The Afro Roots sound of Ghanaian musician and social activist Rocky Dawuni has been influenced by the soulful music of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti and the positive messages and deep grooves of Bob Marley. Rocky’s songs straddle musical boundaries between Africa, the...
Riyaaz Qawwali enthrals listeners with lively rhythms, joyous melodies, and inspirational poetry in an improvisational Sufi vocal tradition made famous in the West by the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In addition to paying homage to traditional qawwali...
The “electronic production collective” Palenke Soultribe deconstructs Afro-Colombian rhythms, blending them with modern beats, catchy bass lines, and synthesized arpeggios. Formed in Colombia but currently based in Los Angeles, PST has made a name for itself on the...
My Larsdotter and Bubba Tomasdottir make soulful, sensual, unhurried music that’s as playful as it is powerful. The sparse songs sometimes feature a cappella, body percussion, or simple acoustic arrangements. The lyrics are deceptively simple, sounding at times like...
A fan favorite, Movits! returns with their special Swedish concoction of hip-hop and swing. Johan Rensfeldt (vocals), Anders Rensfeldt (DJ, sampling, and other instruments), and Joakim Nilsson (sax) bring flair and energy to every Lotus performance. They call their...
Formed in 2001 by six musicians from Zimbabwe, Mokoomba’s sound ranges from funky rap, to expert Congolese grooves, to quasi-reggae, to Latin music. The band uses rhythms and melodies from their native Tonga culture to create a global fusion through blending sounds...
An artist and practicing weaver, Maryann Talia Pau is the founder of the “One Million Stars to End Violence” project, in which Lotus is a “Star Weave” partner. Pau -- who was born in Samoa, grew up in New Zealand, and now lives in Australia -- makes breastplates and...
Quinten “Lotus” Dickey (1911-1989) was one of our state’s most important tradition-bearers for both the song and fiddle music of southern Indiana, specifically Orange County. He was also known for his openness to all people and all cultures, a welcoming spirit that...
From barn dances to jazz clubs, concert halls, and festivals, Lautari explores the living traditions of Polish folk music. The ensemble learned their repertoire from a combination of village musicians and works of 19th-century folklorist Oskar Kolberg. Lautari...
Germán López comes to Lotus from the Spanish Canary Island of Gran Canaria off the coast of Africa. Germán is an accomplished artist on the timple, a small five-stringed instrument unique to folk music of the Canary Islands (and related to South American instruments...