Fanfara Station

Fanfara Station is a trio that brings the power of a brass band and electronics to North African vocals and percussion.

Fanfara Station is the winner of the 12th Edition of the Andrea Parodi Awards 2019 , the most important contest in Italy dedicated to World Music

Inspired by Marzouk’s memories of his father’s brass band, Fanfara Station celebrates the epic feats of the Mediterranean’s migrants, the musical cultures of the African diaspora and the flows that have long connected the Middle East, the Magreb, Southern Europe and the Americas.

Fanfara Station is a celebration with a brass band, an entire North African rhythm section and contemporary electro Dance beats. 

It’s a dance party created live by only three musicians thanks to the use of loop stations for live over-dubbing.  

The stage is filled with instruments:  percussion: scascika, tar, bendir, darbuka and  tabla next to  the  trumpet, trombone, clarinet and three Tunisian woodwinds: the nay, mizued and zocra. Then there are dozens of wires connecting loop stations, controllers and an array of effects pedals.  A myriad of acoustic and electric sounds dialogue and sustain the voice of singer and song writer Marzouk Mejri.

The brass of Fanfara Station bring folk and blues accents into a electro acoustic North African universe represented by layers of percussion instruments, woodwinds  and singing.  Modern folk sensibilities are threaded into a contemporary electronic dance fabric.

Their first full album (Tebourba)  is slated for a fall 2017 release that will coincide with the premiere of Ernesto Pagano’s documentary on the life of Marzouk Mejri.

Line Up:
Marzouk Mejri: voice, percussion, Tunisian winds, loops | Charles Ferris: trumpet, trombone, loops | Ghiaccioli e Branzini: electronics and programming