River Passage is a surrealist world-fusion odyssey recorded in collaboration with musicians in various villages and cities in Eastern Congo. Formed by Ben Cohen and Sam Woldenberg, the live ensemble often features a wide range of instrumentalists and vocalists from around the Great Lakes region.
In May of 2015 Earthwork Music asked Ben of Heavy Color and Akili Jackson of Radiant City Arts to travel to the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as musical ambassadors, part of On the Ground's cultural exchange program. The resulting album, River Passage, merges cultures, language and physical environments with pieces of Afrobeat, Minimalist Electronica, and Futurist Hip Hop. Sales from this album are helping fund projects in Congo that directly support gender equity and fair wages for women in farming regions as well as the continued support of an arts center in the city of Bukavu, which teaches youth dance, recording technology skills and music lessons in a positive and safe space.