Afrobeat, funk, salsa and reggae dance tunes at Under Canvas, the Inverness summer festival devoted to folk music? Of course… and why not?
“On the surface it’s a contrast – because the rhythms and instruments are different – but it’s the same thing. We’re just broadening out the sense of what folk is,” said DJ Mark Thomson.
“It doesn’t belong to Scotland. There is the folk music of, for example, Panama. It’s just the same.”
He and fellow DJ Ali Aitken are better known as Karawane, who have a residency for virtually every Saturday during Eden Court’s open air fest, Under Canvas, which started on July 8 and will run until August 19.
Karawane will offer a rich and eclectic mix of roots world music
It’s here you will find that rich and extremely eclectic mix of roots world music, billed as “an Afro-Latin tropical flavour” – and hopefully sounds you may not have heard before with music from as far flung as Bolivia, Columbia, Mexico and Senegal.
And it’s going down a storm at Under Canvas with music fans flocking to two sessions taking place most Saturdays– making Karawane the act with most appearances at the festival that boasts the likes of Hannah Rarity and Ryan Young.
“The earlier one, from 4pm to 7pm, is a bit more sedate with people have an evening drink,” said Mark, who lives at Belladrum after spending many years living in South America, Sweden and Spain.
“Then at eight o’clock people are really coming along to have a dance and you get that great cross-section of people. It’s just a great night out. And it’s such an international crowd as well. On our first Saturday (of Under Canvas), we had a couple of guys from Sudan, there were a few in from Venezuela and Colombia, a Peruvian woman.
“I love to see them getting up to a tune they would never expect to hear in Inverness in a million years and their joy is just so infectious for others around them. That first Saturday was just raucous, it absolutely rocked. It’s incredible – it’s more than just DJ-ing.”
Karawane sets at Under Canvas are massive nod to ceilidh tradition
Apart from giving people great night out, Karawane – who play across Europe and at major festivals – is on a mission to bring roots music from around the world to new audiences.
But they also want to refer to back to traditional roots of the Scottish ceilidh as a gathering of folk for music, food, chat and sense of belonging.
“Ceilidhs in the older sense were a way to bring people together and strengthen community bonds,” said Mark. “Now that community is more diverse than it ever was, so the music that brings people together should reflect that. What we do is an acknowledgement of the diversity of the community in the Highlands now.”
Karawane has gone from strength to strength, playing clubs across Europe and signed to Samedia Trax record label, constantly building a loyal fan base of dance music fans.
Karawane gearing up for takeover at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival
They have a gig at the prestigious Kings club in Dundee on July 22, then their next big gig comes on July 27 when they have a stage takeover at the Tartan Heart Festival at Belladrum.
For now, though, Mark is looking forward to welcoming more and more people of all ages, literally from seven to 70s, to the magical Karawane Saturday sessions at Under Canvas
“Be open to be taken on a bit of a journey with music,” said Mark. “You don’t have to worry about being a certain way, looking a certain way, or dressing a certain way. It’s very much for everybody to just be themselves.”
For more information on Under Canvas go to eden-court.co.uk