So I finally went to Womex

Don’t know what took me so long.   This conference is a place not only to network, make deals but you can discover a ton of great music from all over the world….

So Womex stands for World Music Expo but….World music is everything these days.  It is not genre specific or have any limitations.   It’s anything with ‘an accent’ or anything that’s outside of the
region you live in.   It’s much broader and reaches wider audiences now than the
traditional folklore, celtic and indigenous music in the past…..Thus-  Womex had its biggest year ever- with an increase in exhibition stands and attendees…Of course it certainly helped that it was held in Sevilla, Spain- a gorgeous City…

I felt very relaxed at this conference.
There was no stress.  You could actually see the people you wanted to, make time to tour all the stands or a good portion of, attend panels and see practically all the showcases….The above is unheard of if you attend CMJ, SXSW and or Midem.…

I’ve heard it’s almost doable at PopKomm although I haven’t attended in years so I can’t comment…

Everyone at Womex is super friendly.  There is no pretense, no attitude and everyone there absolutely hands down loves the music and culture….I had a tremendous learning experience, ate some amazing food, toasted and drank great wine, some great musical discoveries and made new friends.  What else could you want.

I also had a one on one candid conversation with the Director Gerald Seligman.
Gosh- to think I’ve barely had a minute with the directors of Midem and I’ve attended that
conference for 16 years…Next year Womex will be in Copenhagen.  Not quite the same as Spain but I highly recommend looking into attending and if you’re an artist- you should submit for showcase consideration….

My favorite performances:

Miguel Poveda(Flamenco).

Speed Caravan(Algerian/Morocco/France).

LA 33(Columbia).

Magnifico(Slovenia).

Los Rumbers from Spain.

Astillero(Argentina).

I was disappointed to have missed David Walters from France.  Everyone was
talking about him….

Also— disappointed that Side Stepper and La Pupuna canceled.  I must say-

I was met with a bit of resistance.   A few folks came up to me and said “What are you doing here’- You’re the
Hip Hop/Urban chick”.    I quickly put them in their place.

I did meet quite a few contacts who had lots of International Hip Hop to hip me to and…Since I present a lot of shows and always like to be ‘The First’– there will be some of those acts I discovered coming
here…..I can promise you that….Check my Facebook for photos- I have 6 Spanish albums…

My personal highlights:

Hanging with Felix Hines – I finally had a moment to have a drink w/ him….

Received over 150 CD’s that I need to desperately listen to.

Trying to speak Spanish with a French accent.
No Fiona….

Eating Arroz Con Bogovante-  OMG

Drinking lots of Rioja....Why is the Rioja
over there way better than here.

Taking the 23 bus from Eduardo Dato to Fibes.

Being interviewed by Korean TV.

Partying with the NZ folks.

Having a cup of tea and a twix w/ Mr. Bongo.

Chugging down that Barack Palinka- damn it’s
strong!.

Seeing ‘Democracy in Dakar’ posters everywhere for the screening

Having great Tapas with Ben Herson, Juaa, and
Piers.

So I’m going back to Womex.
I’m also thinking about PortoMusical in Feb in Recife, Brazil….

Sonar in Barcelona.
SXSW always…..
and if the rumour is correct-
PopKomm in Cologne!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.