga. He is always practicing, rehearsing, recording or
performing with the many projects he is a member of.
Inspired by Chilean culture he is an established and colourful Artisan. Luis
makes Chekere ‐ beautiful Natural Afro Cuban Shakers Made from Gourd and
Beads.
Co‐founder and co‐composer of LABJACD, “One of the best Live acts in the
country” as heralded by Rolling Stone Magazine. Their sound is a reflection of
the music the band grew up listening to. Their music is original Hip‐Hop and
Latin Funk, including Andean influences, lyrical antics and social commentary.
Luis’ live performance experience has seen him playing on Australia’s many stages. These performances have
led him to meet and join other acts like original Samba band Tumbarumba, exploring live Parade Percussion
and wider performance spectacles like NYE at Federation Square.
Luis is currently working on his latest co‐creation Quarter St. Orquesta that alongside Labjacd are both
preparing for their next round of original recordings.
https://myspace.com/labjacd
Ana Maria Rico (Colombian)
Instrument: Guitarra...nylon string
Ana Maria is a Colombian singer, based in Melbourne Australia. She has a
strong passion for world traditional music and its role and presence in the
communities.
Most of her career has been dedicated to take and give music experiences
to people who don’t have access to it, as well as using music as way of
communicating social justice messages.
Her current project is DIVINA PROVIDENCIA BAND, who is a collective of
musicians looking to make a contribution to the wellbeing and happiness
of the human race. They blend rhythms from Latin America, Africa, world
music and reggae.
https://www.facebook.com/divinaprovidencia.band
MELBOURNE FESTIVAL in partnership with MAV
IGNITING IMAGINATION
WORKSHOP WITH QUIQUE NEIRA
PARTICIPANTS PROFILES 2013
Eyal Chipkiewicz (Venezuelan)
Instrument: bongos and a case of various
minor percussion instruments (maracas, guiro,
clave, bells, etc.)
Eyal Chipkiewicz is a Venezuela-born expressive
explorer with a long trajectory as a graphic and
industrial designer, poet, film-maker and performance
artist, recently incorporating afro-caribbean
percussion in his expressive toolkit. Since his arrival in
Australia in 2008, his take on cultural representation
took the form of Cruzao Arepa Bar, a small venue on
Melbourne’s vibrant entertainment district of Fitzroy which focused on showcasing the music of Latin America.
He currently performs in a number of bands around Melbourne, including progressive exploratory The Electric I,
rock-fusion Diablos del Corazon, the Alt-Latin trio Funkalleros and Afro-Funk band Ultravibralux. Cultural
transgression and hybridisation are his focus. http://the-electric-i.com/
Mauro Monte (Colombian)
Instrument: Voice/Acoustic Guitar
Mauro Monte is the lead singer, composer and rhythm
guitars of Madre Monte band, a hard hitting horns funkin’
up 50s style Cumbia, a tight rhythm section dissecting AfroColombian progressions, skankin’ guitars infusing reggae
grooves, recreating the ancient mythological stories of
Colombia all intertwine to create what is now Melbourne’s
unique 9-piece Latin Reggae band.
Madre Monte’s sound is representative of Colombia’s unique culture, a marbled ancestry of African, Indigenous
and European descent, a product of a long and dark history of colonization, slave trade and migration. They
have cleverly discovered the perfect unison between these Afro-Colombian styles and their cousin and
neighbour, reggae. Through their music Madre Monte give a history lesson in traveling sounds, rhythms,
instruments and the power of music to stay true to its roots yet adapt accordingly to new environments.
Faced with a new environment themselves, the band’s founders Mauricio Gomez and Henry Peña have been
dedicated to recreating the authentic sound of traditional Cumbia, interweaved with influences from their new
multicultural home Melbourne. The band was formed in 2008 and represents the old-school sound of their
musically rich homelands with a distinctive contemporary flare.
To date, Madre Monte have performed to large crowds at festivals around the country including Brunswick
Music Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival and Cygnet Folk Festival. The band has undertaken successful residencies
at notorious music institutions Bar Open and the Workers Club, showcased at the Australasian Worldwide
Music Expo, toured Tasmania, sold out their debut EP Reaction and released their second EP Raza:Madre
receiving great airplay on Melbourne's PBS, RRR and nationally on JJJ.
http://madremonte.com.au/
MELBOURNE FESTIVAL in partnership with MAV
IGNITING IMAGINATION
WORKSHOP WITH QUIQUE NEIRA
PARTICIPANTS PROFILES 2013
Peter Kihara (DJ PIT)
Instrument: Clave
Peter Kihara, known as DJ PIT, provides professional DJ and promotional
services for Dancehall, Reggae and Afro Music events based in
Melbourne and Australia wide. He is available for weddings, events and
private parties and he specialises in international genres covering
reggae, dancehall, African, hip-hop, traditional and more. His company
RASTA LION WEAR ENTERTAINMENT has produced regular monthly
events including PULL UP SELECTOR as well as fiesta, reggae and
dancehall themed parties.
Also known as Peter to his family and friends, DJ PIT has been exposed
to the music industry from a young age by his father Musaimo (Kenyan Artist) and enjoys sharing his passion for
quality entertainment with a wide audience.
https://www.facebook.com/RASTALIONWEAR.ENTERTAINMENT