CONTENTS

How has the internet changed the music industry?

Music 2014: Why Africa is Next!

Trinidad Carnival Experience

Bioramas

Artist feature: Arie Van‟t Riet

Seizure

5 Minutes with Dylan Berry- Composer and Music Supervisor for Top US

TV Shows

Poem : broken

A recipe for delicious Brownie‟s to cook

Bling Ya Ting Finals

Cover design by @Tallissone

A unique online magazine full of high quality

news celebrating the diversity and

contributions made by cultural arts globally.

Editor‟s letter @little_della

Welcome to our third edition of #CAU which stands

for“CULTURAL ARTS UNITED” our slogan is

“DISCOVER THE HERITAGE, DEVELOP THE ART

& SHOWCASE THE TALENT”

This is a fantastic magazine which unites talented and

passionate writers and arts enthusiasts from around the

globe sharing their insight into various industries,

professions and lifestyles. We hope you find this online

magazine interesting, thought provoking and positively

inspiring for your own creative interests and ventures.

If you feel you have an article that you think could be

included in the monthly online magazine please send it

too: culturalartsunited@hotmail.com

Cultural arts united is a registered (non for profit) social

enterprise established in Cambridge in 2009 please see

www.wordpress.com/blingyating for more information

Please also follow our social media pages

@CAU_MAG – follow us and the team

@BLING_YA_TING - Talent show project

Bling Ya Ting

THE FINALS

Just under 700 came to the finals on the 27th

March to

watch over 30 acts compete for 1st place of BLING YA

TING The strongest feedback given was how the

standard of talent was the highest yet and how all acts

were world class excellent and blinged it hard.

Below are some photos from the event and more can be

seen on Instagram at BLINGYATING and twitter

@BLING_YA_TING

1ST

PLACE - AIMEE PEART –WEBB

2ND

PLACE - RHETORIC

3RD

PLACE - ELEMENTZ ENT

SINGERS - AIMEE PEART WEBB

RAPPERS – RHETORIC

SINGER SONGWRITER – NAVINA RAJAN

SPECIALITY ACTS – AMANDA JARVIS

DANCE GROUPS – ELEMENTZ ENT

SOLO DANCERS – MOHAMMED LAHOUEL

UNDER 18 SINGERS - EMMA KNUDSEN

1ST

– AIMEE PEART WEBB

2ND

–RHETORIC

3RD

ELEMENTZ ENT

How has the internet changed

the music industry?

So I hope you all liked Bassment Project from last

months article? After writing that piece, it got me

thinking about the power of the internet, and how I

came to know about bands like them from nothing other

than advertisement via the world wide web. Rewind 15

years ago, unknown bands trying to make it in the

industry would have had to stand out on the streets in

the freezing cold handing out complimentary CD‟s,

relying on friends and family to tell everyone they know

to listen. Playing at any local pub or club they could,

hoping that word of mouth would be enough to get

another gig, and more followers.

Don‟t get me wrong, I know these things still happen. It

is just helped out massively now by the free

advertisement offered by the likes of facebook, twitter,

soundcloud, youtube and all the other websites used all

over the world. Like anything else, there is good and

bad to this topic. I want to look at them in more detail.

The most obvious negative to this debate is the damage

it has done to our high street stores. Who really goes

and buys CD‟s anymore? I know I don‟t. I used to take

such pride in my CD collection. Whether it was

alphabetical order, new to old, favourite to least

favourite, we all spent time looking after our collection,

right? Now I hear something I like and I will

automatically get my phone out, a few clicks on iTunes

and the music is straight on my phone. No trekking to

the shop necessary. No physical space taken up either.

It‟s been made so easy for us. As a result, last year

HMV announced it was closing 66 of its UK stores,

putting 930 people out of a job – And that‟s just the

beginning.

Another big negative - illegal downloads. The one battle

that will possible never be won by artists, is having their

music downloaded from various rogue websites for free.

Following on from that, you also have the problem of

songs being leaked early, another huge concern for

musicians. Once a song or album gets leaked onto the

internet, it spreads like wild fire and there is no

stopping it. That point then leads onto the positives...

Flip that last negative on its side and it can also be seen

as a massive positive. The free advertisement the web

creates. Just look at Youtube. So many people wanting

to get noticed will record a song using nothing more

than a webcam nowadays. The more subscribers, the

more people start listening. Before the internet? You

had no choice but to save up to afford a few hours

recording time in a studio, get a CD made and get it

posted out to countless record labels, who half the time

wouldn‟t pay any attention.

Then you have the interaction between artist and fans. I

remember when I was growing up, artists seemed like

the most unreachable people in the world. Never would

you get to talk to them or meet them. Now I scroll

through my twitter feed and I can tell you what

Professor Green is cooking for dinner, what lipstick

Rita Ora has decided to wear today, or what muscle

group Tinie Tempah is working on at his gym session

this afternoon. I constantly see conversations on there

between artist and fans. It really has closed that gap and

made the artists much more „human‟ and approachable.

This is also very handy for the artist, it means they get a

real feel for what their fans like and don‟t like. It means

they can promote singles, albums, shows or merchandise

with the help of their online followers.

It is inevitable that the internet is taking over. As a

result, just like vinyl‟s and cassette tapes before it, are

we seeing the CD become an endangered species?

I am sad to see it happen, but we have to move with the

times. With over half of the households in the US

owning an apple product of some sort, (that‟s a lot of

people!) I‟d say the average consumer is much more

likely to purchase their music on the internet these days.

There are so many more points to both sides of this, and

as always I‟d love to know your views. Let me know

your thoughts.

Twitter: @harrietline

MUSIC 2014: Why Africa is

Next!

Written by Della Mbaya @M_Della

It‟s been a long time coming.

Africa used to be known as the „dark continent‟ – from

economic development to the arts and culture but not

anymore.

Africans have finally fallen in love with Africa – a fact

that has led to such a jump in the quality and quantity

of music released every day, a fact that has ensured that

the biggest local stars can generate just as much revenue

for promoters at shows, than flying in an international

act would.

„Afrobeats‟ has taken over the UK, and it won‟t be long

before the soulful sounds of Afro-House do the same

thing.

Of course, music in Africa is not homogenous by any

stretch of the imagination – but for the purpose of

brevity we can choose to classify it under one bold

umbrella. Nations from Angola to Zimbabwe have their

own distinct flair, tradition and history - and music is a

reflection of this. But globalization has led to a clash of

cultures – and „African‟ music has in the past been one

of its major victims.

How do young Africans with talent express themselves

through sound, when radio and music stations play up

to 80-90 percent of „Western‟ urban hits all day?

National laws sought to change this – radio stations and

TV stations now have minimums and maximums when

it comes to the play they give local artists – meaning we

are much more exposed to some of the treasures that lie

within our own soil.

Production quality has improved – artists are thinking

more about sound – the international stage demands it.

Representation and management is now crucial – it‟s

not enough to have your „homie‟ help you seal the deal.

Some of the biggest stars have entire teams from

makeup, to event coordinators, to general managers and

publicists. Artists have realized that image is a big deal,

and are taking steps to ensure they look and stay

professional.

The West and the South dominated the continent‟s most

trail-blazing tunes in 2013 – and this is almost certain to

continue over the rest of this year. But contemporary

music in Africa goes beyond WizKid‟s „Caro‟ and Fuse

ODG‟s „Antenna‟.

These are some artists you might want to start searching

out, if you haven‟t already:

Mafikizolo

They had arguably the biggest tune around the

continent with „Khona‟ in 2013 – and it would be no

surprise if the rest of the world caught up with it this

year. The three piece group has been around for over a

decade, and is finally hitting mainstream success. The

only way is up.

Recommended: "Happiness" (feautirng May D)

Burna Boy

He may not have the most versatile voice, but he

definitely has a certain charm, and for much of 2013 the

dance floors in almost every single club in every major

town across the continent belonged to him. „Tonight‟

was a sleeper hit that became a major tune over the

course of a few months. It remains to be seen whether

he will have as epic a 2014 – but he no doubt will be

trying.

Recommended: Yawa Dey

Diamond

East Africa‟s rising super star. Hailing from Tanzania,

Diamond Platnumz has romanticized the „Bongo‟

flavour of music again – capturing the hearts of ladies

around the region – the question now remains: can he

take over the continent? A collaboration between

himself and West African playboy Davido on „Number

1‟ was his look towards capitalizing on the popularity of

Afrobeats, as well as introduce him to a completely new

audience.

Recommended: Nitarejea

Tiwa Savage

The African Princess is one of the biggest draws in her

home country of Nigeria. And it‟s no wonder; she

exudes confidence and sex appeal.

Her music is made for the clubs, making her the full

package „cross over star‟. She‟s been making waves

across Africa for a couple of years, and there‟s no one

doing what she does any better – so she‟s definitely here

to stay!

Recommended: Love Me, Kele Kele

Davido

If „swag‟ was still a thing, Davido would be its poster

child. We love a young up and comer who believes in

himself – so much so, that he makes music talking about

just that – check out „All of Them‟. If he crashes and

burns he only has himself to blame. Great voice coupled

with charisma – Davido, alongside WizKid, is one of his

country‟s biggest ambassadors.

Recommended: Gobe, Skelewu

Zakes Bantwini

He has a background in Jazz, although his music is

classified as House – he would counter that the two

influence each other. Whatever the case, Zakes

Bantwini is looking to stamp South African House

music in a more pronounced way. The genre is crowded,

but there is something in the way that he fuses music,

that makes us feel his passion. An artist we truly want to

support – it‟s a good thing he makes it so easy.

Recommended: 'Ifunaya' feat. J. Martins

This list is no means exhaustive. There is a trove of

great African music to be discovered.

Artists like P Square are household names – working

with massive international stars such as Rick Ross.

Jose Chameleone is a bigger deal in his native country

than his own President!

Bands like Kenya‟s Sauti Sol have been working

steadily and building their sound for years.

Africa is „next‟. Don‟t be left behind.

A poem “Broken” by Amanda Jarvis

@moggyfriend

Broken!

Like a porcelains doll.

Shattered by your cruel words

With love in your eyes but hatred in your

heart.

You crushed me.

You destroyed me.

But from the rubble I shall rise.

Broken!

I will find the glue myself.

Stick back the pieces of my self esteem.

Heal my heart.

Repair my mind.

Before long you will find.

I am stronger than before.

The glue I use will fortitude me.

Protect me from you and others like you.

Broken!

But not for long.

You are nothing but a parasite.

That feeds off the vulnerable.

By giving a little of you and take all of

them.

Feeding off their insecurities and fears.

Twisting their minds and control their

lives.

Broken!

Of which I am no longer.

With each passing day I grow stronger.

Each hour away I heal.

You may see where the cracks have been

sealed.

But I will be mended and whole.

Your still be a parasite with a blackened

soul.

Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients quantity

Plain Flour 130 grams

Coco powder 30 grams

Weight and mix the above together.

Eggs 6 medium

Caster Sugar 32 grams

Break the eggs and combine with sugar in a mix clean

bowl preferably a size that will easily contain all the

ingredients. Use a domestic hand mixer to whisk the egg

and sugar at maximum speed starting off slowly. Whisk

until the egg mix become light and fluffy resembling the

consistency of s milk shake.

Meanwhile

Butter 2 20 grams

Dark chocolate 2 20 grams

The easiest way to melt the chocolate combine with

butter melt in the micro wave on medium setting careful

not to burn the chocolate. More than likely when finish

it should look like choclate in oil which is fine just mix

together with a whisk or spatula until the chocolate hold

a liquid sauce consistency.

Your oven should by now being preheated a at 180 and

a deep baking tray line with non stick greaseproof pape.

Now for the final mixing stage. Combine the chocolate

mixture with the egg mixture and fold in properly with

a spatula and finally add the flour and coco powder

"dry ingredients".

It is non essential to sieve the dry ingredients and more

important to mix it properly through the chocolates mix

to prevent any uncooked flour lumps in the finished

brownie that can be unpleasant . After completing the

mix you should have a densely thick rich chocolate mix .

Spread evenly in the greaseproof tray and put in the

preheat oven to bake 10 minutes at 180 degree's Celsius

and reduce to 145 degrees Celsius to cook for a

remaining 35.

For a goowie Brownies it will appear to be uncooked

and this is where a lot of people over cook the cake. The

cake will seem to be slightly uncooked in the middle, this

is fine you just need to let this set as it cool down

overnight. Then cut and served with ice cream or

cream.

Instagram JOEJS1936

5 Minutes with Dylan Berry

Composer and Music Supervisor for Top

US TV Shows

Dylan Berry is a seasoned composer who has composed,

licensed, supervised and managed music for hundreds

of media productions including some of the top rated

shows on television.

He has cleverly started a company that employs talented

composers to create custom music for his pipeline

clients which range from comedy and fitness DVD's to

the biggest shows on television today. Smash Haus

Music Group is his company - a top Hollywood

composing team investing in shows such as MTV Movie

Awards, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, Kevin Hart

Laugh at my Pain and many more.

Dylan is qualified to lead the charge because he has

'been there, done that' on the highest level. He has

composed the themes for The Sing Off, America's Best

Dance Crew, Root Sports Network, and provided

custom music forAmerican Idol, So You Think You Can

Dance and the Academy Awards.

I had a few questions for this music biz genius who I am

happy to have the opportunity to work with in the near

future. Interview below...

So Dylan! You're a composer, music supervisor and

music manager. How do you find the time?

When you run a business that is a "music solution" you

end up wearing many hats. I also really like each

descipline though. They all play a different part of the

noodle lobe!

Which job do you enjoy the most?

Entrepreneurialism!

What is Smash Haus all about and how did you come up

with the idea?

In navigating the entertainment industry from music to

production to post production since I was a kid, I gained

a high level view of the business, how it worked and

where the opportunity could be.

I feel that the opportunity for musicians is to own their

own businesses. Simply, we are the infrastructure that

supports their businesses. We decided that every effort

needs a helmsman who knows

both music and production and I felt I could be of value

in connecting the dots so that the magic is realised.

As a result we decided to merge the two by

embedding our technology and A-list team

of composers into production and post

production environments as a brand-able internal music

function.

We are essentially a music fulfillment partner that

removes production company overhead, increases their

workforce and creates value through music where loss

currently existed which in turn increases jobs and

composers income. It was a no brainer.

So...Do you feel TV music is a better career than

composing for other artists?

I think this entire business of entertainment is about

trust and who you know. If you are the best songwriter

in the world and have no relationships, you will not

likely succeed there. I see no difference in opportunity if

you have the relationships that convert. That is why

Smash Haus mobilised. When organised, we acquire the

relationships that sustain our businesses. We 3

Musketeer it!

Any advice you want to give to upcoming musicians and

producers?

I was hoping they could lend me some advice! They are

what's next and I learn from them daily. We are all in

this together.

Any projects you would like to talk about?

I'm kind of proud of the themes Noah Lifschey and I did

for the Time Warner Sports Network (Sportnet, L.A.

Lakers, Galaxy, Sparks, Access Sportsnet). Also the

Root Sports Network Themes. I still totally dig

the America's Best Dance Crew theme too. We beat the

hell out of anything we could find in the studio to stomp

that one out. But most of all I am glad to still be alive

and make a living in this wacky business of maniacal

rain makers and prodigal talents. I feel lucky to share

time with crazy people.

And so do I...This must be how we met! Thank you for

your time Dylan!

Tweet Dylan: www.twitter.com/smash_haus

Visit Dylan's company site: www.smashhaus.com

Dylan's IMDB:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2090271/

Written By Sazrah

@sazrah_producer

LOOK OUT FOR THE

MAY 2014 ISSUE of

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