YOUTH SPACE

11h00-11h45, Mamie Gâteau

13h00-13h45, Alpha Rhythms roots

14h00-14h45, Dieufaite Charles

Dieufaite Charles

Born and raised in Haiti, Dieufaite Charles settled in Toronto after the earthquake that devastated the country. The world music artist known as Jahfaa is a multi-talented singer, guitarist, percussionist, producer and arranger. He mixes afro-fusion and traditional Haitian Roots rhythms. His music is on all platforms: Youtube, iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Google play, etc … Just a quick google search by writing his name Dieufaite Charles and you are in his world.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC74k8EPrlbPzjPWSMUxR8ag

15h00-15h45, Cactus Club

Cactus Club

Cactus Club’s roots are formed by: Micky – Guitar, Robin Mason – Drums and Lionel Tissot – Bass and vocals. Currently in the studio for the completion of a new album available towards the end of 2023 and in the writing of new compositions which should see the light of day in 2024.

Micky and Lionel have a long history of Rock’n Roll together, having arrived from France to Canada in the 80s. After several albums, demos and hundreds of concerts with different members and groups, they went their separate ways to meet again in 2022 and start a new group with different styles and influences but always in a powerful and Rock’n Roll energy.

The style of the group includes many musical influences, such as Jazz, Pop, Punk, Rock and Reggae, with definitely a touch of Blues. Robin joined the band in 2022 and brings with him a wealth of experience too, with over ten records to his credit he brings new energy, strength and solidity to Cactus Club’s rhythm section. Une découverte musicale à ne pas manquer!

16h00-16h45, Njacko Backo

Njacko Backo creates a joyous African-influenced “world music” that instantly conjures up images of sun-drenched music festivals, ecstatic dancing crowds, and the spirit of peace, love, and social harmony.

A master of the kalimba from his native Cameroon, Njacko seamlessly blends the rhythms, melodies, and vocal styles of his homeland with the most euphoric and joyful sounds from around the world. The jubilant steel pan of calypso, the buzzing sitar of South Asian ragas, the uplifting banjo of old-time country, and the soaring, contemplative Uilleann pipes of Irish music all make appearances on his new album, Ici bas rien n’est impossible. A meditative flute, searing saxophone, shimmering Wurlitzer, and roaring violin parts are also woven into the mix. The result is a true global celebration – an energetic musical celebration of the interdependence of cultures.

17h00-17h45, Ana Lía

Ana Lía lights up a room. Dominican-Canadian, her charming and vibrant performances offer an incomparable experience to all audiences. The singular blend of pop and Latin rhythms and her rich and luminous voice make her music enjoyable beyond words.
In June 2023, she released her debut album, Cíclica. She opened for Alex Cuba in concert, performed at NXNE 2022, was featured at the Canadian B2BBQ pre-WOMEX 2023 in La Coruña, Spain and recently at BIME Bogotá 2024.
She has garnered over 209,000 streams, over 117,000 listeners in 90 countries on Spotify.
This rising firecracker is here to stay and infect us with her luminous energy.

https://www.analiaofficial.com

18h00-18h45, Kazdoura

Kazdoura is a Toronto-based music group that showcases Arabic fusion. The project was founded by Leen and Johnny in the summer of 2020. It started by performing some of the Arabic classics, but in a modern and reinvented style.

Leen is a new artist from Syria, her passion for classical Arabic music has led her to collaborate with many artists from different musical backgrounds in order to revive this music and introduce it to the diverse communities of Canada.

When Leen met multi-instrumentalist (guitarist and saxophonist) Johnny, he was very enthusiastic about learning and playing songs from his Arabic background. Together, they fused old Arabic songs (some over 50-100 years old) with many musical influences such as blues, funk and jazz.

In October, Kazdoura released his first single “Wain”, the inspiration for “Wain” comes from these struggles and destruction in the Middle East, and the difficulties of immigrants. The musical style is a mix of Arab and Western influences such as jazz, funk, electro-pop, pop and disco.       https://www.kazdouramusic.com

19h00-19h45, Dee Joyce

Dee Joyce is the story of an urban pop music enthusiast who made his mark alongside professionals such as Blasta (Slimane, Soprano, Grand Corps Malade, Naza, etc.) and the Sankofa Unit choir, with whom he was spotted on M6 in the show La France à un incroyable talent (season 6). At only 22 years old, Dee Joyce toured many prestigious stages in France and Belgium (Zenith de Paris, Casino de Paris, Divan du Monde, etc.) and performed as the opening act for internationally renowned artists such as Truth Hurts, Magic Système, Wes, Colonel Reyel and Marvin).

This naturally led the young artist to sign with various musical structures and thus enter the studio to develop his artistic universe with colors tinged with Pop and RnB. However, faced with the harshness of the music industry, Dee Joyce decided not to give up and try everything by moving to Canada to realize her American dream and make a new musical start.

It was with suitcase in hand and demos under her arm that Dee Joyce signed a deal for her first three EPs with the PUR Records label (Céline Dion, Martine St-Clair, Valérie Carpentier) and the Believe Music Canada record company and met with initial success by rising to 58th place in the famous ADISQ charts in 2020/2021 with her single “C’est comme ça” from her EP1 “Wine Up” for 17 consecutive weeks.

20h00-20h45, Dual-IT

Dual-IT is an artist-composer-producer born in Montreal, Quebec, who devotes himself to hip-hop in parallel with his professional career as a tax specialist. The idea is simple: to contribute to restoring Quebec lyrical rap to its former glory. Dual-IT’s style is original, applied and provocative, largely inspired by the pioneers of classic lyrical rap established in the late 90s and early 2000s. Quebec vibe, American flow, meticulous syllabic construction, Dual-IT breathes a breath of fresh air into Montreal hip-hop as we know it.

21h00-21h45, Groupe de jazz arabe Moneka

Moneka Arabic jazz band

Moneka Arabic Jazz is a project reflecting the life and artistic journey of its founder, Ahmed, from Baghdad to Toronto. It highlights the melodies of his native Iraq, intertwined with the African grooves and rhythms inherited from the Moneka family.

Ahmed often draws inspiration from extensive research into Iraqi stories and contemporary local and global realities to write his songs. Arriving in Toronto, Canada, his goal is to share this rich heritage and traditions with local musicians. Jazz and blues emerge as the ideal genres to connect his Afro-Arab origin with the captivating musical diversity of Toronto artists.

Ahmed Moneka
During my formative years in Iraq, I learned traditional chants and percussion in a family tradition that was introduced to Iraq in the 8th century. Later, I was accepted into one of Iraq’s top performing arts high schools, where I learned a variety of artistic disciplines from acting to singing the maqam (scales and nuances) of Middle Eastern music. Through these experiences, I gained many perspectives on our world and my place in it, and I went on to attend the Academy of Fine Arts at Baghdad University. During these years, I began to be incredibly moved by stories of human struggle and freedom, and I formed my beliefs about human rights through my art, voice, and song.

Waleed Abdulhamid – bass guitar, vocals. Waleed was born in Sudan and began performing at the age of 6. He has toured throughout his country, as well as Egypt, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Waleed is known for introducing traditional rhythms to popular music in Sudan.

Demetri Petsalakis – guitar, oud. From Greece, Demetri Petsalakis plays Greek and Middle Eastern lutes. A busy freelancer, Demetri performs with world music bands and orchestras and holds a Master of Music in Jazz and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music from York University.

Fathi Najem – electric violin, kora. Fathi began his musical journey in Algeria, learning the Arabic violin. Collaborations with world artists introduced him to the kora, which he plays in various world music contexts.

Ernie Tollar – Saxophone, Arabic Flute. Ernie has played jazz saxophone internationally and also plays Raga and Maqam music from India and the Arab world.

Max Sennitt – Drums. Max is one of Toronto’s most sought-after drummers, blending jazz and funk with traditional music with ease.