VIEUX FARKA TOURÉ REMIX CONTEST LAUNCHES TODAY AT CCMIXTER

Winning Remix To Be Featured On Upcoming “Vieux Remixed” CD

January 24, 2007

Creative Commons, Modiba Productions and Global Beat Fusion are pleased to announce that the Vieux Farka Touré / “Ana” Remix Contest is now taking place now at ccMixter. Visit the contest at http://www.ccmixter.org/vieux.

Modiba Productions artist Vieux Farka Touré — a highly talented guitarist, singer, songwriter, and percussionist from Mali — is offering the audio source files from the song “Ana” online under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license, so that producers worldwide can use the sounds in remixes and new compositions. The general public is invited to download these tracks and create their own versions, appropriate elements in new compositions, and generally use the elements for any noncommercial creative expression.

Eric Herman and Jesse Brenner of Modiba Productions and Derek Beres of Global Beat Fusion will be selecting the best remix. The winning remix will be included on Modiba Productions’ “Vieux Remixed” CD compilation.

To enter, download the separated audio elements of Vieux Farka Touré’s “Ana” and upload a remix to ccMixter between February 7, 2007 and March 7, 2007. All entries must be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 license. Under this license, the public may legally make copies of, distribute, and create derivative works from the remixes – as long as the original authors are credited and the uses are not for commercial purposes.

Quotes about the Vieux Farka Touré / “Ana” Remix Contest:

Jesse Brenner, Modiba Productions:

“One of Modiba’s central goals as an organization is collaboration, the expansion of boundaries to bring in new ideas and approaches through working together in an open and dynamic way. The Creative Commons project is a perfect example of this, and we look forward to bringing more talented and inspired minds to further explore the sounds of Vieux Farka Touré.”

Derek Beres, Global Beat Fusion:

“Taking Vieux’s incredible acoustic material and adding a digital edge is what the future of global music is about. We’ve been remixing cultures as long as cultures have formed, explored and, inevitably, met one another. Our modern technological capabilities are giving us the opportunity to get to know one another socially, spiritually and sonically. This project will be yet another meeting ground, this time the gorgeous blues of Mali and the rest of the creative world.”

About Vieux Farka Touré

Vieux Farka Touré is the son of the late international superstar and two-time Grammy Award-winner Ali Farka Touré. An historic passing of the torch from father to son is represented by Vieux’s debut. He has crafted a global-minded style all his own with original compositions displaying flourishes of rock and reggae amidst Saharan Blues and traditional Malian melodies. Vieux Farka Touré is ushering in the next generation of Mali blues on his self-titled debut album, which features Ali himself on two remarkable pieces. These tracks are the only existing recordings of father and son playing together, and are amongst the final recorded material of Ali before his death. The album also features two magnificent guest performances by the Grammy Award-winning kora master Toumani Diabaté.

About Modiba Productions

Modiba is a music production company and record label committed to the social and economic empowerment of Africa and its Diaspora. They are the creators of ASAP: the Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project, which has raised over $135,000 for the refugees of the crisis in Darfur, Sudan.

About Global Beat Fusion

Global Beat Fusion is Derek Beres, one of the leading figures in international music in America, working in numerous facets of the industry, from journalist and DJ to producer and presenter. He has written for dozens of magazines covering the traditional and digital realms of global music and has toured internationally, playing alongside some of the most important figures in the scene today. Well versed in international music, he is equally adamant about world cultures, devoting his life to the path of yoga, Eastern philosophies and world mythology.

About Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works—whether owned or in the public domain. Creative Commons licences provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators that build upon the “all rights reserved” concept of traditional copyright to offer a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach. It is sustained by the generous support of various organizations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation as well as members of the public. For general information, visit https://creativecommons.org

Contact

Eric Steuer
Creative Director, Creative Commons
Email

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