Iranian electronic musician Ash Koosha
On this edition of the Global Hit podcast I want to mention a very cool project The World is involved in.
It's a music showcase at this month's South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
March 17th, 2017 • SXSW @ Palm Door, 508 E. 6th Street • Austin, Texas
We're calling it Contrabanned: #MusicUnites.
The showcase will highlight artists from countries on President Donald Trump's travel ban list. All but one of the artists already reside in the US, but the travel ban — which is currently suspended — weighs heavily on their minds. Some of them have family in the banned countries.
These are just a few of the artists scheduled to perform.
Ash Koosha (Iran/UK)
Iranian electronic musician Ash Koosha studied music at the Tehran Conservatory of Music, but lives in London now.
Last year Ash Koosha released the album I AKA I.
oembed://https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D6kSm7saCoXQ
Faarrow (Somalia/US)
Faarrow are two sisters from Mogadishu, who fled war there with their parents.
Settled first in Toronto, they're now making music in LA.
oembed://https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dc2pMF2HvRbU
Khaled M (Libya/US)
Khaled M is a Libyan American rapper based in Chicago.
He rose to fame around the time of the Arab Spring, back in 2011. And at the time, Khaled M wrote a verse about those uprisings that swept across the Middle East, including his parents' native Libya.
Here's the tune that got everyone's attention — "Can't Take Our Freedom."
oembed://https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DhapPFY8tvzY
Mamak Khadem (Iran/US)
Iranian-American singer Mamak Khadem teaches classical Persian music in Los Angeles and has performed all over the globe.
The Los Angeles Times claims Khadem is "one of the wonders of world trance music."
oembed://https%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DT8a0oMl92tU
If you're in Austin and happen to catch this showcase, or you're just curious, follow along on social media with the hashtag #MusicUnites.
Steven Davy contributed to this story.