German band ready for East African tour

The two-week tour, which is sponsored by the Goethe-Institut, kicks off on 14 April in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Band members Sebastian Yun-Kyong Meyerholz and Zhi Yang Trieu will visit five countries and hold concerts and workshops with artists.

Speaking to Music In Africa, Meyerholz said they expected to produce original fusions of African melodies and rhythms in partnership with the local artists. “This is a chance for us to visit most of the countries for the first time, which is always really exciting,” he said.

The band is familiar with some countries on the continent, having performed in 2013 at Shoko Festival in Zimbabwe.

“We were in Zanzibar last year and are now happier to be able to experience mainland Tanzania,” Trieu said. “We look forward to speaking to the local artists from the Singeli project on how to make beats and how to make this pre-produced music work in the context of live shows, in a way that allows more creative decisions, more 'liveness' than simply deejaying them.”

A partnership between Goethe-Institut Tanzania and Nafasi Arts Space will see Tanzanian up-and-coming artists who are members of the Singeli music project learn more about electronic music production and presentation. Singeli provides a platform for young artists in Tanzania to perform on playback at the Nafasi Arts Space.

Nafasi Arts Space director Rebecca Corey told Music In Africa that she hoped the collaboration would open doors to a new audience and markets for Singeli artists.

"We are excited to find out what might come out of this new combination of Dar es Salaam’s urban underground artists and SYMBIZ from Berlin,” she said. “We hope the cultural differences will spark something new and daring by introducing alternative sounds from two very different contexts.”

Cultural programme coordinator at Goethe-Institut Nairobi Anisha Soff said the band would hold a concert and studio recording session with local artists.

“Each Goethe-Institut was able to book SYMBIZ for one or two days: one day for a concert evening and one day for a workshop,” she said. “In Kenya, we decided to do both, as we usually try to have an interaction between the local artists and our German guests beyond the concert night. Right now, we are also discussing the possibility of creating studio time for all participants.”

SYMBIZ tour dates:

• 14.04. Goethe-Institut Tanzania in Dar es Salaam
• 18.04. Goethe-Institut Mozambique in Maputo
• 20.04. Zimbabwe-German Society (ZGS) in Harare
• 24.04. Goethe-Institut Addis Ababa in Ethiopia
• 26.04.Goethe-Institut Nairobi in Kenya