Jinja Safari
Encyclopedia
Jinja Safari are a band based in Sydney
, Australia
who draw from "afropop rhythms, (and) tumbling island guitar" to create african-inspired "dreamy folk pop, with a melodic richness comparable to acts like Sufjan Stevens
, Animal Collective
and Sigur Ros
."
Formed in 2010, Jinja Safari was initially a duo of Marcus Azon & Cameron 'Pepa' Knight. The two met at a beach party on the Central Coast of New South Wales
in early 2010.
After performing organizing their first show for friends & family in a coastal forest on the Central Coast of New South Wales on 1 May 2010, Jinja Safari was invited to support Miami Horror
at the Manning Bar in Sydney for their first public show.
By June 2010, Jinja Safari had received airplay on both national Australian broadcaster Triple J
and UK's BBC6 and in July 2010 they won the Triple J Unearthed competition, giving them a spot at Splendour In The Grass
2010. Jinja Safari's first national tour was a supporting Art vs. Science
in August 2010.
in Australia
& New Zealand
in early August 2010. It debuted at #4 Australia-wide on the ARIA Charts
for Physical Singles. Lead single Peter Pan & the E.P debuted at #9 on the AIR Charts
(Australian Independent Single Charts), and was iTunes
'Single of the Week' across the Australian store on the 21st September, 2010.
, in Uganda
:
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
who draw from "afropop rhythms, (and) tumbling island guitar" to create african-inspired "dreamy folk pop, with a melodic richness comparable to acts like Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
, Animal Collective
Animal Collective
Animal Collective is an experimental psychedelic band originally from Baltimore, Maryland, currently based in New York City. Animal Collective consists of Avey Tare , Panda Bear , Deakin , and Geologist...
and Sigur Ros
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós is an Icelandic post-rock band with classicaland minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus. Since then, it has since been announced...
."
Formed in 2010, Jinja Safari was initially a duo of Marcus Azon & Cameron 'Pepa' Knight. The two met at a beach party on the Central Coast of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
in early 2010.
"Pepa lives on the coast, and I live in the city: so we tossed ideas back and forth across email after meeting over a beach campfire party earlier this year. We spent about 4 weekends recording all our ideas at his home studio, where he produced the tracks that we have now, which we're calling 'Forest Rock'." - Marcus Azon (Jinja Safari)
After performing organizing their first show for friends & family in a coastal forest on the Central Coast of New South Wales on 1 May 2010, Jinja Safari was invited to support Miami Horror
Miami Horror
Miami Horror are an Australian electronic band from Melbourne, Victoria with a disco-house throwback style. Miami Horror can refer to its producer, Benjamin Plant, or its four-piece live incarnation.-Biography:...
at the Manning Bar in Sydney for their first public show.
By June 2010, Jinja Safari had received airplay on both national Australian broadcaster Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
and UK's BBC6 and in July 2010 they won the Triple J Unearthed competition, giving them a spot at Splendour In The Grass
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held in July at Woodford, Queensland, and previously held at Belongil Fields, outside Byron Bay...
2010. Jinja Safari's first national tour was a supporting Art vs. Science
Art vs. Science
Art vs. Science are a three-piece dance band from Sydney, Australia formed early in 2008. The group consists of Jim Finn on vocals and keyboards; Dan McNamee on vocals, guitars and keyboards; and Dan Williams on drums and vocals.In 2010, the group toured the United Kingdom in support of La Roux...
in August 2010.
Debut EP
Jinja Safari released a self-titled debut EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
& New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in early August 2010. It debuted at #4 Australia-wide on the ARIA Charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
for Physical Singles. Lead single Peter Pan & the E.P debuted at #9 on the AIR Charts
AIR Charts
The AIR Charts are the official sales charts for Australian independent music released by Australian owned, independent record labels. Presented by AIR, the Australian Independent Record Labels Association, the charts are calculated according to official sales figures provided by the ARIA Charts,...
(Australian Independent Single Charts), and was iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
'Single of the Week' across the Australian store on the 21st September, 2010.
Name
Jinja Safari is named after the East African town of JinjaJinja, Uganda
Jinja is the largest town in Uganda, Africa. It is the second busiest commercial center in the country, after Kampala, Uganda's capital and only city. Jinja was established in 1907.-Location:...
, in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
:
"I grew up in Tasmania and my grandmother lives in Uganda, in the town of Jinja - so for some reason I always felt the connection to the music of Africa, and how, despite the oppressions of countless dictatorships, genocide and apartheid, the people of Africa always found a way to smash a drum, yelling with a giant smile, dancing barefoot in the dirt." - Marcus Azon (Jinja Safari)