Fri 24 June — El Tropezon Tango
A couple of years back Tango reached out beyond its traditional borders much in the same way that Cuban music did via the Buena Vista Social Club movement. The vehicle this time was Gotan Project whose novelty was an injection of electronica and dub beats into the distinctive tango sound. The duo El Tropezon Tango use another (albeit less populist) approach to further the genre: to explore the huge richness of the rhythm and the melodies that are characteristic of this specific type of Argentinean music they chose to limit themselves to the piano and guitar. The spirit of Tango is always present and the duo take great pleasure in developing this urban folklore in a modern and dynamic way. Between them they have performed in many of the prestigious venues of their native Buenos Aires including the Colon Theatre (Golden Hall), the Alvear Theatre, the Regio Theatre, the San Martín Theatre and in the Radio Nacional Auditorium.
http://www.eltropezontango.com.ar/
8pm — 11pm FREE

Sat 25 June — Ad:art + Kondor
Originally from Tel-Aviv, ad:art’s (Adar Cohen to his mum) compositions lie heavily in the camp of ‘electronica’ but not unlike the likes of Four Tet, there are traces of prog-rock, hip hop and ambient influences in the mix. A skilled sound-engineer and producer, ad:art recently began playing live, spreading his laptop antics mostly around London with a few gigs in Brighton, Tel-Aviv and Helsinki. His tracks are wickedly playful with sparse, tight arrangements and a restraint use of samples marking him out as one-to-watch.
8pm — 11pm FREE

Sun 26 June — Tsivi Sharett
Since the TS Ensemble’s first performance together in 1998 in a tango club in West London they have established themselves as a jazz-based improvisatory collective, whose fusion of musical cultures under the inspired direction of Tsivi Sharett is noted for its rare and satisfying richness. Their recent CD Open Toes and Everything was met with critical acclaim by the likes of Straight No Chaser who had this advice for their readers: “This is such a beautiful record, it seems amazing that it was never been picked up by a major record label. Tsivi originally comes from Israel, but now lives and works in London, where she produced and distributed this CD. From the sparse liner notes, she is credited with all compositions except one, a lovely reworking of Bach’s ‘prelude in A minor’. Throughout the album, her elegant piano playing is supported by a fine ensemble of musicians. Tsivi’s arrangements have just enough of a twist to make them interesting without sounding cliched. She allows herself a gentle look to her homeland on ‘oriental’, with a luscious duo between bass and percussion. Don’t let talent such as this go unheard, rush to your record store and demand a copy today.”
http://www.tsivi.co.uk/
8pm — 10.30pm FREE

Mon 27 June — Mthombeni
Born in the small village of Nwashinyani in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, a vast rural area of raw landscape and deep traditions, Mthombeni is a self-taught guitarist and singer whose 60 years on earth have been chequered with the peaks and troughs of the conscious artist in South African society. Back in 1974 his hit record ‘Bomborathika’ was a daily, multiple highlight on radio stations in his homeland. Two years later, during the 1976 uprising he penned ‘Black Power’, a track that was to be ensued by 20 years of silence thanks to the Apartheid government banning his voice from all broadcasts. His style, Shangaan, has influenced many from Paul Simon’s Graceland to the late Mhlathini and Mahotela Queens, to West End productions such as Umoja. This is his first visit to the UK, appearing at the AFRICAN OYE Festival in Liverpool. Here at his Ritzy / Mosaiques Festival sets he will be accompanied by percussionist Risenga Makondo (whose past accomplishments include being the official drummer at Nelson Mandela’s Jo’burg birthday celebrations). An un-missable night of true roots music from the heart.
8pm — 11pm FREE

Wed 29 June — DJ Eric Soul presents Afrogroov
Afrogroov continues in its tradition of providing a forum for semi-acoustic up and coming talent, crews and collectives from the African diaspora. On a fortnightly basis, DJ Eric Soul spins us a mix that takes in Dakar, Rio, London, Paris and many more ports of call. Following in the footsteps of Khethi, Sanchita Furruque and D’Banj, each night includes a guest performer adding the vital live ingredient for the evening’s proceedings.For one night only, tying in with the MOSAIQUES screening of “Les Petits Soldats” (covering the issue of child soldiers in Liberia) the Ritzy Café will include a slide show and PC based documentary screening by Anna Florio. Her documentary, “Liberian Refugees in Sierra Leone”, talks about the social and political situation in both Sierra Leone and Liberia, examining the reasons why the refugees crossed the border into Sierra Leone in the first place, and their fate thereafter. The format is a mix of video footage, pictures, text and music and contains interviews with refugees, UNHCR staff, Camp managers, soldiers (who protected the refugees during transport to the Camps).
www.annaflorio.com
8pm — 11pm FREE

Thu 30 June — Imzad
Anyone familiar with the rhythms, sounds and traditions of North African music will not want to miss this one. In the right hands, the sheer exuberance and potency of percussion instruments such as the darbucka, the floating yet in-your-face vocals and the hop-and-skip of the handclaps make for a heady mix. Imzad feature some of London’s finest purveyors of North African music and will not disappoint…
8pm - 11pm FREE

MOSAIQUES
Ritzy Cafe Upstairs At The Ritzy Cinema
Ritzy Cinema
Brixton Oval
SW2 1JG
General info:020 7733 2229
General bookings:08707 55 00 62

Links:
www.picturehouses.co.uk/site/cinemas/ritzy/cafe-bar-events.htm
www.institut-francais.org.uk/mosaiques/