Jinja Safari

Jinja Safari
Origin Central Coast, Australia & Tasmania, Australia
Genres Indie, Forest Rock, Ambient Music
Years active 2010–present
Labels Cooperative Music Australia (ANZ)
Website www.jinjasafari.com
Members Marcus Azon
Pepa Knight
Joe Citizen
Alister 'Nugget' Roach
Jacob Borg

Jinja Safari are a self-produced & recorded band based in Sydney, Australia who draw from "afropop rhythms, (and) tumbling island guitar"[1] to create African-inspired "dreamy folk pop, with a melodic richness comparable to acts like Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective and Sigur Ros".[2] They are known for their energetic live shows.[3][4]

History

Formed in 2010, Jinja Safari was initially a duo of Marcus Azon & Pepa Knight. The two met at a beach party on the Central Coast of New South Wales in early 2010.

"Pepa lives on the coast, and I live in the city: so we tossed ideas back and forth across email after meeting over a beach campfire party earlier this year. We spent about 4 weekends recording all our ideas at his home studio, where he produced the tracks that we have now, which we're calling 'Forest Rock'." - Marcus Azon (Jinja Safari)[5]
After performing organizing their first show for friends & family in a coastal forest on the Central Coast of New South Wales on 1 May 2010,[6] Jinja Safari was invited to support Miami Horror at the Manning Bar in Sydney for their first public show.[7]

By June 2010, Jinja Safari had received high rotation airplay on both national Australian broadcaster Triple J and plays on UK's BBC Radio 6 Music[8]. In July 2010 they won the Triple J Unearthed competition, awarding the band a spot at Splendour In The Grass Festival 2010. Jinja Safari's first national Australian tour was supporting Art vs. Science in August 2010.[9]

Jinja Safari spent the majority of 2011 touring Australia, playing sold out shows in support of their 2nd EP, 'Mermaids & Other Sirens'. The 5 track EP was released for free to fans, one song a month over 5 months. The band also toured Australia with both Boy & Bear and Menomena whilst continuing to be a mainstay at major Australian festivals in 2011, playing Big Day Out, Good Vibrations, Falls Festival in that year. They have been nominated twice for Best Live Music Act in the 'Sydney Music, Arts & Culture' Awards in 2010[10] & 2011[11]

The Australian office of UK record label Cooperative Music released a collection of Jinja Safari's first and second EPs entitled 'Locked By Land', as the label's first local release. New single 'Sunken House' was added to playlist rotation on Triple J [12] less than a month before the band sold out their largest show to-date, the 1200 capacity Metro Theatre in Sydney.[13]

In early 2012, Jinja Safari was invited to perform their UK debut at Europe's leading festival for new festival The Great Escape[14] in May 2012. BBC Radio 1 DJ & label head of Sunday Best Records Rob Da Bank named the band's sound as a "cosmic pop safari",[15] playing the band's song 'Mermaids' on his BBC Radio 1 program and inviting the band to play at Bestival 2012.

Jinja Safari are planning a 2012 North American & European release & are currently producing their debut album.[16]

Name

Jinja Safari is named after the East African town of Jinja, in Uganda:

"I grew up in Tasmania and my grandmother lives in Uganda, in the town of Jinja - so for some reason I always felt the connection to the music of Africa, and how, despite the oppressions of countless dictatorships, genocide and apartheid, the people of Africa always found a way to smash a drum, yelling with a giant smile, dancing barefoot in the dirt." - Marcus Azon (Jinja Safari)[5]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

EPs

External links

References

  1. ↑ "Triple R Music Reviews". Triple R Music Reviews. Triple R. June 2010.
  2. ↑ "Triple J Unearthed Reviews". Triple J Unearthed Reviews. Triple J. 1 May 2010.
  3. ↑ "Tonedeaf Live Reviews". Tonedeaf Blog. Tonedeaf. 24 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Jinja Safari want you to git down!". Triple J Splendour Coverage. Triple J. 30 July 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Jinja Safari". Triple J Unearthed. Triple J. 10 May 2010.
  6. ↑ "Jinja Safari Poster". Jinja Safari. Jinja Safari. 27 April 2010.
  7. ↑ "Hyperbole.TV Live Review". Hyperbole.TV Live Reviewd. Hyperbole.TV. 17 July 2010.
  8. ↑ "The Lauren Laverne Show". BBC Radio 6 Music. BBC Radio 6 Music. 28 May 2010.
  9. ↑ "The Music Network". TMN. The Music Network. 21 June 2010.
  10. ↑ "SMAC 2010 Nominees Announced". Mess&Noise News. Mess&Noise. 22 Dec 2010.
  11. ↑ "SMAC 2011 Best Live Act". SMAC Awards. SMAC Awards. Dec 2010.
  12. ↑ "Triple J premieres 'Sunken House' video". Triple J Unearthed. Triple J. 20 Oct 2011.
  13. ↑ "Jinja Safari @ The Metro Theatre, Sydney (11/11/11)". Fasterlouder Gig Reviews. Fasterlouder. 15 Nov 2011.
  14. ↑ "Jinja Safari @ The Metro Theatre, Sydney (11/11/11)". The Great Escape. The Great Escape. Feb 2012.
  15. ↑ "Rob Da Bank announces more acts for Bestival 2012". Twitter. 7 February 2012.
  16. ↑ "Luna Magazine 2012". Luna Magazine. 8 February 2012.
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