Music for celluloid festival
The ongoing 9th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, which opened last week, also features music as a parallel event, with the selections stylistically aligned to the films being screened. The performances, diverse in style, as is also the case for the documentaries being presented, include Macire Sylla & Djembe-Fare from the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, who play tomorrow at the northern city’s Mylos Club. On Saturday, Monika, an emerging Greek musician, and Star Hotel from Thessaloniki will perform at the port’s Warehouse C. Based on music of African roots, Macire Sylla & Djembe-Fare’s material also carries a Western-world leaning. Percussion is a key feature in the act’s sound, as are primal African sounds. Also, dance, color and emotion run high at their shows. Sylla ranks as one of West Africa’s most popular artists. Her debut album sold over 200,000 copies in Africa alone, leading to a domestic award for Best Female Singer in 1998. Monika, a 21-year-old artist, ranks as one of the local circuit’s brighter young prospects. Her English-language lyrics that are splashed over a sound that combines post-rock and folk have already begun drawing fans. Influences cited include Manos Hadjidakis, Ennio Morricone, Bob Dylan, the Beatles and New Order.
