While taking a look at recent Peter Gabriel news, I was intrigued by the mention of a new site named The Imagined Village.
What this ‘Imagined Village‘ turns out to be is a collaborative effort by a number of Bristish musicians (Paul Weller, Billy Bragg, Sheila Chandra, Martin Carthy to name the best known of the lot) to revisit (reinvent) classic British Folk songs (folk tales) such as John Barleycorn.
Combining Jamaican Riddims, Bhangra Beats, Fiddles and much more, the project is guided by musician/ producer Simon Emmerson which I knew mostly via Working Week.
The cover art (left) reminded me of old fashioned tea sets.
Simon says that "Englishness is the final frontier of world music".
Currently only a Four Track EP is available only it seems via RealWorld Online Store.
Visit the Four Track EP Page for details and to listen to samples.
The full album should be released in the UK on October 1st with an 11 Date British Tour to follow in November.
Recent UK tinged Sound Stories: Britannia rules on ‘Anglophenia’
I’ve written an adverse commentary on The Imagined Village on my blog.
You can read it at http://www.feastofpalmer.com