RESPECT PLUS - world music series in the Akropolis Palace in Prague.
An all year round extension of the RESPECT FESTIVAL.

Programming and production: Rachot Production
Supported by the Municipality of Prague 3, Prague City and Respekt.

The Skatalites
17. 11. - 19.30 - Palác Akropolis

SKA, ROCK STEADY, REGGAE: IT ALL BEGAN WITH SKATALITES, JAMAICA'S GREATEST BAND... In early 60's, when Beatles made their first albums, a similar revolution started in Jamaica. Skatalites backed Bob Marley before he became famous, reformed in the 80's, their timeless grace can be matched only by Buena Vista Social Club. In 90's they were twice nominated for Grammy, their "Hi-Bop Ska" was awarded by the National American Independent Record Distribution. Since Bob Marley passed away, Skatalites are the last survivors of classical era of Jamaican music. Their current setup is augmented by the bass player Val Douglas from the A-Team, the primary backing band for Reggae Sunsplash Tours. <more>

Bantu
1. 11. - 19.30 - Palác Akropolis

This year's hot discovery, fusing up-to-date Afro hip-hop with Fela Kuti's vintage afrobeat. Adé Bantu performed with UB40, Schäl Sick Brass Band and his own Brothers Keepers. His last album "Fuji Satisfaction" features Fela Kuti's original guitar player Kologbo Oghene and the new star of Nigeria's fuji music Adewale Ayuba. The result is stunningly original combination of raw African funk and reggae, delicately seasoned for the European dancefloor. The album is already a hit in the European World Music charts, and Bantu became the last minute addition to this year's PopKomm Music fair in Berlin. <more>

Mahala Rai Banda
17. 10. - 19.00 - Palác Akropolis

The latest discovery by the Belgian producers who brought us Taraf de Haidouks 15 years ago and later the Macedonian brass band Kocani Orkestar is called Mahala Rai Banda. Genuine "all stars" Gypsy band includes players from the rural villages and Bucharest ghettos, and combines virtuoso violin playing, machine gun solos executed by master cymbalom players and powered by a funky rhythm section. <more>

Musafir /India/ Gypsies of Rajasthan
9. 9. - 19.30 - Palác Akropolis

Indian music opens the gates to ecstasy. Master musicians, colourful costumes, beautiful dancers and fakirs neglecting fire and gravity will lead you beyond the edge of reality. Musafir's leader, the tabla player Hameed Khan, used to play with Lakshmi Shankar and the Gipsy Kings' Chico Bouchikhi, his band performed at the prestigious Rudolstadt, Roskilde, and Womad festivals and in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. <more>

Tinariwen /Mali/ Legendary soul rebels from Sahara Desert
22. 4. - 19.30

"When I first heard them, I felt like this was the music I've been looking for all my life," says Robert Plant about these electric nomads from Sahara. Last summer they played at Glastonbury. Their Amassakoul CD was No 1 in the annual European World Music charts for 2004. This January, "poet-guitarists and soul rebels" have won the BBC World Music Award in the Africa Category. "Nurtured in exile, raised in conflict, and driven underground, where they achieved legendary status, Tinariwen are the kind of band that generations of western rebel rockers could only dream of being." - The Guardian (UK) <more>

Fanfare Ciocarlia /Romania/ Band of speed Demons
6. 3. - 19.00

A brass band? While the Central European ones preach musical idiocy, their peers on the Eastern side of the continent spark with energy, brisk rhythms, and fire. Their breathtaking music is powered by home-made slivovitz and Gypsy feeling - and there is still more to discover. When the enslavement of Romania's Gypsies ended in 1864, several thousand moved the United States, often settling in the black ghettoes. "Who's to say our cousins who went to the US didn't help invent jazz?" says Ioan, Fanfare Ciocarlia's oldest member. Fanfare's mysteries are unveiled on their new album GILI GARABDI - ANCIENT SECRETS OF GYPSY BRASS, launched at their Prague concert. <more>

Majid Bekkas /Maroko/ African Gnawa Blues
26. 2. - 19.30

After Tinariwen from the Sahara, please welcome another master of the Desert blues, Majid Bekkas from Morocco. Centuries ago, his ancestors were brought there as black slaves. Nowadays, Bekkas's soft-voiced "trance music" enchanted audiences at Womex in Sevilla and Grenoble jazz festival. <more>