From this month, LDP will also be broadcast on Chimeres Radio in Greece (http://chimeres.gr) - on the first Friday of each month. With thanks to my good friends across the ocean .. we spread the poetics even further! 

Following on from the #6 program, Northern Soul, #30 dives into the deep, orchestral spaces, evocative musical landscapes and provocative political and social storytellers of Canada. It’s been two years since the first Canadian exploration on this show, back in March of 2013. I promised a follow-up and this is the long-awaited! Picking up from where we left it back in 2013 ... The Inuit/Western orchestral mixes of Francois Couture; building bridges between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people through the work of Flying Down Thunder / Rise Ashen collaborating with throat singers Marie Belleau and Kathleen Merritt and Guatemalan Mayan singer Tito Medina; spoken word reconciliation with hip hop MC JB the First Lady; Drawing futures on inherited past with cellist Cris Derksen; calling back on African ancestry with KazMega and Ian Keteku... 

Canadian spoken word artists are very deft storytellers and, happily, prolific producers of excellent recordings. This month I highlight 2014/15 album releases from Ian Keteku, Queen Ka, Moe Clark, Shane Koyczan, Simian, and the upcoming EP from Brandon Wint (due April 17). And also Tanya Tagaq, whose incredible voice deep breaths us through the whole hour. As in my own country of Australia the struggle for rights over their land, body, culture and story intesifies for the First Nations peoples of Canada. The storytellers are, as always, crucial voices of these struggles, whether they are working to maintain their own diverse languages, or telling their stories in languages others across the world can understand. Both are equally important. I hope always that in some small way this podcast assists the effort in spreading stories and building bridges.

Tracklist

François Couture (& Various Artists) - Grandfather’s Song
Flying Down Thunder, Rise Ashen - Oshki Majitawin / Renewal (feat. Marie Belleau and Kathleen Merritt)
Tanya Tagaq - Rabbit
JB the First Lady - Spoken word Reconciliation
Cris Derksen - North
Queen Ka et Jorane - L’éveil
Samian - Plan Nord (version acoustique)
KazMega - Part Time Apartheid (Prod. KazMega)
Samian - À coeur Ouvert
Brandon Wint - Laugh
Moe Clark - Butterfly Ashes
Shane Koyczan - All the Tea
Flying Down Thunder, Rise Ashen - Kiwedinong Nanaj Shawanong / From North to South (feat. Tito Medina)
Ian Keteku - Forefather feat. Musk Ox
François Couture (& Various Artists) - Yahndawa’: Weniye (excerpt)
Moe Clark - What the Flute Wants to Sing