It’s that time of year again! Stir yourself into the mix of Isla de Salsa, the 19th annual festival that is so packed with talented performers walls cannot contain it! Meet us at Seaside Momochi, Jihyo-hama the weekend of August 8th and 9th as Maykel Blanco, the leading player in a new generation of Cuban salsa, comes to Japan for the first time bringing with him Havana’s most powerful musical ‘machine,’ along with other musicians, dancers and performers from around the world. This year’s theme is “Borderless music & Borderless mind”, with a stunning line up of international acts from abroad and Japan. Infectious rhythms, irresistible sounds and astounding performances will saturate the scene with joy and energy. Join in the fun on the special dance floor or under cooling sprinklers and shaded areas or among the food stalls and seep into two days of wonder. Add your pinch of spice to the “sauce” of Isla de Salsa for a truly borderless event of boundless fun.
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Isla de Salsa 2015 Line-up
Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor
Maykel Blanco, the leading player in a new generation of Cuban salsa, comes to Japan for the first time bringing with him Havana’s most powerful musical ‘machine.’ His Salsa Mayor band jump-starts audiences with dance energy, fueled by driving rhythms, hypnotic keyboard riffs, dazzling horn riffs and memorable chorus hooks. Blanco’s musical ride caters for salsa and timba fans but with an inescapable catchiness and youthful attitude that can appeal to a wider audience of music fans including the reggaeton generation. His choruses aren’t just sung in the streets of Havana, but also in Peru and Colombia, among other parts of Latin America. Italy is another heavy rotation tour destination for the band along with other salsa hotspots in Europe.
Blanco was destined to enter the world of salsa ever since the music of Venezuela’s Oscar D’Leon touched him as an infant during a landmark concert in Cuba. Brought up in a family of dancers, Blanco at first embraced percussion, but later got thrown out of music college for indiscipline. He then took control of his own musical destiny, converting himself into an arranger and then a pianist, starting his first band in his teens. A self-taught musical maverick, Blanco has steeped himself in the classic sound of Cuban legends such as Los Van Van and Orquesta Reve and updated elements of that music to give it a fresher feel while still drawing on the fundamental approach of ex-Van Van keyboardist Pupy, former Reve pianist Juan Carlos Alfonso and Manolito Simonet. Blanco has production credits on scores of albums. The fifth and latest release from his Salsa Mayor is “A Toda Maquina” on Italy’s Planet Records.
PLUS!
Saturday
Strange Reitaro Travel Swing Orchestra
Los Bábara
Sakura y su Pinto Con Pintura
Fukuoka-Joe
Latin Latinos
Sunday
Bagdad Café The Trench Town
Conquistando
The Travellers with Akira Suefusa from EGO-WRAPPIN’
Machao y Más Arriba!
SKA☆ROCKETS feat. FAT SMITH
Hakata High School Latin Band
Plus Latin dance, Argentine tango, bellydance and many more great acts to keep you dancing!
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Tickets
Advance Tickets: Adult One Day: ¥4,600, Adult Two Days: ¥8,000
* Junior high school students and younger: free!
* 50% discount for students (college/university), seniors (over 65 years), disabled persons.
* Discount for married couples. (only 100 pairs)
Ticket Sales Starts on Saturday, June 6, 2015.
• e-plus (Family Mart): http://eplus.jp
• Ticket Pia: P-Code: 263-472
• Lawson Ticket:L-Code: 85678
• NPO Tiempo Iberoamericano
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Access
Isla de Salsa is held at Seaside Momochi, Jigyo-hama in Fukuoka.
Nishitetsu Bus
• Nishitetsu Bus from Hakata or Tenjin to “Seahawk Hotel” leave every 10~15 minutes.
Bus Stop #1A- in front of Mitsukoshi, #A- in front of Hakata-ekimae, and #5, Hakata-eki kotsu center 1F.
Please get off at the “Sea Hawk Hotel Mae” or “Yahoo Dome Mae”.
Subway
• From “Tojin-machi” station, (exit No.3). 10 minutes’ walk to the Seaside Momochi.
>>>Isla de Salsa 2015 <<<
Seaside Momochi – Jigyohama
August 8th (Sat.) and 9th (Sun.)
Open: 12:30 / Start: 13:00 / Close: 21:00 * Schedule is subject to change
Official website: www.isla-de-salsa.jp/
