The Imagined Village

The Imagined Village

The Imagined Village is a UK folk group founded by Simon Emmerson of Afro Celt Sound System in 2004. The project is built around modern folk music and the idea of reflecting multicultural life in the United Kingdom. Its title comes from Georgina Boyes’s 1993 book The Imagined Village.

Formation and approach

The project begins in 2004 and brings together musicians from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is presented as an English folk project, but its sound and personnel draw on wider influences and collaborations.

Recordings

The Imagined Village releases its self-titled album in 2007 on Real World Records. Several tracks on that album are modern reinterpretations of traditional folk songs. An EP titled The Imagined Village E.P. also appears in 2007 as a remix of album tracks.

The project later moves to ECC Records and releases Empire & Love in 2010, followed by Bending The Dark in 2012.

Collaborators and members

The project includes contributions from a wide list of artists and groups, including the Copper Family, Sheila Chandra, Benjamin Zephaniah, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Paul Weller, Transglobal Underground, Tunng, Chris Wood, Billy Bragg, Tiger Moth, The Gloworms and Dhol Foundation.

Its listed members include Eliza Carthy, Martin Carthy, Simon Emmerson, Ali Friend, Andy Gangadeen, Johnny Kalsi, Barney Morse-Brown, Sheema Mukherjee, Jackie Oates, Simon Richmond and Chris Wood.

Recognition

At the 2008 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, the track “Cold, Hailey, Rainy Night” is named best traditional track of the year.