Jan Fairley

Various artists - Songlines Music Awards 2012

Innovative magazine championing new and classic world music acts

26 Mar 2012

(Songlines/Proper Music) Despite difficult times for music business sales, with popular small independents reporting they are barely covering their costs, let’s hear it for this innovative magazine. Songlines champions new and classic acts, offering…

Roberto Fonseca - Yo

Pianist combines cutting edge jazz, lyrical poems and more clubby sound

23 Mar 2012

(Montuno/ Jazz Village) Hitherto dressed by number one French fan Agnès B, Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca literally strips naked to underscore journeying into the diaspora of his Afro-Cuban roots. As eclectic as ever, Fonseca walks a fine line between…

Martyn Bennett - Aye

A collection of the best tracks from the late celtic fusion artist

8 Mar 2012

(Long Tale Records) Seven years after his tragic early death, wunderkind Martyn Bennett’s legacy lives on. Anyone who never experienced the live or recorded version of his multi-instrumental music (whistles, fiddles, piano, bagpipes) will surely gasp…

Batida - Batida

African-inspired electronica record that probably works best in a club setting

8 Mar 2012

(Soundway) Having carved out a reputation for unearthing rare tracks of touchstone Latin musics, Soundway now champions hot sounds heard today on the streets of Luanda. Angolan/Portuguese DJ Mpula (aka Pedro Coquenão) creates electronic dance music…

Various Artists - World Routes: On The Road

30-track BBC Radio 3 compilation featuring Toumani Diabaté, Tito Paris and Ilham Al Madfai

1 Feb 2012

(Nascente) How would we hear diverse world musics without Radio 3? Thank goodness they still have the budget to travel to far-flung places to capture stunning sounds from ordinary musicians we’d never know about otherwise. Since 2000 the World Routes…

Ibrahím Maalouf - Diagnostic

A groundbreaking album of brooding French-Arabic tones from trumpeter

1 Feb 2012

(Harmonia Mundi) The brooding French-Arabic quarter tones of Ibrahím Maalouf’s trumpet first seduced as guest on the late Lhasa de Sela’s desert island disc The Living Road. Bewitching then, Maalouf’s own debut with a brace of tremendous musicians…

Baobab-Gateway – Strings That Sing

Accomplished Scottish-African musicians with healthy, multicultural roots

6 Jan 2012

(Brechin All) Baobab-Gateway’s name pinpoints the West African influences found in their original sound. The international pedigree and multi-ethnicity of these experienced Scottish based musicians (Salsa Celtica, Bhundu Boys, Waa Sylla) is a…

Simon Thacker and the Nava Rasa Ensemble – Nada-Ananda

Fruitful reinterpretation by the British classical guitarist and collaborators

5 Jan 2012

(Slap The Moon) Shirish Korde’s Nada-Ananda concerto allows classical guitarist Simon Thacker and South Indian violinist Jyotsna Srikanth, working with the Edinburgh Quartet, Brazilian bassist Mario Caribe and percussionist Iain Sandilands, to show…

Anoushka Shankar - Traveller

Thrillingly diverse yet fluent sequence of Indian and flamenco that does justice to both

7 Dec 2011

(Deutsche Grammophon) With cutting-edge Spanish producer Javier Limón as collaborator, Anoushka Shankar (daughter of Ravi, sister of Norah Jones) brings together two strong cultures linked historically by nomadic Roma gypsies. Created more or less in…

The Very Best of Muzsikás featuring Márta Sebestyén - Fly Bird, Fly

Fantastic retrospective of the Hungarian folk group's career

16 Nov 2011

(Nascente) Early on, Hungarian musicians Muzsikás, with singer Márta Sebestyén, were at the forefront of the European folk scene. Forty years after they pushed forward traditions championed by ethnomusicologists Bartok and Kodaly, they sound as fiery…

Caetano Veloso & Maria Gadú - Multishow Ao Vivo

Concert from Brazilian singer/guitarist and up and coming singer

10 Nov 2011

(Universal) This superb stripped-back concert sees Brazilian hero and singer/guitarist Caetano Veloso partnered by up-and-coming female singer Maria Gadú. Armed only with acoustic guitars, their deceptively light, shapely and meaningful voices blend…

Julaba Kunda - Traders

Scotland’s Griselda Sanderson and Gambia’s Juldeh Camara conjure magical range of timbres and tones

21 Oct 2011

(Waulk Music) ‘Traders’ aptly describes the exchange of tunes and oral tradition between Scotland’s Griselda Sanderson and Gambia’s Juldeh Camara (often seen touring as a duo with Justin Adams and supporting Robert Plant). 2010’s snowy winter saw a…

Javier Limón - Mujeres de Agua

Spanish musician-producer's songs with 12 top female singers from across the Mediterranean

20 Oct 2011

(Wrasse) Spanish musician-producer Javier Limón is a man of tremendous intuition and vision: responsible for watershed discs for artists like Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucía, or the collaboration between Cuban pianist Bebo Valdés and Spanish singer…

Sia Tolno - My Life

Empoweringly feelgood collection from Young Guinean singer

14 Sep 2011

(Lusafrica) Young Guinean singer Sia Tolno overcame civil war exile to compose defiantly funky songs championing a better life for African woman and children. Her richly rhythmic tones have been rightfully compared to Miriam Makeba and Tina Tuner (as…

Various artists - The Rough Guide to World Lullabies

Globe-spanning collection of bedtime songs

24 Aug 2011

(World Music Network) Despite the fact that so many plug into i-Pods daily, it seems folk still enjoy going old school, and serenading their babes with a restful lullaby. For List readers who may have tiny ones in their immediate or extended family…

Lucas Santtana - Sem Nostalgia

Playful, laid-back guitar work from the Brazilian musician

24 Aug 2011

(Mais Um Discos) Publicity can backfire, as with comparing songwriter Lucas Santtana to bossa nova innovator João Gilberto. Where Gilberto distilled everything through a ‘cool’ Brazilian sensibility, Santtana represents more 21st century, universal…

Various artists - Cumbia! Bestial

10 Aug 2011

(Chusma records) Americans have been dancing in time with the Colombian cumbia music style, with its easy slide side-to-side moves in 2/4 time since the 60s, it really hit the international club scene in the 21st century. Cumbia! Bestial offers a…

Hammock House - Africa Caribe

Classic original DJ-friendly Latin music of 70s and 80s plus remixes

21 Jul 2011

(Fania-Código) Brooklyn DJ/producer Hammock House, aka Joaquín ‘Joe’ Claussell, wittily adds vital 21st-century underpinning to Latin classics created for Fania, the New York label responsible for the hottest, most pertinent Latin music of the 70s…

Vieux Farka Touré - The Secret

Tracks that decorate rather than eclipse Malian blues and father's legacy

13 Jul 2011

(Six Degrees) Anyone watching the 2010 South African World Cup opening concert will have seen Vieux Farka Touré showing he is no longer merely walking in father Ali’s footsteps. This album sees Vieux recording in Brooklyn and Bamako, developing…

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo - The 1st Album (1973)

Sensationally funky West African music from a 16–piece with brooding organ melodies

13 Jun 2011

(Analog Africa) In 1970s West Africa, various creative ensembles emerged in the former French trading post of Cotonou, Benin; notably the vibrant Orchestre Poly-Rythmo. Their distinctive earthy grooves mined a musical axis involving neighbouring…

Susana Baca - Afrodiaspora

20 May 2011

(Luaka Bop) Grammy award winning Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca was an early signing to Talking Head David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label and her latest, long-awaited album sees her explore rhythms of the African-Latin diaspora. Her attractive, clear…

Various Artists - Songlines Music Awards 2011

Varied and fluent tracks from world music awards shortlist

19 May 2011

(Songlines) Kicking off with Femi Kuti’s throbbing Afrobeat anthem ‘Dem Bobo’, this is a superbly varied, fluent sequence of top tracks from the 16 nominees for the 2011 Songlines Music Awards. The foremost international music magazine stepped into…

Mariza - Fado Tradicional

Stunning fifth album from Portguese fado singer

25 Apr 2011

(EMI) Mariza, with her iconic, bleached short hairstyle has become an international star since reviving classic Portuguese fado, placing her country and its compelling port songs on the musical map. This new release is her best ever, a 12-song…

Seun Anikulapo Kuti & Egypt 80 - From Africa with Fury: Rise

The youngest Kuti maintain's the family's vibrant Afrobeat legacy

25 Apr 2011

(Knitting Factory Records/ Because Music) The youngest son of Fela Kuti and step-brother of the fiery Femi, Seun Kuti records and tour with a rejuvenated version of his father’s old band Egypt 80 with whom he has played since pre-teens. This is…

Five reasons to go see Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

The African Soul Rebels visit the Usher Hall

28 Mar 2011

1. He’s part of the afrobeat dynasty. Nigerian musician Seun Kuti plays sax, chant-sings and dances – not unlike his legendary father Fela, pioneer of the funky Nigerian afrobeat sound. ‘What inspires me is Africa today’, says Seun. ‘The same things…

Boubacar Traoré: Mali Denhou

Malian musician still holds the power that raises him above many other 'Saharan sound' artists

24 Mar 2011

(Lusafrica) Back in 1990, Malian singer and guitarist Boubacar Traoré recorded Mariama, a debut that captured the bittersweet yearnings of love. Most who heard it became instant fans and those who saw him play in a tiny club in Newcastle (the closest…

Sergent Garcia: Una y Otra Vez

The internationalist French musician returns with another highly enjoyable LP

21 Mar 2011

(Cumbancha) Whether Sergent Garcia is a stylist extraordinaire or king of pastiche, a five-year wait sees him deliver an irresistible batch of 14 original songs. The fertile Colombian scene is springboard for ‘Time and Time Again’, fuelled by post…

Aurelio - Laru Beya

Sublime and original fusion of sounds and often poignant musical stories

1 Mar 2011

(Stonetree/Real World) When Belizean singer Andy Palacio died tragically three years ago, people feared his placing of Garifuna language music onto the global scene, via the extraordinary album Wátina would end. Palacio must be beaming at the sound…

Curro Fuentes & The Big Band - Cartagena! Cumbia and Descarga Sound of Colombia 1962–72

1 Mar 2011

(Soundway) This fabulous record beams you right into the 1960s Colombian coastal scene courtesy of Curro Fuentes, son of the family owners of the pioneering Discos Fuentes recording company. One summer Curro formed a supergroup-styled orchestra…

Samba Sene & Diwan - Remind Me (Fatalima)

Debut album from Edinburgh-based Senegalese musician

11 Feb 2011

With this long awaited debut original songs, Edinburgh based Senegalese musician Samba Sene shows just why he’s an asset to the Scottish scene. With Senegalese musicican Baaba Maal as his mentor, a stellar list of international musicians in his band and…

Mama Rosin - Black Robert

Quirky, rootsy music from Swiss, Cajun punk trio

11 Feb 2011

Quirky, rootsy music from a Swiss, Cajun punk trio reassures us that wild creativity 2011 style is flourishing. This fresh take on North American French traditions gets these three young guys compared to Parisian gypsy-punkers Les Negresses Vertes for…

Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Songs From a Zulu Farm

8 Feb 2011

(Wrasse Records) It’s debateable whether the ubiquity of the Ladysmith Black Mambazo sound (once it had graced the baked beans advert which took them into the mainstream) came at the expense of a specialist audience whose expectations might keep them…

Eduardo Niebla - My Gypsy Waltz

28 Jan 2011

(LMR Records) While Eduardo Niebla wittily illustrates his debt to diverse cultures with a photo of himself brandishing his guitar alongside a rustic, horse-led gypsy caravan, it’s his debt to rich family community that makes his music resonate…

Cahalen Morrison and Eli West - The Holy Coming of the Storm

Lap slide guitar, mandolin and clawhammer banjo from Seattle-based duo

28 Jan 2011

A good midwinter blues antidote, the serenading sounds and dynamic rhythms captured here ably showcase the thrilling musicianship and deep messages conjured up by Seattle-based duo, Cahalen and Eli. Twelve original compositions and two traditional…

Cesaria Evora - Cesaria Evora &

3 Jan 2011

(Sony) When she burst onto the scene twenty-two years ago ‘the barefoot diva’ put Cape Verde on the map, blowing everyone away, even though live on stage she could be stiff and diffident. True, after her first irresistible albums her output became…

Fruko & Joe Arroyo - The Very Best of Fruko & Joe Arroyo: Rebelión Tropical

3 Jan 2011

(Nascente) A long shelf-life is the hallmark of great music and Rebelión Tropical maps how in the 1970s Julio Ernesto ‘Fruko’ Estrada and Alvaro José Arroyo González aka Mr Joe Arroyo pioneered the best Colombian tropical music ever. There’s nothing…

AfroCubism a magical night of musical exchange that hints at future greatness

Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Thu 2 Dec 2010

15 Dec 2010

All power to the Usher Hall as chosen venue for one of only two UK gigs played by supergroup AfroCubism. True, the snow meant rerouting them via Glasgow, yet that only fired up what Eliades Ochoa, Cuba’s ‘king of country music’ called the night’s ‘calor…

Pink Martini - Joy To The World

Multilingual choice of songs matches pristine voices with quirky arrangements

15 Dec 2010

(Wrasse Records) Pink Martini, who went big with debut album Sympathique featuring their hit ‘Je Ne Veux Pas Travailler’, now revamp ‘festive seasonal music’ including ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Santa Baby’. Don’t expect anything subversive á la Brave…

Various Artists - The Sound of Siam

Experimental fusion reinvents world music genre

24 Nov 2010

Chris Menist’s intrepid Sound of Siam: The Leftfield Luk Thung, Jazz and Molam 1964-75 challenges the African, Latin and European dominated world music market while neatly shifting Deborah Kerr and Yul Bryner King and I images for the sounds of Bangkok…

Tabu Ley Rochereau - The Voice of Lightness Vol 2

23 Nov 2010

(Sterns) World music is as much about back catalogue as innovation and London-based Sterns has a formidable reputation as the pioneer shop and label. In this panoramic collection, bridging 1977-81 and 1983-93, Zaire’s singer-songwriter Taby Ley…

Original Broadway Cast Recording - Fela!

16 Nov 2010

(Cast Records) If you can’t get to London’s National Theatre to see the phenomenal show telling the extraordinary life of Afrobeat’s Fela Kuti, look no further than this tremendous recording of the original Broadway show. It evokes Lagos in…

Femi Kuti - Africa For Africa

15 Nov 2010

(Wrasse Records) With songs like ‘Bad Government’ and ‘Nobody Beg’ Femi Kuti not only takes up the cause of ordinary Nigerians and Africans but consciously takes on the mantel of his father, the late Fela Kuti, as scourge of corrupt politics. With…

Souad Massi - Ô Houria (Liberty)

1 Nov 2010

(Wrasse Records) If people were not so hung up on language Souad Massi, who sings in Arabic, French and English would be a superstar. From ‘Everything Remains To Be Done’, a stunning duo with Francis Cabrel with Speed Caravan’s Mehdi Habbad cracking…

The Creole Choir Of Cuba - Tande-La

27 Oct 2010

(Real World) What an inspiring story: only weeks after the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, The Creole Choir of Cuba were working with the Cuban medical mission singing the same exuberant songs to survivors living in makeshift tents that they…

Los De Abajo - Actitud De Calle

26 Oct 2010

(Wrasse Records) Mexico’s crazy Los de Abajo – with their irresistible fusion of Latinised ska, rock, reggae and more – are here joined by a stellar list of guest musicians. Kicking off with the party ‘Fiesta’, powered by flashes of brass, this tight…

Various Artists - More Miles Than Money

6 Oct 2010

(Ace) Calling one CD ‘Tequila Slammers’, the other ‘Distilled Moonshine’, Garth Cartwright coolly sums up the gutsy music captured in these 38 tracks designed to complement his tremendous book More Miles Than Money (Serpent’s Tail). Some is the…

Grupo Lokito - Esengo Ya Ko Bina

6 Oct 2010

(Cavendish Music) Esengo Ya Ko Bina, which in Lingala means ‘the Joy of Dancing’, is a nine track heady, feel-good mix of Congolese and Cuban music. A band of UK based African and Latin musicians led by singer José Hendrix Ndelo and salsa pianist…

Afro Celt Sound System - Capture 1995-2010

15 Sep 2010

(Real World Records) Cherry picked from the collective’s five acclaimed studio albums, these twenty-five songs divide into instrumentals (on a disc titled Chorus) and songs (Verse). Emerging from cross-cultural collaborations at WOMAD involving…

Baaba Maal - African Soul Revolutionary

15 Sep 2010

(Nascente) Baaba Maal is one of the world’s most extraordinary people, never mind musicians, and these two CDs, culled by Phil Meadley from the three albums Wango, Taara and Jombaajo, make for a landmark compilation. It catches Maal just before he…

Various Artists - El Boom Boom

1 Sep 2010

(Tumi) Cuban music fêted off the island is old style ‘son’, light years away from what Cubans themselves dance to. Tumi, the label mapping the Cuban scene since the 1980s, has recently released this compilation, which won the 2010 Cuban music…

Cheikh Lo - Jamm

1 Sep 2010

(World Circuit) Cheik Lô’s label as a ‘Senegalese Sufi troubadour’ is good yet it by no means gets over just how sublime the music this funky genius creates. True, he seems to hold a spliff a lot of the time and maybe it’s the way that laidback edge…

D.O Misiani and Shirati Jazz - The King of History

Classic 1970s Benga Beats from Kenya

13 Aug 2010

This is the kind of mesmerising music that has you moving before you know it: undulating guitar rhythms flow like a brook over pebbles while sweet vocals chant stories over rubbery bass and the steady tickety-click of percussion. Daniel Owini Misiani…

Anywhere On This Road - Sound of the World

29 Jul 2010

(Warner Classic) Pioneer DJ Charlie Gillett became the world music guru. His wacky annual compilations are a veritable Who’s Who of contemporary music from all known parts. This selection of 34 artists from 36 countries is his last, as he died…

Grupo Fantasma - El Existential

23 Jul 2010

(Nat Geo Music) Riotous energy pulses through this exuberant set from Grupo Fantasma, who put a 21st-century twist into salsa and Latin sounds. Underpinned by heavy rock grooves and percussive layers, arrangements fizz with funky trumpet and trombone…

Raices en Viaje by Proyecto Evocacion is full of surprises

The Festival del Caribe gives birth to five-piece set.

23 Jul 2010

World Proyecto Evocación Raíces en Viaje – Roots en Route (Spherical Records) Just occasionally an unexpected recording captures a magical moment. So it happened when ex-Happy End trumpeter Loz Speyer got into a basement home-studio in Santiago de…

Miriam Makeba - South Africa’s Skylark

7 Jul 2010

(Nascente) Forget Shakira: the benchmark song of World Cup 2010 was a reworking of Miriam Makeba’s 1967 hit ‘Pata Pata’. Johannesburg-born Makeba, who died in 2008, was nicknamed Africa’s Skylark, evoking the beauty of her voice, but falling short of…

Various Artists - Yes We Can: Songs About Leaving Africa

2 Jul 2010

(Out Here Records) Pulsing beats from hip hop to dance make up this stirring collection, telling contemporary stories of today’s Africa. Most compilations are an easy forage through label back-catalogues. All salutations to Rose Skelton then…

Various - The Essential Guide To South Africa

1 Jun 2010

(Union Square) Time for a rich South African soundscape to celebrate World Cup time. Many will recognise the deep harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo from baked beans ads if not from Paul Simon’s Graceland. This exuberant panorama also stretches…

Luísa Maita - Lero Lero

1 Jun 2010

(Cumbancha) São Paolo singer Luísa Maita can do fresh and fragile as with ‘Aí Ven Ele’ (There He Comes), Brazilian north-eastern zippy with ‘Fulaninha’ (What’s Her Name), funky upbeat with ‘Lero Lero’ (Hey, What’s Up) and modern bossa with…

Salsa Celtica - En Vivo en el Norte

20 May 2010

Discos León There’s no escaping the exhilarating energy and musicianship captured in this live recording of the final gig of the 2009 ‘Salsa Celtica All Stars’ tour recorded in the beautiful Universal Hall of the Findhorn Community on the northeast…

Machaca - Los Ambulantes

12 May 2010

Sarabande Records Machaca is the brainchild of 30-year-old Mexican guitarist Morgan Szymanski. Machaca’s take on contemporary South American work, from Brazil’s Villa Lobos to Argentina’s Piazzolla, with lesser knowns such as Venezuela’s Antonio…

Chango Spasiuk - The Very Best of El Chango

12 May 2010

Nascente Chango Spasiuk hails from Misiones, the hotlands of northern Argentina, and his gorgeous chamamé music tells us that that there is more to his country than tango. Think small villages, days working in the fields, then beer and dancing under…

Lila Downs - Y la Misteriosa En Paris: Live at Fip

21 Apr 2010

(World Village) What could be more glorious than a live recording of a Lila Downs’ gig in Paris? The Latin American songwriter has revamped Mexican traditional music for the 21st century, embedding it in indigenous languages and the power of the…

Etran Finatawa - Tarkat Tajje/ Let’s Go!

31 Mar 2010

(World Music Network) If Ali Farka Toure paved the way for mesmerising desert blues then the Festival in the Desert held near Timbuctou has encouraged a new generation of musicians, including the all-male Etran Finatawa (The Stars of Tradition) who…

Amparo Sánchez -Tucson Habana

29 Mar 2010

(Wrasse) Amparo Sánchez has moved on from her Spanish-Cuban band, Amparanoia, where strong rhythms and great lyrics saw her as part of the diverse ‘new’ musical energy of 90s Spain associated with Manu Chao and Ojos de Brujo. Following recent…

The Chieftains featuring Ry Cooder - St Patricio

10 Mar 2010

(Fantasy) The Chieftains’ Paddy Moloney hits bulls-eye, here bringing Mexican and Irish music together in a brilliant mix of whistles, fiddles, harps, pipes and zapateo foot dancing. San Patricio tells the story of Irish conscripts who switched sides…

Sierra Maestra - Sonando Ya

10 Mar 2010

(World Village) Music doesn’t come more seductive than Havana’s glorious Sierra Maestra, who sparked the revival that lead to Buena Vista Social Club’s music sweeping the globe. About to tour the UK (dates in Dunfermline, Sat 27 Mar; Stirling, Sun 28…

Tamikrest - Adagh

2 Mar 2010

(Glitterhouse) Tinariwen first brought us the Tamashek music of the Toureg people of the Saharan desert. They blew everyone away, even the Rolling Stones, who a year or so later invited them to open their gig. Tamikrest are the next generation, and…

Sierre Leone Refugee All Stars - Rise and Shine

25 Feb 2010

Cumbancha Forming a band in West African refugee camps is a potent story and the resulting music – think reggae, dub, African ritual chant and more – is terrific. Here the All Stars go home to Freetown, Sierra Leone to record some songs, then head…

Ali and Toumani - Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté

17 Feb 2010

(World Circuit) Malian bluesman Ali Farka Touré was a towering musical figure who has left a legacy of groundbreaking albums. In 2005 he and kora (harp-lute) player Toumani Diabaté won a Grammy for their collaboration In The Heart of the Moon. The…

Razia - Zebu Nation

17 Feb 2010

(Cumbancha) As far away as Madagascar is, the irresistible rhythms of the music of newcomer Razia make it feel a lot closer. Razia is a beautiful person in looks, heart and mind and uses her strikingly fresh voice for well crafted dance songs with a…

Kailash Kher & Kailasa - Yatna (Nomadic Souls)

1 Feb 2010

(Cumbancha) Cumbancha are an intrepid label who have brought a host of brilliant musicians to the world, including the late Brazilian artist Andy Palacios. Now they capture the infectious sounds of Kailash Kher, a household name in India for singing…

Angelique Kidjo - Õÿö

27 Jan 2010

(Proper) Kidjo, undoubtedly Africa’s top female singer, creates an album for the new decade marrying her passion for the music of her home country Benin with the soul music and jazz she also grew up with and a broader Afro-American picture. Her…

Asere - Junio Groove

15 Jan 2010

(Astar) A thrilling disc from the Cuban group Asere, fruitfully moving on from recent work with the celebrated percussionist/producer Billy Cobham. Taking Cuba’s classic son music by the scruff, they re-earth it, filling it with sensuous pleasure as…

Coca Tenorio - Todo Transito

15 Jan 2010

www.cocatenorio.com Women singers composing their own great songs can be hard to find especially one who, as the title of her album Todo Transito (Everything in Movement) suggests, divides her time between the tropical coast of Esmereldas, Ecuador…

Staff Benda Bilili - Très Très Fort

6 Jan 2010

(Crammed Disks) One of last autumn’s world music highlights, this spookily beautiful album, which includes musicians, amphibians and some catchier-than- the-cold rhythms, is still irresistible. The slightly eerie sound of the plucked string of the…

Havana Cultura - Gilles Peterson

17 Dec 2009

(Brownswood Recordings) Club DJ Gilles Peterson follows the footsteps of Cuban bandleader Juan de Marcos González whose DM Ahora label introduced the newest generation of Cuban musicians to the world, notably the Interactivo collective and female…

Ghana Special - Modern Highlife, Afro-Sounds & Ghanaian Blues 1968–81

4 Dec 2009

(Soundway) A thrilling soundscape of 33 tracks from Ghana between the ‘golden age’ of 1968–81, this maps the optimism and energy of new independence from British colonialism heralded by cutting-edge modern Afro-sounds and Ghanaian blues. Presented in…

Ojos de Brujo

Preview

13 Nov 2009

Walking out the lift of an Edinburgh Hotel, Marina Abad is pushing her baby son in a buggy. Pivotal singer, composer and the only woman in Europe’s most popular world music band – the Barcelona collective Ojos de Brujo. Renowned for their…

Mayra Andrade - Stória Stória

13 Nov 2009

(Sterns) Mayra Andrade is an award winning singer of the world music scene, charming fans with both her gorgeous voice and captivating performances. With Stória Stória this Cape Verdean continues moving towards Brazil, with an appetising roll call of…

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu - Gurrumul

13 Nov 2009

(Dram) Hear the song ‘Bapa’ (Father) on this multi-award winning album by one time singer with Yothu Yindi, Australia’s first ever aboriginal rock band, and you’ll know exactly why, despite being sung in native Australian Yongu dialect, this has made…

Totó la Momposina - La Bodega

29 Oct 2009

(Astar Arts) La Momposina is swinging towards her 70s in style, creating some of the most irresistible dance music to come out of Colombia in years. For La Bodega she uses the port warehouse as metaphor for the constant mixing of Colombian with…

Rupa and the April Fishers - Este Mundo (This World)

15 Oct 2009

With their second album, Rupa and the April Fishers establish themselves at the cutting edge of world music. Their unusual name, top-quality musicianship and linguistic versatility, fused by the eclectic ideas of a second generation brought up on world…

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - I Speak Fula

15 Oct 2009

Following on from Segu Blue, his award-winning debut album, Kouyate offers us a denser sound with his wife Amy Sacko’s glorious voice well to the fore. Championing the language of his own Malian ethnic group, he charges the sound with the energy of live…

Málaga Feria - a day in the life of the free, Spanish festival

23 Jul 2009

If there are a thousand reasons to be in Edinburgh during the Festival there are as many to escape, and where better than a free festival in a Mediterranean port founded by the Phoenicians some 3000 years ago. Which is why, at midnight on a mid-August…

Keletigui et ses Tambourinis: The Syliphone Years

9 Jul 2009

Look no further: the sultry, sensual dance sounds the summer demands can be found right here. Sterns are riding high on the back of their recent digital remastering of Mali’s Rail Band (Salif Keita, Mory Kante) and TPOK Jazz, and now give the same…

Mara Aranda & Solatge: Dèria

9 Jul 2009

Valencian singer Mara Aranda joins forces with Solatge in her latest post-L’Ham du Foc venture. Her voice is as spirited as ever as she sings stories of smugglers, mermaids and muleteers, re-vamping ancient Mediterranean-Spanish songs for the 21st…

Sara Tavares - Xinti

25 Jun 2009

(World Connection) Portuguese singer Sara Tavares writes amazing songs, delivering them with one of the most shape-shifting voices around, a fusion of the gentle and wistful with subtly buoyant rhythm. Xinti which means ‘feel’, tells its own…

Roberto Fonseca - Akokan

11 Jun 2009

Thrillingly lyrical Afro-Cuban jazz set from the supremely talented Fonseca who came first to fame as the young pianist who replaced veteran Ruben González in the Buena Vista Social Club. Recorded in the sacred Egrem studios, Fonseca’s second album with…

Tony Allen: Secret Agent

28 May 2009

Nick Gold – producer of Buena Vista Social Club, Toumani Diabate and other special artists – works his alchemy for British-based Tony Allen, one time drummer with Fela Anikulapo Kuti (and latterly Damon Albarn) for a wild Nigerian Afrobeat…

Baaba Maal: Television

28 May 2009

Why Baaba Maal is not on primetime radio is frustrating. Television, his first album for eight years, is so seductively sensual at times it’s almost chill out in style. It establishes him as a man with finger on the pulse of the musical times. Catchy…

Oumou Sangare - Seya

5 Mar 2009

WORLD Oumou Sangare shows why she is one of the most significant African female musicians alive in this stunning set in which she marries gutsy lyrics about arranged marriage and polygamy to her seductively zippy Wassoulou music. Sangare’s…