Musical vagabond and inveterate digger, Parker Mah aka Rhythm & Hues has been sharing his offbeat selections for over a decade. As a featured DJ, he has set dancefloors alight in places as far-flung as Mexico City, Cotonou and Hong Kong. Co-founder of the Tumbao DJ collective, his specialty spans the afro-latin-brazilian-caribbean spectrum, with a predilection for vinyl. 
Musician, composer and radio show host, his passion is to broaden and share his interest in the socio-cultural legacy of these musics, and the stories they tell of migration and cross-pollinisation. 
His sets are a potion for curious and thirsty ears!

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Mélomane vagabond et collectionneur fini, Parker Mah alias Rhythm & Hues partage ses sélections uniques depuis plus qu’une décennie. En tant que DJ, il a enflammé les pistes de danse de Mexico à Hong Kong en passant par Cotonou.
Co-fondateur du collectif Tumbao, il se spécialise dans les sonorités dans l’axe afro-latin-brésilien-caribéen, avec une prédilection pour le vinyle.

Ses casquettes de musicien, compositeur et animateur radio lui permettent d'approfondir et partager son intérêt pour les trajectoires de migration et les dynamiques trans-culturelles de ces musiques.

Reinventing global sounds, throwing away the rulebook. 

www.kabantu.com

Kabantu is a collective from Manchester who unravel new marriages of music from around the globe to celebrate the space where different cultures collaborate.

"Kabantu" means "of the people" - stemming from the South African philosophy of Ubuntu - "I am who I am because of who we all are".

Highlights so far include performing at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, live sessions for BBC Free Thinking Festival, BBC Radio 3 In Tune, World on 3 and an array of prestigious festivals and venues including Lucerne Festival, Luxembourg Philharmonie, The Bridgewater Hall, TedX, The Sage Gateshead, Cadogan Hall, Celtic Connections, Musicport, Spitalfields Festival and Warwick, Orkney, Shetland and Cambridge Folk Festivals.

Kabantu are the winners of the Royal Over-Seas League Competition 2017.
In 2018, Kabantu released their debut album "Of the People" to critical acclaim, produced by the Mercury-nominated Gerry Diver and supported by the Hattori Foundation and the PRS Foundation's Open Fund for Music Creators.

2019 saw Kabantu collaborate creatively with the BBC Singers at the Cutty Sark and undertake a tour of England and Wales with Welsh orchestra Sinfonia Cymru. They have recently toured Switzerland and Luxembourg and featured as guest artists in Yolanda Brown's brand-new show for CBeebies.

Upcoming projects for Kabantu include collaborations with the Manchester Camerata at HOME, launching their brand new early years show “Sea Hear” commissioned by Lancaster Arts, showcasing at the English Folk Expo (Manchester Folk Festival), making their debut at Shrewsbury Folk Festival and returning to Lichfield International Festival with a  co-written show featuring the trailblazing clog dancer and English folk musician, Hannah James (Jigdoll).

Kabantu are Folk Alliance International 2019 Official Showcase Artists, Selected Making Music Magazine, Live Music Now and BBC Introducing Artists.

Isla Jasmine Blake is a composer from the UK. She often seeks to weave depictions into her music, taking inspiration from nature, film, literature and art.

She has previously created soundtracks for short animated documentaries 'Tryweryn' (2021) youtu.be/tHljFFdQYDs and 'Rhannwch y Baich' (2022) youtu.be/EbJp_kNXZXM by animator Osian Roberts.

Isla has enjoyed writing for a variety of student and amateur ensembles including saxophone ensemble, string octet, percussion quartet, piano solo and more. Her recent projects include a new soundtrack for F. Percy Smith’s 1911 nature film 'The Strength & Agility of Insects', premiered at the RNCM in February 2024, and 'Snapshots', a current work-in-progress for 12 Saxophones which incorporates inspiration from film-making techniques.

Followers of Kabantu