OUM
Oum El Ghait is the first name that Morocco’s Saharian nomads gave girls born on a rainy day, in the belief that the luck of the newborn brings water, relief,or deliverance – the meaning of the name is “Mother of relief .” Oum was born in Casablanca and grew up in Marrakech. Her eclectic vocals combine soul, Hassany poetry and African rhythms, which she considers the roots of soul, gospel and jazz. Her major influences include Malouma Mint El Maidah, Ella Fitzgerald, Miriam Makeba, Billie Holliday, Dimi Mint Abba, Aretha Franklin and Eryka Badu. Oum’s debut, Lik’Oum, was released in 2009; her latest, Sweerty, will be released in September 2011, featuring a song on immigration reform featuring Brooklyn-based, Ghana-born emcee Blitz the Ambassador.
DAVID ‘DUKE MUSHROOM’ SCHOMMER
Duke Mushroom is a platinum-selling producer, writer, and versatile musician. Duke has written and produced with artists as varied as the Baha Men, Carole King, Cooler Kids, Nile Rogers and Chic, Donna Summer, Cyndi Lauper, and Micheal Tolcher, before recording his groundbreaking foray into Global Sound, “BOLE 2 HARLEM.” As one-half of the production team PopRox, he remixed tracks for Method Man, Montell Jordan, Sisqo, DMX, and Bob Marley among others. Besides being one of the original performing Cast members of Stomp!, his percussion credits include Gloria Estefan, Janet and Michael Jackson, Die Warsaw, and Cher, as well as playing on over 50 other records for the likes of Roger S, Tony Moran, Masters at Work, Static Revenger, and Erick Morillo. He has also scored several films, including “Accepted,” as well as the 2008 IDA winning documentary, “A Walk To Beautiful.” His songs and productions have been licensed in over 40 films and TV shows as well as numerous commercials. Duke is the founder of Yoga Organix, a forward-thinking record label that draws from the music, musicians and instruments of all cultures.
DAVI VIEIRA
Davi was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Percussionist, songwriter and vocalist. Toured Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas with several bands and dance companies. He has played with several artists such as Grammy winners Steve Earle, Angelique Kidjo and Santana, as well as Sun Ra, Wyclef Jean, Yerba Buena, Baby Do Brasil, Deborah Blando, Bebel Gilberto, Vinicius Cantuaria, Richard Bona and more. Davi is a member of Forro in the Dark and a founding member of Ogans and MD MCs, a Brazilian hip-hop/rpa group that released an album with EMI Records. Davi was also a founding member of the off-Broadway hit STOMP, for which he remained on the cast for ten years. He is currently working on his solo project, Hip Hop Axe.