Tune Your World

Free Song: Boubacar Traore - 'Mouso Teke Soma Ye'

FREE SONG:'Mouso Teke Soma Ye'

Boubacar Traore (Kar-Kar) has been dodging musical stardom for most of his life. In his youth, Boubacar Traore was known as the Malian Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley. People woke up every day to hear him singing on the radio. His most popular song at that time was "Mali Twist" which he has likened to a national anthem for the newly independent nation of Mali.

Traore is an artist who has affected an entire generation. His is the voice of a nation, its hopes and its fears. He is a storyteller, and his songs deal with daily living, the many facets of love, political conditions and solidarity. Sometimes they are small parables, resonant with meanings we'll never be able to understand, but clear to his friends. Perhaps the final words are best said by one of his peers, Ali Farka Toure: "If the maximum is five, I give ten to Kar Kar".

He insists he's no blues man. "Blues is blues," he says. "It's American. But there is also blues in Europe and blues in Africa. The languages are different, but you can see that all these kinds of blues have the same parents--same father, same mother." Get More Music by Boubacar Traore

boubacar traore, mali, pierrette blues west africa mariama

Hugo Diaz - FREE Song: 'Volver'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Hugo Diaz:

FREE SONG:'Volver'

Here is some remarkable mouth harp music from one of the greatest Argentinian players of all time. Hugo Diaz was born on August 10th 1927 in Santiago de Estero. At the age of five he began to play the harmonica,  and less than two years was already performing regulary for a local radio.

On this track you will hear the grunts, like a wild animal’s, and the unique way he has of drawing out a very high pitched note or of rounding off a sequence with a low note, like a bullfighter delivering the death-blow. There is some styling guitar solos going on here as well. Enjoy this hidden gem!!

FREE SONG:'Volver'

Get more music from Hugo Diaz here!!

Kafala Brothers - FREE Song: 'Salipo'!!

Today's FREE Song is from Angola!

FREE SONG:'Salipo'

Born in the village of Mazoso, in the province of Benguela, Angola, Moises and Jose Kafala both rose to national fame individually before their debut performance together in Luanda.

The Kafala Brothers' music is best described as Angolan folk music. Their songs are revolutionary in nature and reflect real life experiences, while painting poetic portraits of Angola's 30 year long war and continued struggle for national reconciliation. Using a single guitar and a flute, the Kafalas are able to tell stories of war, sadness, love and joy with conviction and heartbreaking vocal harmonies which have been known to provoke uncontrolled tears to well up in the eyes of those listening.

FREE SONG:'Salipo'

Get more music from Kafala Brothers here!!

Coco Mbassi - FREE Song: 'Na Menguele'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Coco Mbassi, She is Cameroonian, but she is principally based in Paris. Winner of the 1996 Radio France Internationale Decouvertes 'prize in the African music category, she is both an author and a composer.

FREE SONG:'Na Menguele'

Coco's songs tell stories often based on personal life experiences that she recalls. It's these stories and feelings that make her songs what they are today, and a great deal of these memories are made up of those old sepia-colored (black and white) photographs from home.

With a postgraduate degree in translation she began singing lead and chorus in the African gospel choir "Les Cherubins" and as a backing vocalist, she collaborated with various artists like Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Manu Dibango and Ray Lema.

The words to the songs of her mother tongue, Duala, are often found combined with jazzy, minimalist and classical arrangements, where vocal polyphony and African rhythm continue to play an important role. Coco Mbassi composes her own pieces and writes the words. Although her husband - who teaches as classical double-bassist - exercises a strong influence on her music writing, in her childhood she was permanently exposed at home to a wide variety of Händel, Makossa and jazz bigbands.

FREE SONG:'Na Menguele'

Get more music from Coco Mbassi here!!

K'naan - FREE Song: 'Strugglin' (Live)'!!

Today's FREE Song is by K'naan, the new Somalian Icon on the international scene:

FREE SONG:'Strugglin (Live)'

K'naan, “the traveler”, fled war-torn Somalia at the age of thirteen on what turned out to be the very last commercial flight to ever do so, amidst a crumbling society and the end of any form of centralized government. He arrived in Toronto with a very strong sense of purpose, and it is this sense of purpose as well as his amazing lyrical gift, which has made him a beacon for other artists as well as those dedicated to global change.

An elegant ambassador of peace, K'naan rhymes against violence because he never forgot the chance he had to escape death. In 2001, after gaining notoriety as a skilled mc and spoken word poet, K'naan was invited to Geneva to perform a spoken word piece at the 50th anniversary of the UN Commission for Refugees. In front of some of the biggest suits in the world, K'naan brought the house down with his politically charged poem. The audience was so moved by the piece that they gave K'naan a standing ovation. K'naanexplains, "I basically called out the UN for its failed relief mission in Somalia. When my brother heard the song he said that it’s the first song he’d heard of mine that could get me killed.”

K’naan emerged on the International scene with his debut album “The Dusty Foot Philosopher” in 2005. He took home the 2006 Juno Award (Canada’s Grammy)  for Best Rap Recording and received newcomer of the year at BBC’s World Music Awards. In the last 2 years he has played over 350 shows touring 5 continents recorded and sharing the stage with Damian Marley, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, M1, Youssou N’Dour, Amadou and Miriam and many more.  These artists celebrate the relevance of his political poetry, live performance and purpose-driven mission.

K'naan’s music is truly a vehicle to raise awareness. He is an artist with a message; as such, his music and his actions have placed him in a position to speak out for the voiceless while informing, empowering and inspire the masses.

FREE SONG:'Strugglin (Live)'

Get more music from K'naan here!!

RV Babe - FREE Song: 'African Boy (African Tribal Mixx)'!!

RV Babé is a result of 5 years of adventurous, experimental studio hours and brain-storm sessions. Not to overreach, but this may be both The Rebirth of Nubian Music and of World Music. check out today's FREE Song:

FREE SONG:'African Boy (African Tribal Mixx)'

In 2000 Luis Maruwasa started one of Namibia’s major hip-hop establishments, Tha Syndicate. The fundamental ideology that brought Tha Syndicate into being was that Tha Syndicate was principally to be a custodian of a near helpless juvenile Hip-Hop culture amidst a prejudice and unwelcoming nation which could not allow it to flourish like other kinds of “Acceptable” music styles.

Hence Tha Syndicate’s only aim was to nurture and nourish such a “being”. The World over, Hip-Hop has not seen a revolution since 93 or so, but Namibian Hip-Hop has possibly experienced many revolutions in itself. Aided by only an arsenal of skilled MCs, Luis managed to set Tha Syndicate to sail into a horizon of what seemed to be the future of Hip-Hop in Namibia.

RV Babé Vol.1 reaches in even further than might have been expected or anticipated by music fanatics and critics alike. RV Babé Vol.1 may not in itself be revolutionary but rather a renewal of music, a new beginning.

FREE SONG:'African Boy (African Tribal Mixx)'

Get more music from RV Babe here!!

Driss El Maloumi - FREE Song: 'Enfance'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Driss El Maloumi, from Morocco!

FREE SONG:'Enfance'

A native of Agadir, Morocco, Driss El Maloumi is one of the most talented oud players in his generation. Accompanied by Lahoucine Baquir on percussion, he leads us into a musical reverie that encompasses not only his Berber musical heritage but the oriental and western traditions beyond academic clichés. Maloumi is also known for his collaboration with Jordi Saval, Montserrat Figueiras, Françoise Atlan and Hesperion XXI, among others.

Driss el-Maloumi was born in Agadir, Morocco in 1970. He went on to study Arab literature at university and also attended the National Musical School of Rabat from 1992-4. As well as Eastern and Western influences, he also incorporated tribal Berber oud playing into his compositions. Driss el-Maloumi has performed throughout Europe, the Middle East and South America.

FREE SONG:'Enfance'

Get more music from Driss El Maloumi here!!

Dene Issebere - FREE Song: 'Ladilikan'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Dene Issebere:

FREE SONG:'Ladilikan'

Following her father who worked abroad for 14 years, she had the chance to soak up various musical cultures, and when she went back to Bamako, Dene choose to express herself through singing. Her first compositions, the results of her multiple encounters, enabled her to take part in several musical events in Mali. She was first noticed in parties organized by her school, and after that, she did not hesitate to take part in other concerts. Being the unique composer/ author/interpreter singing something else than the traditional folklore, Dene quickly raised the curiosity of Bamako’s audience.

Following a performance during a concert of the rap band "King Da Dja" (produced by Salif Kéita) called upon Déné to record their "Tougna". This collaboration would be the first of several very diverse musical collaborations!

Dene privileges 5 instruments in her music: the Calabash, the N’goni, the n’tamani, the guitar and the bass guitar.She likes working on two complementary musical universes, which allows her to associate a Dogon musical culture with pop, modern, inspiration and folk. Her register is not limited to the traditional Dogon inheritance as she also regularly approaches the music of other ethnic groups present in Mali (Songhai, Malinké…).

FREE SONG:'Ladilikan'

Get more music from Dene Issebere here!!

 

Africa, Mali, Malian Pop, Tradi modern,

Thione Seck - FREE Song: 'Assalo (Candle Games) w/ Bombay Jayashri'!!

Former member of Star Band de Dakar and Orchestra Baobab, Thione Seck has been an important figure on Senegal’s music scene since the 1960s. In the late 70s and early 80s Seck was one of the originators of mbalax, which has been Senegal’s most popular sound since then. Check out today's FREE Song:

FREE SONG:'Assalo (Candle Games) w/ Bombay Jayashri'

Seck was always a fan of Egyptian superstars such as Abdel Halim Hafez and Oum Kalsoum as well as Bollywood playback singers Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. These singers have influenced his singing style, sometimes subtly, sometimes in a more obvious way. - An interesting mixture of Africa and Asia, - Senegal and India, among others...

Even though Seck grew up in Senegal, he says that a childhood fascination with Hindu films led him to favor Eastern modes. He told Afropop, "It's like the scales of the Spanish, Hindu, Greek, Arab musicians. Each time I compose a song, I put a few notes from this eastern scale, because that's what I love the most." The contrast between the band's edgy alertness and Seck's air of spiritual intoxication is likely to raise the hair on your spine. Do you agree?

FREE SONG:'Assalo (Candle Games) w/ Bombay Jayashri'

Get more music from Thione Seck here!!

Senegal, Mbalax, Senegalese Pop, World Pop,

Maraca - FREE Song: 'Tú Verá Tú Va' a Ver'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Orlando "Maraca" Valle, who was born in Havana, Cuba in September 1966.

FREE SONG:'Tú Verá Tú Va' a Ver'

Maraca is a child prodigy born to a musical family, who started his musical career at the age of 16 as flute player in the world famous Irakere, led by Chucho Valdez, where he departed at the ripe age of 24 to embark on his own career. One of his first tasks as a solo artist was writing and arranging several hit songs on the first Cubanismo album, which in turn led him to create his own group in 1996, Maraca & Otra Vision. Throughout the years he has produced many projects, one of which was nominated for a Grammy and toured all over the owrld sharing the stage with musical luminaries such as Oscar De Leon, Jose Alberto "El Canario", Cesaria Evora and many more. Maraca & Otra Vision have performed in the most prestigious festival and venues around the world, and are currently embarking on another world wide tour.

Maraca's initial effort could not have been more productive . He produced, directed, composed and performed the music of Passaporte (an album of Cuban percussioniats Tata Guines and Anga). This recording won Maraca, Cuba's Egrem national prize for that best album of 1994. He won the same prize the following year with his latin Jazz recording, Formula Uno, which featured him as solo artist and included the participation of numerous stars of the Cuban music. Enjoy!

FREE SONG:'Tú Verá Tú Va' a Ver'

Get more music from Maraca here!!

 

Cuba, Afro-Cuban, Son, Danzon,