Our dear friends at CPL-Music have done it again! This 60-track album by Saucejas is an ethnographer’s dream if you’re into Latvian music, and there is an organic feeling to this album. Nothing too terribly processed, nothing added that didn’t need to be there. The album is appropriately titled, as Continue Reading
World Music
Various Artists – UNESCO Collection Musical Sources – Arabian Music: Maqam (Iraq – Lebanon 1971)
A reissue specialist label called Rarità Tradizionali have published a fine collection of music from Lebanon and Iraq from 1972, and it sounds brilliant. This album was apparently never released, and it’s surprising considering the quality of the musicianship of these instrumentalists from Iraq and Lebanon (including buzuk player Matar Continue Reading
Various Artists – Cameroon Garage Funk
Analog Africa produces yet another astounding compilation. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a while for this one, because the release date is scheduled for September 3, 2021. Still, considering the high quality of pretty much everything this label has produced, I’m expecting some fine music. Over on the Bandcamp release Continue Reading
TienYinMen – Between Clouds (雲峽)
TienYinMen are a collection of composers and musicians based in Hong Kong who release a lot of thematic soundtrack music played on traditional instruments and electronic instruments. They have a healthy body of work to choose from, and I found this one to be the best out of a great Continue Reading
Muito Kaballa Power Ensemble – Mamari
Fiddling around on the Youtube stream today as I have the house to myself, I came across a video of this album, and within the first second or so, I got hooked into a mix of Malian blues, funk, Cuban rhythms and a general Afrobeat vibe. Muito Kaballa are a Continue Reading
Båul – Camel [شتر]
![Båul – Camel [شتر]](https://musicyouneedtohear.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/a0863945921_16.jpg)
Båul have managed to release an album which travels the world while residing in the beautiful state of Colorado. They mix Arabic, Russian, Hebrew and other music together into a cohesive, energetic album. Really fun listening.
Jisr (جسر) – Too Far Away
It’s a minor tragedy that Jisr have not made their debut album available as a download on Bandcamp, but you can find it over at La Boîte à Musique and Turtle Records in Belgium, Deejay.de and Decks in Germany and surely other fine record shops near you, though I’d pick Continue Reading
Jauno Jāņu Orķestris – Div’ Svecītes
The Jauno Jāņu Orķestris (The New Midsummer Orchestra) are a folk music band hailing from Latvia, an area we don’t get to cover terribly much here on this blog, which is a shame. This is a one-track single of very well-done traditional music with, of course, updated production values and Continue Reading
Kimilia – Chants d’un temps, ანუ ადრინდელი სიმღერები
I can’t imagine there being traditional music more pleasant to the ear than that of Georgian polyphony. Whether it is in an ecclesiastical setting or around the dinner table, the Georgians are incredible singers, and this particular band, Kimilia, do a phenomenal job interpreting songs that go as far back Continue Reading
叶尔波利 Yerboli – 哈萨克精神Kazakh Spirit
China has 55 legally recognized minorities, each contributing to the mosaic of the country. This particular project, Yerboli, comes from the Kazakh community, but it is not ethnic music per sé. This is folk music, but with a slightly more mystical element to it. Shenzhen-based Old Heaven Books released this Continue Reading