We Speak Music

Rare London shows with awesome Franco-Japanese artist Maia Barouh

Published

3 years ago

April 12, 2023

Don Reed

Off the back of critical acclaim for her recent album release ‘Aida’, Franco-Japanese singer, rapper, producer, and musician Maïa Barouh will be heading to London this April for a string of solo dates across the capital which will show her performing both a full electronic and acoustic set.

“Aida” means “between” in Japanese: between France and Japan, between the mainland and the islands, between the ancient and the modern. The character for the word is 間, a sun caught between two doors and it also means “silence”.

Written, arranged, and produced by Maïa over the past few years, she has built a distinctive soundworld around her two main instruments, flute and voice. The resulting album is raw, spacious, and thought-provoking whilst also being playful, quirky, and sometimes disconcerting, for example when she explores anti-Asian racism and feminism.

Tracks like ‘TOKYO ONDO’ and ‘HAFU’ are fierce, bass loaded, explorations of unconventional beats and tasty Asian motifs that twist and turn embedding more and more in the psyche on each listen. Elsewhere on the album, Maia moves into more ambient cinematic territory with the intriguing & surreal ‘RINGO’ and the experimental flute-bounce of anti-Brexit anthem ‘EXIT’, with its loaded Theresa May sample and hook line “Do you wanna Brexit with me?”.

Embracing the challenge of combining her two native languages, Maia collaborated with rapper Elea Braaz to find the perfect French lyrics for traditional Japanese melodies and to find a Japanese rhythmic flow when rapping in French.

Daughter of French film composer Pierre Barouh, Maia comes from a rich creative lineage. Her lyrics and production take inspiration from the eccentric Tokyo underground scene, traditional folk singing, tribal grooves, French rap and electronic elements: a sonically and culturally blended album which fluctuates between roots and reinvention.

Maia Barouh April 2023 London tour:

21^st April- Finnish Church

22^nd April- Brave Poets, Cromwell Place

23^rd April- The Tent At The End Of The Universe (with surprise full band show)

We Speak Music

Nadav Tabak releases hypnotic new single ‘Electric Roots’

Published

20 hours ago

April 29, 2026

Don Reed

International touring musician and multi-instrumentalist Nadav Tabak returns to the UK with his immersive solo project and the release of his new single, ‘Electric Roots’, a powerful instrumental journey blending driving electronic trance with raw, organic instrumentation.

Following years of international touring, Tabak has carved out a distinct sonic identity: a live performance that merges hypnotic beats, tribal textures, and virtuosic guitar work into a dance-floor ritual experience.

Electric Roots represents the core of his sound both literally and metaphorically. The track explores the fusion between the electric world of trance and the rooted, earthy essence of acoustic instruments. Pulsing basslines and driving techno rhythms intertwine with organic timbres, live looping, and expressive instrumentation, creating something that feels both ancient and futuristic.

Unlike traditional DJ sets, Tabak performs entirely live, building layers in real time through looping, percussion, and melodic improvisation. The result is an instrumental experience that is rhythm-driven, immersive, and uniquely his own.

The upcoming UK tour will showcase this evolving sound in intimate venues and festival settings, offering audiences a high-energy, genre-blending performance that moves seamlessly between dancefloor intensity and organic atmosphere.

With Electric Roots, Nadav Tabak continues to push the boundaries between electronic music and live instrumental performance grounding trance in something human, physical, and deeply rooted.

Get tickets to see Nadav Tabak on his UK tour here: https://nadavtabak.com/shows