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Description

Inspired by voodoo tradition and soul, the Nana Benz offer an organic-electronic trance in a punk spirit.The Nana Benz grew up in Togo, a few borders away from Benin and Nigeria, and a few decades away from the great Fela, who turned this Yoruba proverb into a hit: "Water No Get Enemy." The Nana Benz also grew up knowing that water has no price and that Mother Nature must be celebrated...Respect for the planet and its inhabitants is what drives their repertoire, rooted in the richness of the voodoo heritage, which advocates values of liberation in English, French, and Mina. Earth, water, fire, air, Nature: that is voodoo! "We have always been environmentalists without knowing it, because voodoo is Nature," explains Izeale, one of the three singers. "At some point in our lives, we all immersed ourselves in this heritage we had neglected. We discovered the power of voodoo, but also its scales, its incredible rhythms, and its wonderful melodies. And now we dive into it body and soul, because not everyone is given the chance to carry these songs!"From there to bringing this culture on stage was not really in the intentions of Kasanku, Lady Apoc, Parus, Toto, or Izealedu, who nevertheless set the Transmusicales de Rennes on fire in 2022 with an unstoppable electro-voodoo-soul ceremony. It took many years of work in the shadows before the Nana Benz dared to take the stage. First came that unlikely encounter during a music workshop, led by Peter Solo (to whom we owe the shock and success of the group Vaudou Game). The five artists did not know each other yet, but the chemistry was immediate.