World music
Premiere: Los Esplifs – ‘Perro Rabioso’: Tucson psych-cumbia outfit go roamin’ for a (rabid) hot dog
DO YOU have a particular penchant for those liminal musical zones, the subduction zones where musical tectonic plates bend and upheave and buckle and melt into one another? Particularly, perhaps, when you’re left with a wide grin and a begged question: just how did they get there, exactly? You know the sort of thing I …
Album review: Joao Selva – ‘Navegar’: Latin optimism with endless energy
WELL it looks like the summer vibes may need a little boost this year, so here’s a release that’s set to heat things up. Brazilian troubadour Joao Selva, now based in Lyon, definitely aims to shake us around with his samba infused, funk primed second album, Navegar, available on Underdog records from April 2nd. Born …
See: Crimi bring irresistible global beat to ‘Chi Ci Talia’
FRENCH bands just seem to handle fusion music so naturally. They absorb the sounds around them, let them ferment and then uncork something with familiar flavours and an individual twist. Enter Julien Lesuisse’s new band Crimi, a hard-funk four-piece who draw from the dynamic energy of his previous dance-focused crew Mazalda, the emotion of traditional …
Track: Adam Moezinia releases the joyful ‘Celebration’, where jazz, folk and West African harmony meet
HERALDING from the bustling scene where contemporary jazz meets folk meets West African harmony, LA-based Adam Moezinia brings much needed joy with his latest release, aptly titled “Celebration”. Originally part of a suite by Adam called the “Ivory Suite”, it’s a virtuoso yet familiar homage to the Beninese guitarist Lionel Louke, one of Moezinia’s influences. …
Track: Hiatus Kaiyote shine with ‘Get Sun’ feat Arthur Verocai ahead of album ‘Mood Valiant’.
We’ve all been waiting for a new Hiatus Kaiyote album to drop. Well, at least those who saw them perform whilst they were on the road to jazz fame at the Love Supreme Festival of 2016 . The band , fronted by Singer-Guitarist Nai Palm brings a fresh new and wonderfully mature sound to it’s …
See: Slow Dance Records signs Aga Ujma, releasing new visuals for ‘In The Ocean’
Polish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Aga Ujma has signed to Slow Dance Records, the first single for which was released today. Ujma uses seemingly disparate influences and instruments – her incredibly singular sound traces a lineage between fellow explorers Bjork, Múm, Eivør, CocoRosie and Current 93, blending traditional folk with minimal avant-garde production and Eastern instrumentation …
Album review: DJINN’s ‘Transmission’ commands an increasingly colourful palette
Transmission perfectly commands an increasingly colourful palette, an enriching conduit to what could be termed DJINN’s equally chasmic sound
Track: Marie Minet’s shimmering ‘Je Serais Tout Se Que Tu Veux’ is a gorgeous indie folk pop track touched with a world music magic
Marie Minet is a Portuguese-based French singer/songwriter with a silky, expressive voice, and her new single ‘Je Serais Tout Se Que Tu Veux’ (I Would Be Anything You Want) is an absolute mesmerising wonder. Intermingled into the sound is an element of African music (particularly Cape Verde) and what I detect to be a touch …
News: Falle Nioke and sir Was announce joint EP; hear ‘Rain’
FORWARD-thinking indie labels are fast beginning to celebrate the soulful connection between dancefloor-slanted electronica and the rhythmic foundations of anything dubbed ‘world’ music. So right on cue Moshi Moshi offshoot PRAH have announced the release of a new EP, Marasi, which will be ready for consumption on April 30th. The new record captures the results …
News: Mdou Moctar set to release a new album for Matador; hear ‘Tala Tannam’
MDOU MOCTAR is at last gathering momentum. Still, it’s been an epic journey since 2008 when his raw, emotional guitar music first began to spread across West Africa via the DIY network of traded SIM cards. Picked up by Chris Kirkley of Sahel Sounds, who sent Mdou a much-needed left-handed Strat, and which label then …