From the SWP Records Bandcamp site: “This selection of Hugh Tracey recordings from the 50s represent what later became known as marrabenta. In fact in the early 50s there were 3 centres of guitar music in central and southern Africa – the Zambian Copperbelt, the Katanga mines in Congo, and Continue Reading
World Music
Various Artists – Death Is Not The End: Making Records: Home Recordings c. 1890-1920
Death Is Not The End is a leading archival record label, but this release isn’t solely focused on music. It highlights people engaging in everyday activities, many of which involve music, while others showcase individuals taking the time to document their lives using what was then new technology.
Al Massrieen – Modern Music
One of Egypt’s greatest bands, Al Massrieen, gets the reissue treatment from the phenomenal Habibi Funk Records! From the label’s Bandcamp site: “We’re happy to present a reissue of “Modern Music”, the last album by the iconic Egyptian band Al Massrieen, originally released in 1984. This was the final installment Continue Reading
凌然LingSun -《黑龙江》
Even though my main focus is to discover something new every day, I still find that luck is on my side. A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a Spanish poetry reading at the Beijing Chapter of the Instituto Cervantes. After finishing my workday at the school, I Continue Reading
穆拉特·謝力扎提 Murar Sherizat – Küy Guitar：三粒谷 Three Grains Valley
From the Modern Sky World Music Bandcamp site: “From 2008 to 2015, Murat served as the principal guitarist for the Philharmonic Orchestra in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. Following this, he was invited to compose music in Xi’an, China. In October 2019, Murat recorded his classical guitar album titled “Küy Continue Reading
ZÖJ – Give Water To Birds
This week seems to be dedicated to Iranian and Kamancheh music. We are featuring a band from Australia called ZÖJ, a multicultural project. Their sound captures the essence of Australia’s world music scene, with subtle influences reminiscent of a more Persian-inspired Dead Can Dance.
Tempvs Fvgit… – Da Caminu
Our beloved Masha at Tejo Music has sent over one of the most majestic choral music I’ve indulged in in some time. Tempvs Fvgit hail from France, and their sound reinvigorates the choral tradition from Corsica, famous for this sound. The recording is stunning and clear, sounds powerful on headphones Continue Reading
Various Artists – ቴዎድሮስ ታደሰ, ኩኩ ሰብስቤ, አረጋኸኝ ወራሽ, ነፃነት መለሰ – 4 Stars
Afrosunny Records present a compilation of Ethiopian music that bears the marks of their complicated time signature, but this is imbued with the energy of Ghanian highlife music, giving it a joyous, almost ska-like feeling. Some of the happiest music I’ve heard in a while. For those of you curious Continue Reading
Tassos Chalkias – Divine Reeds
Radio Martiko usually does a fine job remastering old shellac recordings and making them sound vibrant. This album by Tassos Chalkias is an incredible example. From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Epirótika! Greek psych folk as a soul medicine. A shepherd’s fever dream or spiritual jazz from an ancient world? The Continue Reading
Mamer 马木尔 – Awlaⱪta / Afar 离
Mamer 马木尔 is perhaps my favorite underground artists operating in China today. His work fuses Kazakh folk music with avant-garde music, bordering on experimental, even though he has a pedigree in working with record labels like Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records. It’s rare to see an authentic musician dig into Continue Reading