While coronavirus travel bans have forced us all indoors, we’ve not let this extra time at home dampen our travel spirits. We’re still dreaming of future trips and coming up with creative ways to satiate our travel desires while at home. Not ones to pass up around-the-world adventures, we recently embarked on some travel of a different kind… no passport or money required, here’s how you can travel the world (from your lounge) with music.
WHERE: Scotland
WHO: Talisk
Formed in 2014, Talisk is a Scottish folk band composed of Mohsen Amini (concertina), Hayley Keenan (fiddle) and Graeme Armstrong (guitar). In their six years, the band has won several major awards, including 2017’s Folk Band of the Year at the BBC Alba Scots Trad Music Awards and a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award.
WHERE: Iran/Mongolia
WHO: Sedaa
Listening to the music of Sedaa is an experience within itself. The word ‘sedaa’ means ‘voice’ in Persian and connects traditional Mongolian music with the Orient, making for an extraordinary sound. Using natural sounds produced by traditional instruments and age-old vocal techniques, when singers Nasaa Nasanjargal and Naraa Naranbaatar, together with Dulcimer-player Ganzorig Davaakhuu and multi-instrumentalist Omid Bahadori perform, you’ll find yourself transported to the exotic world of the Orient and Mongolian steppe, journeying through the regions wide landscape of nature.
WHERE: Mauritius
WHO: Mauravann
Showcasing the music of the islands of the South-West Indian Ocean, Mauravann was put together by Artistic Director Percy Yip Tong in 2016. Made up of four well known Mauritian artists, Linzi Backbotte, Emmanuel Desroches, Kurwin Castel and Samuel Dubois, their repertoire is based on Sega and its traditional instruments, creating African music with the charm of the islands.
WHERE: Turkey
WHO: Light in Babylon
A fusion of genres, Light in Babylon is a multicultural Istanbul-based band, composed of Michal Elia Kamal (singer), Julian Demarque (guitar) and Metehan Cici (santour). Formed in 2010, the band (whose songs are written and sung in Hebrew) are popular internationally, having performed in Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Finland and India, as well as throughout Turkey.
WHERE: Colombia
WHO: La Chiva Gantiva
Founded by three Colombian students in Belgium in 2011, La Chiva Gantiva is an eclectic band who play Afro-Colombian rhythms with rock, afrobeat and funk. Since forming nine years ago, the band has grown and now includes members from Vietnam, Chile and Belgium.
Stuck on ideas to pass the time while the world is in lockdown? Check out our post ‘How to Create the Perfect Travel Photo Album’ for inspiration!
