Hyphenated: Music + Identity

Ron Deutsch
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  • MUSIC INTERVIEWS
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

Hyphenated: Music + Identity is an audio documentary series about immigrant and second generation immigrant musicians in Europe navigating their "hyphenated" identity through their music. It's about borders and frontiers both within themselves and their music. It's been called "a musical archive of modern migration." I hope to put some light on these artists and to introduce you, the listener, to new music and perhaps new perspectives on the world. Created and produced by veteran music+film journalist Ron Deutsch. More info can be found at our website: http://www.hyphenated.eu

  1. Selma Uamusse

    FEB 1

    Selma Uamusse

    Welcome to the third season of Hyphenated: Music + Identity. As noted in the teaser, I decided than rather than try to hold to schedule -- never worked -- I'm going to be dropping episodes sporadically as they are done. But I'll say that I'm very excited about all the artists that have so far agreed to participate this season, and I'm sure you will be too. Selma Oamusse was born in the middle of the civil war in Mozambique, but at the age of six, her parents moved to Portugal. But when the war was over, and her parents decided to move back, Selma, at 14 years old, felt more Portuguese than Mozambican and convinced her family to let her stay on until she finished high school, She pursued a career in engineering, but after joining a church choir, music became a vehicle for her to understand how the post-colonial mentality had shaped her identity. Music also became more than a career, it became a mission -- a mission to promote Mozambique, a mission as a mother, a mission of spirituality, of social activism, and a means to bring joy and healing to others through music. Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

    23 min

  2. SEASON 3 TRAILER

    Season 3 Teaser

    Greetings. So here we are. This is the teaser for season three of hyphenated.  Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

    2 min

  3. SEASON 3 TRAILER

    Season 3 - Pre-Teaser

    Let's call this a "pre-teaser" for Season Three. I just want to let you know that I'm busy gathering and recording artists for it. And I'm looking forward to sharing these new episodes with you in the near future. The thing is though, in the first two seasons I tried to keep to a schedule of regular episodes, BUT.... I'm just not made for building schedules, and it just made for a lot of stress. But also, it's not the easiest task to corral working and touring artists to sit down for a long chat. Therefore, in this season, episodes will drop as they are done.  As in previous seasons though, I will attempt to make 10 episodes. It's good to have expectations, but the trick in life is to manage disappointment. So we'll see how it goes.  Meanwhile, as it is the holiday season, I'd like to suggest - if you haven't already - checking out the episode with Youka from the band Mitsune. There you'll find a link to make a donation to Doctors Without Borders. Any donation amount is welcome. Once you've donated, you will be sent a link to download the episode. Otherwise, if you haven't listened to all the episodes from season one and two, think of that as my gift from me to you.  I think it's going to be a really great season, and I thank you for being a subscriber, and I want to thank all the artists who have participated already to this very special project.  Other than that, stay tuned. See you soon. Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

    2 min
  4. Louis Matute

    06/16/2025

    Louis Matute

    Just a quick note.... This is the final episode of the second season. I had hoped to have 10 episodes, or at least eight, and so I apologize to you, the listener, for that, but unfortunately there were many complications, both with my moving, with artists who dropped out, or who just didn't work out. Nevertheless, I'm very grateful for those who did take the time and put their trust in me to tell their stories. I very much intend to continue this project and will begin recording new episodes again in the fall and look forward to presenting them to you at that time. Have yourselves a great summer. And don't forget you can follow us on facebook and instagram to know when the new season begins, as well as subscribing via your podcast app or platform of choice. And if you haven't listened to all the episodes, summer is a great time to do so. Louis Matute is the son of a German mother and a Honduran father, but was born and raised in Switzerland. When he began pursuing a career as a jazz guitarist, he began to notice elements of Central and South American music finding their way into his compositions. These rhythms and melodies were also accompanied with feelings of sadness, nostalgia, and melancholy that seem to have been almost genetically transferred into him from his father. It has always been difficult for his father to tell him the stories of what happened to his family and why they fled Honduras. And so, Louis has put himself on a journey to uncover and understand the roots of these feelings he has. In the meantime, he has created his own folklore in his music to fill that space. Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

    18 min
  5. Rebecca m'Boungou/Kolinga

    04/04/2025

    Rebecca m'Boungou/Kolinga

    Just a brief note, we'll be taking another short break. Getting ready to record some more episodes, so we should be back by the beginning of May to finish up this second season. And as always, thanks for subscribing and spreading the word. Before Rebecca m'Boungou was conceived, in the 1980's, her French mother became entranced by Congolese music, and followed that fascination to the country where she became the first white woman to dance with the National Ballet. And that's where she also met the man she would marry and have a child with. Rebecca was born and raised in the Basque Country and felt accepted as just another French girl, while at the same time understood she was different. And while her parents' marriage didn't last, it was her mother's love and respect for Congolese culture that she then gifted to her daughter. But yet, being “a half-white, French girl,” has led to identity conflicts. She understands these conflicts may just be in her head, such as is she legitimate to talk about Congo, or is she taking space away from someone who is from Brazzaville? But what she does understand is that her music allows her to celebrate her other culture, and helps her feel she is not just “another pessimistic human in this world.” Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

    19 min
  6. Meral Polat

    03/15/2025

    Meral Polat

    Meral Polat was focused on her successful acting career until she received a letter with a poem from her father in response to her question: “What does it mean for you to be human?” This poem would eventually led her to create the Meral Polat Trio (featuring Chris Doyle of Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra on keyboards). Being the daughter of Alevi Kurdish disapora parents, being born and raised in Amsterdam, being an actress and a musician, she doesn't take for granted the privileges and freedom in Europe. But she has always been in a dialogue with her multiple identities both within herself and with the world around her and this has now found expression in her music which they've dubbed: "Kurdish Soul."  [episode photo © 2024 Stuart Acker Holt] Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

    24 min
  7. Ëda Diaz

    03/01/2025

    Ëda Diaz

    Just a brief note, we'll be dropping three new episodes every two weeks, and if all goes well, there will be a few more after that before the summer break. Thank you all for tuning in, subscribing, and sharing this little project with your friends. We've surpassed 1000 downloads and I thank you very much. And if you're not subscribed, please do, so you won't miss any of these new episodes. Ëda Diaz has created her own country  -- "FranColumbia" or maybe "the French-Columbia Republic." Her father is Columbian and her mother is from Little Brittany. At various points in her life she felt drawn to one identity, then at another point pulled towards the other. It left her feeling fragmented until she realized that she can be both 100% Columbian and 100% French. And this is reflected, as well, in her music which celebrates all of her identity in one. For as she likes to say, "You can't cut up something that is love like it is sausage." Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

    19 min
  8. Youka of Mitsune

    11/25/2024

    Youka of Mitsune

    Welcome to a very special holiday edition of Hyphenated.  As it's the season of giving, we're dropping a new episode featuring Youka Snell of the band Mitsune. But in return, you have to give something back. So how this is working is that I'm inviting you to click on the link in the show notes below to make a donation to Doctors Without Borders.  CLICK HERE TO DONATE! (https://tilt.fyi/6rNeZ6p5hf) Once you've done that, you will receive via email a link to a Google Drive folder where you can listen to and/or download the episode and also a PDF of the episode transcript. If for some reason you are unfamiliar with Doctors Without Borders, they are an organization of doctors and healthcare professionals who volunteer to go to areas of conflict, disease, outbreaks, natural and human-made disasters. Since their founding in 1971, they've helped tens of millions of people and grown from a group of 13 doctors and journalists to an international movement of nearly 70,000.  Please give what you can. So let me thank you in advance for your donation as well as your continued support of this project. Meanwhile, Hyphenated will return in the new year with new episodes of artists exploring the boundaries and frontiers of music and their identity. So as always, please like and subscribe to ensure you get the latest episodes in your podcast feed. Happy holidays. EPISODE SUMMARY: Youka didn't really consider what it meant to be half-Japanese until she reached adulthood. As she says, she was just busy “doing her thing and growing up in Australia” and training as a violinist. But once she began to explore this side of herself, she found herself “magically” drawn to the shamisen, the traditional Japanese lute instrument. And now based in Berlin, she and her bandmates in Mitsune are making shamisen music for our not-so-traditional times. Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

    2 min
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Hyphenated: Music + Identity is an audio documentary series about immigrant and second generation immigrant musicians in Europe navigating their "hyphenated" identity through their music. It's about borders and frontiers both within themselves and their music. It's been called "a musical archive of modern migration." I hope to put some light on these artists and to introduce you, the listener, to new music and perhaps new perspectives on the world. Created and produced by veteran music+film journalist Ron Deutsch. More info can be found at our website: http://www.hyphenated.eu

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