Episode 2: in concert: FOONYAP & Mustafa Rafiq with Ethan Bokma

live in-studio concert, broadcast from cjsw campus and community radio on october 6th, 2020.

FOONYAP is a classically-trained violinist and vocalist with an incomparable sound. Drawing comparisons to Björk, Braids, and Lhasa, her latest release ‘Palimpsest’ is a therapeutic reconciliation with her sheltered Chinese-Catholic heritage and the intense classical music training of her childhood. Over the course of the past three years FOONYAP has toured extensively throughout the UK, Europe and Canada, along with New York City, garnering increasing acclaim everywhere she has performed, from outlets such as The Fader, The Line Of Best Fit, and the Toronto Star, amongst others, while appearing on CBC Q + Music Lab. Looping violin, mandolin, and voice, FOONYAP showcases a gifted voice that swings between a brittle fragility and explosive dynamism.

“…a tense and bespoke mixture of swampy electronics, strings, and vocals that flash with a bold, volcanic brilliance” –The FADER

Mustafa Rafiq is a multidisciplinary artist based in Treaty 6 land in Edmonton, Alberta.  Their primary focus recently has been in exploring feelings connected with diaspora, gender expression and alienation through sound art.  They also promote shows under Sweat Palms which is, at its root, an organization based on amplifying comfort in the community.  Mustafa also performs as a solo artist under the moniker of Family Injera, a project which has taken many forms.  It moves from being an experimental ambient – traditional (Arabic/East Indian) guitar – collaborative free-form project.  

Mustafa will be joined by Ethan Bokma, an Edmonton-based improviser known for colliding together influences from free-jazz legends and drone music alike.