LISTEN HERE to the debut release from Afora
[Read more about Afora in the November 12 press release here]
Today, A4A Music releases its first ever remix collection featuring songs from Make Music Matter’s Healing in Harmony sites around the globe, reimagined by members of its community of mixing and mastering engineers including Grammy and Juno Award winning artists.
The collective, known as Afora, represents the bridging of distinct and talented communities, coming together to celebrate the process of healing through making music, and using songs for advocacy, regardless of status, profession, location, or culture.
Listen to Healing in Harmony: Remix Vol. 1 on Spotify, AppleMusic, or wherever you listen to music!
Afora’s Remix Vol. 1 was first imagined by A4A Music Publishing Manager Heine Nielsen. He introduced the concept in part as a way to thank A4A’s contributors, explaining “we want to credit our loyal Community of Mixing and Mastering Engineers featuring some of the biggest engineers in the music industry – all donating their skills and time for post-production of our artists’ music making sure it sounds stellar when it’s released.
Furthermore, with this debut remix album, we want to celebrate the process of making music, the process of going through therapy, the process of coming together – this sense of community which significantly follow all our artists from inception to release.”
Nielsen emphasizes, “Afora is a play on ‘A4A (Artists 4 Artists) Music’, intended to reinforce the idea of artists coming together to help other artists. First, marginalized artists from all over the world emerge from the Healing in Harmony music therapy songwriting process. Then, the artists; original songs are mixed and released through Make Music Matter. Continuing on this musical healing journey, our global community of mixing and mastering engineers remixed the final tracks, incorporating the tracks, lyrics and voices into their own musical worlds. By transforming the voices of marginalized artists to inhabit new musical genres, we have created a truly collaborative musical process with global impact, all with the aim to put the community, the cohort feeling on the agenda”.
“By transforming the voices of marginalized artists to inhabit new musical genres, we have created a truly collaborative musical process with global impact, all with the aim to put the community, the cohort feeling on the agenda.”
Heine Nielsen, A4A Publishing Manager
What can we expect to hear on the album? Nielsen says he’s amazed by how the remixers have transformed the original sounds into something completely different – whether it be cool hard rock, summer reggae, country, or Nordic vibes. “What’s consistent is that all remixes feature stellar productions, while maintaining respect for the underlying story and original musical voice of the artist.”
Tracklisting:
- Soma (‘Education’) – James Bunton Remix
- Nita Jipa Raha (‘I Make My Own Happiness’) – Nino D. Celella Remix
- Sirudi Nyuma (‘I Will Not Despair’) – LiiN Remix
- Kazi (‘Work’) – Robbie Grunwald Remix
- Je dois rester forte (‘I Must Stay Strong’) – Dan Harden Remix
- Lanes of Bee Wax – Howard “Merlin” Wulkan Remix
- Peace Is Love – Stewart Turcan Remix
- Mon corps n’est pas une arme (‘My Body is Not a Weapon’) – Verny Scholtz Remix
- Mauwaji (‘Massacre’) – Ronan Chris Murphy Remix
- Matokeo Ya Vita (‘Consequences of War’) – Beijo International Remix
- Njo Tu Maisha (‘This is Life’) – Kevin Doyle Remix
- Mwanga Mkononi (‘The Light in the Hand’) – Nick Page Remix
- Il y a encore de l’espoir (‘There is Still Hope’) – Georges Mupemba Remix
- Nsiga Amavuta (‘Oil’) – Filho Da Terra Remix
Mastered by Emily Lazar, The Lodge
On behalf of the original artists, the A4A team thanks the members of Afora and the whole community of mixing and mastering engineers for their dedication and solidarity with our mission to amplify marginalized voices.
Healing in Harmony: Remix Vol. 1 was made possible with the support of Warner Music Canada.