Santuri East Africa is seeking innovative, emerging artists to apply for its next four Spotlight Sessions, which will be held at the Santuri Salon in Nairobi, Kenya, between May and August 2023.
Artists
The programme is looking for artists willing to experiment and challenge conventions. If you are an artist, band or collective thriving outside of the mainstream and are committed to forging new paths in music by creating sounds that defy categorisation, Santuri East Africa wants to hear from you.
The Spotlight Sessions welcome acts of all genres, from experimental electronic to noise rock and beyond, with the monthly showcase at Santuri Salon providing an intimate engaged audience for them to test out their latest creations or concepts.
The curating committee is particularly interested in projects that address or relate to some of the following themes:
- The intersection of technology and tradition.
- African culture and identity.
- Community, connectedness or cross-cultural collaboration.
- Pressing issues such as AI, climate change, social inequality, etc.
- Combinations of art disciplines but with a strong musical component.
Here are some examples of the projects you can showcase:
- Live performance of a new release, involving different performance tools.
- Interactive DJ set or deep dive into micro genres or themes.
- Immersive sound art installation.
- Live ‘pirate radio’ takeover.
- Improvised modular synth performance.
- Reusing folkloric practices in innovative ways.
Who can apply?
- New and emerging East African musicians based in the region.
- Participants over 18 years old.
- Non-male/queer identities.
- Music bands of not more than three artists.
Support
- Performers will receive a nominal performance fee from Santuri of Ksh15 000 (about $120).
- Santuri will provide sound and lighting for the show.
- Santuri will provide time and space for rehearsals.
- Selected acts will be promoted across the Santuri East Africa platforms (newsletters, website, radio shows, social media, etc.).
- A space will be allocated at Santuri Salon for showcasing artists to sell their merchandise.
Timeline
To be considered for the May showcase, apply here(link is external) before 14 May.
Interested parties can submit any time in the next months for later events.
Eligible applications will be reviewed by the Santuri Curation committee and all applicants will receive an email from Santuri no later than three weeks after submission.
Note: Only complete applications submitted via the online form will be considered.