Her story

 

MAMA DC today has not stopt writing, creating, recording and they return again with a second album.

This upcoming album in 2021 brings the focus on fusion of pop, rock, splash of jazziness, groovy global music with english lyrics interwoven with Afro-Cuban Yoruban songs of the Orishás (pantheon of nature deities). The band succeeds in creating the album like a story, dreamlike landscapes, experiences around love, longing, poetic, catchy, at times mystic and rebellious.

 

The members today that have contributed their passion in the ways of love for MUSIC are a great versatile team:

Gil Lopez on guitar, Hajo Sanders on keys, Emilie Cleuver on percussion, Celina Yebra Alvarez on bass,

Richard Moelker on drums and Leoni Santander on vocals. 

This band plays easily on large stages as small intimate settings.

MAMA DC has been steadily creating music and they love what they do.

Resulting in the New Album! Our single release will be 30th of July 2021!

We can't wait to share with you music traveller! 

 

A background tale of many moons ago how this all started.

 

In the years preceding of the birth of MAMA DC, (DC standing for DIRECT CURRENT). Santander had cofounded and sung in the highly acclaimed ethno-fusion band Bayuba Cante. Two albums resulted from this collaboration: Cheba, Orunmila's Dance and tours in Canada and Europe. 

After Bayuba, Santander feels a strong desire to reinvent herself musically, a dream to connect with the audience with life stories coming through a woman's eyes, finding musical comradery with former Bayuba composer and bass-man Jeroen van Hoof and asks him to team up.

As both artists share roots in a multitude of musical genres, they  decide to start from scratch, cook up a new vocabulary and sound. One that mixes their musical tastes into a blend of ethnic music, pop, rock, funk and soul. 

In 2009 songstress Leoni Santander and multi-instrumentalist Jeroen van Hoof launch their project MAMA DC.

The project kicks off  with their first song "Mama DC", accompanied by a video clip "Mama DC", animated by the talented Bouwine Pool, which has featured globally at various animation and film festivals. After a couple of years of composing and recording together, all leading up to their first album "Supernatural", released in 2010. Santander went scouting for the musicians and the band went live on various acclaimed stages in the Benelux and Spain. Great gratitude to the band members at that time that have gone on this journey. The songs Bapu and Lelo from the first album Supernatural was used in a feature film WarBoys directed by Ron Daniels. 

 Debut song "Mama DC", accompanied by a video clip "Mama DC", animated by the talented Bouwine Pool, has featured globally at various animation and film festivals. Celebrating women & life with ancient symbols around the planet. The 'ladies' are hand drawn on little beans.

Click on drawing below for the video link.