Watcha Clan (FR) Radio Babel – album release concert

Watcha Clan are the fierce posse of musical nomads to watch out for lately, their multi-ethnic, multi-groove infusions whip audiences into a dance frenzy, regardless of where in the world W-Clan happen to be on their never-ending tour trail. Along the way they’ve met talented DJs, fellow musical travelers on dance floor journeys in the languages of dub, ragga, reggae, drum’n'bass and electro, sung to melodies traditional or modern, with arabic and Mediterranean flavorings.

This band from Marseille plays a unique mixture of traditional folk music and electronic dance music, in which the tribal traditions of the Mediterranean melt together with the latest issues of the London dancefloor culture. Featuring only four members on stage – besides the enchanting voice two guitars, an upright bass, a harmonium, keyboards, a sampler, a transverse flute and a fantastic voice – they create a spectacle including drum’n’bass, jungle, oriental, hiphop, dub, reggae and ragga elements along with Moroccan, Algerian, French, Spanish, Balcan and other music traditions.

After having sold 20.000 copies of their first album titled Nomades
a.k.a. in 2002, in 2005 they released their second album titled Le Bastion, which brought them the real breakthrough, since they gained enthusiastic critics all over for it. Following that they left gave in to their passion for electronic music, and in 2006 they presented their new project titled Diaspora Hi-Fi, with which they succeeded to combine the incompatible: phat electronic club beats with deeply traditional sounds from all over the world. It worked out, and they started working with international artists from all over, as e.g. in Algeria and Spain, jamming together and presenting their results on stages since throughout North Africa and Europe.

The secret of their huge success lies on one hand in the refined and wit mix of the parts of their music played live and composed beforehand, and on the on the other in the fantastic voice and attractive personality of the singer, percussionist, dancer frontwoman Sista Ka, whose stage appearance moves the spirits of all. She is accompanied by the rap of Soupa Ju, while
the other two musicians are engaged in cooking their unique electronic music pot with the charming spices of the ancient Arab, Jewish, Latin music traditions into an enchating, lovely and moving music.