Spyda the dj

Being a DJ from the Caribbean, I always appreciate when I get opportunity to play music from the Caribbean for people from all over the world.  I am also a lover of music period so I love to play all genres of music.  For this event, the Caribbean – African connection in music and culture has always been pretty obvious to me and it never gets old.  I've travelled to Africa as well so this is a great honor when I know there are so many other talented Dj's in the city.  I always challenge myself to find something new and fresh to discover and present to the people when mixing the music.  Most people think being a DJ is just about playing some songs but it's a lot deeper than that.  I get into the theme, the concept, the venue and most importantly, I get into the people.  I’m really looking forward to “African Underground” at the Smithsonian.   I’ll be side by side with Farafina Kan so I know it’s going to be awesome – a great venue, great performances, and great people always make for a great vibe. I’ll be there ready to rock the crowd in the "African Underground".

Diallo Sumbry for Farafina Kan

"Africa Underground” at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is going to be a great event.  Farafina Kan performs traditional West African music, dance and song by way of the Djembe orchestra and much of what we do is represented in the museum visually so it’s a great match.  Even folks not familiar with what we do specifically can't resist the temptation to dance once they hear the drums and the African feeling gets under their skin.  Being of the hip-hop generation, we love to mix our traditional music with hip hop, reggae, go go, live deejaying and other forms of contemporary music to give us a unique approach to traditional West African Dance and Drum.  We’re excited to be there and to share the stage with Spyda makes it that much better – he’s our DJ of choice whether we’re playing or not.  I strongly advise everybody reading this to get your tickets and make sure you bring your dancing shoes.

Carnival in the Caribbean is Africa in the Atlantic

Many elements of Caribbean Carnival combine aspects of European pre-Lenten celebrations, with the spirit and soul of African celebrations, both past and present.

Throughout the Caribbean -- whether English, French, Spanish, or Dutch -- Africans have infused these rites of extravagant display with the sounds, sights, tastes, and rhythms of Africa that joined those of European and indigenous peoples of the Caribbean to create joyous occasions for masquerade, song, and dance that temporarily transformed the streets of Caribbean cities into pulsing crowds of moving bodies.

Take for example Pitchy-Patchy, a masquerade whose multi-layers of strips of brightly colored cloth recall the ancestral ensembles of Yoruba peoples of West Africa. And the vision of Moko Jumbie stilt dances riding in the sky above the throngs evoke the floating masked spirits of the Upper Guinea Coast of Liberia and Sierra Leone. 


A date for your diary - Don’t miss the second installment of Africa Underground on Friday, May 20 where we will celebrate West Africa and the Caribbean and experience a real African vibe!……

Here we go again!!!