Alex is a high school student attending Wilmington Friends School with an interest in journalism as a major. She is an editor for her school newspaper, has served as an intern at Out and About magazine and has written for WXPN’s website. Alex hopes to expand her love of music and writing through helping with our blog.
I think that one of the most interesting parts of Arden Concert Gild performances is the variety. This was especially the case for Sinkane; I saw audience members ranging from teenagers to elders, all enjoying the music together. If you have never been to Arden’s Gild Hall, it is essentially an open room with a stage. For this performance, the room was about one-third chairs and the rest was open for dancing and roaming. I thought that this gave the show a laidback feel but let the audience appreciate the music more. Specifically, a few especially excited dancers enjoyed themselves in the back of the room.
Describing Sinkane’s musical genre is a near impossible task. I can say with ease that I have never heard anyone that has the same style or skillset as him and his band. According to wikipedia he is categorized as “krautrock, free jazz, and funk rock with Sudanese pop.” To tear that apart a little, krautrock is a style of rock with a more electronic sound. Although Gallab grew up in Sudan, he was born in London. This could explain his reasoning for the aspect of krautrock in his music, which has European roots. Free jazz is essentially a more unconventional style of jazz that fits well with the other genres of his music. The most complex part of his music style would have to be the Sudanese pop. This clearly was influenced by his Sudanese heritage. Sudanese pop is a blend of traditional Sudanese music -- violin, bongo, etc. -- combined with influences from American pop stars.
I thought that Sinkane’s distinct sound was not to be missed and their music combined with the atmosphere of the Gild Hall made for a perfect winter night. Sinkane and Cookies truly set high expectations for future performers soon to come to the Hall. I don’t think that Sinkane was for everyone just because of his “out-there” style, but I believe that anyone who is open to new music should really give him a listen. Spending my Valentine’s Eve with Sinkane was an excellent decision and, as an Ardenite, I hope to see him and the band return in the future.
See www.ardenconcerts.com.