Kann an Tan
Wales-Brittany Artistic Project
Kann an Tan was a project in collaboration with Trac Cymru, Tafwyl and the British Council, combining musicians from Wales and Brittany to produce a set for Tafwyl festival in 2022. It brought together six artists – three from Wales and three from Brittany - to create new music together as partners. The artists working together were Gwilym Bowen Rhys and Nolwenn Korbell, Cerys Hafana and Léa, and Sam Humphreys and Krismenn. The project was facilitated by musician Lleuwen Steffan, who hails from Wales and lives in Brittany!
The project aim was to give the artists the opportunity to work with an artist from a different country who’s also creating and performing in a minority language. The artists spent three days before Tafwyl together in Musicbox studios in Cardiff – before performing live together at Y Sgubor stage in Tafwyl. Take a look at clips of each of the special collaborative performances below and head to our Youtube channel for more videos!
Gwilym hails from the village of Bethel in North West Wales. He’s been singing in his native Welsh language since he can remember and has developed a deep connection with the traditional songs and music of his land. His music is a mix of old and new, bringing to life ancient Welsh lyrics and melodies with his own progressive musical approach. In 2019 he won the award for ‘best solo artist’ at the Welsh Folk Awards and has performed his music around the world. Gwilym is collaborating with Nolwenn Korbell, a French Breton singer-songwriter and actress. Best known for her songs in Breton, with her musicians or in a duet with guitarist Soïg Sibéril, she released five albums, regularly performs in concerts, and also keeps acting in theatre productions and films.
Sam Humphreys comes from the Llŷn Peninsula. He started originally playing rock and electronic music in night clubs before discovering a magic mix of folk and modern styles. Alongside being a musician, he has been recording, producing and mixing with a wide range of artists and styles. He’s also worked as a composer for film and television. Sam is collaborating with Krismenn, a French rapper, singer-songwriter and musician of Breton culture. He is the inventor of ‘kan ha beatbox’, combining the traditional folk style of kan ha diskan with human beatbox. Passionate about rap, beatbox and the Breton language, Krismenn's approach mixes traditional singing with bluegrass, urban and electronic music. In December 2021 he became artistic director of the Kreiz Breizh Akademi.