The OneBeat Podcast

This month we visit Accra, Ghana for a conversation with the multifaceted artist Poetra Asantewa. Poetra is so many things: A spoken word artist. A vocalist. An organizer. A feminist. A builder of community. Poetra has a vision -- a vision for creating a better future, through literature, art and community; for archiving and reshaping our past through storytelling, creative expression and conversation; for telling and retelling our stories so that we can see and hear a fuller picture and realize the potential in ourselves. 

There is so much we could discuss with Poetra -- she is a published poet, an accomplished spoken word performer, a composer, a vocalist, a writer, an organizer. She founded her own publication, Tampered Press, to provide a platform for other artists and writers in West Africa and beyond. She launched a non-profit and annual residency program for women creatives in Ghana called Black Girls Glow, to foster collaborations among women artists and explore ways that art can build community. Through all of this work, she is actively building infrastructures in her community to help artists thrive, and is inspiring artists all around her to grow and build as well. And she has a vision for something even greater.  

Produced and Edited by Nyokabi Kariũki and Elena Moon Park

Additional Story Editing by Charlotte Gartenberg 

Mixed by Zubin Hensler

Executive Producers: Jeremy Thal, Elena Moon Park, and Kyla-Rose Smith

Featuring: Poetra Asantewa & Ria Boss

A full playlist of music featured on this episode can be found here

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation.

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation.

In this fourth episode of the OneBeat Podcast, we travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and speak to composer, theremin player, and self-proclaimed time traveler through sound, Ng Chor Guan. We first got to know Guan as an artist who loves to think about and work with technology, and is in fact optimistic about the potential of technology to bring humans closer together, not further apart. In this charming conversation with Guan, we learn that underlying Guan’s inquiry into technology is a deep curiosity and love for the infinite possibilities of the human imagination. Our conversation flows from his childhood experiences mimicking sounds from cartoons to his fascination with the theremin, to his outlook on non-linear time, space travel, and the importance of dreams. Guan is more than curious about humans and our interactions with the world -- he is optimistic about it, fascinated by it. He conveys a refreshing childlike wonder and joy when he speaks, which is reflected in his music, his art, and his interactions with people. In this episode we also hear from theremin player extraordinaire Rob Schwimmer about the history of the instrument, and from film producer Santhosh Daniel, who shares with us a touching memory about Guan and the theremin. 

Produced and Edited by Elena Moon Park + Charlotte Gartenberg

Production Assistant: Nyokabi Kariũki

Mixed by Zubin Hensler

Executive Producers: Jeremy Thal, Elena Moon Park, and Kyla-Rose Smith

Featuring: 

Ng Chor Guan

Rob Schwimmer

Santhosh Daniel

A full playlist of music featured on this episode can be found here

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation.

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation.

In this third episode of the OneBeat Podcast we travel to Bogotá, Colombia and speak to the powerhouse musician and feminist activist Daniela Serna. Daniela is a percussionist, cultural producer and founding member of the celebrated pan-Latin band LADAMA. Dani takes us on her musical journey from being a shy girl with a bell, to traveling to the pacific coast of Colombia and immersing herself in the music of that region, and now being an activist and spokesperson for underrepresented musical communities in her country, particularly Afro-Colombian women. In this journey, she finds her own voice as a musician, and as a woman, and then creates spaces for others to do the same. We talk about the festival and podcast she founded - Totona Power - and the magic and feminist power infused in the word totona - which is Venezuelan slang for vagina. We also talk to celebrated music journalist and writer Betto Arcos, who gives some background on the incredible cultural wealth of Colombian music. 

Produced and Edited by Kyla-Rose Smith + Charlotte Gartenberg

Production Assistant: Nyokabi Kariũki

Mixed by Zubin Hensler

Executive Producers: Jeremy Thal, Elena Moon Park, and Kyla-Rose Smith

Featuring: 

Daniela Serna 

Betto Arcos

A full playlist of music featured on this episode can be found here

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation.

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation.

“How do we bridge the gap between protesters and the artists? How do we bring this all into one consolidated effort?”

In the OneBeat Podcast’s second episode, we connect with 2019 OneBeat Fellow Justin Harrington (a.k.a Demeanor); a 23-year old banjo-playing rapper from Greensboro, North Carolina. The conversation follows his journey into the seemingly separate worlds of old-time music and hip hop, and he breaks down a range of diverse musical influences spanning from the African Akonting to Kendrick Lamar. The episode charts the course of Justin’s growth as an artist and organizer, diving into the impact that the Black Lives Matter Movement has had on Harrington’s life and work; inspiring him to launch a protest music festival in the summer of 2020, and subsequently, his own nonprofit organization, Haus of Lacks. 

Produced and Edited by Jeremy Thal & Nyokabi Kariuki

Mixed by Jeremy Thal & Zubin Hensler

Additional Story Editing by Charlotte Gartenberg 

Executive Producers: Jeremy Thal, Elena Moon Park, and Kyla-Rose Smith

Featuring: Justin Harrington and Savannah Leigh Thorne 

Music by Demeanor 

Additional music: 

“Sweatpants” by Childish Gambino

“Overcomer” by Royce Da 5’9 Ft. Westside Gunn

“The Blacker The Berry” by Kendrick Lamar

“Fast Lane” by Bad Meets Evil

Find a full playlist here.

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation.

In this debut episode of the OneBeat Podcast we introduce listeners to the people who make OneBeat possible from the U.S State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, to the founders of Brooklyn-based arts organization Found Sound Nation, and the many incredible musicians who have participated in OneBeat and form a growing global network spread out over 52 countries around the world. 

We talk about the mission that drives this project, and the underlying questions of this work - can music make a difference to our communities and in our societies? How do we create networks and drive conversations where artists and their work can inform global policy? How can creative collaboration and cultural exchange contribute to more democratic and equitable societies? 

Produced and Edited by Kyla-Rose Smith  + Charlotte Gartenberg

Production Assistance by Nyokabi Kariũki

Mixed by Zubin Hensler

Executive Producers - Jeremy Thal, Elena Moon Park, and Kyla-Rose Smith

Featuring: 

Christopher Marianetti 

Ricardo Nigaglioni

Elena Moon Park

Jeremy Thal

Julia Gomez-Nelson

The voices of OneBeat alumni Natalia Kunitskaya, Rayhan Sudrajat, Paulo Sartori, Nina Marie Fernando, Rapasa Otieno, Andrea Hojos, Blessing Chimanga, Daniel French, Amel Zen, Darbuka Siva, Iskander Dridri,  Nonku Phiri, Pavithra Chari, Barry Likumahuwa, Alex Asher,  Hope Masike and Anna Roberts Gevalt.

All music produced by Found Sound Nation - find a full playlist here.

Additional music: 

Freshlyground - Doo Be Doo

Louis Armstrong  & His All-Stars - Live  in East Berlin March 22nd 1965

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation.

OneBeat is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation.