Inspired by Fela Anikulapo Kuti's Lagos club, The Shrine, and the rebirth of Afrobeat brought about, Jesus stylee, by Fela's untimely death in 1997, the Shrine DJ Posse have been lobbing their lightning bolt of Afrosubversion into London Night Life for the last two years and their Rebel Music mission continues. Shrine sessions have rocked London venues like the Fridge, the Royal Festival Hall, the Jazz Cafe, the Barbican, the Spitz and now, Cargo, in the adrenalin fuelled heart of the City, with DJ sets from the Shrine DJ posse Max Rita Ray, Max Reinhardt and Nikki Lucas, stunning visuals from Your Mum and live music. The Afrocentric Roots 'n' Digital Mix features Afrobeat, High Life, Mbaqanga, Rai, Kwaito, Soukous, Benga, Juju, Mbalax, Afrodigital sounds, Chaabi, Salsa, Samba, Bossa, Reggae, Funk, Drum'n'bass, Garage, Fusions and the Tuffest Beats del Mondo.....ice cool new tunes and red hot old classics. Recent live acts featured at The Shrine include Tony Allen; Rachid Taha; Femi Kuti; Orishas, the Cuban Yoruba Hip Hop luminaries; Dele Sosimi, Fela's funkiest keyboard player; and Ashley Beedle, DJ/producer and remixer.

THE SHRINE SYNCHRO SYSTEM

Our roots digital touring project, the Shrine Synchro System, is a specially deconstructed version of the Shrine - a seamless mix of slamming sounds and dazzling visuals and weaving in and out of the soundscape come stunning live contributions from musicians. Over the past few years the Shrine DJ's have featured a wide range of live musicians blowing, strumming, bowing, singing and drumming over their beats, from Osibisa to Eliza Carthy. It's a new musical form they've been developing for over four years. Since 2000 they've been touring internationally as The Shrine Synchro System, working with artists who reflect the principal elements of Afrobeat: culturally conscious poetry, radical politics, West African rhythms and melodies colliding with jazz, blues and funk.

Artists we have worked with include legendary drummer TONY ALLEN, the incredible WUNMI, Nigerian rapper WEIRD MC, CLAUDE DEPPA on trumpet and ERROL LINTON on harmonica. We've taken The Shrine Synchro System to Germany, Benelux, Turkey and, with the support of the British Council, to Uganda, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Finland and Russia.

VISUALS: KELLY BUDGE and BEN BRETT of Your Mum Visuals use slides, film, video, graffiti and text to create an Afrocentric multi-layered projection installation of richly textured imagery especially for The Shrine. Theyfeature vivid images of Africa which challenge preconceptions and celebrate the rich cultural landscape which continues to transform the music of the world with its vibrancy.

THE DJ'S:

RITA RAY
Rita is a club and radio DJ who plays the global musical spectrum. She, Max and Gerry revitalised the African music scene in London with the Mambo Inn; she plays at clubs all over Europe and Africa; guests regularly on BBC radio; arranges and produces records; DJ member of Andy Sheppard's Short Cuts; DJ's in Theatre Projects; programmes international music festivals in London.

NIKKI LUCAS
Nikki is a club and Internet radio DJ who plays more styles than there are stars in the sky. In London she seems to work 8 nights a week at Garage nights, Roots Reggae nights, Women Only nights, all nighters featuring Afro House, Latin House, All Around the House, Brazillian, Funk......ain't no stopping her now!!

MAX REINHARDT
Club DJ, music writer, compiler, radio presenter (BBC World

Service/In Flight), and composer (children's theatre and TV), who plays and writes all round the global musical metissage. With Rita, he's co-hosted a string of innovative club nights in London and beyond, DJ's with Andy Sheppard's Short Cuts and programmes international music festivals in London.

DISCOGRAPHY

There are two Shrine compilations - Afrobeat, The Funkiest Music ever made (OCHO CD/LP 003) and Afrodigital, Future Sounds From The Motherland (OCHO CD/LP 008) both available on Ocho Records.

The Shrine is a Zigurat production. Set up by DJs Max Reinhardt and Rita Ray, Zigurat promotes the live and recorded music of Africa and the African Diaspora in all its forms: traditional, roots, popular, new hybrid and digital styles. You can also catch the Shrine posse playing at Cafe Oran (Cargo, Shoreditch).

Viva Rebel Music!!

 

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