Copenhagen's one and only non-profit world music venue, fittingly named Global, opened its doors to a mixed and multi-generational crowd of music enthusiasts back in 2006 and has since positioned itself as one of the prime establishments of its kind and in the world, while being the only venue in all of Denmark dedicated to the genre itself, as eloquently put in this well-written piece, recently published on Vice magazine's Noisey platform:
"World music is another way of saying non-western [...]. While the term itself is a bit weird, it basically gives Global carte blanche to bring in acts from the vast array of musical styles that fall underneath the gigantic ‘world music’ umbrella."
It just so happens that Global's booker, responsible for bringing in a steady flow of quality, multi-faceted acts, is also the world-renowned Roskilde Festival's booker, which then explains the density of high-profile acts to have manned Global's comparably small stage in addition to lesser known, yet equally promising artists.
"It’s important for us to present the diversity of music that lies within the strange concept of world music," says Bjarke Svendsen, Global’s daily manager via Noisey. And it shows.
Our very own Jewish Monkeys were excited to launch their ongoing "Global Warming Tour" there in mid-October and absolutely enthralled by the great atmosphere. While the band-crowd interaction is what made this performance memorable in the first place, Jewish Monkey's manager and world music veteran Jean Trouillet shared an anecdote emphasising an equally important aspect of Global's success:
"After the soundcheck, a long table fitted with candles was set-up in the middle of the hall, bearing food for the band as well as the entire crew. Everyone participated in this 'final supper' – what a great idea! We were all impressed by how friendy and incredibly well-organised the Global crew handled business. Half of the helping hands there are volunteers working for free but not for nothing – what an amazing place!"
On behalf of the Jewish Monkeys and Greedy for Best Music, thank you Global CPH for an unforgettable experience. And don't forget to check out the great portraits shot by Rune Abro that night! Visit his Abstreet Facebook-page for more.