Northwest Coast music and culture has always been associated with ceremony and feast-giveaways known as potlatches. Songs and dances belong to specific cultures, and are used in connection with important community events such as birth, puberty, marriage and death.
YAAMBA, an energetic Seattle dance music duo that specializes in cinematic house, offers cinematic house as an expressive form of music where more traditional genres like rhythm and blues, funk, and soul collide with electronic sounds.
Annette Taborn
Annette Taborn has been instrumental in making blues accessible to students all across the Pacific Northwest for more than 10 years through her program, NW Blues in Schools. A singer and harmonica player from Kalamazoo, Michigan who migrated to Seattle after meeting James “Curley” Cooke – an esteemed blues musician who has collaborated with John Lee Hooker, Boz Scaggs, and Jerry Garcia – Taborn ran this program alongside Curley Cooke until his passing away in 2011.
The blues is a genre of folk music rooted in African American culture. It blends elements of religion, work ethic and African-American experience into an original form intended to help express feelings of frustration and depression while providing relief from daily hardships. Over time it became adopted by other cultures worldwide and evolved into more mainstream entertainment form; its music used to represent poverty, addiction and isolation experiences among humans.
YAAMBA is a Seattle-based band known for playing infectious, high-energy dance music influenced by Zimbabwean traditions brought over from Africa by Dumisana Maraire. Since their introduction, the group has released multiple albums and played at venues nationwide; their most recent compilation, Nomad, includes songs and sounds collected during their world travels.
DMNW connects fans with incredible new EDM music, hard-edged editorials, and analysis of both local and global electronic music scenes. Furthermore, it actively supports local talent while lobbying for reasonable harm reduction measures at festivals and city levels. Subscribers of DMNW can take advantage of complimentary concert tickets and merchandise.
The Winterlings
In 1952, two orphaned sisters return home after living away for some time in Galicia’s rural northwest region, sparking controversy and questions from villagers as to why they left and any dark secrets they might carry with them. But the sisters remain determined in their goal of living peaceful lives among Tierra de Cha’s eccentric characters: an overweight priest who believes he is a bus, cross-dressing dentist who implants teeth into patients’ mouths without permission from patients, and powerful psychic whose name means “Darkness.”
The Winterlings have left their mark on Northwest dance music with their dreamlike, seductive sound. They were one of the first groups to combine elements from R&B, funk, and jazz into their sound – their singles “I’m Still Here” and “Don’t You Worry Child” reaching No.1 on both UK and Swedish charts respectively. Furthermore, they performed at some of the world’s premier clubs such as London’s Ministry of Sound and New York’s XS.
The Winterlings have an array of influences ranging from jazz to Latin American magical realism, yet their mystical, poetic lyrics always bring you home. Their distinct musicality demonstrates their understanding of human experience and universal themes; Their latest album The Animal Groom demonstrates their growth as musicians and songwriters; Their captivating vocals and harmonies will leave you speechless; The duo is an absolute must for dance music enthusiasts; with releases on Nora En Pure, Beatport and Mad Decent labels as well as opening for Tinie Tempah and Pharrell Williams among many others! Additionally they are known for energetic live shows where audiences often leave with happy faces!
NW Tap Connection
Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood hosts an inspiring dance studio where students not only develop their dancing skills but also discuss race and social justice with classes spanning pre-K to high school students. Melba Ayco, who founded this establishment is a 31-year veteran of Seattle police department who spends multiple evenings each week encouraging her students to excel as more than dancers but as life skill masters as well.
This studio strives to “close the gap” for people of color within the dance community by making dance classes affordable for those unable to afford them. Starting-level classes require minimal hours while advanced ones become increasingly costly for families. To address this need, the studio provides various courses with decreasing rates as more hours students enroll.
One of the best ways to combat systemic inequality is through self-organization. This approach often stems from a desire to give back what has been taken from communities through institutional racism; examples include Black Panther-instituted breakfast programs or Northwest Tap Connection’s dance program for children who would otherwise not have access to arts participation.
YAAMBA’s dreamy house and R&B music embodies this movement, with releases on Nora En Pure’s Purified label as well as appearances on respected mixes quickly making an impression in Pacific Northwest electronic music scene. Meanwhile, Kali Uchis is touring her sold-out Red Moon in Venus tour through Seattle’s WaMu Theater this week; her presence already making waves in dance music with iconic collaboration with Kaytranada on 10%.
Tsunami Pinata
Tsunami Pinata is an energetic acoustic party band featuring Luz Gaxiola on accordion and Francis Brennan on banjo, guitar, pennywhistle, pennywhistle, vocals and pennywhistle. Together they perform music from around the world arranged for accordion and banjo featuring intricate instrumentals as well as songs in multiple languages; they can read their audience perfectly to deliver beautiful waltzes or livelier songs when needed – they have even serenaded guests on rowboats, in trees or other unconventional places!