FROME musician Dan Harper has been awarded a grant to record an album in Mali this summer, and is appealing for donations to raise money for African musicians.
Dan, who records under the name Invisible System, has travelled to Bamako – the Malian capital – for a month, to record a new album with artists from the region.
His project is being funded by the British Council and the Arts Council, but Dan, who spent 1999-2003 in the country as an aid worker, said, “I also want to keep aid working but helping musicians, as none of the aid organisations do this.
“World music is not the most commercial form of music and mine has always come from a DIY culture. This time I need help to make all of this happen, and to get money & skills to Mali.”
Dan has set up a Kickstarter fundraising webpage in the hope of collecting money to pay the African musicians with whom he hopes to collaborate. In return he is offering a copy of the completed album to everyone who pledges £10 to the project, and all £5 pledges will receive a song.
Invisible System describes his music as a fusion of “dub and rock, acid and dance, post punk, funk, and also Malian, Gambian and Jamaican sounds”. He has released seven albums in recent years, and was nominated for Songlines magazine’s ‘Best Cross-Cultural Collaboration’ and ‘Best Band’ awards.
If you would like to find out more, or donate to Dan’s project, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/invisiblesystem/isim-invisible-system-in-mali.
His music is available on iTunes, Amazon, and at www.invisiblesystem.com