De La Soul, St Germain and More Added To Womad 2016 Line-Up

Next year's Womad festival is shaping up to be a goodie with old school rap trio De Le Soul and French downtempo producer St Germain added to the already expansive bill. Also joining the line-up is Korean duo 숨[suːm] (pronounced "soom") and Hindi film playback singer, Asha Bhosle. Here are the details...

Womad 2016
18-20 March 2016, TSB Bowl of Brooklands, Taranaki

Featuring... 47SOUL (Palestine/Jordan/Syria), Asha Bhosle (India), Asia Minor Trio (Greece), Bic Runga (NZ/Aotearoa), Calexico (USA), De La Soul (USA), DakhaBrakha (Ukraine), Diego El Cigala (Spain), Edmar Castañeda Trio (Colombia/USA), Ester Rada (Israel), Hazmat Modine (USA), The Jerry Cans (Canada), John Grant (USA), Julia Deans (NZ/Aotearoa), Katchafire (NZ/Aotearoa), Ladysmith Black Mambazo (South Africa), Louis Baker (NZ/Aotearoa), Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat, No Man's Land (NZ/Aotearoa/Greece/Poland), Orange Blossom (France/Egypt), Pass The Gat (NZ/Aotearoa), Savina Yannatou and Primavera en Salonico (Greece), Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Nigeria), Songhoy Blues (Mali), Spiro (UK), St Germain (France), 숨[suːm](Korea), Tami Neilson & Band (NZ/Aotearoa), Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau ā Apanui (NZ/Aotearoa), Thomas Oliver (NZ/Aotearoa), Tiny Ruins (NZ/Aotearoa), Tulegur (China)

Here's De La Soul featuring Chaka Khan with 'All Good'...

And St Germain with 'Sure Thing'...

PRESS RELEASE:

WOMAD fans the flames of the diverse and colourful line up with the addition of the progressive, jazz rap trio De La Soul (USA), electro-gem pioneer St Germain (France), genre forming duo 숨[suːm], pronounced "soom", (Korea) and the most recorded person in the world*, Hindi film playback singer, Asha Bhosle (India).

WOMAD NZ Artistic Director, Emere Wano explains the process of scheduling so many different artists from around the world.

"It is like a big moving jigsaw with the goal to deliver the culturally richest and most intriguing programme possible. As artists become available you have to think how they will add to the mix and the programme balance, which stage setting would they best be experienced on and how does that fit into the overall picture. Confirmations come in over a long period of time so we have a number of potential scenarios based on that goal of maintaining diversity and keeping the air of discovery for our audience.

"Having De La Soul play WOMAD will no doubt be one of the highlights of this years festival and to be able to deliver St Germain to a New Zealand audience after his long hiatus is an absolute thrill! The presence of the dynamic 82 year old power house Asha Bhosle is a long held wish we can finally tick off our list. And then, little known to most here, 숨[suːm] the Korean sisters who use a variety of traditional instruments in a new way to create modern Korean folk music, will be one of the very special discovery artists we have on this year's line up."

The three-day WOMAD festival has found its home in the beautiful Brooklands Park and TSB Bowl of Brooklands. From the moment the gates open, the 55-acre park becomes a magical wonderland brimming with energy and bursting with colours, flavours, sounds and smells.

Smaller stages, the Global Village’s food stalls, craft stores and workshops spaces are dotted around the venue’s heart – a stunning natural amphitheater, which provides the main platform for three days of music and allure.

The park is only a short and easy stroll from New Plymouth’s centre and if you book early you could even get a motel or hotel within walking distance. And don’t forget to bring a blanket, an essential item on the WOMAD NZ checklist that allows you to kick back and soak in the warmth of the WOMAD vibe.