The funk of James Brown, the rhythm & blues of Otis Redding, the electric jazz of Miles Davis, the ju ju music of Fela Kuti, the house of Frankie Knuckles, the rap of Kurtis Blow: this glorious recent past seems now lost in a thousand streams, while the music that looks and descends from the African tradition is more alive than ever and plays a decisive role for the future of the world music scene. Play Black reunifies, actualises and presents sound languages in which the great spirit of black music reverberates, finding in the irresistible rhythm a common key to understanding: a simple and necessary idea, a sound path that wasn’t there before and now there is .

This first edition of Play Black opens with a Fabbrica Europa production: Omara “Bombino” Moctar, guitarist from Niger called the “Jimi Hendrix of the desert”, will be the special guest of Dinamitri Jazz Folklore, the best Italian jazz collective in the last ten years. The meeting that took place in Africa has resulted in an instant harmony, a magic and contagious alchemy.

The program continues with Wax Tailor, dj musician and producer at ease among sophisticated remix of black music, as “I am blessed” by Nina Simone, and trip-hop rhythms of which he is considered a guru. The sound mixes of his masterpieces “Tales of the Forgotten Melodies” and “Hope & Sorrow”, which in the live proposal become pure emotion to dance, mix classical sounds and film music, winning prestigious awards such as “Victoires de la Musique”and “Indie Music Award

Another unique moment of the evening will be the dj set of Jazzanova, German collective active since 1995 and among the most prominent proponents of nu-jazz, chill out and jazz house. They are able to treat the most different material with respect and to simultaneously give it an unmistakable Jazzanova sound.

Play Black evening will close with Voodoo Rebel, a new label gathering producers and djs Arge, Leonard P and Ckrono and focused on global electronic music, kuduro, moombahton, dubstep and every new sound and beat from the ghetto.

Play Black is Fabbrica Europa, Musicus Concentus and Switch-Creative Social Network project