SUMMERSTAGE FEMI KUTI & THE POSITIVE FORCE

Sunday June 23, 2013

FEMI KUTI & THE POSITIVE FORCE

SINKANE

DJ sets by KING BRITT
In association with Okayafrica
SummerStage presented by AT&T

FREE SHOW at Central Park, Manhattan

Recommended Arrival Time:  2:00pm

Showtime:  3:00 PM – 7:00PM

Femi Kuti and The Positive Force have blended Funk, Jazz, and African Folk throughout their 27 year career to create a colorful and distinctive sound in the music world.  The records tell their story: After a short spell at Motown, Femi Kuti took on the Afrobeat sound with his first international album in 1998 Shoki Shoki, before rubbing shoulders with the modern urban style of his American peers such as Mos Def and Common on the album, Fight To Win.  In 2004 he opened The Shrine, the club where he recorded the live album Africa Shrine. He re-emerged in 2008 with Day by Day and Africa for Africa in 2010, for which he received two GRAMMY nominations. In 2012 he was both inducted into the Headies Hall of Fame (the most prestigious music awards in Nigeria) and was the opening act on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ European Tour.

Artist Website: www.femikuti.tv

Ahmed Gallab, the Sudanese-born multi-instrumentalist and founder of Sinkane, came to the US with his family at age five and then continued to move around until he was 18, when he settled in Columbus, OH. There, he became part of the city’s hardcore Punk scene. Before making a record of his own, Gallab was best known for lending his musical talents to the likes of Yeasayer, Caribou, and Of Montreal. His music reflects the geographic span of his travels.  Mars, his debut was released in 2012.   NPR said of the record and its use of collaborations: “Each appearance, like each instrument, is deftly placed by Gallab and used by the artist to help realize his vision rather than merely round out his credits sheet. The result is a body of work that sings on many levels, yet remains tethered to one confident voice.”

Artist Website: www.sinkane.com

King Britt is a producer, composer, performer and curator of electronic music.  As a producer/composer, Britt fuses his knowledge of music history from many cultures and genres with electronic compositions, which redefine and re-contextualizes the past into the present.  Britt has remixed and produced many diverse artists including Miles Davis, Femi Kuti, Angelique Kidjo, King Sunny Ade as well as scoring commercials for Rolex and L’oreal Paris.  From cutting his craft as the wax poetic for the GRAMMY Award winning Digable Planets to traveling solo in different cities and countries, Britt is bringing cultures together through his eclectic taste and live improvised dance/experimental sets.

Artist Website:  www.kingbritt.com

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Website: www.cityparksfoundation.org/summerstage/
Twitter: @SummerStage   #SummerStage13  #ThisIsHipHop
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About City Parks Foundation: City Parks Foundation (CPF) is the only independent, nonprofit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. We work in over 750 parks citywide, presenting a broad range of free arts, sports, and education programs, and empowering citizens to support their parks on a local level. Our programs and community building initiatives reach more than 600,000 people each year, contributing to the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout New York City.


*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

SummerStage reminds our patrons that in the interest of public safety the following items cannot be brought into the Central Park venue: glass bottles, cans, coolers, folding chairs, bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards, beach umbrellas, video cameras, tape recorders, professional camera gear or pets.  All bags are subject to search. Bringing alcoholic beverages into any NYC park is forbidden and the distribution or sale of unauthorized promotional materials is not allowed. Beer and wine are on sale at the Central Park venue for on­site consumption only.
 
SummerStage Sponsors: The 2013 SummerStage festival is presented by AT&T.

Time Warner, Blue Point, Ommegang, Six Point, Chipotle, Disney, JWT, Bloomberg, ConEd, JPMorgan Chase, Forest City Ratner, and City Winery are also official SummerStage Sponsors.

Additional funding is generously provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation; New York Community Trust Program for Performing Arts Groups; The Norman E. Alexander Family M Foundation; The Shubert Foundation; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council; New York State Council on the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts, through the Access to Artistic Excellence program; NYC  Council Member Rosie Mendez;  NYC  Council Member Joel Rivera; and NYC Council Member Debi Rose.

Media sponsors include: Time Out New York, Metro, Relix, El Especial & El Especialito, Zoom Media & Marketing, WNYC, WFUV, WBGO, NBC New York, Big Screen Project, Fusicology, UPlanMe, Challenge Post, Noisemaker Media, and Globe Star Media and Entertainment.the communities they serve.
 

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