Tiken Jah Fakoly
is one of the key voices speaking out for Africa's young generation, both in Africa itself and in the European diaspora. Before he had to leave the Ivory Coast, Tiken Jah Fakoly's brand of politically committed reggae was packing football stadiums for sell-out concerts. But his scathing criticism over the deep-rooted social malaise led to him finally having to emigrate to Mali. From there, he tried to break into the European music scene. Tiken Jah Fakoly's European career took off in France, where he is now a leading reggae artist - even though, or perhaps because, he is outspokenly critical of the role France played in its former colony. Turtle Bay Country Club
offers a cut-and-paste vision of dub, soul, reggae, R'n'B, funk and local roots - and welcoming you at the club door is none other than musician and renowned producer Matthias Arffmann. His musical inspiration, together with his band "Kastrierte Philosophen", has shaped the direction of German pop music, while his work as a producer not only led to the discovery of Patrice, but also created Absolute Beginner's most outstanding album so far, with the hit single "Liebeslied". In the studio, Arffmann has experimented on music projects with pop stars like Jan Delay (Beginner) or Patrice, but also been joined by the Moroccan Gnawa musician Mahmoud Ghania or Tony Cook, drummer with the legendary James Brown. For their popdeurope set, Turtle Bay Country Club has invited along singers Onejiru and Mamadee, who made their names in the Afro-German hip-hop project "Sisters Keepers", female counterpart to "Brothers Keepers".
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