BrokenwordBrokenword, is a strange and intoxicating cocktail, a fusion of music and poetry, Culminating in the debut book and record "Anatomy of a Dying Star" by acclaimed poets M. Sebastion May and Johannes Anyuru.
Created with youthful vigor "Anatomy" came togeather relatively quickly; both the book and the record being written and recorded in just a few short months with the help of friend and producer, Khim Efraimsson and electronic music innovator HAB.This idosyncratic minor master piece clocks in at over one hour with roughly 100 hundered pages of text,
charting the universe from the beginning up to the present times, tackling a myriad of issues in a challenging and ultimately engaging narrative weaving togeather everything from colonialism to sexism to 21st century warfare and information based society with a deft undercurrent of black comedy.For both of these seasoned artists the transition seemed like a natural progression:Johannes had over the five preceding years become a burgeoning and dynamic figure in the world of swedish poetry,
earning rav reviews from readers and critics alike with his first published work: "Det är bara gudarna som är nya (It's Only the Gods That Have Changed)", and more recently in 2005 with his sophmore effort "Omega"And It was just prior to his notable Abstrakt Rap tour for JAM and Riksteatern, that he became aquainted with Mercies through Mutual friend and DJ, Khim.By contrast, Mercies, under the psyedonyms ATRADIES had become in only two short years in Sweden, nothing short of notorious for his electric performance style as a freestyle MC, which was only further supported by an almost constant bevy of performances and collaborations with Gotheburg music stallwarts and Luminaries as: Ernesto, Swellsession, Yukimi Nagano,
Nazarenes, Jazzmind Kollective, Dubadown and more; His fearless work with musicians from several genre's inevitably resulting in packed shows for his solo material at such notable venues as Nefertiti, Pusterviks Teatern and a featured performance at the Gothenburg Film Festival 2005.At first glance, it may have seemed to some, a strange combination, but the two men hit it off immediately, finding a mutual respect and inspiration in each others work that would feed the fire for bigger and better things.Over the corse of the several months that followed, the two found themselves more and more clearly on an intersecting trajectory, with Johannes dabling in recording his spokenword work with DJ Khim and others; and Mercies beginning to experiment with spokenword through experimental work with the local Klezmer band Tigertalar, 12 man brass band
Brassfabriken; and eventually south african choreographer and director Robin Orlin and company at the grand opening for the World Culture Museum Gothenburg.In the few short months since its birth, Brokenword have cemented a startling reputation; playing awe inspiring showcasesuch as Arvika Festival,Stockholm Poetry Festival, and The World Kulture Museum. As a result, the group have garnered substantial acclaim for thier live show, a reinvention and extension of the record, incorporating elements from
the book as well as pieces from thier individual repetoirs, while integrating the shocking talents of brother's, Daniel and Mikael Sarabi.The addition of the young and prodigious brothers to the group has done anything but slow Brokenword down, to thecontrary, the juxtaposition has upped the ante, bring a third distinctive voice to the texts, infusing the rich
tradition and elegance of Iranian classical music into the narrative, fueling it with the improvisedsounds of the setar, daff and tambak. In thier success, Brokenword have drawn strong comparissons to some of the best
in spoken word, proclaimed by some to be "natural Successors to the legacy of such innovators as The Last Poets".Exciting, political, innovative, thought provoking: this is a group that demands to be seen.We are currently booking in venues throughout Europe for late 2007/2008For a further taste of some of our work, please visit:http://www.wwd.sehttp://www.myspace.com/brokenwordhttp
://www.myspace.com/merciesmayBest regards,T. Edward HicksAmerican Liason and
[email protected]
