history of the band

EKL started life as a solo act. Jamie David was booked in the 2003 Fremantle Street Arts Festival (over Easter) to perform a completely different type of show. With less than a week to go, a serious technological meltdown scuttled the intended act. It was time to pull a rabbit out of the hat! The solo electric kora was that rabbit...

Although he had been "tinkering" with electrification of the kora for a couple of years, to suddenly transform a few ideas into a full blown act really was jumping in the deep end!

By the 2004 Fremantle Street Arts festival, the solo Electric-Kora-land act returned in an expanded form with a preliminary EP version of the first album, 'Prelude'. Jamie has been performing the act on the streets, at venues and functions since then.

Over this period he started developing the current act with cellist Jen Goldberg and percussionist Eugene McGrath. Gradually they began joining Jamie for street and other performances and the unique original band seen today was born.

In 2006 the trio toured the European summer circuit, where they played at some fantastic festivals. The international stage in 2006 saw EKL at Mercantia, Italy, Ferrara Buskers Festival, Italy, Linzer Pflasterspektakel, Austria and Bern Buskers Festival, Switzerland with their first CD "Numbawan2". They also dropped into Croatia for some spontaneous street busking.

On the local scene EKL were invited to join VJZoo and BUZZ Dance to perform at the West Australian Art Gallery for the West Australian Business Arts Partnership Awards (WABAPA). It was great to collaborate with Artists with such professional approach. Small team, tight deadline… superb outcome, certainly achieved by the inspiration of putting some talented people together – many thanks to Neil Gladwin’s Vision.

EKL plan to release their 2nd CD in April 2008 which will incorporate influences from their European tour and a few fab new sounds - such as the HANG drum (from the ellusive Swiss designers PANArt), and more vocals, as well as imbedded video imagery from the stunning VJZoo!

Stay tuned for EKL in venues and on the streets around Perth!