Cammille Nakhid is from Trinidad & Tobago, in my mind one of, if not the most musical nations in the world. Trinidad & Tobago lies at the very southeast of the Caribbean just across from Venezuela and its unique history and ethnic mix give it a culture and vibrancy like no other. The big thing for Trini's is of course Carnival - which the tradition of was born in Trinidad & Tobago. The week of Carnival is electric and literally the whole nation from young to old are involved, either playing in Steel Pan, walking in the Mas Parade but especially out in the streets listening to their favorite Soca & Calypso songs - the two most popular music styles of Trinidad & Tobago. Steel Pan is easily the most recognisable sound of the Caribbean, and a few years back after living in New Zealand for a number of years Cammille took it on herself to start up New Zealand's only Steel Pan group and give kiwis a taste of this incredible sound that was born in Trinidad & Tobago.
About Beats In Our Backyard with Nick Dwyer
Beats In Our Backyard is an exploration of New Zealand's multi-culture through music. All my life I've been all consumed with the discovery of new music and over the last ten years I've been traveling the world in search of new and exotic sounds from all around the globe - especially in the last 4 years with a TV series I present and direct called 'Making Tracks'. Last year I was given the opportunity to host at the Auckland Cultural Festival and it was really then that I realized the extent of our ethnic diversity. From Burundi and Somalia in Africa to Mongolia and Nepal in Asia to nearly every Caribbean Island nation - New Zealand is home to over 150 different nations - each of these people has an extraordinary story to tell, and for alot of them the best way to do that is through their music, which they are all incredibly proud of. The idea behind Beats In Our Backyard is to shine the spotlight on these communities and their music, and hopefully as a by-product you'll learn a little bit more about your relatively new neighbors along the way.
Also check out the bonus features in this series: