A Better World Through Music & The Arts
Artists Project Earth aims to create a better world by bringing the power of music and the arts to 21st century challenges. Its first two albums ‘Rhythms del Mundo – Cuba' and 'Rhythms del Mundo - Classics’ have sold over one million copies so far and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to support effective projects and awareness-raising initiatives that combat climate change and raise funds for natural disaster relief.
To date we have supported over 200 projects globally that are actively working towards our goal of creating a better world. See our Projects Pages for details of some of these exciting projects that range from rejuvenating coral reefs to making bicycle-powered mobile theatres; from helping to conserve internationally important wetlands in Uganda to the campaign against the world's dirtiest fossil fuel, the tar-sands in Canada.
Artists Project Earth (APE) was founded in the aftermath of the devastating tsunami that hit south-east Asia in December 2004, with the specific aim of finding ways to help those suffering from natural disasters and the vagaries of climate change. Other extreme events such as Hurricane Katrina and the earthquakes of Haiti and Chile have followed hot on the heels of the tsunami. Many of these whilst not directly attributable to climate change, are certainly exacerbated by it, and it has become evident that humanity must look more deeply at the root causes of such disasters. Take the tragic loss of life experienced in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Pepeng for example. The collapse of hillsides and consequent mudslides that devastated whole regions, were intensified by the many gold mines dug indiscriminately by local people as they struggled to make a living mining the precious metal for the developed world, to satisfy its insatiable desire for resources, fossil fuels, cheap consumer goods and a growth-based economy – no matter what the cost to humanity and the natural world.
Thankfully, not all cultures are dominated by the Western corporate paradigm. There are still places on Earth where Indigenous peoples live in harmony with their environment. Satellite images of the Amazon rainforest demonstrate that occupation by Indigenous people is by the the most effective way to preserve the rainforest and preserving the rainforest is one of the most effective ways of mitigating climate change. So it is imperative that we listen to the voices of Indigenous peoples, whose wisdom and low-carbon lifestyles could offer many lessons to those of us in the developed word as we try to find ways to build resilience and sustainability into our own communities.
APE works with NGOs and organizations across the planet to support communities that are transitioning to low-carbon living, to raise awareness of climate change and the inequalities between developed and developing countries.
“It would seem probable that ‘trigger’ leadership on carbon reduction is up to people like us now, all acting within our different circles of influence. If we can create enough of a push, governments will have to respond. As many commentators are saying in the various Copenhagen post-mortem fora, meaningful bottom-up progress is not just possible, but holds the potential for magical surprises in the crucial few years ahead.” Jeremy Leggett, Founder SolarCentury
Rhythms Del Mundo: Revival – OUT NOW!
APE are delighted to announce the release of their new album Rhythms Del Mundo: Revival, featuring some of the brightest stars in music. Particular highlights include the first ever authorized remix of “A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall” by Bob Dylan and reworkings of Dizzee Rascal’s chart-topper “Holiday,” Franz Ferdinand’s “The Dark Of The Matinee” and The Gorillaz’ “Feel Good Inc.” Commenting on his involvement with the project, award-winning rapper Dizzee Rascal says, "I feel very proud to be given the opportunity to make such a contribution to APE."
Proceeds from this album will be used to provide necessities such as medical supplies, food, water and shelter to the people of Haiti, Chile and the Tibetan Plateau who are still struggling to survive in the wake of recent devastating earthquakes.
The album is available to purchase via APE’s new online shop!
RDM Classics
The sublime talent of Cuba’s finest musicians with the unmistakable vocals of artists including The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Jack Johnson, The Rolling Stones, Kaiser Chiefs, Fall Out Boy, among other great artists. The result is a unique formula merging Afro-Cubano rhythms with some of the most memorable songs of the last 40 years. With brand new recordings from the likes of The Killers, Editors, KT Tunstall, The Zutons and OneRepublic, through to special recordings from contributing artists such as Amy Winehouse.
Our planet is in crisis; the poorest populations of the world who have contributed least to the problem are already experiencing the disastrous results of our way of life in the industrialized world. We in developed nations must all work together as a global team to reduce our levels of consumption and waste, and put pressure on our governments to do the same. - K T Tunstall
RDM Cuba
Rhythms Del Mundo Cuba fuses hot Afro-Cuban sounds with tracks from artists such as U2, Coldplay, Sting,Radiohead, Jack Johnson and Maroon 5 as well as The Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, The Kaiser Chiefs and many others.
Rhythms Del Mundo also includes music by famed Cuban singers Omara Portuondo and the last vocal recording of Afro-Cuban bolero singer, Ibrahim Ferrer, who passed away in 2005.
Thom Yorke comments, "We need a law, we need to have the Government put climate change in its place. If you leave industry to sort it out on a voluntary basis that's never going to happen. So everybody, if they've got any concerns about climate, change has to register that concern with their Government officials because it's the only way to go."
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