The ‘Hot Caribbean Carnival’ will land on London Friday 26th February for one of the most tropical party ever. Hopping from one island to another you will discover the vibrant sounds from Guadeloupe, Martinique, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia, Cuba to cite a few…
It’s carnival time so dress up in red and be ready for the fun!
SUN BAILANTEand MBMB are teaming up to bring you this funky Caribbean party with DJ’s playing the hottest Dancehall, Soca, Jump Up, Zouk, Reggae, Reggaeton, Salsa and also Coupe Decale, Kizomba and Latin House.
Zouk Specialist our guest DJ Djahman will bring the sweetest sounds directly from Guadeloupe whilst SUN BAILANTE Dj’s will keep it rhythmic and Carnivalistic.
Don’t miss Simply Samba’s unique carnival show at midnight! You will be left sizzling and on fire!
Located just behind Angel tube station Islington Metal Works is the only London venue that can boast having a tube wagon as its main bar.
Feeling a little hungry? Our chefs will be preparing some exquisite French Caribbean delicacies in the restaurant… You will then be up for the next dance!
Hot Caribbean Carnival
Friday 26th February
9pm to 4am
£10 on guestlist and before 10pm
£12 thereafter
Islington Metal Works
7 Torrens st
Angel
EC1V 1NQ
Angel station
It is just on the back to the station
For guestlist please email sunbailante@gmail.com with full names before 4pm on the day.
Rise up Haiti! On Friday 26th January was a funky event. United Haitians in the United Kingdom raised £2,240 that evening which is good. We wish we could have done more but it’s a start.
We mentioned before that this charity will use this money to send clothes, medical supply to Haiti. It will also be working on projects to re-build schools there.
Its members are actively collecting clothes, shoes, medical supply and also food in the UK. This weekend they will be collecting these in Swindon and Southampton to bring them back to their container in Battersea.
Following the collection they will sort the donations and ship them to Haiti.
UHUK is currently investigating the safest, fastest and cost efficient way to ship these goods to Haiti. We will have an update next week on this.
It is also supported by other charities including Hearts to Africa and the African Development Association for Progress.
Come and dance for Haiti at ‘Rise up Haiti’ the funky tropical event that will raise funds for this country on Friday 22nd January
For this special night the energetic ‘Ziloka’ band will perform live Gwoka, traditional music of the African Diaspora. Their unique drumming and dancing will transport you to the heart to the French Caribbean. Later Frenglish Connexion will set the stage in afire with their blend of Hip-Hop, Reggae and Soul. They have recently played to support Bennie Man, Admiral T and Saïn Supa Crew.
The Sun Bailante DJ’s will make it tropical mixing the hottest Haitian, Latin, African and Global sounds including hip-shaking Kompa, Zouk, Dancehall, Soca, Salsa, Reggeaton, Coupe Decale, Kizomba and Latin house.
This event is organised by United Haitians UK and Sun Bailante.
United Haitian UK is a charity with the goal to make a positive contribution in the development of Haiti, and to keep the Haitian culture alive in the United Kingdom. We will financially support worthwhile, non-governmental, and sustainable educational projects throughout Haiti with an emphasis on children’s school fees, uniforms and supplies. www.uhuk.org
Sun Bailante is the Tropical & Global sounds entertainer that will make you groove that evening. www.sunbailante.com
All the fund raised from the tickets at the door will used to ship the clothes and medical supply that has been collected by United Haitian UK as well as serve to rebuild school in Haiti.
A full report of the fund raised and the activities for which they have been used will be made public on our respective websites. Please keep checking these for updates!
Entering through a discreet entrance behind Angel tube station you will enter a secret world hidden in a Victorian warehouse home to art exhibitions, concerts and various private parties the latest one held by the film director Spike Lee.
RISE UP HAITI
Friday 22nd January
9pm to 3am
£10 at the door
Islington Metal Works
7 Torrens st
Angel
EC1V 1NQ
Angel station
It is just on the back to the station
For more info on the event please email sunbailante@gmail.com
For more info on the charity and fund raising please email info@uhuk.org
Après une soirée de folie pour conclure les festivités Londoniennes pour 2009, SUN BAILANTE emmène sa musique pour un événement unique à l’Ile de la Réunion.
Nous lançons avec Réunionnais du Monde et Auricom la ‘Summer Holiday Party’ le Jeudi 17 Décembre 09 à la Villa Club de Saint Gilles.
Cette ‘Fiesta’ mêlera les musiques Latines, Caribéennes, d’Afrique et d’ailleurs dans une véritable fournaise tropicale et ouvrira le bal pour les Célébrations de l’abolition de l’Esclavage sur l’île.
Au menu, introduction aux danses Latines, cocktails dînatoire, performance live d’un des groupe les plus impressionnant de l’île et enfin les sons Tropicaux et du globe mixés par Jerome de SUN BAILANTE.
Soyez prêts pour cette soirée de feux ou La Réunion et Londres ne feront qu’un!!!
Les entrées seront sur listes aussi vous pouvez acheter les préventes sur le site de Réunionnaise du Monde.
Summer Holiday Party
Jeudi 17 Décembre
A la VillaClub de Saint Gilles
Ile de la Réunion
20 euros en prévente
19H30 jusqu’a 5H
After a very Colombian Fiesta SUN BAILANTE, we are going to Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean for holidays. But actually we also bring the Tropical and Global vibes with us as we are now preparing our final event for the year that will be held there.
Auricom, Reunionnais du Monde and SUN BAILANTE are launching a funky tropical night on Thursday 17th December with the hottest Latin, Caribbean, African and global sounds with a fresh London feel to it.
Are you ready for the Holiday Summer party at La Villa Club?
This night will feature, introduction to some hot Latin dance, SUN BAILANTE Sounds System, and a show from one of the most promising band of the island…
Can’t take the flight in time… send us an email @ sunbailante@gmail.com and we will send you the pictures!
Holiday Summer Party
@ La Villa Club
Thursday 17th December
Saint Gilles (by the beach lol)
Reunion Island
The final Fiesta in London for 2009 was very hot. We invited La Papayera the funky Colombian band and the result was a blast! Sure we won’t forget it.
On that evening Nadja our teacher taught us Cumbia and Salsa, The band set the party alight and the DJs brought some fresh sounds from Cali, the West and East Coast of Colombia!
Finally, we would like say thank to the team as well as our partners Latinos in London and Aculco radio.
Happy Xmas to all of you in London, we are going to Reunion island now for some holidays… almost!
The mysterious underground Victorian warehouse, Islington Metal Works, is the venue for Sun Bailante’s 2nd anniversary Colombian Fiesta celebrations to be held on Friday 27th November.
We have invited the vibrant La Papayera band for a unique live concert. It’s the hottest Colombian band in town and will perform hip-shaking Cumbia, Vallenato, Mapale and other folkloric songs.
Led by Angelica Lopez, the 8-piece ensemble has set fire to many stages including Womad, Carnival del Pueblo, Barbican and Shepherds Bush Empire, to name a few.
SUN BAILANTE resident DJs Jerome, Pritesh and Ruiny, as well as guest DJs Gatico (Aculco radio) and Maruro (Soulsa), will then takeover mixing the hottest Colombian, Caribbean and African sounds.
Expect Salsa, Cumbia, Vallenato-pop, Merengue, Champeta, Reggaeton, Latin House Ragga and Afro-beats.
Located just behind Angel tube station Islington Metal Works has played host to the chicest art exhibitions, concerts and even Spike Lee’s private parties.
It will set the perfect stage for your first Cumbia/Salsa dance lesson at 9:30, which will no doubt lead to a night of endless dancing as you are transported to the streets of Barranquilla to dance with the locals.
Fiesta Sun Bailante
Friday 27 November 2009
9pm to 4am
£9 before 10pm & on guest list
£11 Thereafter
(To be included on the guest list please email sunbailante@gmail.com before 4pm on the day)
The Pacific coast of Colombia is probably the part of this country that has the closest link with Africa.
This region, stuck between the Ocean and the Andean mountains, is home to the descendant of slave maroons who have kept passing on the music of there ancestors.
The most singular instrument is called Marimba and is the equivalent of the xylophone largely used in the west side of Africa.
This instrument is showed at its best in a music called Currulao, adding subtle harmonies to the more abrupt sounds of the drums.
In the recent times, influence the outside world has brought new styles amongst them, Champeta with fresh African influence, Salsa/Cumbia and Hip-Hop.
Hip-hop has become mainstream and been widely taken over by the younger generation in many countries. The band Choc Quib Town, named after their department and city, El Choco and Quibdo, is the best example of Afro-Colombian Hip Hop.
Salsa, Cumbia and the mix of both have made their way too with bands like Markitos y su Sabrosura and Los Nemus del Pacifico the later has for many decades provided the best Cuban style Colombian Salsa
Finally Champeta ‘the Colombian Reggaeton’ is the new craze with enormous sounds systems, the most famous one brought by Rey de Rocha ‘Reynaldo’. It is becoming according to my friend Andrea the new thing in the clubs of Bogota and Cali.
The biggest and most famous music producer is Discos Fuentes and most of the songs mentionned above are easy to find on your preferred download software.
You wish to know more about Reunion Island? Watch this lovely video and then you will find below some more info. Enjoy!
0 – 3 seconds
First you see a typical Case Creole - Creole style house - with roof covered with lacquered metal sheets. We learnt that this type of houses was in vogue in the end of the eighteenth century.
0 – 16 seconds
You see then the ‘Piton de la Fournaise’ - Peak of Furnace - one of the most active volcano on the planet which is 2632 meters high (8635.2 feet).
The volcano is surrounded by the ‘Plaine des sables’ - Sandy Plain – a flat red and extended plain that looks surreal and you have the impression of walking on the moon.
16-17
For a few second the film shows the ‘Piton des Neiges - Peak of Snow – which is a sleeping volcano and also the highest peak culminating at 3069m (10,068 feet). You might wonder why such a name for a mountain situated in the middle of Indian Ocean. It’s quite simple, the temperature during the winter spanning from April to September goes down a lot on the top part of the island. From time to time it will snow on the Piton des Neiges.
17 – 23 (see 0 – 16 seconds)
23 – 43
So the highest peak used to be an active volcano fed by three big ‘Calderas’ - Caldrons - containing burning hot lavas. When it stopped its activity the calderas collapsed to give place to what we call the ‘Trois Cirques’ – Three Circuses.
These are abrupt areas isolated from the rest of the island as there are bordered by mountains. Inside a circus you will find lush tropical forest, pristine rivers, and incredible landscapes.
‘Mafate’, ‘Salazie’, ‘Cilaos’ are their names, as they were given the names of slave maroons who escaped from the plantations and took refuge in these areas that were almost impossible to reach at the time. Nowadays, the descendents of these slaves who mixed with new comers still live in the circuses. You won’t be able to access Mafate by car so the only way to get there is to use the same paths as the one used by ‘Zesclaves Marrons’.
45-53
‘The Piton de l’Eau’ - Peak of Water - is an old crater with a little lake and its own aquatic life.
54-57
The Chameleon or ‘L’emdormi’ - The sleeper - in Creole is one of the four animals considered by the locals as emblems of the island. It changes colour to reflect the vegetation around it when feeling in danger.
The ‘Dodo’ big white bird that couldn’t fly, probably sibling to the duck, was endemic to Reunion and Mauritius. It’s now extinct victim of the appetite of the French sailors on their way to India. Dodo is also the name of the most famous beer in Reunion. For those interested it is a blond lager.
The Paille en Queue (1:36s), thin bird with a very long tail can be seen flying in the costal area.
The ‘Tang’ – tropical hedgehog leaves in the forests of the island. It is a local delicacy and will often be marinated and cooked in red wine the ‘Civet Tang’.
The various t-shirt brands, Pardon, L’effet Pei… that celebrate Reunion, it’s people and way of life will often shows these animals.
58s-1:15
The ‘Trou de Fer’ - Hole of Iron - is one of the most impressive water falls in Reunion, you will find it after many hours of walk in the most impenetrable jungle -the Forest of Bebour - in the ‘Cirque of Salazie’. You may want to fly over it by helicopter. The Cascade du Niagara de Sainte Suzanne ‘Niagara falls of Sainte Suzanne’ are worth seeing too.
1:36 (Paille en Queue see 54-57)
1:37 – 2:52
In terms of the coastal area, unlike Mauritius, Seychelles or the Maldive, Reunion can’t boast superb beaches of white sand. It has however some nice beaches and L’Hermitage and Le Boucan Canot in Saint Gilles, or la Saline are great spots to lie down and get some sun tan.
In any case it combines a diversity that is unique in the world, including, arid steps, inextricable forests, mountains challenger to the Alps, immense sugar cane fields, local people with varied origins, colours and religions African, South Asian, European, Chinese and the mixes of these, magnificent temples of all the main religions, exquisite fruits and vegetables, incredible views at dawn, unlimited possibilities for trekking, canoeing, gliding, diving…, outstanding food culture alternating rich spices and French finesse and all of this on a little rock of 2,500 Square kilometres, 965 square miles .
Finally, the islanders - the Reunioneses - make Reunion so special, welcoming, warm and caring. Only few locals speak English however you can expect them to smile and do their utmost to help.
Reunion has all the facilities and infrastructures you will have in mainland Europe, including hospitals, schools, roads, euros.
2:53 to end
BBQ and picnics are the ‘national’ hobby and many times during the year family and friends will get together on the mountains or on the beach for one of these moments that never end.
They will always take the opportunity to dance to Caribbean, African, French, US music and at one point the original music from Reunion Maloya and Sega will emerge again reminding then that they are one people one entity the ‘Creoles’.
If someone mentions 974 you will know that it’s the administrative number referring to French Department of Reunion Island. So all cars will have this figure on the number plate and all post codes will include it.
The film finishes with the slogan “Chez nous c’est chez vous” which means ‘Feel at home in our home’
The Tourism board website is not in English, but you can translate it using the google toolbar translation tool. We have found Runweb website which provides a lot of valuable info in English.
By the way, the music in the background is European with a soft touch of Maloya.
Few in the UK or the world would have heard of Andy Palacio. This man was from Belize. A small country bordered with Mexico and Guatemala.
Guatemala is the only English speaking country in Central America and has a population of over 300,000 people.
It obtained independence from the UK in 1981, -same year as the death of Bob Marley- and is part of the Commonwealth.
This country has a very mixed population including descendents of Maya, African, European, East Indian, Arab and Chinese.
Andy Palacio was specifically from an ethnic group called the Garifuna.
The Garifuna have both African and indigenous origins and speak a unique language. They have been persecuted over the centuries and their population in Belize represents only a few hundred people.
Palacio fought for his people and to ensure that the Garifuna language stays alive.
He has worked with his band the Garifuna Collective to modernise their music and make it approachable to the outside world.
The result was a final outstanding album ‘Watina’ with enchanting songs. Our preferred ones are Miami, Amunegu ‘In the times to come’, Baba ‘Father’ and Watina ‘I called out’.
This album is beautiful probably one of the best we bought for the last 5 years.
Andy has left our world to visit the angels in January 2008 but his spirit and goal are not forgotten.
