posts on the norient space by Martyn Pepperell

Listening to live music outside can be a life changing experience. For our author, it set nothing less than the pathway of his life.

When Peter Guyer and Thomas Burkhalter were filming Contradict, they worked with female Ghanaian creatives to assemble a portrait of a generation tackling the post-colonial struggles, and how they see feminism after it gained an increasing global presence. They asked: What would they do differently if women ruled the world?

When Peter Guyer and Thomas Burkhalter started making their film «Contradict» about the music scene in Ghana, an early topic of discussion was how to deal with the ethics of representation. Together with local artists, they decided to shoot a documentary that was not just about the scene, but created with it.

«People in Ghana have gone overboard with religion, politics, and corruption», says FOKN Bois' Wanlov the Kubolor. A critical investigation of the relevance of religion and churches in Ghana.

Country Music has been long associated with a strong focus on its country of origin. When Peter Guyer and Thomas Burkhalter were filming their «Contradict» in Ghana, they discovered that it is very popular in West Africa. According to the Ghanaian Country musician Nii Adotey, its roots reach all the way back to Irish and Scottish settlers, and yes, also to Africa.

UK Funky DJ Bamz' music is informed by a sense of history and a glimpse into the future of bass driven club music. At the core of this is the «riddim» as the aesthetic backbone.

On his new album «Ecologies II: Ecosystems of Excess», J.G. Biberkopf explores the way global politics shape ecosystems. Norient talked to him about looking for a political stance in a troubled world and the exploitation mechanisms of art institutions.

The electronic musician FIS combines broken rhythms derived from somnambulant drum & bass and cinematic melodies with notions of a futurist naturalism. Martyn Pepperell talked to him about noise, permaculture and perfect harmony.