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A Unique Blend of Unity in Music

Another example of the power of collaboration in the Arts is the musical duo of Blend. The duo are pure fusion themselves, consisting of French-born Christian Polloni, (who is recognised for his contribution to the Namibian music production industry) and Namibian Nesindano Namises (who one of Namibia’s most experienced poets).

Their sound is a unification of poetry, soulful sounds and raw truth. The idea behind Blend was to “include a hint of activism, a dash of personal experiences, a shiver of truth and an abundant love and passion for a unique and refreshing repertoire”.

99FM’s MYD Art spoke to Nesindano Namises, one half of the duo of Blend, to talk about the power of collaboration in the arts, in anticipation of their performance tonight at La Brocante in Windhoek.

99FM’s MYD Art asked:

Photo by DefeatHate
Photo by DefeatHate

Tell us about Blend and your style of music?

“Its really not that simple for us. We’ve settled with folk infused sounds, rich with organic Namibian flows with hints and textures of international influences. The style has many different influences ranging from neo-soul to jazz to blues to rock, but is characterised largely by its original elements that come from the duo’s individuality. The “blend” is usually served as African Folk Funk.”

How did this collaboration come about?

“We had been working in the broadcasting and arts industry on separate projects. Having known each other’s strengths we dove into this. A friendship and partnership largely held together by care and chemistry.”

What makes this collaboration and the combination of the unexpected, powerful?

“Well, we’d really like to say that Blend is quite different from a lot of what you see in the art and culture seen currently. Creating on the go, head bumps and a general effortless synchronicity really seems to be what drives us.”

“None of that is practiced, but its not easy to realise since we are both very strong characters.”

“Blend is really just about bringing together the different shades, cracks, pieces, dreams, threads, you name it, that make us. Namibian. African. Human. And the spirit of Ubuntu is that of togetherness.”

Our theme at the moment on MYD is Ubuntu – what is your take on this philosophy?

“What an amazing theme. Blend is really just about bringing together the different shades, cracks, pieces, dreams, threads, you name it, that make us. Namibian. African. Human. And the spirit of Ubuntu is that of togetherness. As activists, we, Blend, live, share and stand for this through what we do.”

How can the knowledge that we are each other, empower musicians?

“Musicians are very human. They live and grow up in these spaces around us. They are also our children.  They reflect our society. We must teach and fight for solidarity in our society. Musicians will tell these stories and find, themselves, that we are indeed each other.”

Tell us about the performance you are putting on tonight?

“Tonight we are playing at La Brocante. Our set is just acoustic. The Thursday night Unwind sessions are quite laid back, so we will stick to that vibe. We will be covering some tracks, but will be playing our original music for most of the set. The night offers some pizza and a show. We start playing at 7pm.”

For more information about Blend’s performance tonight in Windhoek, find details of their event on Facebook by clicking here

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