Archive Remix: Eri-Ethio Travelling Sounds in Boghall

VIVA BOGHALL presents Archive Remix: Eri-Ethio Travelling Sounds

Join us for Archive Remix: Eri-Ethio Travelling Sounds – a vibrant afternoon of music, storytelling, and cultural exchange, celebrating the contributions and sound cultures of Eritrean and Ethiopian communities living in Scotland.

This special event brings together community voices, archival sound, and live performance in a joyful exploration of heritage, identity, and creativity.

Organised by Artlink as the culmination of a participatory research project led by Nina Baratti, IASH Postdoctoral Fellow, the event is co-curated with members of the Eritrean community in Bathgate, all of whom come from an asylum seeking background. It reflects months of collaborative engagement with the historic Jean Jenkins archive of Ethiopian and Eritrean music, held at the National Museum of Scotland.

What to Expect

• Opening DJ Set

Kick off the afternoon with an energizing DJ set by DJ Dynamite, blending sounds inspired by Eritrean and Ethiopian musical legends with his favorite reggae gems.

• Traditional Coffee Ceremony & Food

Enjoy the sensory richness of a traditional Eritrean–Ethiopian coffee ceremony, accompanied by shared food and warm community hospitality.

• Live Immersive Performance

A headline live performance by LULA.XYZ and Gnawa Trance Fusion - the culmination of a hybrid artistic residency. This set will respond creatively to archival material from the Jean Jenkins collection.

• Pop-Up Exhibition

Featuring original works from Eritrean and Ethiopian residents in Bathgate, this exhibition showcases artistic reflections created through a series of workshops taking place in Boghall since the Spring. Expect intimate and thought-provoking responses across different mediums.

Why Attend?

Be part of a unique cultural encounter where sound, archive, and community meet. Whether you're passionate about music, diaspora stories, or just looking to experience something new—Archive Remix offers a meaningful, multi-sensory afternoon.

Tickets

£10 per person – book early to secure your spot.

How to Get There

Location: Boghall Parish Hall, Elizabeth Drive, Boghall, Bathgate, EH48 1JB

• By Train - The nearest station is Bathgate, served by ScotRail on the Edinburgh–Helensburgh/Glasgow line. From there, it’s about a 25–30 minute walk (approx. 1.7 km) to Boghall Parish Hall. Or hop on our *free shuttle bus* (see below) for a quicker and more comfortable ride to the venue.

• By Bus - Several Lothian Country bus routes stop nearby, including: 21 (Bathgate–Boghall), X18, X27, X28, N18, and N28. The Boghall Church bus stop is just a 1–2 minute walk from the hall.

• On Foot - If you're already in Boghall, the hall is easy to reach on foot: About 1 minute from Boghall Church bus stop and around 5 minutes from Hunter Grove (Bathgate side).

• *Shuttle Bus Service* - We’ll be running a free shuttle bus between Bathgate Railway Station and Boghall Parish Church at key times before and after the event. Ideal for anyone arriving by train. Full shuttle schedule will be shared with registered attendees closer to the date.

Presented by:

Artlink https://leylineswestlothian.org/

With support from the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), University of Edinburgh and the Hope Scott Trust.

About the Artists

LULA.XYZ (Lula Mebrahtu) is an award winning multidisciplinary artist at the intersection of Art, Music & Tech. An unconventional thinker with technology as her enabler, she is breaking norms. Her artistic expression is a sensory experience garnering support & success across multiple fields. Credits include: North Star Fading Animation (shortlisted for an inspiration award); Lead in feature film Semret (2022); BBC Documentary long-listed for an Amnesty award; Oram Award for innovation in sound. ‘I don’t believe in monogamy in art!” Using her voice to liberate truth, Lula speaks about a lived experience past, present and future. Her soulful timbre, which carries the weight of her heritage, facilitates transcendence. As a pioneering practitioner of the wearable tech MiMU Gloves (midi gestural controller), she makes levitation through sound waves possible. https://lula.xyz/

Gnawa Trance Fusion (GTF) is a Scotland-based music project established in 2014 and led by Moroccan-born artist Omar Afif. The band blends the spiritual, trance-inducing rhythms of traditional Gnawa music with Afro-funk, blues, jazz, electronic, and Scottish folk. Together, the members of GTF weave a musical tapestry that traverses continents and centuries, merging the ancient sounds of North Africa with the vibrant musical currents of Europe and beyond. With each concert and project, GTF continues to build bridges between cultures, demonstrating the power of music to transcend boundaries and foster understanding. www.omarafifgnawatrancefusion.com

Omar Afif is a musician based in Edinburgh, originally from Essaouira on the Atlantic Coast of Morocco. He is a singer and plays the guembri, a three-stringed bass lute. In the early years of his music journey, he was deeply involved in the Gnawa music diaspora in Morocco, actively playing and contributing to the tradition. His involvement included participating in rituals and ceremonies, learning from master musicians, and eventually becoming a performer in his own right. Since 2008 he has been actively promoting Gnawa Sufi music to UK audiences through concerts, workshops, and collaborative musical explorations. Omar is the frontman of Gnawa Trance Fusion, which he founded in 2014. Some of his past collaborations include The Dream of Al-Andalus (SISF 2024), The Deveron Arts Residency & The Caravanserai Project (2016), and The Ha Orchestra, which performed at major cultural events including the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Omar also composed for the short film A Time of Freedom (2017) and collaborated on one of the NordEste/NorthEast CD releases.

Andy Cooke, born in Uganda, is a multi-instrumentalist who has spent much of his life exploring musical traditions from across Africa. During the 1990s he toured Europe with Ugandan master musician Albert Ssempeke and later travelled to Ghana and Gambia to study drumming and xylophone. His skills on the Ugandan harp led to performances in multiple countries with Grammy-winning saxophonist Paul Winter. Now based in Edinburgh, Andy has recently collaborated with musicians including Rise Kagona (Zimbabwe), Gnawa Trance Fusion (Morocco), Los Chichanos (Peru), Cauld Blast Orchestra (Scotland), and David Luhanga (Malawi).

Steve Kettley is a musician and composer who plays tenor and soprano saxophones, flute, jaw harp, and percussion. He leads several bands performing his own music and is well known as a founder member of the international touring and recording group Salsa Celtica (1995–2013). Recently, his quartet Orange Claw Hammer, dedicated to interpreting the music of avant-rock legend Captain Beefheart, has been a major focus. In recent years, Steve has enjoyed productive collaborations with former national poet (Makar) Liz Lochhead and virtuoso harpist Savourna Stevenson. He plays regularly with Pygmy Twylyte (performing the music of Frank Zappa) and Moroccan music with Gnawa Trance Fusion. A reunion of the legendary Cauld Blast Orchestra, for which he is a major composer, is taking place at the Traverse on 13th September. www.stevekettley.com

Simona Simeone brings a blend of musical influences from her Italian roots and a passion for global rhythms. Her interest in music began with studying wind instruments, singing in choirs, and learning folk dances from Italy and the Middle East. In recent years, her focus has shifted towards percussion and vocals, guided by the rich musical traditions of Southern Italy and a deep appreciation for diverse sounds from the Mediterranean region, North Africa, and the Middle East. With GTF, she plays the traditional Moroccan castanets known as kraqueb and supports the band’s sound with backing vocals.