Sea of Wood Records became part of the WOMEX family this year, exhibiting for the first time @WOMEX 24, the 30th edition of the esteemed World Music Expo.
Sam Debell and Elie Rosenberg turned out to be the only representatives of China amongst the 2800 delegates from over 100 countries, something which raised some eyebrows! ‘Are you from Canada?’ was the most common question upon seeing the CN on our nametags.
However, the two white guys from China continued to tirelessly promote the music of Yunnan, unperturbed, at their booth at the far end of the Expo building, making friends and contacts, networking like men possessed.
For many people in World music, finding something new is becoming increasingly difficult, so a label from Yunnan and a wall full of unknown instruments was certainly a curiosity.
In real terms WOMEX was a great success for us because aside from the status assigned by being an exhibitor, it is really the one time annually where almost everybody in the business is there. Bookings for our bands, distribution deals, and agency deals were all on the agenda and we will be releasing details of concrete success in the coming months.
So to all of our new friends, who are way to many to mention individually, it was great to meet you and let’s keep in touch! Let’s continue putting Yunnan on the global musical map!
By the way, have you listened to the compilation we just released? It introduces some of the most significant tracks coming out of Yunnan province in the past twenty years, don't sleep on it here: Spotify LINK