Diversidad

ICP recording studios, southeast of historic downtown Brussels. In the lounge, journalists from Germany, Sweden and France are inhaling the atmosphere of a unique musical project. Twenty artists from thirteen European countries have been here for a week to record an outstanding hip hop album which will be followed by a festival show tour, a community website and a graphic art exhibition. The Pan-European vibe on this project is beyond impressive, its innovative force effects anybody who gets the honor of being able to spend a couple of hours in the building.

Brainchild of French activist Laurence Touitou, the ambitious project was launched in 2008 by the European Music Office, a non-profit organisation representing the professional music sector to the European institutions and managing international music projects.. It is an impressive example of how hip hop culture can bring people together, regardless of different nationalities, ethnicities, generations, social backgrounds, religions and languages. In choosing the artists for the album project, Ms. Touitou was assisted by her colleague Aurelia Biolatto. „Of course the selection of rappers and producers was affected by my personal, subjective taste“, she admits openly. „But mostly I wanted to pick artists with different styles that I thought would complement each other well – from fast-paced, technical MCs to more melodic rappers and even singers.“

In this mindstate, artists from thirteen different European nations were picked, for example Rival from Belgium, Curse from Germany, Orelsan from France, Nach from Spain, La Melodia from the Netherlands and Frenkie from Bosnia – and these are only some of the most popular examples. At the same time, the Diversidad team picked four composers and producers to design and implement the beats for the album: Cookin Soul from Spain, Eversor from Greece, C.H.I. from Luxembourg and Spike Miller from France, the latter having already produced for platinum recording artist Rohff in his home country. Both Spike Miller and executive producer Curse set a high value on the album not relying solely on being well-intentioned, but to be a competitive product which proves the richness and innovation of urban culture throughout Europe.

„I don’t believe in some kind of language barrier“, Ms. Touitou explains. „As soon as you hear the flow and the music, you will understand what the artist is trying to get across. This is exactly the beauty of hip hop – that you don’t need to understand every single word to feel what the music is about.“ And she is definitely right – if you listen to the songs on the Diversidad album, you will see that you don’t need to actually speak another language to feel with your heart what the music is telling you. Being a guest in the studio, it was impressive to see how artists with completely different backgrounds were able to compromise themselves, move towards each other and exchange ideas in a way that led to incredible creative potential.

Working in the ICP studio complex in Brussels was a major benefit to the project. All twenty artists were able to directly connect to each other, to socialize and work together in a creative space that allowed them maximum freedom. In the first floor, the producers were creating beats and song layouts on their workstations, then moving them down to the ground floor where the rappers and singers were able to listen, write and record to those beats. All producers involved in the project are masters of their craft, each one representing a slightly different style within the urban universe. Together they were able to create a timeless, yet still contemporary aesthetic for the album which is currently slated for a physical and digital release in early 2011.

Between now and 2012, the Diversidad team has some other cardinal projects in the making: They will conceive a unique and multidisciplinary show with the artists featured on the Diversidad album and the help of other urban artists like musicians, dancers, choreographers and DJs. This show will tour throughout European festivals and capitals from Sweden to Spain during the year 2011. A travelling graphic art exhibition presenting different interpretations of graffiti and street/urban art will accompany the festival tour and album release. Last but not least, a digital platform will be set up as a social network, communication tool and news update site (www.diversidad-experience.com).

Diversidad is supported by the European Commission, and due to this support this one-of-a-kind project exists. It is not only capable of overcoming the so-called language barrier, but it is also designed to create a true creative exchange between subcultural leaders all over Europe. It has the potential of being a stepping stone in the growth of a Pan-European urban scene relying on cultural values like „peace, unity, love and havin’ fun“, as hip hop icon Afrika Bambaataa once put it. Diversidad is not an album, a show, an exhibition or a website – it is the idea of a unified Europe transcending its stereotypical historical barriers through intercultural dialogue. In its essence, it is the dream of a better tomorrow.

Stephan Szillus, Editor in Chief – Juice Magazine (Germany)