May 14 2017, Caravan World Rhythms presents Tunisia’s prominent Singer/Songwriter Emel Mathlouthi, with opening act DÁLAVA, featuring singer Julia Uhlela, guitarist Adam and cellist Peggy Lee.

Emel’s first album, Kelmti Horra (My Word is Free), introduced her groundbreaking marriage of sounds steeped in Tunisia and electronic beats. Emel launches her second album “Ensen” produced by her own record label Little Human Records, a cinematic, bold and unique combination of electronic beats and Middle Eastern rhythms, creating a style that is even more uniquely her own.

Emel rose to prominence after a video of her performing her song "Kemti Horra (My Word Is Free)" during a street protest went viral online and became the unofficial anthem of the Arab Spring. Earning her the title "voice of the Tunisian revolution," she was later asked to perform the song at the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony for its significance during the uprising.

Opening for Emel is Vancouver’s genre-bending rising stars, DÁLAVA, featuring singer Julia Uhlela, guitarist Adam and cellist Peggy Lee. Guitarist Aram Bajakian and vocalist Julia Ulehla’s Dálava project is an homage to traditional Moravian folk music, taking melodies transcribed over 100 years ago by Ulehla’s great-grandfather, and reinventing them in extremely stirring, avant-garde and post-rock musical language. This deeply personal project is fresh and bold, and the latest project by the prolific Bajakian who has worked with the likes of Lou Reed, John Zorn, and Yusef Lateef.

“Enthralling!” - The New York Times
“She is mesmerizing, from mellifluous sweetness to full-throated power.”
- The F.T.