NEW VIDEO!!!! Kumbe Kumbe (comme-ci, comme-ça)...!!!Last December 2007 Yunasi were voted 'overwhelming' WINNERS of the BBC "NEXT BIG THING" competition, From over 2000 acts from 88 countries with their song "Usilewe" about drinking responsibly. Yunasi were voted outright winners by a panel of top music industry judges including Talvin Singh, William Orbit, Nile Rodgers and Tahita Bulman.
In 2004, YUNASI developed a unique East African music style called SESUBE which is a combination of sega, isukuti and benga. It takes sounds and inspirations from local Kenyan communities, cultural styles and languages and fuses those sounds with a European component. The sound is achieved by playing a variety of instruments, both traditional and modern.In March 2006, YUNASI were announced the prize-winners at the prestigious US International Songwriting Contest for the song JI OPOGORE (The Difference of People) obtaining third-place in the World Music category out of 16,000 entries from all over the world.They also won the 2004 Kisima Award for best afro-fusion band in Kenya and were nominated for an all-African Kora award in South Africa in 2003.The band comprises 8 men from East Africa and a French woman and they sing in several languages including Swahili, English, French, Luo, Kisii and Luhya.'Yunasi live is an experience not to be missed''Yunasi - the African Manu Chao?''Yunasi's live show is something magical''If you want to dance like you've never danced before go and witness Yunasi live!'YUNASI have had several international tours:
. 2008 - Sauti za Busara in Zanzibar / Bluesfest East Coast Blues and Roots festival in Byron Bay, Australia
. 2006 - 13 concerts in Belgium - Fest Horn festival in Djibouti / North Sea Jazz Festival, Nairobi
. 2005 - The Inter-Cultural Festival, Mayotte..
. 2003 - Kenya Cultural Week, Paris / 15th International Africa Festival, Germany / Film Festival, Zanzibar.The band has also performed at many prestigious events in Nairobi including;
. Inter-Ministerial Governing Council meeting - UNEP.
. Europe Day - European Commission.
. South African Human Rights Commission meeting.
. Operation Smile Fundraiser.YUNASI collaborated with a Belgian Blues artiste, Roland van Campenhout, in the album, "Atomic Power" which won the best folk album in the 2006 Belgian ZAMU Awards. The band also collaborated with a French singer, Nicoletta to perform concerts in Nairobi and Paris.The band members who are multilingual all sing and play traditional instruments like Nyatiti, percussions, calabash, and modern instruments like guitars, bass guitars ,accordion. The band has under its belt two albums, being, "Nang'i Amana, My Land My Life" released in 2002, and "Nairobi, The Sounds of Sesube" launched in 2007.This year YUNASI have been invited to Finland, Uganda and many athers to be confirmed...!!! we are currently organising 2008 European festival tour.
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