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EDISON AWARD 08.10.12
Happily we can announce that Mdungu's album Gambian Space Programis nominated for an Edison Award! Yeeehaaaahh!
IN THE STUDIO 10.09.12
After touring Malaysia, Canada, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands last summer we will be writing and rehearsing new material for our new album which we are planning to release in fall 2013. We will keep you up to date on the progress.
BACK IN ASIA 28.05.12
After our successful tour through China and South Korea last fall, we are happy to have been invited to the International Music and Light Festival, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Looking forward to playing in Asia again!
GERMAN RELEASE SHOW GAMBIAN SPACE PROGRAM 10.05.12
We are really excited to release our second album Gambian Space Program in Germany this month! Come check out our show at the Maschinenhaus in Berlin on May 18.
GAMBIAN SPACE PROGRAM REVIEWS 12.02.12
We are so happy with our second cd that came out last November. And we got some pretty good review already! Read some reviews on Gambian Space Program here:
GAMBIAN SPACE PROGRAM CLUB TOUR 02.12.11
After a great release show in the Melkweg on November 27, we are now ready for our Gambian Space Program club tour throughout The Netherlands! Check the dates below for a show soon near you!
December 2: De Doelen, Rotterdam
December 9: De Piek, Vlissingen
December 10: Parkstad, Heerlen
December 16: Ekko, Utrecht
December 17: Paradox, Tilburg
January 13: Paard van Troje, Den Haag
January 20: Hedon, Zwolle
January 27: Victorie, Alkmaar
January 28: Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Arnhem
February 3: Simplon, Groningen
February 4: Het Bolwerk, Sneek
February 10: W2, Den Bosch
May 5: Doornroosje, Nijmegen
27 NOVEMBER MELKWEG RELEASE PARTY GAMBIAN SPACE PROGRAM 19.11.11
Counting the days to the big celebration of the release of Gambian Space Program! Sunday November 27 in the Melkweg we will present our new album, and we will be joined on stage by some of our best friends!
The amazing MC Typhoon will be rapping on a couple of our songs. Also the horn section will be enforced with the All Star Horns: saxophonists Benjamin Herman (New Cool Collective), Coen Kaldeway (La Boutique Fantastique), Janfie van Strien (Amsterdam Klezmer Band) and sousaphonist Arno Bakker (De Jongens Driest). And DJ's Rundfunk will be spinning vinyl before & after the show!
Hope to see you there!
VOORDEKUNST PROJECT 12.11.11
In collaboration with crowd funding platform Voordekunst.nl we started our very own cool crowd funding project: in exchange for your support we would like to invite you into the band. To see what we’re about. You can get a signed copy of our cd, attend a concert for free and maybe a meet and greet with the band. We can offer you among others a free drum lesson by Benoît Martiny, a afternoon record listening session with alto sax player Thijs van Milligen, an African cooking lesson by our percussionist Ebou Gaye Mada or a afternoon management advise by our manager Jantien.
We will make a great party of our tour to celebrate music and life and we hope you come join us!
Check our Voordekunst clip here:
And our full project page on Voordekunsthere
WOMEX SHOWCASE 20.10.11
We will be fully represented at international World Music Expo Copenhagen, with a showcase on Saturday October 29 and a stand at J.09. Hope to meet you there!
NEW PROMO GAMBIAN SPACE PROGRAM 13.10.11
We have a brand new promo video of our new upcoming album Gambian Space Program, check it out here!
ASIA TOUR BLOG ONLINE NOW AT FUNKIMAG 27.09.11
Read our second blogpost, "Gig number 1" now on FunkiMag!
Read our third blogpost, "Arrival in Shenzen" now on FunkiMag!
Read our fourth blogpost, "Zhezhe, baybay" now on FunkiMag!
Read our fifth blogpost, "Rubens Cube" now on FunkiMag!
Read our sixth blogpost, "The ever present company of Fred the Dog" now on FunkiMag!
ASIA TOUR BLOG ONLINE 24.09.11
Click here to read Benoits first blogpost on Mdungu's Asia tour!
And for pictures, check our Facebook page!
CHINA, KOREA, HONG KONG: HERE WE COME 20.09.11
Just a few more days before we start on our first Asia adventure! We're right in the middle of a crash course Mandarin, tuning our guitars to the Chinese scale and all other possible preparations to let the people of China, Korea and Hong Kong dance to our Afro tunes! We're looking forward to our adventures, and be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter so we can share pictures and stories from the far East with you along the way.
But we're also looking forward to coming back as when we're home, we can start preparing for our Gambian Space Program tour! The new album will come out November 27 in the Melkweg in Amsterdam, followed by a club tour through the whole of Holland. Hope to see you there!
With special thanks for the support of:
ASIA TOUR 25.08.11
This fall Mdungu will be on their first tour through Asia. They will be playing 3 shows in China (Zhuhai, Shenzen and Guangzhou) and will perform on international renowned festivals the Jarasum International Jazz Festival in South Korea (October 1) and the Hong Kong Jazz Festival (October 2).
As you can imagine we are very much looking forward to the tour. And because we want to take you with us a little, we will publish stories and pictures of the tour on our website along the way.
MDUNGU SHOWCASE AT WOMEX 15.07.11
We are very thrilled to announce that Mdungu will be playing at the World Music Expo (WOMEX) this year in Copenhagen! We will be performing as part of the Dutch Delta Sounds night on Saturday October 29.
SPECIAL SHOW FEATURING TYPHOON & LILIAN VIEIRA 10.06.11
This coming Sunday we have a very special show coming up: at the Global Village Festival in Amersfoort Mdungu will be playing again with the amazing Lilian Vieira of world famous band Zuco 103 and for the first time ever with gifted rapper Typhoon.
So check out this unique show Sunday June 12 at 20:00 on the Global Village Festival in Amersfoort.
Mdungu & Lilian will be also be playing together at Jazzfestival Bergen op Zoom on June 18.
NEW SONGS COMING UP 26.04.11
All Mdungu bandmembers have been very very busy the last couple of months writing and rehearsing for Mdungu's upcoming second album. We are all very excited about all the new tunes and can't wait to hit the studio in June! We will be presenting the new album in the fall during a clubtour, for which we will be receiving a grant from the Performing Arts Fund The Netherlands.
We will be trying out all the new songs on a special concert on May 2 in Grounds (former WMDC) in Rotterdam. The show starts at 21:00 and is FREE
IN THE STUDIO 09.02.11
Right now we are busy cooking up new songs and rehearsing! We hope to release Mdungu's second album after the summer of 2011. Keep updated on the progress via Facebook or Twitter.
HAPPY NEW YEAR & MDUNGU REPRESENTED AT EUROSONIC 04.01.11
All of us from Mdungu want to wish you all a great 2011! We will have lots of music & more coming up this coming year, so be sure to keep up to date via Facebook or Twitter. Mdungu will have representation at the coming edition of Eurosonic January 13, 14 and 15. If you want plan a meeting with Mdungu's manager Jantien Plooij please contact at +31618403805 or jantien@fourtothefloor.nl. Hope to see you there!
SHOWCASE AT DUTCH JAZZ AND WORLD MEETING 23.11.10
December 3rd at 21:45 in the Melkweg MAX stage Mdungu will be playing a showcase at the Dutch Jazz and World Meeting, a showcase event happening in de Melkweg in Amsterdam on December 2 and 3. The showcases are also open for public, check the Melkweg site for tickets to see many amazing bands in one night! On December 3rd Mdungu will have a stand on the information market in the Felix Meritis. Please come by our stand or if you want to make an appointment ahead contact us at jantien@fourtothefloor.nl or +31618403805.
SPECIAL SHOW FEATURING LILIAN VIEIRA 23.11.10
Saturday November 27 on the Global Village Festival in Amersfoort Mdungu will play a unique show featuring Lilian Vieira of world famous band Zuco 103. Lilian is an amazing singer and performer and the rehearsals for the show already promise a concert full of samba swing and afro fireworks. Check for more info on the show and tickets de Lieve Vrouw.
For a sneak peak of what you can expect: check out this video of the Mdungu show this summer in the Vondelpark, when Lilian unexpectedly joined the band on stage for an improvised version of Confusion.
MDUNGU PROMOVIDEO NOW ONLINE 15.10.10
We are extremely proud to present our brand new promovideo made by Juan M. De Ferrari. Watch it here to learn all about Mdungu, where the music comes from, what our plans for the future are and how to make a killer tortilla.
MDUNGU AT WOMEX 2010 28.09.10
Mdungu will be present at international World Music Trade Fair WOMEX 2010 in Copenhagen. Please drop by at our stand nr. 135! We will have new material to present and Dutch treats to offer. You can visit our virtual page right here.
Very soon we will premiere our newest mini documentary we are working on. Connect with us via Facebook or Twitter and you will be among the first to see it!
AUGUST SHOWS 16.08.10
In August Mdungu has some really special shows: on the 15th they performed in the Vondelpark Openluchttheater for a great crowd and as icing on the cake Lilian Vieira (Zuco 103) jumped on stage to join David in Mdungu's song Confusion. You can see the performance below.
On the 21st Mdungu will play on the Noorderzon festival in Groningen and on the 28th they close the ZomerJazzFietsTour in Garnwerd, Groningen. We hope to see you there!
MDUNGU LIVE IN EUROPE 13.07.10
In July Mdungu is crossing borders! Last weekend they played a killer German debut show at the Frequenzen Festival in Meldorf, Germany. The audience loved it, so we'll be back in Germany soon! Check out the clip below this post for a peek of the show and the great vibes.
Next show abroad will be at the 10th dlr Festival of World Cultures in Ireland, where Mdungu will be playing the main stage on July 24th, just before Cheb Khaled performs on that same stage! And last but not least they will be playing in Antwerp, Belgium at the Openluchttheater Rivierenhof on July 30th.
MONDAY YAMANABOOLE LIVE ON RADIO 6 10.06.10
This Monday at 9:30 in the morning, just before they leave for Oerol Festival, Mdungu brings out the vuvuzela's to rock their single Yamanaboole (South Africa 2010) live on national Dutch Radio 6 program KRO The Beat. On this day the Dutch soccer team will play their first match against Denmark. You can listen to the show live on cable or www.radio6.nl.
Mdungu will be playing this Friday June 11 on The Hague Jazz, June 14 and 15 on Oerol and June 19 on Festival Mundial. This summer you can also catch them on Reuring Festival, Growlands, Openluchttheater Rivierenhof Antwerpen, Vondelpark Openluchttheater, ZomerJazzFiets Tour, Wereldfeest Utrecht, dlr Festival of World Cultures Dublin Ireland, Frequenzen Festival Meldorf Germany and many more! Check out the summer tour flyer here!
YAMANABOOLE (SOUTH AFRICA 2010) NOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES 17.05.10
Mdungu's new single Yamanaboole (South Africa 2010) is now officially released and available on ITunes!! To buy the single for just € 0,99 click here!
Yamanaboole (South Africa 2010) is produced by Simon Akkermans (C-mon from the band C-mon & Kypski). The song is an upbeat track inspired by the upcoming soccer World Cup games in South Africa. Yamanaboole means "come together" in Wolof (the Gambian language) and features David Beukers and Ebou Gaye Mada on vocals.
You can listen to the track here.
MDUNGU SUMMER TOUR 2010 11.05.10
Mdungu will be touring Holland, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and Ireland this summer. Coming soon to a stage near you!
Mdungu has a great summer tour coming up with shows in Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Ireland. They will be a.o. at the Oerol festival, Jazz in Duketown, Festival Mundial, The Hague Jazz, Openluchttheater in Antwerp, dlr Festival of World Cultures in Dublin, Vondelpark Openluchttheater and many more.
To start it all off they give a special concert on Sunday April 25 in RASA, Utrecht featuring special guests Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara. The show is part of the Africa Independent Festival in RASA that starts Thursday April 22nd. In honor of this festival the organization will compose the African Blacklist with highlights of 50 years of African pop music. You can check out Mdungu's Thijs van Milligen's top 20 here.
April 25 Mdungu plays a special concert in RASA, Utrecht featuring special guests Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara. They are no strangers to the band: Justin Adams mixed Mdungu's debut album Afro What!? and both Justin and Juldeh joined Mdungu on stage before on a magical night at the Music Meeting in Nijmegen 2009.
Mdungu recorded a brand new single, produced by Simon Akkermans (C-mon from the band C-mon & Kypski). The song is named Yamanaboole (South Africa 2010) and is inspired by the coming soccer World Cup games in South Africa. Yamanaboole means "come together" in Wolof (the Gambian language) and features David Beukers and Ebou Gaye Mada on vocals. You can listen to the track here.
Mdungu's alto saxophonist and bandleader Thijs van Milligen has been nominated for the Deloitte Jazz Award, Hollands biggest award for talent deserving wider recognition.
Mdungu played at 2010's Eurosonic/Noorderslag. Check out the reviews on the show here.
Mdungu's debut album Afro What!? has been voted best world music album produced in the Netherlands in 2009 by MixedWorldMusic.com, an online magazine represented by Hollands leading journalists. You can read the full article here.
Mdungu was voted 7th place of best live acts of 2009 by Tropicalidad.be, check out the full list here.
Mdungu will play at this year's edition of EuroSonic Noorderslag on Saturdaynight January 16 at 01:45 in the Oosterpoort Heineken Foyer.
EuroSonic Noorderslag is Europe’s most important live music industry conference and showcase festival for new talent. Noorderslag has been the main barometer of Dutch pop music for 24 years and on Saturday, De Oosterpoort Theatre presents the very best Dutch acts in every genre, from hiphop and urban to pop music, avant garde, dance, alternative and everything in between.
Mdungu has been selected to do a showcase at the first edition of the Day of Dutch Worldmusic held on December 11th in Rasa, Utrecht.
We are very proud to be selected for this special event and hope to see lots of our fans there to cheer us on!
Check out our brand new promo video shot during the show at the Numoon Festival in WMDC Rotterdam:
What a great summer it was! We played the best festivals, met the greatest people and played like never before! This year a delegation of Mdungu will visit the World Music Expo in Copenhagen. So if you're there and want to meet, contact us!
Mdungu at Pure Jazz Festival, The Hague. Photos by Eric van Nieuwland
REVIEW IN NRC HANDELSBLAD 08.08.09
Review in daily National newspaper NRC Handelsblad:
MDUNGU IN AUGUST 01.08.09
In August you can find us at the following festivals:
August 2: Muzikale Botenparade Utrecht
August 8: Zomerterras, Vlaardingen
August 22: Haarlem Jazz Stad, Haarlem
August 30: Wereld Jazz Dagen, Dordrecht
For our other shows check here.
You can also follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mdungu
MDUNGU IN DE ZOMER DRAAIT DOOR 17.06.09
June 16 Mdungu performed live on the national tv show De Zomer Draait Door, you can watch the recording here.
Last Friday the 29th of May Mdungu celebrated the release of their debut cd called Afro What!? with cake and a concert in the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Fans, friends and family filled the Paradiso while they kicked off the first steamin’ show in a row of concerts that will take them through summer. Many surprised looks I caught when it was concerned our baritone sax player Job Chajes. How did he become so pretty all of a sudden?? The hair, the dress!!?? Well.......it was not Job playing with us but the lovely Babette Jane who is so kind to fill Jobs spot while he is playing with the Amsterdam Klezmer Band.
The next day Mdungu played the Music Meeting in Nijmegen. Their beloved tenor sax player David Beukers could not make it so Benjamin Herman jumped in to fill the spot. Not only did he fill the spot, he filled the whole stage with his jumps and smiles and shiny tenor sax. The Music Meeting was also special for us because we had the oppertunity to play with the wonderful guitarist Justin Adams, who did the mixing on Afro What!?. In the set of Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara the great Mdungu horns joined the stage for some horn blowing in the last two songs. Justin and Juldeh from their part joined in the last song of Mdungus set and rocked away.
The next day, waking up with a small hangover, too much cigarettes and too little sleep Mdungu went to play on the Dunya Festival. They were prepared for the worse: umbrellas, rainboots and stormcoats. Hey...its Dunya!, but were bitterly dissapointed on arrival to find clear skies, no wind and a happy sunny crowd of people all waiting for them! It was a great gig.
Photos by Klaas van der Pijl (left) and Tom de Goeij
In short, just another weekend for Mdungu.
AFRO WHAT!? OUT NOW! 20.05.09
AFRO WHAT!? , Mdungu's debut album is available now in the better record stores near you or online shops. You can listen to the complete album in the 3 voor 12 luisterpaal.
The release party is May 29 in Paradiso, Amsterdam.
MDUNGU LIVE AT RADIO 6 20.05.09
Friday May 15 Mdungu performed live 3 songs from the new album. You can listen to the mini concert here
Last fall Mdungu recorded their debut cd AFRO WHAT!?. The recordings are mixed by producer/guitarist Justin Adams, who is well known from his award winning work with Tinariwen, his own group Soul Science and Robert Plants Strange Sensation.
We are happy to announce that the album will be released by musiclabel Zimbraz, a division of Music and Words, on May 11 2009. The release party is May 29 in Paradiso, Amsterdam.
