Damon Albarn's seven day album
Damon Albarn The Gorillaz mastermind set off for the country – one of the poorest nations on earth – this Wednesday (20.07.11) with a team of producers and performers who will work with local musicians and home made instruments to create an album for charity Oxfam.
A statement on the project's website reads: "Wracked by years of conflict, the DRC is home to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, and proceeds from the album will go to helping Oxfam's work, helping thousands of the DRC's poorest people."
Among Damon's all-star cast are Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Dan The Automator, Jneiro Jarel, Richard Russell, Actress, Marc Antoine, Jo Gunton and Kwes.
The group have posted pictures of a number of instruments they have created including an improvised drum kit and a thumb piano, and of an impromptu concert they performed last night, accompanied by local musicians.
Damon is no stranger to the music of Africa, having travelled to Mali in 2001, where he joined a number of the country's respected musicians to produce an album 'Mali Music'. He has also worked with the group Africa Exprez and Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen.
