Band: Andersen - One Nation Under A Groove

Danish band played on Afghan radio station

The Danish band “One Nation Under A Groove” has experienced something unique. An Afghan radio station has played songs from their debut album ”Guardian Angel”. Perhaps the songs are still on air throughout a country marked by turbulence

1^st June 2009 the Danish band “One Nation Under A Groove” with lead singer Henrik Andersen received a mail from Edwin Pinaroc, Radio Editor-in-chief, CJPOTF, HQ ISAF, Kabul, Afghanistan:

”Hello Henrik, I am - right now - no longer in Afghanistan, but when I was there, I did air some of your music on my radio station”. Canadian Pinaroc works at ISAFs radio station in Kabul. (ISAF: International Security Assistance Force)

This radio station is trying to reach the Afghans via information in English and Pashtu. The radio produces news and often plays Afghan pop and Bollywood-music from India; Indian music is very popular in Afghanistan. Due to the Indian elements in the music produced by One Nation Under A Groove (sitar and the Indian rhythmic singing; ”Konnakol”), the radio editor-in-chief Edwin Pinaroc has chosen to play several songs from the Danes debut album ”Guardian Angel”, an album with English lyrics.

“It’s difficult to get more information from Afghanistan right now, so we don’t know how the Afghans have responded to our music. But we’re the first Danes, singing in English, who have been on air in Afghan radio”, says lead singer and composer Henrik Andersen.

Contact via the Danish Defence Command

The producer of the band, Morten Buschmann, has been working for the Danish Defence Command in Copenhagen as a senior journalist and editor.

“Via his job Morten found the address and sent our album to Edwin Pinaroc. We don’t know whether ISAF still plays our songs because it’s difficult to get in touch with Kabul. But we’re extremely happy. And, we do hope that our music, somehow, can build a peaceful cultural bridge between Denmark and Afghanistan. This is our small contribution to peace in the area”, says Henrik Andersen. For the time being, Denmark has approximately 500 soldiers in the south of Afghanistan, the province of Helmand.

Indie Indian western world pop

One Nation Under A Groove released their debut album ”Guardian Angel” on 18^th July 2008. Henrik Andersen lives in Copenhagen and plays guitar, sitar, veena, sings the leadvokal, human beatbox and the Indian vocal rhythms "Konnakol"; a rhythmic style of singing without words. The band calls it a ”new and different kind of rap”. The 12 songs are soul/triphop/pop/world music with lyrics in English.

One Nation Under A Groove has many thousand fans on My Space, Facebook, Twitter, Orkut and their website: www.onenation.dk.

Right now One Nation Under A Groove is recording their second album, and meanwhile, ”Guardian Angel” is played on many radio stations throughout the world –USA, UK, Netherland, Belgium, India, Germany, Brazil, Schwitzerland, Bhutan (!) and, now, in Afghanistan, too.

One Nation Under A Groove is:

Henrik Andersen: Lead singer, guitarist.

Morten Buschmann: Drums, producer.

Flemming Pedersen: Keyboards.

Band homepage: www.onenation.dk

(Lots of photos – for free downloading)

Music – six songs from ”Guardian Angel”:

www.myspace.com/henrikandersenkingofnothing

Love and peace,

Morten Buschmann