Banabila

Michel Banabila (1961 Amsterdam) is a Dutch sound artist, composer and producer, active since 1983.
His first live appearance was at the Tegentonen Festival with Dj Genetic Factor (Paradiso - Amsterdam, 1984).

His early recordings, Marilli (vinyl,1983), Des Traces Retrouvees 1, 2, (vinyl,1984-1985) and 3 (cassette,1986) and his collaboration with Chi (group for audio visual performances), were characterized by ethnic influences in combination with ambient electronics.
In 1989 Banabila starts performing and recording with East Meets West, a world music band from Rotterdam.

With instrumentalist Yasar Saka he records 2 cds, Nightmirror (1993) and The Dreamfields (1994).
In 1998 a compilation from their work was released on Steamin' Soundworks (A Living Thing, CD), including some new tracks, two of those recorded with Turkish guitar player Erkan Ogur.

In his later work Banabila continues to combine influences from world music with plunderphonics, ambient and nu-jazz.

Besides acoustic instruments, Banabila uses found objects, electronica, field recordings, and shortwave/ tv/ film recordings.

His internationally critically acclaimed VoizNoiz, Urban Sound Scapes (cd - Steamin Soundworks, 1999) was released by Pork Recordings (UK) and Tone Casualties (USA) in 2000.
The VoizNoiz series were recordings based around manipulated voice-collages, field recordings and improvised music.

In 2000 Banabila started a collaboration with singer Ali Bahia El Idrissi, and co-composed/ produced an album entitled Arhil. (cd, Boudisque Recording 2000).
The title song from this cd also appeared on the compilation cd Sahara Lounge (Putumayo 2001).

Banabila joined an on-line collabs directed by the German composer Holger Czukay, wich resulted in the track 10 Steps to Heaven, released on the cd Linear City (Inside Out Music 2001).

In 2001 and 2003, his electronic dark ambient cds, entitled Spherics 1 & 2 were released. (Boudisque Recording / Tone Casualties).

The third cd of his VoizNoiz series ; VoizNoiz 3 - Urban Jazz Scapes, recorded with trumpet player Eric Vloeimans, was recipient of the Dutch Edison Jazz Award in 2003, and was nominated for a Golden Calf at the Dutch Film Festival in 2004.

In 2004 - 2005 Banabila worked in South Africa on recordings for the soundtrack of Vuka Vuka!, an open air theatre show about homeless children.

Since 1993 he performed live at Womad (UK), VAD Festival and Lux Festival (Spain), Rotterdam Film Festival, State of the Image Festival, Metropolis Festival, Boudisque X Rated Paradiso, Witte de With Festival (Netherlands),
Days of Dutch Culture (Russia), Ambient Festival Gorlice, Łaźnia and Kronika (Poland), Sit'n Listen (Belgium) and more.

In 2008, his 2cd album Precious Images, Datafiles 1999 - 2008 was released on the Steamin’ Soundworks label.
Cd 1 from this album contains highlights from Banabila's albums released on Steamin' Soundworks since 1999.
Cd 2 contains new material recorded by Banabila in 2008. Although most of the tracks on cd 2 were used for theatre and television, they weren't previously released on cd.

One year later, one of his compositions from this album, entitled Ears Tell Us Where We Are In Space, recorded with Dutch guitar player Anton Goudsmit, was re-released on the compilation cd Dutch Jazz 2009 (Buma Cultuur).

Banabila frequently collaborated with Dutch video artists Geert Mul and Olga Mink and Polish video artist Monoscope, and has composed musical scores for numerous films, documentaries, video art, music-theatre plays and choreographies.
(Scores were contributed to Ben van Lieshout, VPRO Tegenlicht, Orkater, Angelika Oei, Marije Meerman, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Bregtje van der Haak, Het Zuidelijk Toneel, Claudia Hauri, Robert Jan Westdijk , Hester Overmars and others).

Though most of his work has been published by Steamin' Soundworks Amsterdam, he sometimes releases independently through his own Tapu Records.