NEWS

Bringing Hollywood to the Highlands…

Charlie Allan and The Clanranald Trust for Scotland

As the ‘untamed’ piper with ARC’s Scottish folk-rock band Saor Patrol (“The Motörhead of Folk” – Lemmy), Charlie Allan is used to facing large crowds. Saor Patrol performances have taken him all over the world performing to thousands at concerts, medieval festivals and heavy metal festivals.

But for his ‘other’ job (or one of them), Charlie usually finds himself up against crowds of a more… hostile nature.

Charlie heads Combat International, a group of combat re-enactment specialists who have provided warrior armies for battle scenes in movies like Robin Hood, King Arthur and Gladiator (Charlie’s the one taunting Maximus with the severed head in the opening battle). Combat International specialise in medieval combat and weaponry, which Charlie has studied extensively, but they often find themselves drawn into the fantasy arena too. They recently completed filming for one of 2013’s most anticipated films, Marvel’s Thor II.

But Charlie’s movie projects don’t end there. Both Saor Patrol and Combat International are part of the Clanranald Trust for Scotland, a foundation established by Charlie to educate and preserve Scottish heritage. A major undertaking of the Trust includes building a medieval fortified village, Duncarron, in the Carron Valley near Stirling in Scotland, which will be used as an educational facility and a film/TV set for period pieces.

Due to its picturesque scenery and rolling landscapes, Scotland has already been attracting interest from Hollywood location scouts. Recent movies to be filmed partially in Scotland include Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, Snow White & The Huntsman, and World War Z. Recent speculation is that Star Wars: Episode VII will include scenes shot in Scotland.

The Duncarron project hopes to further attract film and TV productions by providing an authentically recreated medieval village for period, fantasy, historical educational dramas and documentaries.

The Trust has already received a helping hand from one of Hollywood’s leading stars: Russell Crowe, who Charlie had met while filming Gladiator, visited the site and was so intrigued by the project he convinced producers to donate a battering ram from the set of Robin Hood to Duncarron village.

While Charlie is the driving force behind the Trust’s activities (he established the Trust in 1996 for the purposes of building Duncarron), he has certainly not done it alone. The Trust’s members and volunteers freely give up their weekends to help with construction of the village, and Charlie’s own wife Malin is the site supervisor. In fact, Malin has a movie connection all of her own: as The Daily Mail pointed out, Malin bears an uncanny resemblance to a certain ‘Brave’ heroine.

To contact Charlie Allan, Combat International or the Clanranald Trust for Scotland, please visit www.clanranald.org

Photos courtesy of Charlie Allan

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Clannad Announce New Album For 2013 Release

Legendary celtic band Clannad have announced a partnership with ARC Music for their new album. Scheduled for release in September 2013, this new album will be the band’s first album of new material since 1998’s Grammy-winning Landmarks, and the first with the full original line-up since 1989’s Past Present.

Clannad – siblings Moya, Ciaran and Pol Brennan, and their twin uncles Noel and Padraig Duggan – began recordings for their as-yet untitled new album last week. Pol had previously left Clannad following the release of Past Present, but returned to the band in 2011 to perform a special concert at Dublin’s Christ Church Cathedral, which was released on CD and DVD early in 2013, also through ARC Music. The reformed line-up have been touring globally over the last several months and are planning an even more extensive worldwide tour to coincide with the release of the new album.

ARC Music’s Artistic Director Julia Beyer says, “We are very pleased to be working with Clannad again for their new album, following our release of their live album and DVD Christ Church Cathedral earlier this year. We are sure that the new album will delight Clannad’s fans as well as winning them many new ones – what better way to celebrate the band’s 40th anniversary year.”

The new album marks the next chapter in Clannad’s legendary career, which has already spanned forty years. In that time Clannad has been responsible for timeless music such as ‘Theme From Harry’s Game’, ‘In A Lifetime’, ‘I Will Find You’ and the soundtrack to the ‘Robin of Sherwood’ TV series. Their music entwines the traditional and the modern, the past and the future, with stunningly beautiful results. The band’s record sales exceed fifteen million since the release of their eponymous debut in 1973. Towards the end of the seventies they recruited their younger sister on piano and harmony vocals. She worked on two albums and several tours with them before going on to establish her own highly successful solo career as Enya. During those early years the band developed their trademark sound, immediately identifiable by anyone who has ever heard it, which has earned them legions of fans in the incredibly successful years since.

Julia Beyer added, “Clannad continues to tour and to captivate audiences all over the world, and this new album further cements their legacy as one of Ireland’s most enduring and influential music acts.”

You can receive news updates such as this direct to your email inbox by signing up for our newsletter. All newsletter subscribers receive our FREE 19-track world music download featuring music from across the ARC Music catalogue.

Techung opening for His Holiness The Dalai Lama

Tibetan singer and multi-instrumentalist Techung will perform the opening concert for His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s speech in New Orleans on 18th May 2013.

Techung and his band were selected to perform at the event in New Orleans’ Lakefront Arena, one of three public events to be held by His Holiness in New Orleans from 16-18 May.

Techung’s US tour starts on 3rd May at Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles. The Grammy-award-winning musician Keb’ Mo’ may join the band for some of the dates.

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Africa & India united in music and humanity – Gondwana Dawn

In 2011 a group of eight children from schools in South Africa travelled to India to embark on a life changing musical and cultural journey. That journey is documented by the release of the album Gondwana Dawn through ARC Music in April 2013.

Gondwana Dawn is an Afro-Indian world fusion project led by double-Grammy-winning producer Robin Hogarth (Soweto Gospel Choir) and Vidushi Sumitra Guha, one of India’s great musicians and recipient of the PADMA SHRI, one of the country’s highest civilian awards for art. What started as a collaborative project between Sumitra and Robin soon evolved into an idea of involving South African children in an unforgettable cultural experience. Together with the supervisors of a school music programme he was involved with, Robin had the idea of forming a choir of students from the seven schools in the programme. Following a series of auditions, eight children were selected from the seven schools.

“When we started I really had my own doubts because the children are not exposed to Indian classical music”, says Sumitra. “Maybe I can improvise but what about them? How is it going to work? I had a very big question mark”.

Robin adds,“When we arrived in India we just had an outline of some of the African music that I thought would work and some of the Indian music that I thought would work. We had no real idea whether it would or not. But what these kids have done with these different rhythms is very intriguing. Everyone did fantastically – I think everyone got the message of what we’re trying to do. It is a fusion of the cultures but it isn’t a new music; a new different sound but it does use the traditional elements.”

The album was written and recorded throughout the duration of the visit to New Delhi. For alto singer Koketso Maphelela, the recording process was the realisation of a dream. “Entering the studio was just amazing because I’ve never been to a studio before. You know, wearing the headphones - I always see Mariah Carey recording in the studio, but I did not think I would get that far with singing until I got there. It felt so real but then at the same time it felt like I was dreaming.”

The visit to India culminated in a concert in New Delhi which received a standing ovation, which was another highlight for Koketso: “There were a lot of journalists running after us trying to take pictures and everything. I do love attention!”

Gondwana refers to the paleogeographical landmass when what is now Africa was joined to the Indian subcontinent. Even beyond that the two cultures have many parallels, and the music symbolizes the coming together of the significant spiritual elements of their history, and the hope for a better future. The main themes within the music relate to modern day representations of the two cultures – Ahimsa (‘Non-Violence’ – as practiced by Mahatma Gandhi) and Ubuntu (Brotherhood – representing the ethos of Nelson Mandela) which are articulated throughout this album.

While in India a visit to the Gandhi Museum helped to illustrate the similarities between their two cultures: “I like Mahatma Gandhi because he is similar to Nelson Mandela”, says bass singer Sean Mashigo. “They did basically some of the same things; they worked to provide freedom for the people, and that is interesting because we get to understand how we are where we are today”.

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Clannad Live - concert photos

The ARC Music team recently attended the Clannad concert at London's Shepherds Bush Empire on 20th March 2013.

Visit ARC Music on Facebook to see the photos.

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Niyireth Alarcón European Tour 2013

In March 2013 Niyireth Alarcón is embarking on her 11^th international tour, the fifth to Europe and first visit to Spain. There she represents Colombia at the 13^th Festival del Folclore "Casa de Aragón en La Rioja" held in Logroño, 15^th - 17^th March. Additionally she performs again in countries such as Italy and Switzerland.

www.niyireth.com

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Joji Hirota and The London Metropolitan Orchestra – Tsunami Benefit

Japanese multi-instrumentalist Joji Hirota will perform a special concert with the London Metropolitan Orchestra in March 2013 to support victims of the 2011 Japanese tsunami.

This is the second ‘Beyond the Requiem’ concert in benefit of the survivors of the disaster which devastated Japan in March 2011. The first concert took place in March 2012. This year’s event takes place at St John’s Wood Church, London, on 16^th March.

Vist www.beyondtherequiem.com for more information.

You can receive news updates such as this direct to your email inbox by signing up for our newsletter. All newsletter subscribers receive our FREE 19-track world music download featuring music from across the ARC Music catalogue.

Tango-orkesteri Unto to perform in Washington DC and New York

Tango-orkestri Unto will perform in Washington DC and New York in February.

The six virtuosi of Finnish Tango will perform at the Kennedy Center in DC for the Nordic Cool Festival on Wednesday 20^th February, then on the New York for a performance at Scandinavia House on Thursday 21^st.

Please take a look at this video.

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ARC Music celebrates 2012, looks forward to 2013

As we enter a new year ARC Music celebrates a highly successful twelve months in 2012. Bucking the industry trend, ARC’s physical album sales worldwide for 2012 were up on 2011, while digital sales continued its upward trend.

Just in the latter half of 2012, key ARC releases included Dindinha by Ceumar; A Bright Star Has Risen by Perunika Trio; Vocalism by Vusa Mkhaya; Best of Buena Vista; New Queens of Fado; Ana Alcaida’s La Cantiga del Fuego; InVentus by Custódio Castelo; Best of Isla St. Clair; The Persian Azeri Project; Summertime - Best of Black Umfolosi and the double release Duncarron/Two Headed Dog by Saor Patrol, among others.

Releases already scheduled for early 2013 include new albums by legendary Celtic group Clannad, fado singer Maria Ana Bobone, and Namibian singer-songwriter Elemotho, winner of the RFI 24/7 Discoveries Award.

2012 saw ARC Music receive numerous industry recognitions, including two artists – Hossam Ramzy and She’koyokh – shortlisted in the Songlines Music Awards (Best Artist and Best Group, respectively). The label was also listed in the WOMEX 2012 Top World Music Labels and had a number of releases featured in the World Music Charts Europe throughout the year.

It was also a blockbuster year for ARC Music’s publishing division, highlighted by a placement in the highest grossing British film of the year, Skyfall, as well as four other major movie productions: The Dictator, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Zero Dark Thirty, and the HBO TV movie Hemingway & Gelhorn. Other publishing highlights include music featured in TV shows such as Touch and NYC 22, and a series of three TV commercials for internet domain giants GoDaddy.

ARC’s Managing Director Philip Collinson said, “Despite common perceptions about the current state of the music industry, 2012 was a fantastic year for us and we’re looking forward to continuing the good work into 2013”.

“Our physical sales were up last year. Add that to the rising revenues from digital and other media, and we are in a good position. We tend not to get too involved with industry figures – we take them for what they are but we believe it is always possible to improve on what we are doing – which is part of the reason we are still here and expanding after nearly forty years.”

ARC Music was established in 1976 to preserve the ethnic music of world cultures, and to spread traditional and original music with a positive message. The label now offers the largest selection of traditional and contemporary ethnic music from all corners of the world.

You can receive news updates such as this direct to your email inbox by signing up for our newsletter. All newsletter subscribers receive our FREE 19-track world music download featuring music from across the ARC Music catalogue.

Maria Ana Bobone to release ‘Fado & Piano’

In early 20th century Lisbon, fado, which was a song of the streets, was adopted into the rich houses of the aristocracy where it was played at the piano. Now, in the early 21st century - an era of accelerated progression in fado - one of Portugal’s most favoured fadistas looks back to earlier times to prove that, sometimes, something old can yield something new. Fado & Piano by Maria Ana Bobone is released worldwide through ARC Music in late January 2013. It is her first album since 2006’s ‘Nome de Mar’.

Maria Ana’s arrangements for piano bring a very natural warmth to her fados. She both sings and plays piano, allowing herself total control of the cadence and pace of the song. Fado’s instrument-of-choice, the Guitarra Portuguesa, plays a much more understated role, delicately supporting the piano instead of taking its usual lead. The album’s main trio of instruments is completed by the double bass. Herein lies one of the main strengths of the project: its simplicity and its subtlety.

Fado & Piano brings new dimensions to evergreens such as ‘Que Deus Me Perdoe’, which serves as the album’s opener. “It was sung by Amália Rodrigues, our diva, and in that sense it’s a very big responsibility… a challenge”, says Maria Ana. “It works wonderfully with this piano formation, because I’m controlling my time, and I’m giving it all the space that I think it needs. So I have my own very personal way of living it and of singing it”.

“’Fado Xuxu’ is a song to make you smile. It tells the story of fado going to Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, and mixing with samba. It’s very lighthearted, very happy and the way we played it is a bit more old fashioned. We went back to the tradition of the early 20th century to find the right way of playing it.”

Much more than simply a nostalgia or revival project, Fado & Piano includes a number of Maria Ana’s own compositions, some of which she has called her most personal songs to date. ‘Auto-retrato’ (‘Self Portrait’) is a song that she was encouraged to complete for the album as it fit so well with the fado and piano format. “I hadn’t even finished it when I started recording this album. My producer, Rodrigo Serrão, heard the first part of it and he thought it was so beautiful, he said ‘You have to finish it and you have to finish it now’. It’s my self portrait in the sense that… I’m always questioning myself – I’m always trying to find reasons for my existence and ways to grow.”

‘Imagem’ is another highly personal song. Not a fado in the traditional sense, it is instead a pop song with that undeniable and irrepressible fado feeling: saudade. “I wrote this song when I was eighteen. I was always very, very shy to show [my songs to people]. This one I wasn’t supposed to show – it was something that just came to me. It’s out of the fado language… but because it shows a little bit more of me I decided to include it in this project. Rodrigo wrote the words for it – he’s always trying to pull me out of my shell and making me expose parts of me.”

The album includes two fados sung in English with lyrics by the Portuguese poet Fernando Pinto do Amaral. ‘Twilight’ and ‘Love Ballad’ demonstrate how this very Portuguese tradition can translate into any language.

“This is a special album for me because it gave me the chance to grow”, concludes Maria Ana. “Revisiting my cultural roots from a new point of view, writing my own songs and working with different tools to enrich my work, always working towards the goal of exploring my own identity as an artist.”

You can receive news updates such as this direct to your email inbox by signing up for our newsletter. All newsletter subscribers receive our FREE 19-track world music download featuring music from across the ARC Music catalogue.

Ana Alcaide’s ‘La Cantiga del Fuego’ re-enters World Music Charts Europe

Ana Alcaide’s album ‘La Cantiga del Fuego’ re-entered the World Music Charts Europe this month following its international release in November 2012.

When ‘La Cantiga del Fuego’ was released in Spain earlier this year it immediately caught the attention of the World Music Charts Europe panel, who placed it at No.3 in their August 2012 chart.

Following its worldwide release through ARC Music in November the album has re-entered the chart for January 2013 in tenth position. Click here for album information.

The World Music Charts Europe panel consists of 50 of Europe’s leading world music DJs, who elect their favourite releases for that month to determine the chart positions. www.wmce.de

You can receive news updates such as this direct to your email inbox by signing up for our newsletter. All newsletter subscribers receive our FREE 19-track world music download featuring music from across the ARC Music catalogue.

Zero Dark Thirty uses music from ARC Music
Three tracks in Golden Globe nominated film

One of this year’s hardest hitting movie releases goes on limited release in the United States today, earning several Golden Globe nominations and becoming the latest major movie production to source music from world music specialists ARC Music.

Zero Dark Thirty follows the decade-long search for Osama Bin Laden, climaxing with his capture and death at the hands of US Navy SEALs in Pakistan. It goes on general US release on 11^th January 2013.

The movie uses 3 ARC Music tracks sourced from ARC Music: ‘Ishq di baazi jittan naalon’ and ‘Shishey utthey thuran jamiya’ from Asif Bhatti’s album Traditional Music from Pakistan, and ‘Sakhi’ from Sublime Sufi by Shafqat Ali Khan.

“With parts of the movie being set in Pakistan they were looking specifically for Pakistani music, and we were able to provide three tracks,” says ARC’s Licensing Director Caren Entwistle. “The tracks they selected are very typically Pakistani and are high in passion and drama, so they should complement the movie well.”

The film is co-produced by Kathryn Bigelow (Director) and Mark Boal (Screenplay), the Oscar-winning team behind The Hurt Locker, and stars Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton and Kyle Chandler.

With its topical and controversial subject matter as well as its graphic torture scenes, the film has been courting much media attention and looks to be a hit in theaters over the Christmas and New Year period in the US. Initial reaction to the film has been very positive, earning nominations for four Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama (Jessica Chastain), Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow), and Best Screenplay – Motion Picture.

The movie becomes ARC Music’s fourth Hollywood success for 2012, following the use of music in Skyfall, The Dictator, and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter earlier in the year. These are the latest in a long line of movies to source music from ARC’s extensive world music catalogue, following James Bond Casino Royale (2006); Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008); Burn After Reading (2009); Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010); Conan The Barbarian 3D and Machine Gun Preacher (both 2011). Previous placements also include The Kingdom, Munich, The Constant Gardener, War, and The 40 Year Old Virgin, among others.

ARC Music was established in 1976 to preserve the ethnic music of world cultures, and to spread traditional and original music with a positive message. The label now offers the largest selection of traditional and contemporary ethnic music from all corners of the world.

You can receive news updates such as this direct to your email inbox by signing up for our newsletter. All newsletter subscribers receive our FREE 19-track world music download featuring music from across the ARC Music catalogue.

Clannad - New Live Album, First Ever DVD and Tour

Legendary Irish family group Clannad release their first ever live DVD and an accompanying live album in early 2013. 'Clannad - Christ Church Cathedral' has its release through ARC Music in February.

Throughout a forty-year career Clannad has been responsible for timeless music such as ‘Theme From Harry’s Game’, ‘In A Lifetime’, ‘I Will Find You’ and the soundtrack to the ‘Robin of Sherwood’ TV series. Their music entwines the traditional and the modern, the past and the future, with stunningly beautiful results. Comprised of siblings Moya, Ciaran and Pol Brennan, along with their twin uncles Noel and Padraig Duggan, the band’s record sales exceed fifteen million since the release of their eponymous debut in 1973. Towards the end of the seventies they recruited their younger sister on piano and harmony vocals. She worked on two albums and several tours with them before going on to establish her own highly successful solo career as Enya. During those early years the band developed their trademark sound, immediately identifiable by anyone who has ever heard it, which has earned them legions of fans in the incredibly successful years since.

The new live album and DVD were recorded at Dublin’s historic Christ Church Cathedral on 29th January 2011. Being in such an intimate setting the band chose to lean heavily on their early traditional material as the acoustic nature of these tracks would suit the surroundings well. Pol, who had left Clannad in 1990 to pursue solo interests, rejoined the band marking the first time the original five members had performed together for more than twenty years.

Says Moya Brennan, “When we were asked to perform in Christ Church Cathedral we really wanted to put together a unique show that would complement the spectacular surroundings. It was the first time in many years that we had played in such an intimate setting and in choosing the programme it made us go right back to the earliest days of our forty years as a band, we even start the show with the first song Clannad ever played together.”

“The show is almost like a history of the band,” adds Ciaran, “starting with just the five of us on stage, as it was in the beginning, and gradually being joined by some wonderful musicians and very special guests. The backdrop of the cathedral's architecture provided the perfect setting for us and everything just felt very special on the night.”

2013 promises to be another landmark year for the band as they embark on a new European tour to celebrate their 40th anniversary. Confirmed tour dates can be viewed here, while further dates are to be announced. A new studio album is scheduled to be recorded later in the year.

It is indeed fascinating to consider that what today is so widely regarded as Celtic music was first called “Clannad music”. There is perhaps no greater testament to the impact of this groundbreaking group than that.

Full Clannad Bio.

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