Tune Your World

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!!

Hugo Diaz - FREE Song: 'Volver'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Hugo Diaz:

FREE SONG:'Volver'

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. All his life, in spite of a highly sucesfull career, the ex-child prodigy remained loyal to the compagnon of his youth like the Abalos brothers and the great percussionist Domingo Cura with whom Diaz recorded on many occassions. His debut in Buenis Aires around 1944 werre of course spectacular and resulted in a whole series of record contracts with Odeon, TK, Jockey and later, RCA.

But we should contniualy bear in mind the deep rural roots of Hugo Diaz. If he made his name as a first class tangueros, yet the genius of Diaz was expressed above all in the provincial musiccs forms he had grown up with: Chacareras, zambas and Milongas. But such a musician could never really be confined in a single style.
In 1953 during an European tour, Hugo Diaz had the oppurtinity to meet two admired musicians, Larry Adler and Toots Thielemans. The admiration was mutual since Toots Thielemans never failled to pay hoamge to Hugo Diaz. On his return home, where the nuevo tango was revolutionising the music scene, his situation seemed more difficult. But Diaz was to record the most important part of his musical legacy during the 1970.

FREE SONG:'Volver'

Get more music from Hugo Diaz here!!

Marta Gomez - FREE Song: 'Dejalo ir'!!

Marta Gomez performs a fascinating variety of rhythms from all over Latin America including Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Argentina. Today's FREE song is by this talented artist, Marta Gomez.

FREE SONG:'Dejalo ir'

Originally from Colombia, the singer started to compose songs exploring her roots, but when she met Argentinean guitarist and composer Julio Santillan and percussionist Franco Pinna; they decided to share their musical backgrounds to create and perform a distinctive blend of music that reflects the sound and culture of South America.

Marta's quintet offers a smooth combination of Latin American folklore incorporating jazz elements, which produces a rich and unique sound that makes it impossible to classify under a certain style of music.

The style of the group is deep, passionate, thought-provoking, rhythmic, intimate and incredibly influential in the evolving body of world beat and its deliverance to contemporary music culture.

FREE SONG:'Dejalo ir'

Get more music from Marta Gomez here!!

Colombia, South Amrica, Cumbia, Jazz,

Wasi Ka Nanara - FREE Song: 'Besi '!!

Today's FREE Song is the music of Wasi Ka Nanara:

FREE SONG:'Besi'

is indigenous to the Solomon Islands, especially on the island of Malaita. One never sees women in the group, for the music and dance is exclusively the business of men. The musicians make all their instruments themselves out of bamboo. One particular instrument connects many pan pipes together to form a kind of collar which the players manipulate with a turn of the neck.

The music of the group comes from the first century of their era, a time of the Lapita culture, enriched later with contacts with Polynesia, the aboriginals of Austrailia and other islands of Melanesie.
Wasi Ka Nanara's music is always astonishing and full of authenticity, they manage to get an amazingly orchestral sound out of some simple wooden tubes.Enjoy!

FREE SONG:'Besi'

Get more music from Wasi Ka Nanara here!!

 

Oceania, South Pacific, Polynesian, Percussion,

Rajery - FREE Song: 'Realy'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Rajery:

FREE SONG:'Realy'

When Germain Randrianrisoa--a.k.a. Rajery--was just eleven months old, he was taken to a wedding ceremony where an old woman handed him a piece of poisoned meat. "I took it in my right hand," he recalls today, "and it stuck in my throat. Afterwards, my fingers on that hand became shrunken. A couple months later, they fell off. My hand was gone." With this handicap, it took some years before Rajery found himself and his own talents.

At the age of 14, he decided to try and play the valiha. The valiha is a tubular harp made from a large bamboo stalk and bicycle brake cable strings. It typically calls for busy fingers on both hands, so Rajery was at a distinct disadvantage. But Rajery developed his approach to the instrument, picking melodies with his left hand and strumming with the stub of his right hand. He also played bass, and he gained enough confidence that he was able to persuade a concert presenter to let him perform a song as part of a musical program the following years.

Rajery is respected as one of the most innovative valiha players working today. He is constantly invited to participate in projects by other musicians, be it traditional music, jazz, rock, or reggae. In addition, Rajery runs a valiha factory--Top Valiha--and a school, which he hopes to expand dramatically in years to come. In 1995, he initiated a festival for handicapped artists and athletes in Madagascar, with some funding from abroad. In musical, cultural, and social arenas, Rajery is a powerful progressive force in Madagascar today.

FREE SONG:'Realy'

Get more music from Rajery here!!

Africa, Madagascar, Traditional,

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,

NYNDK - FREE Song: 'Constructed'!!

Today's FREE song is pure jazz you guys:

FREE SONG:'Constructed'

Together from New York(NY), Norway(N), and Denmark(DK), NYNDK unites three places that have significant roles in jazz history. Established in 2003, its founding members are Danish pianist Soren Moller, Norwegian saxophonist Ole Mathisen, and American trombonist Chris Washburne.

Ole Mathisen is a native of Sandefjord, Norway and current resident of New York. He has worked on more than 80 records and has toured extensively throughout the world, and he has recorded with internationally-recognized artists such as Louie Vega, Eddie Gomez, Peter Erskine, Randy Brecker, and Paula Cole to name a few.

Chris Washburne has been called “one of the best trombonists” by Peter Watrous (The New York Times). As a trombonist he currently freelances in New York City performing and recording for Latin, jazz, pop, and classical groups including, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Celia Cruz, Anthony Braxton, Jacki Byard, Mark Anthony, and Ruben Blades. He leads his own band SYOTOS, the busiest and most in demand Latin jazz group in New York.

Soren Moller is educated at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has a Masters Degree in Jazz Piano from Manhattan School of Music in New York. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, B.B. King Lounge, The Jazz Standard, Cornelia Street Cafe and more. He was taught by Kenny Barron, Fred Hersch, Garry Dial among others.

Their decision to form this collaborative was inspired by their own experiences of the truly international nature of jazz. NYNDK brings to the mix a combination of refined Scandinavian cool with aggressive New York heat spiced with a progressive post-modern sensibility. check it out:

FREE SONG:'Constructed'

Get more music from NYNDK here!!

 

NY, Denmark, Norway, World Jazz,

Stella Chiweshe - FREE Song: 'Nhamoimbiri'!!

Stella Chiweshe is the Queen of Mbira Music, as well as the first female Mbira player to gain recognition on a national or international level. In fact, Chiweshe is nicknamed “Ambuya Chinyakare” (Grandmother of Traditional Music). Check out today's FREE song by her:

FREE SONG:'Nhamoimbiri'

Stella Rambisai Chiweshe is one of the few musicians in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa, who for more than 35 years has been a traditional Mbira musician. When Zimbabwe was still a Rhodesian colony, Stella secretly was recognized as a Mbira player at forbidden ceremonies. Before independence Mbira instruments had to be kept hidden, because the colonial government had banned the instrument fearing its magical powers.

She is one of the most original artists in the contemporary African scene using popular music to show the deepness and power of her traditional spiritual music at home and abroad. Stella introduces Mbira music to the occidental context without losing the relation to her Zimbabwean tradition: She creates warm dance grooves as well as popular songs always based on Mbira rhythms.

Mbira music, from Zimbabwe, is the basic element of the Bantu Shona culture. The sound of the mbira is the material medium of the culture, made of ceremonies to satisfy religious, healing and spiritual needs. What you hear is not simply what is played as such, but your ear selects the tones to form melodies.

The sound of the mbira will immerse you in the depths of African knowledge of the spirits. Stella Chiweshe, the Mbira Queen of Zimbabwe will take you there:

FREE SONG:'Nhamoimbiri'

Get more music from Stella Chiweshe here!!

Africa, Zimbabwe, Mbira, Chimurenga,

Madala Kunene & Baba Mokoene Serakoeng - FREE Song: 'Manikiniki'!!

Baba Mokoena Seakoeng was one of the finest Mbaqanga guitar, and a well known collaborator with Madala Kunene. Today's FREE Song is from South Africa and a result of the cooperation between these two men:

FREE SONG:'Manikiniki'

Simon Baba Mokoena was born at Umkumbane in Durban in the late '40. He started making music at the age of 12, playing a home-made guitar made from a five-liter oil container. At 17, he picked up his brother's acoustic guitar and has never looked back. Baba's first gig was with a group called Mhlathi and His Comets, whom he stayed with for four years. Next he met Dick Khoza, a jazz drummer. They formed a small jazz group with Pat Matshikiza on piano and Victor Gaba on bass, playing gigs around Durban.

After two years Baba left the group and went to Johannesburg to play mbaqanga, because he had always wanted to play African music. He played for a group called Izintombi Zamangwane. This was followed by guitar work on Gibson Kente's musicals Sikhalo and How Long.

Baba joined the resident band at the Pelican Night Club, playing with Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi and Khaya Mahlangu, to name but a few. This stint at the Pelican was a chance to explore different kinds of music — mbaqanga, jazz and rhythm and blues — and to meet names like American jazz organ player Jimmy Smith and U.S. group The Realistic.

Baba then moved back to Durban, gigging in clubs playing Top 40 hits until he met Sarafina playwright Mbongeni Ngema. He was impressed and asked Baba to join the band for his musical Township Fever, which opened at Johannesburg's Market Theatre in 1991. The show went on to tour America, opening in New York. After the Township Fever tour, Baba worked with Letta Mbuli and Caiphus Semenya in shows around South Africa. Baba returned to Mbongeni Ngema's company, touring Europe with Sarafina, Magic at 4am and Mama.

On his return from Europe in 1993, Baba added his artful guitar playing to Sipho Gumede's Melt 2000 release, Down Freedom Avenue with Madala Kunene. During the 1994 Outernational Meltdown recordings with MELT 2000 in Johannesburg, Baba met and recorded with Airto Moreira and Jose Neto. In 1999, Baba teamed up with Madala Kunene to prepare the recording of a collaborative album for Melt. The album of Madala Kunene and Baba Mokoena Serakoeng, entitled First Double 1&2, released in 2002, was nominated for the 2003 SAMA awards. Enjoy!

FREE SONG:'Manikiniki'

Get more music from  Madala Kunene & Baba Mokoene Serakoeng here!!

South Africa, South African Jazz, World Jazz, maskandi,

Celso Machado - FREE Song: 'Despedida'!!

Master of ritmos brasilieros, virtuoso guitarist, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Celso Machado brings joy to his audiences, with his subtle mixture of musical inspiration, irresistible rhythm and inspired lunacy. check out today's FREE Song:

FREE SONG:'Despedida'

Celso Machado’s solo performances transport his audiences through the richness and diversity of Brazilian music, and beyond. The regional music of Brazil has arisen out of various blends of African, Portuguese and Indigenous influences. While Celso’s music is rooted in the percussive rhythms, harmonies and spirit of Brazil it also reflects his incurable fascination with other world music traditions.He has gained mastery of a vast array of instruments including: the Arab nay, the southern Italian tamburello, Moroccan guembri, and most recently the African kora. These influences blend seamlessly into his own sound; his own unique contribution to the evolution of Brazilian music.

For over thirty years he has performed on concert stages throughout Brazil, Western Europe and Canada, as well as in the United States. Drawing on his thorough study of classical music, Celso composes for both solo guitar and ensemble. His remarkably innovative compositions are infused with his rich knowledge of the traditional music of Brazil: samba, chôro, baião, frêvo etc.. Published by Editions Henry Lemoine, Paris; his compositions have been recorded by guitarists throughout Europe, North America, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. A talented man,- here we go:

FREE SONG:'Despedida'

Get more music from Celso Machado here!!

South America, Brazil, Bossa Nova,

Andrea Marquee - FREE Song: 'Balanco'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Andrea Marquee:

FREE SONG:'Balanco'

Interpreting compositions of Jorge Ben and Caetano Veloso as well as her own, 27 year old actress, singer and songwriter Andrea Marquee is the cool voice of young Brazil.

A heady mix of samba, tropicalia, acid-jazz, and electronic dance are some ways to explain her inspirational music. Emerging from a background of alternative theatre, underground cinema and after-hours club-life, she is one of the young Brazilian artists and scene-makers who are revitalizing música popular brasileira (MPB) with a head-spinning, body-rocking mix of samba, tropicália, acid-jazz and electronic dance music.

Working with producer Maurício Tagliari and a crew of like-minded musicians - among them Luca Raele, Rica Amabis, Otto, André Mehmari and Apollo 9, who play everything from a cavaquinho to a digital sampler - she takes listeners on a fascinating trip into (in the words of yet another admirer) "the globalization of local beats."

Enjoy!

FREE SONG:'Balanco'

Get more music from Andrea Marquee here!!

 

South America, Brazil, Electronica, World Fusion,

Leroy Young - FREE Song: 'Puppet on a String'!!

Today's FREE song is by the Grandmaster (Leroy Young),  Belize’s finest dub-poet:

FREE SONG:'Puppet on a String'

When we say 'dub - poet', we mean poetry for real! His best-known poems are accompanied with an eclectic mix of instruments ranging from Creole, Garifuna and African percussions to Maya K’ekchi' guitars. Leroy Young. Born in Belize City, Central America on the 7th of August 1967. The youngest son from a family of seven, three brothers, three sisters.

Somewhere in the continuum between the Lost Poets and contemporary hiphop, leroy Young and his rock solid, unmachined ensemble crank out hard, heavy rhythms, intense melodies and a stream of consiousness verbal onslaught of political, social and instrospective poetry from Belize.

After high school he joined Belize’s pioneering Rap group Fresh Breeze Krew with Kenny Morgan and his brother Turbo. Growing up in one of Belize’s most notorious, dreaded and feared neighborhoods (Majestic Alley), he was exposed to real ghetto life. Upfront and personal in 3D. In a hood where many mimed, killed, chopped, jacked, and were robbed. - His poems are rooted from his own story, and the music along with them makes them, even more real to us others. Enjoy!

FREE SONG:'Puppet on a String'

Get more music from Leroy Young here!!

Belize, Central America, Garifuna Music, world Fusion,

Epifani Barbers - FREE Song: 'Vientu'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Mimmo Epifani and his ensemble of singers and musicians, whom pay tribute to the soul of the taranta and the region of Salento of Italy.

FREE SONG:'Vientu'

Mimmo Epifani and his band of Barbers have created one of the best records of the year: This is by turns a bellyaching funny, heart-warming emotional, deeply political, majestically satirical and always perfectly executed record that belongs in the musical vanguard while being deeply rooted in tradition. - Nondas Kitsos, RootsWorld

Here's a really promising Italian début that should appeal to readers who've enjoyed Eugenio Bennato & Taranta Power. The main man of this new outfit, mandola player and singer Mimmo Epifani, previously worked alongside Bennato in Musicanova, and Marannui is another take on mixing up the taranta of Puglia with immigrant things. The straighter taranta stuff like 'Ci Criti O Non Ci Criti' blazes away with an earthy funkiness - and elsewhere there are elements of everything from rap and balkanisms (a nice touch of cymbalom from Marian Serban), flamenco, café jazz, Arabic tinges and a central African flavour on 'Unenosapistacuiet' that wouldn't sound that out of place next to Baka Beyond. Strongest track is probably the driving "Cinq." The barber reference in their name is to the barber shops in the Salento region where musicial traditions were held and passed on, and Epifani himself first learned the mandolin as a boy, it holds that down-home feel...

Taranta, a southern Italian tradition combining music, movement and folklore, is becoming increasingly popular and intriguing. A corner of southern Italy bursting with warmth, history, colour and flavour, it was here, actually in the barber shop belonging to Maestro Costantino, where Mimmo Epifani, as a boy, began to learn to play the mandolin, discovering a passion for the musical traditions passed down from one generation to the next. Upon completing his studies of the mandolin at the Padova Conservatory, he began to collaborate with such artists as Antonio Infantino and Caterina Bueno; the Compagnia Media Etas del Maestro De Simone and with Eugenio Bennato with whom he participated in Musicanova, reaching an artistic apex and travelling the world over on tour.

FREE SONG:'Vientu'

Get more music from Epifani Barbers here!!

 

Italy, Jazz, Balkan, World Fusion,

Xavier Rudd - FREE Song: 'Food in the belly'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Xavier Rudd (..), who offers a strikingly original mix of music.

FREE SONG:'Food in the belly'

Some of his sound (and idealism) echoes the surf-folk of Jack Johnson, while his Weissenborn guitar-playing evokes Ben Harper. But mostly, Rudd is on a plateau of his own, playing a one-man blend of guitars, didgeridoos, stomp boxes, djembe drums, and even slide banjo.

Australian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd is a one of a kind artist with a clear vision, personality, and an independent attitude. An established artist in his native Australia and his second home, Canada, Rudd’s debut for Anti, Food in the Belly is his 6th record. His extensive travels as a surfer has both shaped and help spread his music. Taking the voice of classic singer/songwriters (he’s a professed Paul Simon fan) as template, he’s imprinted his influences from travelling all over the world and exploring other cultures into a style which is unique, fresh and vital.

From his bare soles on a wooden resonator box to the breath humming in his yidakis (didgeridoos), his work resonates from the ground up and the inside out. Xavier Rudd has developed one of the most passionate and rapidly spreading grassroots audiences of recent times and his original live performances has won him what others take a lifetime of marketing schemes to accomplish. This is a "must", you guys!

FREE SONG:'Food in the belly'

Get more music from Xavier Rudd here!!

 

Canada, Australia, World fusion, Rock Pop,

Alamaailman Vasarat - FREE Song: 'Asuntovelka'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Alamaailman Vasarat ("The Hammers of the Underworld"), an unusual phenomenon not only in their home country Finland, but in the globe in general.

FREE SONG:'Asuntovelka'

Listeners have had problems categorizing this instrumental music but you probably will see something like "ethnic brass punk" when people are writing about the music of Alamaailman Vasarat. Hammers themselves consider their music to have its roots in the traditional but fictional ethnic trends of their own continent, Vasaraasia (“Hammer-Asia”). The Alamaailman Vasarat weaponry has saxes, clarinets, a trombone, tuba, 2 cellos with multieffects, a pump organ, other keys and drums & percussion. Despite this maybe disturbing setup, Vasarat has proven that instruments like pump-organ and cello kick ass!

The audience that have been attending the gigs, are by no means narrow-minded ethno music listeners, nor prog purists or jazz elitists - as one might expect judging from the instrumentation - but quite every-day music consumers fascinated about the ultimate energy and briskness of this unusual combo. Sometimes, the group has also been forced to give up a reasonable deal of the space on the stage to the divers, which you normally only see at metal gigs.

Alamaailman Vasarat was founded in 1997 by two members of Höyry-Kone - the highly regarded avant-garde progressive rock group - drummer Teemu Hänninen and bass player Jarno Sarkula.

FREE SONG:'Asuntovelka'

Get more music from Alamaailman Vasarat here!!

Finland, World Fusion, Rock,

The Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project - FREE Song: 'Progress w/ Fela Kuti'!!

Featuring top musicians from around the world, Calabash Music and Modiba Productions will donate all proceeds from ASAP: The Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project, which enriches us with today's FREE  Song:

FREE SONG:'Progress w/ Fela Kuti'

Along with benefiting the people suffering in the Darfur region of Sudan, the aim of this project will also raise awareness about the dire situation in Darfur: by some estimates, over 400,000 people have died by dehydration, disease, and at the hands of the Janjaweed -- armed horsemen supported by the government of Sudan.
To accomplish this, Modiba has teamed up with TrueMajority, a grassroots education and advocacy group committed to social and political justice (founded by Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry's). TrueMajority has already done some incredible work in Darfur, sending camera crews and attempting to bring witnesses into the United States (the US State Department refused entry). Many thanks to all the musicians on ASAP for donating their music.

Not only is this an important project to pay attention to, but also are the tracks totally 'golden'. Check out today's free song:

FREE SONG:'Progress w/ Fela Kuti'

Get more music from The Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project here!!

Sudan, Africa, afrobeat,

Ahmad Pejman - FREE Song: 'Temptation'!!

Today's FREE Song is by: Ahmad Pejman:

FREE SONG:'Temptation'

Born in 1937 (Lar, Iran), Ahmad Pejman began music by taking violin lessons with Heshmat Sanjari and theory of composition with Hossein Nasehi. He continued his studies in composition with Alfred Uhl, Thomas Christian David & Hans Jelineck in Vienna Conservatory of Music. Pejman later attended the Columbia University in New York City and studied with Buelant Arel, Vladimir Usachevsky and Jack Beesen.

Pejman's first compositions were pieces for Saba Chamber Orchestra (under the direction of Hossein Dehlavi).
Rhapsody for Symphony Orchestra (performed by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra), Sonata for Viola & Piano (published by Doblinger Publishing Co.), Parsian Overture, Nonet (a piece for chamber orchestra commissioned by the soloists of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra), The Light (ballet in two acts, performed by the soloists of Berlin Ballet Company) and many more.

FREE SONG:'Temptation'

Get more music from Ahmad Pejman here!!

Middle East, Iran, Classical

Kobo Town - FREE Song: 'Sing Out, Shout Out'!!

Today's FREE Song is by Kobo Town.

FREE SONG:'Sing Out, Shout Out'

The band was founded by bandleader Drew Gonsalves, and is named after the historic neighborhood in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where traditional calypso (kaiso) was born amid the boastful, humourous and militant chants of the roaming stickfighters. Situated near the fishermen’s wharf, the area was a site of constant defiance and conflict, a place where sticks and stones, songs and verses clashed with the bayonets and batons of colonial rule. For the members of the eight-piece outfit, the name suggests an origin as well as a destination.

Exploring the rich lyrical tradition and compelling rhythms of calypso’s formative years – the age of the Roaring Lion, Mighty Spoiler, Lord Invader, King Radio and Attila the Hun – Kobo Town strives to demonstrate the contemporary relevance of their art by engaging the pressing concerns of our time. Domestic violence, the US war on Iraq, the paradoxes of globalization, the ongoing state of Caribbean dependency, and the bittersweet experience of immigration are all treated within their wide and varied repertory.

For Kobo Town, Trinidad’s musical heritage is a living, growing body of work, with a continuing importance in their lives, the West Indies and the world. While exploring new sounds and arrangements, their songs resonate with the satire, storytelling and social concern that lie at the center of Trinidad’s national art.

FREE SONG:'Sing Out, Shout Out'

Get more music from Kobo Town here!!

Trinidad & Tobago, Reggae, Calypso, World Jazz,

Eneida Marta - FREE Song: 'Lope Kai'!!

Eneida Marta is one of the most beautiful female african voices of present-day artists. She mixes her spectacular voice with rhythms like Gumbe, Morna, Singa, Tina-flamenco, Afro-beat, etc… and she sings in Mandinga, Fula, Criol, Futa-fula, Portuguese, etc… A new talent to discover for sure!! check out today's FREE Song:

FREE SONG:'Lope Kai'

Many songs deal with the lives of women in the Guinea-Bissau that Marta left for Lisbon in her late teens. There is no in-your-face feminism here, but reflective calls to respect elders, glorify birth and remain hopeful in times of adversity. The lyrics also pay homage to the wealth of music and dance that the small West African nation has given birth to (some claim the kora was born here). Marta sings her dreams in Mandingo, Fula, Kriol, Futa-fula, Balanta, Papel, Mandjako, Biafada, Bejago and Portuguese, giving her a wider berth with which to seduce audiences in Africa.

We find an impressive variety that Marta probably honed in her teen days when she sang at weddings, circumcisions and harvest feasts. But there is also an unquestionable jazzy element to the songs, as the chorus’ skats often mix effortlessly with the powerful percussion section. Floating above all this are the lyrics which articulate reflections on humility and pride.

Give it a go!

FREE SONG:'Lope Kai'

Get more music from Eneida Marta here!!

Portugal, Guinea Bissau, Tradimodern, Africa,

Aurelio Martinez - FREE Song: 'Yalifu'!!

One of the most extraordinary and passionate Garifuna artists of his generation, Aurelio Martinez follows in the footsteps of the legendary Parranderos of the Caribbean coast of Central America to become the new voice of Paranda:

FREE SONG:'Yalifu'

Acclaimed for both his preservation and modernization of the Paranda musical tradition, Aurelio's virtuosity is found in his distinctive, penetrating vocals and his talent as a composer. Aurelio was born into a family possessing a long and distinguished musical tradition in the small Garifuna community of Plaplaya in Honduras. Aurelio began playing guitar as soon as he was old enough to hold the instrument. By the age of six he was regularly playing drums at social gatherings. Inspired by his grandmother and his father, Aurelio gathered a vast repertoire, which later enabled him to develop his own style.

Today's Free song is from the album Garifuna Soul, which features the musical talents of Rolando Sosa, Lugua Centeno, Chela Torres, Justo Miranda, Andy Palacio, and others. Garifuna Soul was recorded by Ivan Duran and Gil Abarbanel in a relaxed atmosphere at Sandy Beach Resort in beautiful Hopkins village. The result is a natural sound that captures Aurelio’s spontaneous character and intensity.

This new album, a mix of original and traditional compositions, includes 12 selections, comprising a rich blend of acoustic instruments and soulful vocals. With the stage set for an emotive fusion of traditional and modern, Garifuna Soul has revolutionized, with fresh elegance, the tradition of Paranda music. Aurelio’s collaboration with Stonetree Records dates back to 1997, when he contributed to the now famous Paranda recording sessions, delivering three masterful performances, including his well-known composition: “Africa” and an inspiring duet with Andy Palacio. Aurelio is an original member of the Garifuna All Star Band and has taken his Paranda music to stages in France, Japan, USA, Mexico and neighboring Central American countries.

FREE SONG:'Yalifu'

Get more music from Aurelio Martinez here!!

North America, Central America, Garifuna Music,

Agusto Cego - FREE Song: 'Nha Castigo'!!

Today's FREE Song is from Cape Verde!!

FREE SONG:'Nha Castigo'

A child prodigy, Agusto Cego (Blind Agusto) was born in 1960 in a small village in Cape Verde. He began playing the ukulele at the age of eight, and the guitar at age eleven. By the time he lost his vision at the age of fourteen, he had mastered both instruments. Self-taught, Agusto is a multi-talented musician who dominates many musical instruments, including the violin, clarinet, saxophone, flute, ukulele, harmonica, piano and six and ten string guitars. In addition, he is a gifted singer with a beautiful mellow voice.
The Boston Herald has referred to Agusto as a warmly swinging singer if he does not have [Cesaria] Evora's depth (and who does?), he is more imaginative in his phrasing and rhythm, and has the same gentle intimacy and old-time acoustic feel.

Since 1993, Agusto has represented his native island of Fogo and the nation of Cape Verde in numerous national and international music festivals, including appearances throughout Europe. In 1995, he was invited by the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival to represent the island of Fogo during the 2 week long cultural exposition dedicated to the islands of Cape Verde.

Enjoy the tune!

FREE SONG:'Nha Castigo'

Get more music from Agusto Cego here!!

 

Africa, Cape Verde, Tradimodern, World Pop,

Salif Keita - FREE Song: 'Wambav'!!

Today's FREE Song is by one of the most famous international artists, when entering the genre of 'afrobeat'!

FREE SONG:'Wambav'

Salif Keita's voice is one other mortals can only aspire to. A searing tenor that somehow sounds gritty and glorious all at once, it's a complicated instrument that transcends language barriers, and with its subtle shadings offers solace and succor, joy and even redemption. It's not for nothing that Keita is known as the golden voice of Mali.

Given Salif Keita's incredible talent, it was inevitable that one day music would take him back to his homeland, despite the hardships he once faced there. Recently, that inevitability came to pass. With a 35-year career behind him, Keita returned home to record his latest release, M'Bemba, in Bamako in the studio he had built by the River Niger. As an albino, Keita once was disowned by his own father; as a musician, he was rejected by the aristocracy of his own caste; and as a man with ambition, he had no choice but to leave a country that offered no professional perspectives. Keita's career has led him on a wandering path, through Abidjan, New York and Paris. But his strength, talent and clairvoyance enabled him to find fame and fortune on that path, allowing for his symbolic and triumphant return to Mali.

Enjoy today's free song!!

FREE SONG:'Wambav'

Get more music from Salif Keita here!!

 

Mali, Africa, Malian Pop, Afrobeat,

Busi Mhlongo - FREE Song: 'Yehlisan'umoya Soul II Black Remix 2'!!

Originally from Inanda in Natal, South Africa, Busi Mhlongo is a virtuoso singer, dancer and composer whose music defies categorization. Today's FREE Song is  drawing on various South African styles such as mbaqanga, maskanda, marabi and traditional Zulu, fused with contemporary elements from jazz, funk, rock, gospel, rap, opera, reggae and West African music she produces a fresh and exciting sound. Busi's infectious music and singing style have a universal appeal and her lyrics carry powerful and poignant messages.

FREE SONG:'Yehlisan'umoya Soul II Black Remix 2'

Busi first visited London in the 1970’s and recorded with South African exiles Dudu Pukwana, Julian Bahula and Lucky Ranku as well as Osibisa. Later she played lead in a Canadian stage production of ‘Reefer Gladness’. She spent the 1980’s between Holland and South Africa with her newly formed Twasa band and she played with Winston Mankunku Ngozi to packed houses at the Blue Note in Durban. Backed by Gambian group Ifang Bondi, she was the highlight of the African Roots Festival in Amsterdam and was billed alongside Salif Keita and Manu Dibango at the African Music Festival in Delft in 1989. In 1993, Busi made her first solo album, ‘Babemu’, with Dutch label Munich, before returning to Durban to run workshops in Zulu singing and dancing.

Busi's music is a beautiful Zulu/English hybrid which flows between and through a distinctive Maskanda flavour and a hip, upbeat pop. Together with her rich and textured voice her music is a beautiful and triumphant expression of something that is both pan-African and Western. The word is 'delicious', you guys. Check it out!!

FREE SONG:'Yehlisan'umoya Soul II Black Remix 2'

Get more music from Busi Mhlongo here!!

Africa, South Africa, mbaqanga, Traditional,

Super Mama Djombo - FREE Song: 'Dissan na m'bera'!!

Today's FREE song comes from one of the great West African electric roots bands of the 70's and early 80's. With five interlocking electric guitars and several-part vocal harmonies, this fifteen-person orchestra blazes through fresh interpretations of traditional rhythms.

FREE SONG:'Dissan na m'bera'

Before a nation can become real, it must first be imagined. It seems appropriate that Super Mama Djombo, the band that became a primary expression of Guinea-Bissau's identity after independence (1974), was born in the fertile imagination of children. Four young friends (the youngest was only six) came together to play at boy scout camp, and got their first taste of success. Soon they were playing weddings and parties around Bissau. This young band was serious, and voted out any members who they thought weren't keeping pace with the group as they became more skilled.

Though the group was too young and politically unaware to know it at the time, they were growing up amidst revolution. The revolutionary Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (P.A.I.G.C.) had been engaged in rural mobilization and clandestine urban agitation since 1959. Hidden under the dense forest canopy in the south of the country, guerillas and villagers struggled to set up a revolutionary society. Mama Djombo was the name of the spirit most appealed to for the protection of these independence fighters.

Super Mama Djombo helped re-invent Kriol, the synthesis of Portuguese and African languages spoken in the cities, that the revolution had transformed into a common language of national unity. - The music is AMAZING and the roots are true roots people! Feel them out!!

FREE SONG:'Dissan na m'bera'

Get more music from Super Mama Djombo here!!

Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Afrobeat, Roots,

Los Bunkers - FREE Song: 'Llueve sobre la ciudad'!!

Los Bunkers are a rock band from Chile, who remind listeners of such groups as The Kinks, Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, and Oasis. The band breaks boundaries and helps to redefine  so called Latin music. Check out today's FREE song:

FREE SONG:'Llueve sobre la ciudad'

Chilean rock quintet Los Bunkers has a jangly, garage-rock vibe that does three exceptional things, all at the same time: It harks back to the past, it invites comparisons to current contemporaries, and it glimmers all on its own. The group, composed of two sets of brothers and a stray friend, has released three international albums since 2001 and toured with Oasis. Vida de Perros is its debut stateside effort, and it has drawn justified comparisons to Franz Ferdinand and the Strokes via that same rock-couture sound. Los Bunkers even seem to channel that Brit-pop Beatles charm during "Nada Mas de Mi" and "Llueve Sobre La Ciudad," but this isn't a mere copycat outfit. The sounds are fresh, focused and modern, anchored by driving guitars and sexy lyrics. Bask in the maddeningly catchy rays of "Te Vistes y Te Vas" and "Ven Aqui." A dog's life never sounded so good.

FREE SONG:'Llueve sobre la ciudad'

Get more music from Los Bunkers here!!

South America, Chile, Rock/Pop, Latin Alternative,

Antibalas - FREE Song: 'El Machete'!!

Antibalas--Spanish for "bullet-proof"--is a 15-piece afrobeat band out of New York. Their music captures the sound and spirit of the genre's founder and preeminent composer, the late Fela Kuti of Nigeria. Call it mimicry if you like, but it's no mean feat to summon the bluster, energy and drive of Fela's incomparable band, and these guys nail it, composing within the quirky conventions. Check out today's FREE song:

FREE SONG:'El Machete'

Their first release, 'Afrobeat', leaves lots of room for jazzy free blowing, as in Martin C-Perna's growling baritone sax break on "Dirt and Blood," and Jordon McLean's rowdy but lyrical trumpet work on "Uprising" and "N.E.S.T.A. (Never Ever Submit to Authority)." As these titles suggest, Fela's famed politics of resistance are here too, but rarely expressed as Fela-esque, half-spoken diatribes. Just two of these eight tracks have vocals at all, and one, the sly, funky opener "Si, Se Puede," is in Spanish. Any attempt to equal Fela's personal presence is likely to fall flat. But in all the great afrobeat recordings, the band and the arrangements are what count. Antibalas has that part down: fat, wall-of-brass horn passages, grounded by that ever-present baritone, and layered, polyrhythmic grooves that raise 70's funk to a spiritual plane. The drums are busier than Fela's, and the guitarist knows how to rock out. Otherwise, this could be Lagos, circa 1980. -- Afropop Editor Banning Eyre. Enjoy!!

FREE SONG:'El Machete'

Get more music from Antibalas here!!

Puerto Rico, Nigeria, Afrobeat, Funk,

Madioko - FREE Song: 'Jiwee - Madioko ft. Nahawa Doumbia (Bamako)'!!

World fusion here we go! - Today's FREE song is by Madioko:

FREE SONG:'Jiwee'

After touring the world and producing 4 albums with Malka Family and Taudi Symphony, Isaac (trombone) and Dany'o (bass) set up Madioko. At the same time they announced the birth of "Madioko Mobile"(their mobile studio) from where they visited artists and released various productions.

Madioko group members Dany'O and Isaac-Son incorporate a myriad different acoustic instruments into each of the colorful musical creations. In addition to Dany'O and Isaac-Son, other musicians also play on various songs, which makes their work interesting and always evolving into new directions. Every song features different musicians and different instruments. Singing in their own language makes a difference they say. Being able to express exactly the essence of some deeper meaning, while play with funny words is what they aim to master.

An otherworldly sound and numerous singers from Columbia, Brazil, Belize, Central Africa, Mali and Zaire is what makes up for today's free song. Check it out you guys!

FREE SONG:'Jiwee'

Get more music from Madioko here!!

Europa, France, Electronica, World Fusion,

Saucetone - FREE Song: 'Sunset'!!

Today's FREE song is by Saucetone, and it is a unique fusion of African and Hawaiian slide guitar. Refreshing and honest music you guys!

FREE SONG:'Sunset'

Richard Bruyns, the man behind Saucetone, says that "Besides the violin and the saxophone, the lap steel guitar probably has the closest sound to the human voice," when explaining his predilection for an instrument originally invented in Hawaii at the cusp of the 20th Century before  finding it’s way into blues, country, rock, pop, African and Indian music.

One of only a handful of lap steel players working in South Africa, Bruyns’ guitar journey began back in high school when he discovered the blues by pure chance. Testing out several instruments on his personal musical journey, he is today handling this instrument as one of the greatest worldwide. Bruyns uses a Gibson Epiphone Acoustic with an action raised specifically for lap slide and a Goldtone lap steel guitar with a Sunrise acoustic pick up and an LR Baggs DI Box plugged into a Fender Champion Amp.

Discover the mixtures and the fine line between Hawaii and South Africa!

FREE SONG:'Sunset'

Get more music from Saucetone here!!

 

South Africa, Hawaiian Guitar Music, jazz, South African Pop,

Sultana - FREE Song: 'Kusu Kalkmaz'!!

Born and raised in Turkey where she is the leading hiphop artist, Sultana brings a new flavor and dimension to music by lacing hiphop beats with ethnic influences and a hypnotizing sound.

FREE SONG:'Kusu Kalkmaz'

Sometimes humorous, sometimes political, passionate and sensitive, Sultana holds her mirror to social issues, women's issues and her life as a young artist living both in Turkey and the US. Musical influences vary from old and new school hiphop to a wide variety of both Eastern and Western music. With her debut album Cerkez Kizi,  Sultana became an overnight success when her video clip for "Kusu Kalkmaz" was censored because of its controversial content. Ever since, she continues to gain popularity throughout Europe, and the world is happy to hear her, even though they can't see her!

FREE SONG:'Kusu Kalkmaz'

Watch the Video: 'Kusu Kalkmaz'

Get more music from Sultana here!!

Middle East, Turkey, Hip Hop, Tradimodern,

Rachel Magoola - FREE Song: 'Ekizino'!!

Today's FREE Song is by UK based, Rachael Magoola,  a well educated music talent from Uganda:

FREE SONG:'Ekizino'

From 1989 to Jan 2001 she, worked as a music teacher in Kaliro Primary Teacher's College. While at Kaliro she was the patroness of the Music Club, and she formulated the syllabi and schedules for the college. The College choir under her patronage on several occasions represented the Busoga region at the National Primary Teachers College Music Festivals. AND she also arranged many other musical activities both intra and inter college

With in the same period, Rachel worked as a co lead singer for 'Afrigo Band'. With the Band, she worked professionally and produced smash hits that rocked the charts nation-wide. Two of her best-known hits are obagaina and inhaife. Obaingaina was the the nunber one song on Capital Radio's coca cola hot seven daily countdown for thirty consecutive days which was a record for Ugandan FM stations. It was also voted Song of the Millennium on the millennium countdown. The video tape 'inhaife' has been extensively played on UTV WBS CTV and other TV stations.

A great musician you guys, check out today's free song:

FREE SONG:'Ekizino'

Get more music from Rachel Magoola here!!

Africa, Uganda, Tradimodern, Afrobeat,

World Psychedelic Classics - FREE Song: 'Zinabu'!!

Delve into West Africa's decade-delayed funky polyrhythmic take on psychedelia. From the Gold Coast to Cameroon, traversing the territory of Jimi Hendrix and James Brown. Today's FREE Song is an African assimilation of the psychedelic revolution - distorted, political, hallucinogenic, and, of course, danceable.

FREE SONG:'Zinabu'

Rock's Summer of Love dispersed utopian thoughts, wah-wah pedals and fuzzboxes around the world to places including West Africa. There, in the late 1960's and early 1970's, bands added them to already simmering local concoctions of tradition and funk. "World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love's a Real Thing - The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa" (Luaka Bop) collects a dozen sterling examples: Gambian garage-rock, modal Malian funk, a Guinean-Cuban guajira with a wah-wah lead and a proto-electro protest song by William Onyeabor from Nigeria. The equipment now sounds charmingly vintage, but the rhythms still jump.

Enjoy the vibe!

FREE SONG:'Zinabu'

Get more music from World Psychedelic Classics here!!

Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Afrobeat,

Omar Sosa - FREE Song: 'Nuevo Manto'!!

Omar Sosa (Omar Sosa Palacios) is one of the most versatile jazz artists on the scene today: composer, arranger, producer, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Today's FREE Song is a fusion of world music and electronic elements with native Afro-Cuban roots, resulting in a fresh and original urban sound:

FREE SONG:'Nuevo Manto'

With a Latin jazz heart, Mr. Sosa invariably inspires audiences to their feet and to join him in chorus vocals, heightening the sense of spontaneity and connection. Mr. Sosa's music is a unique style of Afro-Cuban jazz, and while it is rooted in the folkloric traditions of the African Diaspora, he always takes an exploratory approach – never one to let orthodoxy stand in the way of his pursuit of freedom. Sosa offers a joyful mix of jazz and Afro-Caribbean rhythms, combining percussive forays inside the piano and a series of electronic effects with his inspired, passionate playing at the keyboard. His tempos are fluid, and his moods change freely. Sosa revels in the irresistible clave grooves of Latin jazz, while adding experimental touches to keep his listeners on their toes.

Enjoy today's free song you guys, you can't go wrong!

FREE SONG:'Nuevo Manto'

Get more music from Omar Sosa here!!

Cuba, Jazz, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Jazz,

Big Youth - FREE Song: 'Pretty Things'!!

Today's FREE song is presented by Manley Augustus Buchanan, born in  Trenchtown, Kingston, Jamaica. He is better known as Big Youth (sometimes called Jah Youth), he is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his work during the 1970s.

FREE SONG:'Pretty Things'

Influenced by U-Roy, he started toasting on Lord Tippertone's sound system in 1970. His early singles for Lee Perry ("Mooving Version") and Phil Pratt ("Tell It Black") were artistically and commercially unsuccessful. The first LP to feature his vocals, Chi Chi Run was produced by Prince Buster in 1971. By then he had begun working with Augustus "Gussie" Clarke, a teenage producer whose rhythms and singers were more in tune with the vibes on the streets of Kingston, and "The Killer" (on a version of Horace Andy's "Skylarking" rhythm) became his first major Jamaican hit.
In the 70s he begun releasing his own self-produced recordings on the Negusa Nagast label in Jamaica, sometimes buying rhythms from producers for whom he had worked, but latterly using his own musicians. Many of his finest singles, such as "Hot Stock", and "Battle of the Giants" (with U-Roy) were released on this imprint.

By the early 1980s, events had combined to make reggae much less successful than it had been five years earlier - the rising tide of violence had driven many musicians and producers to leave Jamaica for the UK and USA, reggae had not broken through to widespread commercial success, and, in the wake of Bob Marley's death a lot of major labels either dropped their Jamaican artists or spent little on promoting them, and the music returned to its insular roots. Today the world is totally in love with the Jamaican sound, and older music is renewed in its best form. Check it out!!

FREE SONG:'Pretty Things'

Get more music from Big Youth here!!

 

Northern America, Jamaica, Reggae,

Femmouzes T - FREE Song: 'Papagaio do futuro'!!

Today's FREE song is by Femmouzes T:

FREE SONG:'Papagaio do Futoro'

The Faboulous troubador Claude Sicre invited Osmar Macedo, a brazillian musician to the Toulouse Carnival in 1986. He came with his trio electrico and his daughter Rita. Rita felt in love with the 'pink city' and came back a few year after to settle down to study classical piano. At that time she met Francoise Chapuis and from an idea by Claude Sicre they take the name of Femmouzes T.

Since 1992, they have created an original repertoire and worked with various artist as the Lubat companies in Uzeste. International by nature, they have been touring in the whole Europe and Africa and Canada among other shorter visits.
In 2004 they participate at the Repentistas festival of Fortazela (Brazil) and Funk women festival in various island in the Oceania.

Creative and happy, their identity is unique!

FREE SONG:'Papagaio do Futoro'

Get more music from Femmouzes T. here!!

South America, Brazil, France, World Fusion,

Watcha Clan - FREE Song: 'L'ivresse des profondeurs'!!

When a Mediterranean tribe flirts with the London dancefloor, this is what you get:

FREE SONG:'L'ivresse des profondeurs'

From the balkan mountains to mediterranean shores, oral traditions from Maghreb to the London dance scene, Watcha Clan propose a musical and spiritual journey both political and mystical where each member of the group, from different musical backgrounds, brings their skills and their secrets.
Gypsy sorcerer, elephant surfer from the mountains... the musicians of this strange cooperative of sound invites you on a voyage of multiple layers.
The sound of the entire world intertwining with samplers, or ancient languages, in the image of Hebrew and Arabic, answering to rap styles to be reborn in an energetic style, mixing traditional and cultures to modern expression of electro hip hop.

The French - Algerian group has been around. After the first tastes of auto production (20 000 albums sold in 5 years) several travels to Algeria, La Reunion, India, Cuba... and around 400 concerts (Spain, Germany, Hungria) the Clan poses itself where with willingness to fight equally, as the group a real bastion of independence, assumes always it’s route and it’s development.

FREE SONG:'L'ivresse des profondeurs'

Get more music from Watcha Clan here!!

France, Algeria, Electronica, World Pop,

46bliss - FREE Song: 'Desire Give Away' !!

Ask the members of 46bliss about their name and they’ll tell you something about, "an obscure New York City subway stop." - You wanna know why? Check out today's FREE song:

FREE SONG:'Desire Give Away'

The power of this band’s alchemical pop sound lies in their ability to take you from sublime to edgy, from dark mystical to danceable, with ease. Using computer technology, "found sound" and ancient bliss-inducing techniques to create velvety smooth, catchy, confident songs, 46bliss transcends standard pop expectations.

The sound profile of electronic pop trio 46bliss is best understood as an entrancing potion that opens you up, enhances your senses and releases you into the world with fresh eyes. Their music has been compared to everyone from Air to Zero7. Not content to merely produce soothing, low-impact electronica, the creative minds behind 46bliss (whose name was inspired by an obscure NYC subway stop) simultaneously address the themes of modern life while transporting you far away from them. Drawing upon a rich folkloric tradition and influenced by a myriad of performers from The Moody Blues and Patti Smith to Aphex Twin, their songs are sonically progressive but rooted in a phantasmagorical sense of the poetic. The voluptuous alto voice of Clare Veniot gives way to a satiny upper register that feels timeless in its simplicity, providing a perfect balance to the technological mastery of vocalist, programmer and keyboardist David Cooper and electronic drummer Jack Freudenheim, creator of ambient music software Sounder.

FREE SONG:'Desire Give Away'

Get more music from 46bliss here!!

North America, US, Electronica, World Pop,

Shantel - FREE Song: 'Koupes - I'll Smash Glasses'!!

As the dance music scene continues to contract many DJs are moving into the world music arena, looking for fresh sounds to take to the dancefloor. DJ Shantel - Germany's Stefan Hantel - is one such example.

FREE SONG:'Koupes - I'll Smash Glasses'

Shantel cut his DJing teeth in Germany's techno scene but, noting how Gypsy brass orchestras Fanfare Ciocarlia and Boban Markovic could turn an audience into a wild, heaving mass, he believed that with a little electronic tweaking he could blend Balkan Gypsy tunes into his DJ set.

Calling his Frankfurt DJ nights Bucovina Club, he attracted an audience well up for raving to heaving tubas and scalding trumpets. Some of the tunes were so naturally funky Shantel didn't need to add anything. Others he remixed, adding electronic beats and layering the horns on top.Word got around about his Bucovina Club nights and the remix album of the same name Shantel issued on his Essay label.

It’s impossible to ignore the soaring resurgence of Balkan music. Only a dwindling few could turn their backs on a movement which has persuaded European DJs - a breed famed for their unshakable faith in the synthesiser and the mullet - to swap their techno vinyls for fresh, gypsy-influenced flavours.
Germany’s DJ Shantel is perhaps the most well-known of the Balkan converts. In interviews, Shantel, a former fixture of Germany’s techno scene, details his musical change of heart with a candidness normally reserved for support group meetings.

Merging the anarchic energy of gypsy music with the reliable pulse of techno, Shantel’s Bucovina Club project was a notable success, storming Europe’s dancefloors and scooping the ‘Club Global’ award at last year’s BBC Awards For World Music. Have fun!!

FREE SONG:'Koupes - I'll Smash Glasses'

Get more music from Shantel here!!

Europe, Belgium, Aboriginal Traditional, world Fusion,

Abou Chihabi - FREE Song: 'Lewo Lewo!'!!

Abou Chihabi was born in the 50's into a modest family from Grande Comore, the largest of the islands in the Comoros (in full Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros), an archelago situated at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel and the Southern African mainland. Today's FREE song carries history, check it out:

FREE SONG:'Lewo Lewo!'

In 1968, he started singing in a group called 'The Dragons", and inn 1976 Abou Chihabi was catapulted to fame in the Comoros : the 'revolutianary' governement of that time organized a competition to find a new national anthem and his composition was chosen.

A coup by a group of European mercenaries in 1978 brought his rapily expanding career to a sudden end, and he was forced to flee the country, leaving behind all his material. He went to kenya and continued working there.
He gave performances all over East Africa, before arriving in France with his wife in 1980.
After experiencing the difficult life of an emigrant, he was awarded a prize in a major competition ('Découvertes 1981', Prix des Auditeurs) - it was the first time a comorian singer had carried off an international prize

His source of inspiration is his native land, the comors, which is insular and which no distance will ever make him forget. Enjoy today's free song!

FREE SONG:'Lewo Lewo!'

Get more music from Abou Chihabi here!!

Africa, Madagascar, Tradimodern,

Arte Mixto - FREE Song: 'Yemaya'!!

Arte Mixto is like a thick-rooted tropical tree bearing delicate fruit. Nourished with countless hours of rehersal, great efforts, bitter-sweet moments, illusions and realities. Ready to taste it?

FREE SONG:'Yemaya'

Arte Mixto formed eight years ago, under the direction of talented violinist Alexis Correa, in the city of Cienfuegos Las Villas, Cuba. A group of musicians, freshly graduated form the National School of Arts, got together and decided to form their own group. But not any kind of group, they had a vision, a dream. They imaged a special kind of sound, they wanted to play the well known traditional Cuban music, the sones, guaguancos, the rumbas and the guarachas and add to them elements of classical music, jazz, flamenco, salsa and even samba. A mixture new and exciting that would lead them to their name, Arte Mixto.

With their totally acoustic sound comprised of two guitars, a bass a violin and the whole assemblage of percussion instruments so native to their country (bongos and bata drums), Arte Mixto hit the road and became an instant favorite with the locals. Today they are touring around the globe and Arte Mixto is like most Cuban music in its promise to be contagiously and undeniably danceable. Enjoy!

FREE SONG:'Yemaya'

Get more music from Arte Mixto here!!

Cuba, Salsa, Jazz, Samba

Doc Leo Muntu - FREE Song: 'Osani Sokoneza '!!

Leo Bweupe aka Doc Muntu, Leo Muntu the handsome savage. Creativity is not just being able to do what everyone expects you to do but doing beyond  their expectations.After the industrial break of black muntu,there has been alot of anticipations as to whether either of them was going to come up with something, but hey, guess whos back? Its the big boy himself, hes back on the scene to set the record straight. Check out today's FREE song:

FREE SONG:'Osani Sokoneza'

After independence in 1964, the most important source of popular music was the Zambia Broadcasting Service and affiliated bands like Lusaka Radio Band. Zambian radio was dominated by Congolese rumba. Record companies soon formed, first Peter Msungilo's DB Studios in Lusaka, and then Teal Record Company (a subsidiary of Gallo Records). The city of Ndola, already known for musical innovation, was the next home for Zambian recording studios. The industry was struggling, but upwards and in the right direction. However, in the 1990s, economic problems caused the collapse of the Zambian music industry. Unfettered by rules promoting Zambian music, the airwaves were covered with imported ragga and reggae from Jamaica and hip hop and R&B from the United States. Inspiration from abroad, Zambian artists today are keen on finding their own recipe, and new and innovative tunes are popping up.
Enjoy Doc Leo Muntu's creation:

FREE SONG:'Osani Sokoneza'

Get more music from Doc Leo Muntu here!!

Africa, Zambia, Hip Hop, R&B,

Mahmoud Fadl - FREE Song: 'Kan Orbak'!!

Once again Mahmoud Fadl presents new tunes through Piranha! Check out today's FREE song:

FREE SONG:'Kan Orbak'

The rhythms of Oriental Dance have always been at the centre of master percussionist Mahmoud Fadl’s many musical activities. As a young man he accompanied the great Mona al Said and has ever since played and arranged for many distinguished dancers and conducted workshops and seminars. Piranha Records asked Mahmoud to compile a collection from his prodigious output of albums, with lovers of Oriental Dance in mind. The result is a journey through different styles, from the purely percussive to the ornately orchestral, from the dusty street corner to the plush night club, always coloured by Mahmoud’s innate innovative sense.

As a child, drummer Mahmoud Fadl was forced to leave his homeland of Nubia, located in what is now known as southern Egypt and northern Sudan. This region has one of the most unforgiving climates in the world. That was the year that Nubian life was sold upstream for hydroelectric power, the year when authorities drowned old Nubia and countless Nubian monuments and ancient historical sites in Lake Nasser, the largest artificial lake in the world. Fadl and 100,000 of his fellow Nubians were promised the world in exchange for their land, but only one promise was ever kept: the new village had the same name as the old.

From an artist with a true story to tell, his music represent an honest soul and a true rhythm. Enjoy today's free song:

FREE SONG:'Kan Orbak'

Get more music from Mahmoud Fadl here!

Africa, Egypt, Sudan, World Jazz,Traditional,

Leeroy - FREE Song: 'Gigi'!!

Immersed in the Bollywood musical repertoire, Leeroy shows up an explosive and spicy album, mixing Bollywood sounds and Hip hop beats. Today's FREE song is definitely spicy:

FREE SONG:'Gigi'

Leeroy began his career in the 90's, freestyling on Radio Nova, a top French cutting-edge music radio station. After a few featurings on the albums of  big French hip hop stars (Arsenik,  Doc Genyco's..), in 1997, he launched the Saian Supa Crew. Their first album "KLR", mixing reggae, ragga, r&b, soul and zouk elements reached the top 10 in France, and with their outstanding performers, they've been touring in many festivals in France,  England, Canada, Germany among others.

Their second album, "X raisons" received  the French  " Victoire de la Musique Hip Hop" prize in 2001 and was released international with a remarkable success in the worldwide hip hop community. They performed and recorded with quite a few stars such as Wu Tang Clan, Kimany Marley, Alpha Blondy, Asian Dub Foundation, Roots Manuva, etc …

This is a must for some of us hip hop lovers! Enjoy!

FREE SONG:'Gigi'

Get more music from Leeroy here!

France, Hip Hop, Bollywood,

Hijas Del Sol - FREE Song: 'La Despedida'!!

The fall is moving towards the winter and a bit of 'heat' is needed! Today's FREE song is by Hijas del Sol "The Daughters of the Sun":

FREE SONG:'La Despedida'

They first performed together in 1992 for a competition in el Centro Cultural Hispano Guineano, where they won prizes for best original song and best choreography. That year they also performed for the first time in Spain at both the Expo de Sevilla and in the Festival de la OTI. In December of 1995, they presented their first recording - Sibèba. This recording was composed as much of traditional music as of new songs that speak of the problems of the life, sung in their native tongue, Bubi. The CD also included a theme relating the anxieties of the emigrants to Madrid. This song was utilized in the soundtrack of the movie "Taxi", by Carlos Saura.

The understanding among the two singers Piruchi Apo Botupa, her niece Paloma Loribo Apo, and the musical producer Alberto Gambino, is very solid, which reflects itself in the final result where, in spite of the evident variety of styles, arrangements and tongues, not a single crack is seen. A funky mixture of jazz, afropop and happy Latin tunes is what you are about to hear.

FREE SONG:'La Despedida'

Get more music from Hijas del Sol here!!

Equatorial Guinea, Jazz, afropop, Traditional,

Dj Raul Campos - FREE Song: 'Don't Let Go' w/Pacha Massive!!

Today's FREE song is by DJ Raul Campos, which is the host of the influential 'Nocturna' show on KCRW, as well as a leading tastemaker DJ who has spun at such sold-out venues as LA's Hollywood Bowl and NYC's Central Park Summerstage.

FREE SONG: 'Don't Let Go'

It’s only fitting that the first Latin alternative/electronic mixtape of this kind comes from Campos, who along with KCRW music director Nic Harcourt has been continually recognized for introducing Latin Alternative artists to a wider audience and supporting bands like Café Tacuba, Ozomatli and Julieta Venegas throughout their careers.

When he is not busy hosting his week-nightly show “Nocturna” on KCRW, native angeleno Raul Campos continues to make a name for himself as a leading tastemaker DJ, and has recently rocked the decks to sold-out venues like LA’s Hollywood Bowl and NYC’s Central Park Summerstage hosting the 8th annual LAMC (Latin Alternative Music Conference) for the second year in a row.

FREE SONG: 'Don't Let Go'

Get more music from Dj Raul Campos here!!

 

Latin Alternative, North America, Hip Hop, World Fusion,

Mapito - FREE Song: 'Popo' !!

Mapito is an Tanzanian Mix Tape Remix Project, and today's FREE song is taking us right there!

FREE SONG:'Popo'

Some years back, Ralph Godden aka the Funkdisaster, made a visit to Grandmaster Records of Arusha to arrange a remix collaboration between GM Records' artists and various musicians and producers from around the UK.

This was followed by Godden making a second visit to Tanzania, armed with a Laptop and a few mics. With help from Music Crossroads and a few fortunate encounters during Music Maydays B-Connected festival, a host of live underground MC's were recorded.

Another six months of production brought all of this together in the album that is Mapito - a unique combination of Bongo and UK Flava. - And as we know, Hip Hop knows no borders.

Released by Bab Kubwa media and distributed by Nomadic Wax, all the profits made from the sale of Maptio will be donated to the World Swim for Malaria Foundation. So don't be shy, check it out!

FREE SONG:'Popo'

Get more music from Mapito here!!

Africa, Tanzania, Hip Hop, Digital Exclusive,

K-Melia - FREE Song: 'Intchi'!!

K-Melia, from the Congo, are a ground breaking hip hop group. Appearing at the 2005 UN Habitat Global Hip Hop Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa and nominated for a Kora Award in 2005, they look to build on their continued success. Enjoy today's FREE song:

FREE SONG:'Intchi'

K-Melia begun his innovative ways by creating his own style, the PRK (Rap Purely Kinois), a style which makes a symbiosis of exotic Hip Hop and typical Congolese rumba, commonly called the "Ndombolo". The PRK is created as a blending of two cultures; The West and Africa (DRC).

K-Melia consists of 8 musicians, which seem to take on thousands of fans committed to their Congolese tunes. First of all because after a very extensive experience in their respective areas of PRK, it never ceased to please his nombreuxfanatiques of the Democratic Republic of Congo and those around the world. However, they  are still at it and  little by little the  world is ready for their unique 'touch'.

Enjoy today's FREE song:

FREE SONG:'Intchi'

Get more music by K-Melia here!!

Congo, Zaire, Hip Hop

Pistolera - FREE Song: 'Ladron'!!

Today's FREE song is by Pistolera, a NYC-based band that plays an original brand of latin pop-folklorico!!

FREE SONG: 'Landron'

Drawing from traditional styles of Mexican music the electrifying  quartet features the Spanish lyric songs of vocalist and guitarist Sandra Lilia Velásquez,  the driving accordion melodies of Maria Elena, and the unbeatable rhythm section of bassist Inca B. Satz and drummer Ani Cordero.

The band played it's first show in early 2005 and was immediately well received by English and Spanish speaking audiences and was invited to perform at some of New York's finest venues as well as several cultural festivals. After only four months of being a band they recorded their first demo which became an underground success. Their debut album "Siempre Hay Salida" was recorded and produced by grammy-winning producer Charlie Dos Santos and has guest appearances by members of Si*Se, Grupo Fantasma, Antibalas, and Slavic Soul Party.

FREE SONG: 'Landron'

Get more music from Pistolera here!!

 

North America, Mexico, Latin Alternative, Folk,

Ismael Lo - FREE Song: 'Diawar'!!

Ismael Lo, from Senegal, is giving us some good Senegalese pop. He is providing a nice, soft vocal texture that lays over the top of a melodic instrumental.

FREE SONG:'Diawar'

Among 18 brothers and sisters, Ismael was the only one of the kids that became a musician. He was inspired at a very young age by several american influences, such as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Etta James. He learned their songs by listening to the radio, and at the same time practicing on his homemade one-string guitar!  Over the year he got better and better, and his brother, which owned a club, helped him find the contacts he needed.

In 1979, a singer/songwriter invited him to play in a band, called Super Diamono D a super group, that played mbalax-blues. Lo, with his talent for guitar playing and song writing, quickly established himself as a key figure in the band and soon became the second lead singer, backup singer and rhythm guitarist.

Among his many talents besides singing, painting, writing and acting, Ismael Lo participates in creating an acute awareness of the HIV virus and the havoc it causes in Africa. He produced and acted in a mini-movie regarding the issue, and to date he remains actively involved in sensitising and informing Africa on the epidemic.

A soulful man with many talents! Today's free song is from an album with tight horn arrangements, and the combination of horns and guitar lines makes for a nice, danceable groove!

FREE SONG:'Diawar'

Get more music from Ismael Lo here!!

Afro Reggae Party - FREE Song: 'Egaux w/Asney'!!

From Burkina Faso, Cameroon, The vory Coast, Mali,  and Senegal in Africa, and from France in Europe, African Francophone reggae consists of a brilliant mix of artists and beats.

FREE SONG: 'Egaux w/Asney '

African Francophone reggae & the Afro Reggae Party have been heating the reggae scene for several years. As we know, Reggae is based on a rhythm style characterized by regular chops on the off-beat, known as the skank, and the tempo is generally slower than that found in ska and rocksteady. However, these artists manage to stick to some of the older Jamaican reggae, while different features from African tunes are a big part of it. The unique way of African polyrhythm is the distinguishing coherence of the African rhythmic pattern, which blends in and make today's free song special

The artists include: Larry Cheick, Pable Master, Supa, Asney, Bill of Sam, Seyni, Rootsaba, Diaou Kouyate, Domou Jolof Crew, Francoise Ouedraogo, Hass Keita, Bush hammer Sarr and Peter Betchango.

FREE SONG: 'Egaux w/Asney '

Get more music from the Afro Reggae Party here!!

Africa, Jamaica, France, Reggae,

Afrikanze - FREE Song: 'Tamanha Dor' !!

Mozambique, a former Portuguese colony, and its native folk musics have been highly influenced by Portuguese forms. Today's FREE song is an excellent example of how music has been traveling.

FREE SONG: 'Song Name Here'

Culture was an integral part of the struggle for independence, which began in 1964. Leaders of the independence movement used cultural solidarity to gain support from the common people, while the Portuguese colonialists promoted their own culture. By the time independence came in 1975, Mozambican bands had abandoned their previous attempts at European-style music, and began forging new forms based out of local folk styles and the new African popular music coming from Zaire, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa.

Over the last couple of years Mozambique's music scene has grown both in quality and quantity. From traditional festival to bigger international raves have popped out of nowhere, and a lot of new, fresh and interesting events have evolved.

Afrikanze consists of two youngsters, which have really put their hearts and souls and lots of hard work into this first production. Check them out, you guys!

FREE SONG: 'Tamanha Dor'

Get more music from Afrikanze here!!

Africa, Mozambique, Zouk,

Marsada - Free Song: 'Gondang Mula Mula'!!

Marsada, a dynamic group of young musicians from Sumatra, Indonesia. Part of the Toba-Batak indigenous group, their native home and source of inspiration for their music is the beautiful tropical island of Samosir in Lake Toba, the largest volcanic lake in the world!!

FREE SONG:'Gondang Mula Mula'

Marsada means ‘together’ in Batak, an apt name for a group who have known each other and performed together for most of their lives. It is a lively 7-piece Batak group who perform their own arrangements of both traditional ceremonial music (uning-uningan) and more recent Batak folk using a mix of traditional instruments, acoustic guitars and close harmony vocals. Infectious rhythms and sensuous melodies.

Keen to sustain their musical traditions, as well as draw on their modern day influences, Marsada have developed their own arrangements of both the Batak ceremonial music (uning-uningan) and Batak folksongs. Using traditional instruments alongside modern acoustic guitars, Marsada broaden their musical accessibility by weaving together traditional rhythms with those that have evolved from contact with Europe and the west. Traditional instruments used by Marsada include the the hasapi (2-stringed plucked lute); sulim (bamboo flute), garantung (wooden xylophone), taganing (set of 5 wooden drums of varying pitch) and the hesek (common bottle struck with beater).

Engaged in charity work, Children of Sumatra is a charity supported by Marsada, which was set up to correct cleft lip and palate in children living in Sumatra. However, after the tsunami it widened its focus to include disaster relief. It's work which has been witnessed first hand by members of the group and their manager, is making a huge difference to the lives of many people in northern Sumatra, especially the areas of Aceh, Medan and Lake Toba.

FREE SONG:'Gondang Mula Mula'

Get more music from Marsada here!!

 Asia, Indonesia, Tradimodern,

Didier Ontchanga - FREE Song: 'Tonda'!!

Didier Ontchanga is from Glass, a district of Libreville, located in the southern areas of Congo. Today he lives in France in his 'musical ways' are still evolving;

FREE SONG:'Tonda'

From an early age his passion for music was 'fed' by his family and friends. His parents were the creaters of
the Mbillimax Orchestra, which was pretty famous in the 60s and the 70s in Liberville.

In the early 80s he moved to study in France and he has been performing around France for many years.

In 1997 he met Meiway (aka Monsieur Zoblazo or The Genius of Bassam), which rules dancefloors all the way across Africa. He is an influential artist for the African music in many ways, and together with Didier they have done several music projects and performances together. Mr Ontchanga has also played with different musicians, such as Bib Louison, Luc Moulanier, Cyriaque Bongonga, Dominique Voquer, François Ngwa among others...

Didier Ontchanga,- turn up the volume and do your boogie, folks!

FREE SONG:'Tonda'

Get more music by didier Ontchanga here!!

Africa, France, Congo,

Modeste - FREE Song: 'Hoaminao'!!

We are off to Betroka. Don't know where that is? - Get with the program, people! Betroka is in the central southern part of Madagascar, Modeste's hometown.

FREE SONG: 'Hoaminao'

In Madagascar the blend of cultural influences is evident in the music of the Malagasy people, which can be roughly divided into three categories: traditional, contemporary, and popular music.
Modeste's music is unique to the Betroka region of Madagascar where it's influenced by all the traditional sounds of the area. He also mix it together with some softer South African dance rhythms, which makes a euphoric moment stay alive!

A wide range of foreign music styles have been popularized in Madagascar, including French chanson, soft rock, gospel music, heavy metal, jazz and reggae, and foreign superstar musicians are commonly played on the radio. However, the most popular Malagasy artists currently performing in these styles include ballad songstress Poopy and hard rockers Green among many others.

At the age of 15, Modeste built his own guitar at his father's workshop. With  a fish string and badly shaped wood, he started his own practicing of the cords.With his education in electronic engineering, he has been able to work several places in Europe, and is now located in London where his music is evolving in tact with his personal path...

Traditional music in a contemporary world, here we go! - Modeste presents Beautiful melodies...

FREE SONG: 'Hoaminao'

Get more music from Modeste here!!

Madagascar, Africa, Malagasy Pop,

Mickey Hart - FREE song: 'Baba'!!

Global Drum Project, the first collaboration from Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart and Indian tabla legend Zakir Hussain since their Grammy - winning Planet Drum release.

FREE SONG:'Baba'

The musical partnership of Hart and Hussain, began with their groundbreaking 1070s world fusion experiment 'Diga Rhythm Band' - resumes, with a fresh collaboration of tranced-out-grooves, elegant electronic programming and hypnotic tuned percussion and again enlists the great partnership of Adepoju and Hidalgo. This time they are joined by Taufiq Qureshi on percussion and vocals, Niladari Kumar on sitar, Dilshad Khan on sarangi, and the late, great Olatunji in sampled vocals from the original sessions.

Elements from Hart's various world music recordings, including the Kaluli tribespeople of Papua New Guinea's rainforest, are woven with the live performances into a danceable, multi-textured celebration of rhythm.   

In the beginning was the noise... and that noise got us to the rhythm, and with the rhythm, everything else...

Don't miss out on today's free song by The Global Drum Project. There is no need to explain to you how talented these musicians are,- all I can say; they are back!

FREE SONG: 'Baba'

Get more music from Mickey Hart & The Global Drum Project here!!

US, India, Nigeria, Percussion,World Fusion,

Kofi Ayivor - FREE Song: 'Adzagli'!!

Kofi Ayivor grew up on the coast of Ghana. Trained to become a master drummer in his native Ewe tradition, Kofi took the rhythms he already knew from his village to the capital city of Ghana and from there to foreign lands.

FREE SONG:'Adzagli'

His career began as a player in the classic highlife music of the fifties and sixties with such bands as E.T. and Mensah's Tempos Band before going on to become a member of Afro-rock pioneers Osibisa. Today's free song, Adzagli /Jungle Funk, was taken from the EP Kofi recorded during 1979 at Eddy Grant’s Coach House Studios & Island Studios London, which was the first 24 track studio in Britain then and at the time was state of the art in recording technology.

The original track is an example of what Kofi himself jocularly referred to as "disco boogie", and I am sure that we all can relate to that expression somehow, right?

FREE SONG:'Adzagli'

Get more music from Kofi Ayivor here!!

Africa, Ghana, Digital Exclusive, World Fusion,Percussion,

eMotive - FREE Song: 'Raghupati Raghawa'!!

eMotive is a refreshing album. Or should we call it a concept?

FREE SONG: 'Raghupati Raghawa'

Musicians from the four Spanish musicians, Jorge Grundman, David Caballero, Eduardo Laguillo and Joaquin Taboada, utilize a wide variety of sounds and instrumentations when they together created this album. eMotive is a music project made specifically for saving lives. How? well...

Non Profit Music (NPM), a privately owned record label, was born with the vision of helping people through humanitarian programs using the music sales of new emerging artists in the New Age and Contemporary Instrumental genres. Based in Spain,  all of its profits are donated to humanitarian causes, primarily the international medical emergency relief organization Doctors Without Borders (Medicos sin Fronteras). -

Making Music - Saving Lives!!

A mixture of flamenco, classical, world fusion and pop, this album is worth checking out!

FREE SONG:'Raghupati Raghawa'

More music from eMotive here!!

Spain, World Fusion, Jazz, World Pop,

Juarez Moreira - FREE Song: 'Encapetado'!!

If you still have any doubts that Brazilian music is definitely reaching the far ends of this globe, check out today's FREE song, from Brazil, by Juarez Moreira.

FREE SONG: 'Encapetado'

Brazilian guitarist and composer Juarez Moreira's name is often mentioned along with the most respected in the field such as Hélio Delmiro, Paulo Bellinati and Toninho Horta, and quite a few top Brazilian musicians have recorded Juarez compositions.

Moreira is capable of touching everyone's heart with the rich melodies he plays, and in  1991, Juarez was chosen to perform at the Free Jazz Festival in Rio de Janeiro, the largest and most prestigious Jazz festival in Brazil. He continues a long-standing tradition of excellent Brazilian guitarists, and he does it with a style that is all his own. He has released 5 CDs in Brazil so far, and today's free song is from his new album Jua.

An amazing artist and composer, 'sin duda'! - Lean back and enjoy today's jazz...

FREE SONG: 'Encapetado'

Get more music by Juarez Moreira here!!

Brazil, Classical, Jazz, South America,

Eddy K - FREE Song: 'Aquí Están Los Cuatro'!!

Let's fly off and travel to Cuba today! Rap & Reggaeton - check out today's FREE song!!

FREE SONG: 'Aqui Estan Los Cuatro'

Eddy K Eddy-K (pronounced “Eddy-Kah”) is one of the most popular rap/reggaeton groups in Cuba right now. Today's free song; 'Aquí están los cuatro' has become number 3 in the "hit-parade" of the American magazine "Latinos Unidos". But if you are unfamiliar with this group, you probably ask yourself: what is special with their ztyle? Ready for some history, people?

Cuba has been influential in the development of multiple musical styles in the 19th and 20th centuries, if not even longer. The roots of most Cuban musical forms lie in the cabildos (Igbos, Araras, Bantu, Carabalies, Yorubas, and other civilizations/tribes), a form of social club among African slaves brought to the island.

Cabildos preserved African cultural traditions, even after the Emancipation in 1886 forced them to unite with the Roman Catholic church. At the same time, a religion called Santería was developing and had soon spread throughout Cuba, Haiti and other nearby islands. Santería, in particular, influenced Cuba's music, as percussion is an inherent part of the religion. Each orisha, or deity, is associated with colors, emotions, Roman Catholic saints and drum patterns called toques. By the 20th century, elements of Santería music had appeared in popular and folk forms.

Cuban music has its principal roots in Spain and West Africa, but over time has been influenced by diverse genres from different countries. Most important among these are France, the United States, and Jamaica. Reciprocally, Cuban music has been immensely influential in other countries, contributing not only to the development of jazz and salsa, but also to Argentinian tango, Ghanaian high-life, West African Afrobeat, and Spanish "nuevo flamenco".

Cuban music of high quality includes "classical" music, some with predominantly European influences, and much of it inspired by both Afro-Cuban and Spanish music. Several Cuban-born composers of "serious" music have recently received a much-deserved revival, and within Cuba, there are many popular musicians working in the rock and reggaeton idioms where one of them is Eddy K!!

FREE SONG:'Aqui Estan Los Cuatro'

Get more music from Eddy K here!!

Cuba, Hip Hop, Reggaeton,

Sidestepper - FREE Song: 'Mas Papaya'!!

Ready to loose it? "Perdido"?? Sidestepper is lesson number one on how to get lost in music!

FREE SONG: 'Mas Papaya'

Richard Blair was a rising producer in the U.K., working with Peter Gabriel's Real World sound factory and a host of international stars when he took a fateful detour to Bogota, Colombia, back in 1992. Thinking he'd spend a few months, Blair tarried in Colombia for three years, transformed the local music scene, and then returned to the U.K. under the nom-du-club Sidestepper and did the same to London's percolating drum 'n' bass scene.

Beat junkies already know that the Sidestepper story begins with the sui generis singles "Maine" and "Logozo", the mighty 12-inches that brought Latin fire to the dancehall, and In 1999, Sidestepper was transformed from a solo electronic project with a full band beginning to play live.

It goes without saying that you can't make Sidestepper's music without living it; you've gotta walk the walk and talk the talk. Richard Blair was no tourist. Living in Colombia's crowded, rainy capital, he learned the language, soaked up the nightlife and fell in with some of the country's most forward-thinking musicians. Blair produced and engineered pivotal albums by the pop vallenato superstar Carlos Vives and pioneering rockers Aterciopelados, becoming a catalyst for Colombian music at a time when artists were fusing Latin roots with modern sounds. Blair knew both his introduction to Colombian rhythms was producing the dynamic Afro-Colombian percussion ensemble of Toto La Momposina for Real World.

Ready to go clubbing?

FREE SONG: 'Mas Papaya'

Get more music from Sidestepper here!!

South America, Colombia, Electronica, Salsa,

Burkina Electric - FREE song: To mi to zi - Paul de Jong Remix!!

Are you sure you are ready for this?
Burkina Electric, the first electronica band from Burkina Faso to mix electric tunes and afro beats. From the deep interior of West Africa, I promise you, this is original!

FREE SONG:' To mi to zi - Paul de Jong Remix'

With its main base in the music scene of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital, it is, at the same time, an international band, with members living in New York, U.S.A. and Düsseldorf, Germany, as well as in Ouaga. In Burkina Electric's music, the traditions and rhythms of Burkina Faso meet and mingle with contemporary electronic dance culture, making it a trailblazer in electronic world music.

Talking about innovation! - Much electronic dance music, even in Africa, still seems to employ the same rock and funk rhythms that have been used in Western pop for the past 50 years. Burkina Electric challenges this convention and seeks to enrich the fabric of this music by using different rhythms, equally danceable but rarely heard.

The group creates new rhythms influenced by traditional grooves, and uses sounds of traditional instruments and found sounds and soundscapes recorded in Burkina in unusual ways. It is truly African electronica, both experimental and entertaining.

I saw their show a couple of days ago, and I am honest when I say it has been a while since I have seen something that powerful & crispy on stage. Check them out you guys, it is a 'must'!

FREE SONG:' To mi to zi - Paul de Jong Remix'

Get more music from Burkina Electric here!!

Burkina Faso, World Fusion, Electronica, North America,

Mari Boine - FREE song: 'Gula Gula'

Mari Boine, born in 1956, out of the deep of North Sami Native Culture, and gave her a heritage which make the her the strong voice of the northern people in Scandinavia. Her childhood was spent in the small village of Gámehhisnjárga, not far from the sami cultural center of Karasjok, (Finnmark/Norway). Today's FREE song is taking us up to the Arctic part of the world, but presenting us an electronic universe at the same time;

FREE SONG: 'Gula Gula'

Mari Boine's roots in the Ethnic native Sami "joik", together with the Christian influences ,have beside of her adopting of jazz, rock and native music from all over the world, made her one of today's really unique artists.

She was met with resistance from her own at first, due to the opposition she made against the traditional ways of Sami Culture under Norwegian colonization, and the traditional women's roll, but now Mari Boine give the inspiration to most of her people, and crushes the myths about Norwegian bending the Sami, and the problems towards the Norwegian society. The history of Norwegian domination and injustice are not spoken easily about even today, and somehow it's being silenced and even denied of some Norwegians.
Who would have known, right? A country seen as the 'richest country of the world' and with less than 5mill. people....

Mari Boine is and will stand as the future artist of ethnic music world wide, and she is and will be the one spirit of fire , which will burn in many people's mind for a long time into the future.
She is the cultural identity of the Native people of the world, one voice and mind that refused bending knees for anything!!

FREE SONG: 'Gula Gula'

Listen to more music from Mari Boyne here!

 Norway, Scandinavia, Electronica, World Fusion,

Corey and Maple-FREE song: 'simple things'!!

Today's FREE song is by Corey & Maple, a two-man band and a production team of two friends who have been playing together in various rock bands since the early nineties.

FREE SONG: 'Simple Things'

The music they make is driven by the passion for playing and endless search for the perfect song - with no boundaries, rules, or restrictions, and they use all the tools, instruments and guest musicians
necessary to catch the spirit of their songs.

The electronics give place to live instruments and the sounds sometimes go blatantly 70 ́s. Rock, progressive, jazz and spacey 'sound-scapes' shake hands on this album, taking you on small trips in space and time. Corey & Maple present a  mixture of funky rhythms, electronically treated vocals and cinematic textures.

The main message, if there is one, might be to stop and look around, to see the beauty of our planet an its inhabitants, and to live constructively and responsibly with open heart and mind. Spaciously human?

FREE SONG: 'Simple Things'

Get more music from Corey & Maple here!!

 

Europe, Finland, Scandinavia, World Fusion,

3 Canal - FREE song: 'Together'!!

3canal is a performance and visual arts collaborative rooted in Rapso music, a hybrid of Calypso and rap. Today's FREE song is by 3 Canal:

Get 3 Canal's FREE SONG: 'Together'

3canal (Stanton Kewley, Roger Roberts and Wendell Manwarren), exemplifies the way Rapso "gives voice to the voiceless" with the social commentary inherent to their often cutting lyrics.

From Trinidad & Tobago, 3canal began by using the pre-dawn ritual of Trinidad’s Carnival a.k.a. Jouvay as their platform for expression in 1994. Three years later this expression expanded into ‘making a statement’ in the form of music, more specifically ‘Rapso’, defined as ”The Power Of the Word in the Rhythm”. Their music is based on the infectious indigenous Folk & Calypso rhythms & melodies mixed with East Indian, Latin, Reggae, Hip Hop and a diverse range of other global/pop/world influences with a special emphasis on power lyrics. The result represents the voice of the New World Order emerging from a country where racial & cultural hybridization and juxtaposition is the norm rather than the exception.

Their dynamic stage presence has won them loyal fans locally, regionally and globally in such diverse places as San Francisco, New York & Miami-USA, Toronto-Canada, Havana-Cuba, Valencia-Venezuela, Hoogstraten-Belgium, Barcelona-Spain, Montreaux-Switzerland, London & Manchester-UK and Hanover & Hamburg Germany As well as the many diasporic Carnivals from St. Lucia to Grenada to Jamaica, as well as “Labour Day” in New York and London’s Nottinghill.

3canal describe themselves as “Rapso soldiers on a mission, representing the power of the word in the rhythm.” 3canal come down in the Power of the New Trinity - Truth Love and Possibility.

The Power Of The New Trinity... sounds good to me!

Get 3 Canal's FREE SONG: 'Together'

Get more music from 3 Canal here!!

Trinidad, Trobago, Calypso, Hip Hop,

Empty Boat - FREE Song: 'Drinking water'!!

Empty Boat formed in 2004 when an unusual crew of professional musicians were brought together as part of an awareness raising campaign by Poo Productions.

FREE SONG: 'Drinking Water'

The band members are as eclectic as the sounds they have produced. "They come from all different disciplines and have a taste for exotic and unlikely combinations" says Dean Brodrick the founder and composer of the band.

Many of the artists, such as Brazilian singer Monica Vasconcelos and tuba and bass guitar player Gideon Juckes are established stars in their own right. Others, such as Dean's seven-year old daughter Madalaine, who sings the Amazonian tune Mamãe Iemanja, are just embarking on their musical journey. The unique sound of Empty Boat combines African rhythms and multiple vocals with Latin percussion, jazz and Brazilian harmonies.

Dean Brodrick began composing the music for Empty Boat's new album Waitless 14 years ago when he travelled through Africa playing music in small villages and townships. The original idea was that the music could be played anywhere with no need for amps or electricity. The inspiration for the lyrics were water and sanitation and the songs, which are partly in Portuguese, explore these pertinent themes.

Enjoy!!

FREE SONG: 'Drinking Water'

Get more music from Empty Boat here!!

South America, Africa, World Pop, World Fusion,

Sila and the Afrofunk experience - FREE song: 'Mandingo'!!

Today's FREE song is by Sila & the AfroFunk Experience, which brings the sounds that most of us know as Afrobeat!!

Afrobeat was born out of the crowded streets of West African cities like Lagos, Accra and Abidjan and combining the polyrhythmic percussion of indigenous West African music with Fenders and brass. 

Afrobeat trundled up from the underground to denounce dictatorship, corruption and oppression while still treating dancers and music fans to a seriously good time.

FREE SONG: 'Mandingo'

Sila, hailing from the East African nation of Kenya, has the same mission, but named his own brand of music Afrofunk, an updated sound that incorporates more trace elements of funk, souskous, zouk and reggae. Sila’s AfroFunk sound reflects the music of his ancestors, of Africa, and his own interpretation of American music.

His music resonates with listeners, as it mirrors the core elements of everyday life experiences.  While currently based in America, he continues to journey home to collaborate and jam with locals and legendary tribal musicians.  As a result, he never strays far from the essence of his lush musical roots. Both in English and Swahili he manages to get his message across; HUMANITY and let's be good to the children. Can't argue with that,- so let's enjoy this one together;

FREE SONG: 'Mandingo'

More music from Sila and the Afrofunk Experience here!!

US, Kenya, Afrobeat, Zouk,

Magnapasta - FREE Song: 'la follia'!!

When I hear the words 'Italy' and 'Florence' , my mind twirls around to the images of 'warm bread', wine and romance... but that's not what comes to my mind when i hear today's FREE song;

FREE SONG: 'La Follia'

This Italian band, based in Florence (Tuscany), has developed a very unique style of composing songs based on Southern Italian folk music. They stepped beyond the norm by combining the electrical sound of the seventies with the Italian folk styles. This unprecedented approach to composing music and writing lyrics has garnered much success in the Italian scene, and they have performed live on the Italian national television RAI, together with other important bands such as Van De Sfroos, Tilak and FBA.

Magnapasta has stepped beyond the norm by combining the electrical sound of the seventies with the Italian folk styles. This unprecedented approach to composing music and writing lyrics has garnered much success in the Italian scene.

Can i use the word 'different' and leave it with that? - Well... you check it out and let me know!

FREE SONG: 'La Follia'

Get more music from Magnapasta here!!

 Italy, Folk, Electronica, Italian Regional Folk,

Mina Nawe- FREE song: 'Izolo'!!

An exciting new arrival on the South African music scene; check out today's FREE song by Mina Nawe

FREE SONG: 'Izolo'

A perfect blend of current urban as well as traditional and highly African elements is what you get when you put together the outcome of these 3 artist; Azet, the baby of the outfit in years only, with a voice as strong as consummate performers twice her age, Manchild, (aka Candid) an x-student at the “PWV Music College, and Carlo, which from his bedroom studio has assisted many up and coming township musos to get their first demos together.

Mina Nawe is indeed the group that has come a long way since their humble beginnings and is now set to challenge the “big dogs” of Afropop in no uncertain terms head on head. Listen to the album and hear what is being said here!!

FREE SONG: 'Izolo'

More music from Mina Nawe here!!

Africa, South Africa, World Pop, Afropop,

MIDIval PunditZ - FREE song: 'Piya'!!

Chilled, yet rhythmic... today's free song is by MIDIval PunditZ;

FREE SONG: 'Piya'

The musical partnership of Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj creates MIDIval PunitZ. The two cemented their acquaintance in grade school, and reunited again in 1994. Both were veterans of India's dance club culture and shared a love of the classical music of their homeland. however, each bring their own unique talents to the front.
By 1997 they dedicated themselves to a fusion of their beloved classical ragas with the beats and loops of electronica. Imprinted with traditional Indian music, this deep cultural programming somehow coexists with knowledge of the internet and club culture.

MIDIval PunditZ has gained substantial acclaim in a comparatively short time radiating beyond New Delhi's club scene to wherever the Asian Massive congregates.

Check it out, its totally enjoyable!!

FREE SONG: 'Piya'

More music from MIDIval Punditz here!!

Asia, india, Electronica, Digital Exclusive,

Let's Get LatinOriental - FREE song: 'Maburk' w/Ali Hassan Kuban!!

To celebrate Piranhas 20 years jubilee, each month they have released a fresh musical choice - reloading highlights and hidden gems from their repertoire. Each selection is compiled by one of the worldwide DJ-friends of Piranha, and today we are celebrating with them!! Today's FREE song is from their jubilee album vol.4;

FREE SONG:'Maburk w/Ali Hassan Kuban'

Jubilee Vol 4., Let's Get LatinOriental, features DJ Fabian Alsultany, founder of GlobeSonic Sound System in New York. Dubbed by Billboard Magazine as the 'world music impresario', he is a DJ/magician, concert producer, visionary and entrepreneur and has brought the evolving sounds of global electronica to audiences around the world. He has produced, compiled, conceived and guided the creation of countless world music albums and concerts since the early-90's, and is the main selector of this album.

For Latin Oriental, DJ Fabian Alsultany unites the East with the South in a Piranha-mix reaching from New York to Nubia, from Cairo to Cuba and from Israel to the Balkans including Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Maurice El Médioni, Eddie Bobé, Ali Hasan Kuban, Emil Zrihan and more.

Today's FREE song is by Hassan Kuban, which is known for his nubian music...

FREE SONG:'Maburk w/Ali Hassan Kuban'

Check out more music from Ali Hassan Kuban here!

Percussion, Ali Hassan Kuban, Jazz, Afro-Cuban,

Salon Noir - FREE song:'Orient Express' by Boris Kovac and Ladaaba Orchest!!

Let's celebrate some more today!! Salon Noir, is Piranha Jubilee Vol.8! Selected by Kranich (Son et Lumiere/Berlin),  he has created another good album of the Piranha Jubilee series of recordings;

FREE SONG:'Orient Express by Boris Kovac and Ladaaba Orchest'

Arriving in wall-city West Berlin from Ibiza (Rainer) Kranich became the last manager of the famous music hall "Quartier Latin" (today: "Wintergarten") and - together with DJ Westbam - a rave pioneer starting "Die Macht der Nacht" ("The might of the night") in a big circus tent in 1987. - This man has been around for a while and his selection shows for a music-talent's knowledge.

Today's Free Song is another one from Piranha's great selection;

FREE SONG:'Orient Express by Boris Kovac and Ladaaba Orchest'

Listen to Salon Noir here!!

Spain, Germnany, World Fusion, Digital Exclusive,

Brass Attack - FREE song:'Obecanje w/Boban Markovic Orkestar & Marko Markovic'!!

Today's FREE song is from Brass Attack, the first Volume of the Piranha Jubilee series of recordings;

FREE SONG: 'Obecanje w/Boban Markovic Orkestar & Marko Markovic'

Selected by Dj Soko, "Brass Attack", he has chosen titles by Boban & Marko Markovic, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars and the Hasaballah Brass Band, who made PIRANHA one of the top addresses for the current Brass dancefloor craze. But he used some anti-clockwise tunes from The Klezmatics as well for a little "V"-effect in between. Use it to accompany your late-night drinking & dancing party or against your hang-over on the morning after - as you like. Enjoy.

Another song of celebration  from Piranha's jubilee;

FREE SONG: 'Obecanje w/Boban Markovic Orkestar & Marko Markovic'

check out the Brass Attack album here!

World Music, Digital Exclusive, World Jazz, Balkan Brass Band,

The Allenko Brotherhood Ensemble -FREE song: 'Boozoo Bajou - Yoruba Road'

Today's FREE song is of its own caliber;

FREE SONG: 'Boozoo Bajou - Yoruba Road'

today's free song is from an album of unique hybrid drumming/remix project produced by Allenko Brotherhood Ensemble and Tony Allen. Tony Oladipo Allen (born August 12, 1940 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian drummer, composer, and songwriter.

As drummer and musical director of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s band Africa 70 from 1968 to 1979, Tony Allen was one of the primary co-founders of the genre of Afrobeat music. Fela once stated that, "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat." He has also been described by Brian Eno as "perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived."

A self-taught musician, Allen began to play drum-kit at the age of eighteen, while working as an engineer for a Nigerian radio station. Allen was influenced by music his father listened to (Juju, traditional Yoruba ceremonial music), but also American jazz, & the growing highlife scene in Nigeria and Ghana.

In 2006, Tony Allen joined with Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, and Simon Tong as drummer for The Good, the Bad and the Queen., and he also made an appearance playing the drums in the Video for Once Upon a Time by the French duo Air. - In other words; this is a damn solid musician with lots to say and lots to give!

Don't miss out on today's Free Song;

FREE SONG: 'Boozoo Bajou - Yoruba Road'

The song is from The Allenko Brotherhood Ensemble,-  Futuristic Electro Afrobeat featuring Troublemakers, Cinematic Orchestra, Boozoo Bajou, Jeff Sharel among others.

Hear more music from the Allenko Brotherhood Ensemble here!

France, Nigeria, Electronica, Afrobeat,

Issa Bagayogo -FREE song: 'Diamadon'

Issa Bagayogo, one of the great, if tongue-twisting, names in world music!! From Mali and recorded in Mali as well, check out today's FREE song;

FREE SONG: 'Diamadon'

Issa Bagayogo topped the charts in 2002 with his groundbreaking Timbuktu, an album that spawned a host of imitators hoping to match his compelling blend of Malian roots music and Western dance technology. He represents the maturing of an artist who has found a way to honor his country's great musical traditions while creating a truly global, modern sound, and his last album, Tassoumakan, is the evidence; brilliant but transparently produced!

The world music field is crowded with singers trying to blend their native traditions with Western pop. But Issa Bagayogo stands apart from the crowd. For one thing, his recordings are made in Bamako, Mali's capital city, rather than one of the Afro-pop hit factories in Paris or London.

His voice is not flashy at all, and at times it even seems to blend into the instrumental texture. But it is a subtly insistent voice, dusky and cool. It doesn't have the slick, glossy sheen that threatens to make so much of the world's pop music sound the same. His music has a gritty, organic feel, even while at its most electronic. In other words; there's no sense of something Western being imposed on a native tradition.

Blurring the line between old and new is something that Bagayogo has been doing since his first album.
Tassoumakan is a convincing blend of modern technology and deeply rooted music that demands (and gets) international attention. So go on, say it. Bagayogo. Get used to the name. It’s a name to be reckoned with on the world music scene.

Enjoy today's FREE treasure;

FREE SONG: 'Diamadon'

Get more music from Issa Bagayogo here!

Africa, Mali, Wassoulou, Mande Traditional,

Girls Aloud -FREE song: 'Pe De Coco' w/Anastacia Azevedo!

Today's FREE song is from the album; Girls Aloud, the third Volume of the Piranha Jubilee series of recordings.

FREE SONG: 'Pe De Coco w/ Anastacia Azevedo'

The music has been selected by DJ Rita Ray of the Shrine Synchro System in London. A club and radio DJ who plays the global music spectrum, Rita Ray in the 1990s revitalised the world music scene in London with the Mambo Inn with Max Reinhardt. She runs a string of innovative club events including the Shrine out of which came the Shrine Synchro System with which they tour all over Europe and Africa. She creates soundscapes for theatre, programmes international music festivals and presents international events like the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music, WOMAD, and the Festival in the Desert in Mali.

For Girls Aloud, DJ Rita Ray selected the finest recording ladies from Berlin via Maputo and Cairo to London and NYC including Anastacia Azevedo, Dulce, Ruth Yaakov, Sophie Solomon, Salwa Abou Greisha and Stella Chiweshe.

FREE SONG: 'Pe De Coco w/ Anastacia Azevedo'

Check out the 3rd Vol. from Piranha's Jubillee collection here!!

World Music, Digital Exclusive, World Pop, World Fusion,

Bellydance carnival -FREE song: 'Freylekhs Fun der Khupe' (Pelt Me With Rice) w/Solomon & Socalled!!

Bellydance Carnival is the second Volume of the Piranha Jubilee series of recordings, and the music has been selected by DJ Salam Unagami of Orient Express/Tokyo. Check out today's FREE song;

FREE SONG: 'Freylekhs Fun der Khupe'

Bellydance Carnival, DJ Salam Unagami's very special Tokyo-way selection, includes tracks by Boban Markovic, Ali Hassan Kuban, Emil Zrihan, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Ihsan Al Mounzer, Hossam Shaker, Mahmoud Fadl, Salamat and Solomon & Socalled.

Fall is here and it might not be the best season for carnival, however,- we need to keep warm!! If you want to celebrate and throw a carnival party with some belly dances in tribal & gypsy style, here is your chance! Have fun!!

FREE SONG: 'Freylekhs Fun der Khupe'

Listen to Piranha's Jubilee Vol. 2 'Bellydance Carnival' here!

Africa, Europe, Middle East, World Fusion,

Gulaan -FREE song: 'Mysteres'

In these times of formated music, it is quite an experience to listen to a guy who just wants to be close to his own true self!  Today's FREE song  by Gulaan;

FREE SONG: 'Mysteres'

When they talk about guitar’s arpeggios in New Caledonia, everybody has Edouard Wamejo in mind. He has released 6 albums as lead singer of Ok Ryos, a band from Mare (Nengone, in local language).
Edouard Wamejo recently decided to take his Nengone first name in public use: Gulaan (to be pronounce Goulane) is a nickname of Gui nedr. It was a sort of Coming back to my roots point of view for him. So he has approached his favorite themes in a very simple way, acoustic 6 and 12 strings guitars are flowing all through the album supported by creative percussions and some solid drums and bass kanak grooves. But the most impressive are for sure his powerful voice and all the intricate harmonies he perform by himself.

FREE SONG: 'Mysteres'

Listen to Gulaan's complete album here!

Oceania, French, Tradimodern, String Bands,

Los Amigos Invisibles- FREE song: 'Una disco Llena'

How do you describe Los Amigos Invisibles sound? Disco-Latin-love-funk-groove masters from Venezuela? Maybe. - You check it out and let me know! Today's FREE song;

FREE SONG: 'Una disco Llena'

In answer to the many rocker and dark acts frequently found in theaters in Caracas, a group of friends decide to form the best, or rather only, Venezuelan dance band. In a crusade to convince the owners of forgotten discoteques that dance is not only salsa and merengue, and that electric guitar is not the same as Punk, Los Amigos Invisibles started to conquer the club scene in Caracas thus offering their friends a way to party.

Since their ground-breaking US debut, the Amigos have lived a double life. In their hometown of Caracas, Venezuela, they've hosted underground club nights for years (the most recent called 'Super Sancocho Variety'). Then, insouciant single- entendre songs like "Sexy" and the doggy-style anthem "Ponerte En Cuatro" landed them on MTV and radio, and before long, the six young men found themselves pop idols.

Everyone's favorite Venezuelan disco love-funk ensemble have spent the last two years elevating their status as global scenesters and dance music afficianados by remixing Beastie Boys, Basement Jaxx and Fantastic Plastic Machine, and collaborating with Dimitri fron Paris among others.

Check out today's free song, a hot slice of new Latin dance produced by house music legends Masters at Work;

FREE SONG: 'Una disco Llena'

More music from Los Amigos Invesibles here!

Venezuela, Latin Alternative, Salsa, funk,

Fabiana Passoni - 'E Minha Vez'

Ella Fitzgerald and Leny Andrade influenced her style. Check out today's FREE Song;   

FREE SONG: 'E Minha Vez'

Fabiana Passoni was born in Pocos de Caldas, a small town in Brazil. Singing since she was six years old, it took her some years to find her own sound and to bring herself to center stage. - She moved from Brazil to New York to sing her own way, bossa nova jazz fusion! - Unlucky she was, and ended up playing mostly at Brazilian BBQs and private parties, and it wasn't until she made it to California that she entered a record studio for real.

Her album E Minha Vez is what came out of it. - So what do you think? do you feel Ella Fitzgerald is back, - singing in Brazilian?

Check out her album E Minha Vez here!

FREE SONG: 'E Minha Vez'

Brazil, MPB, World Jazz, Bossa Nova,

Moira Smiley & Firecracker Girl! - FREE SONG!!

'Firecracker Girl' is the funniest name to me. Check out today's FREE SONG by Moira Smiley;

Listen To 'Firecracker Girl'

Moira Smiley works internationally as a composer-vocalist. Based in Los Angeles, she leads her fiery roots vocal-band, Moira Smiley & VOCO, travels the world as a soloist in early and traditional music and creates new work with dance, theatre and film. ."

Moira Smiley & VOCO is a fiery roots vocal band making new song as it pulls on roots of Eastern European and Appalachian harmony and rhythm. "Exquisite vocals - the energy of street singing and the precision of a string quartet. Moira Smiley's plaintive, rhythmic songwriting uses a lush wall-of-voices - usually accompanied by cello and banjo.

The five members of VOCO ( who've played with artists from Rufus Wainwright to Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Peter, Paul & Mary to Pauline Oliveros) bring their joyous, improvisational energy to the stage with original song, body percussion, a cappella shape-note sets and even Bartok.

Picture a stage set up for masked choir and dancers. today's free song is by an creative and theatrical artist;

Listen To 'Firecracker Girl'

Get more music from Moira Smiley here!

Ireland, Europe, US, Traditional Folk,

Cello Trio & Acrobatie w/ Le Petit Cirque des Enfants Opus 100 / J.M. Zenamon!! - FREE SONG!!

Indulge in the velvety tones of 20th century classical Brazilian music, swinging and melancholic at the same time. check out today's FREE song by Cello Trio;

Listen To 'Acrobatie w/ Le Petit Cirque des Enfants Opus 100 / J.M. Zenamon'

From the originator of the Brazilian tango - if not the tango itself - Ernesto Nazareth (b. 1863) through Brazil's most famous composer Heitor Villa-Lobos (b. 1889) up to Jaime M. Zenamon (b. 1953) the album includes purely Brazilian compositions, rightly famed for their original blend of up-to-date European and indigenous traits.

The pieces are interpreted by the Brazilian-German CELLO TRIO of Márcio Carneiro, Peter Dauelsberg and Matias de Oliveira Pinto. Marcio Carneiro, born in Rio de Janeiro, holds a professorship at the State University for Music, Detmold, Germany Peter dauelsberg, born in Bremen, is professor for Chamber Music at the State University of São Paulo, Brazil Matias de Oliveira Pinto, born in São Paulo, teaches at the Berlin College for Music.

A classical album with deep culture behind an extravagance of professionalism!

Check out more music by Cello Trio here!!

Listen To 'Acrobatie w/ Le Petit Cirque des Enfants Opus 100 / J.M. Zenamon'

South America, Brazil, MPB, Classical,

Prince Eyango & Mayi!! - FREE SONG!!

Prince Ndedi Eyango emerged from the African music scene in the late '80s to become one of the continent's most popular musicians. Today's FREE song is opening up that world for you;

Listen To 'Mayi'

Born in a rural, mountainous region of Cameroon, far from the center of African pop music, Prince Eyango's talent was discovered little by little, step by step. By 1982, Prince Eyango had revolutionized makossa music by transforming it into a much more danceable form, and his group, Les Montagnards d'Afrique (the Mountain Dwellers of Africa), were performing nationwide.

A move to Paris netted him a recording contract and access to state-of-the-art studios, which led to the creation of his biggest hit, "You Must Calculate," in 1987. From this hit, Prince Eyango was named "Best Artist of the Year," Cameroon's highest musical honor, awarded by the Minister of Culture. By 1991 he had achieved a "Number One" music rating on the powerful, transcontinental Africa No. 1 Radio.

Since immigrating to the United States in the early 90s, Prince Eyango and his explosive band continues to fuse world beat and African rhythms with a vibrant display of intricate choreography, never failing to bring audiences to their feet. Prince Eyango has continued to expand his repertoire to incorporate a wider range of musical genres, thus bringing with it a more global scope. In addition to being the lead singer, guitarist and bandleader, Eyango composes all the music and is the sole choreographer of the band's spectacular dance routines.

Enjoy today's free song!

Listen To 'Mayi'

Get more music from Prince Eyango here! 

Africa, Cameroon, Makossa, World Music,

Kabul Workshop & Zeus!! - FREE SONG!!

Old Drum & Bass in the background of new Asian electronica! Check out today's FREE SONG;

Listen To 'Zeus'

Heavily influenced by Afghan and Indian music, the electro-world of Kabul Workshop differentiates itself from the Electro-Asian scene by its originality and the quality of its compositions. It is almost like going back to the essence of drum&bass on some of the tracks. An interesting mixture!

Kabul Workshop is a workshop of musical research where the resulting melodies are a direct expression of the state of mind of their creators; a bridge between their different cultures.
Kabul Workshop, a worldly collective led by Francesco Russo and Khaled Arman, explore the ethnic sounds of Afghan and Indian music in a contemporary, largely electronic setting.

The duo, who met in 1998, wrote all of the songs on Kabul Workshop's debut album, Trigana (2002), while band members Massoud Raonaq and Shyamal Maïtra contribute instrumentation. All four band members reside in France though none are of French origin.

Check out the Kabul Workshop album here!

Listen To 'Zeus'

India, Afghanistan, Electronica, World Fusion,

Marcel Khalife & Popular Cafe!! - FREE SONG!!

Marcel Khalife, he is a United Nations Educational, scientific and cultural organization "Artist for Peace". Not even Bono can say the same,- check him out;

Listen To 'Popular Cafe'

Marcel Khalife is a 'worldly artist'. He has performed in such prestigious halls as the "Palace of Arts" in Montreal, "Symphony Space" and "Merkin Concert" in New York, "Berklee Theatre" and "New England Conservatory" in Boston, "Royal Festival Hall", and "Queen Elizabeth Hall" in London,"UNESCO Palace" of Beirut, Cairo Opera House (Egypt) among others. Born in Lebanon and with his Arabic lute he has been a significant person in his way of 'playing for peace'.

Ironically, some weeks ago a venue in San Diego denied the artist to perform. The manager of the venue  felt the show would be "divisive" and "unbalanced" without an Israeli performer taking the stage the same night. It's tough to tell if this is political correctness run amok or the problem is Khalifé being Arab and this being a Christian-run venue in George Bush's America.?!

Khalife has faced persecution in the Middle East, but never something this inflammatory in the U.S.A. Earlier this year, a performance of his was denounced in the Persian Gulf island nation Bahrain, and Khalife’s music was also recently banned from radio, television, and on stage in Tunisia. Damned in parts of the Middle East for supporting freedom of expression, it is ironic that in the U.S.A. he would find similar efforts to quiet him. hm.. when is the real change gonna happen?

Music is the most peaceful way of expression, and please let it stay this way. We are in 2007, for F***'s sake! - Musicians have for years fought the war of free expression through sound & rhythm,- let's not go backwards!

Listen To 'Popular Cafe'

Get more music from Marcel Khalife here!

Lebanon, Arab Classical, Inspirational, Traditional,

Sevara Nazarkhan & Yallajonim! FREE SONG!!

Does this work for you? check it out, today's FREE song

Listen To 'Yallajonim'

We first heard about Sevara from a friend living in Uzbekistan. He told us, "Everyone in Uzbekistan loves Sevara." That didn't quite convince us until we heard her; then we were sold. Sevara is truly a treasure, an artist who is able to preserve her Uzbeki tradition, while bringing it into the pop world. Her singing of folk or classic songs is deeply informed, yet her arrangements reveal a sophisticated contemporary senesbility.

Her instrument is the doutar - a fifteenth century, two-stringed, Central Asian lute that is plucked not strummed. When music was the preserve of shepherds and lonely wayfarers, the strings were made from animal intestines... is this what we would call vintage? ... or...new and original?

Listen To 'Yallajonim'

Get more music from Sevara Nazarkhan here!

Uzbekistan, Traditional, World Pop, Folk,

The Afro Indian Project & Jolay! Jolay! - FREE SONG!!

Today's FREE song; Jolay! Jolay!, with The Afro Indian Project;

Listen To 'Jolay! Jolay!'

The Afro Indian Project is led by a man called RAVI (pronounced: RAH-vee). He is a well-traveled Englishman who plays an African instrument. However, his colleagues do include distinguished Indian colleagues & disciples of the subcontinent's most famous Ravi (sitarist, Ravi Shankar).

Ravi’s ‘Afro-Indian Project’ is a unique and exotic blend of African and Indian cultural sounds. Ravi (West-African kora) explores new musical horizons and soundscapes with world renowned santoor player, Tarun Bhattacharya, Ravi Shankar’s tabla player, Bikram Ghosh, legendary double bass player, Danny Thompson and master of Egyptian tabla, Hossam Ramzy. Mixed by legendary producer John Leckie (The Verve, Stone Roses, Radiohead).

As the name, Afro-Indian indicates... yes, you are right! This mixture of afro beats and Indian tunes will definitely take you places.  If you haven't been down those streets, well I will tell you there is something about this music that has produced a multicultural delight! It is actually a suitably vibrant salute to "the unforgettable experience of Indian trains"!

Enjoy today's free track!

Listen To 'Jolay! Jolay!'

Get more music from The Afro Indian Project here!

Mali, Senegal, India, World Fusion,

Arash Khalatbari & Nicolas De Cusa Was Right! - FREE SONG!!

' La Chapelle' is a station of the Paris Metro, serving the blue line, # 2. The station is connected to the Gare du Nord and the Gare du Nord metro station on lines 4 and 5. Why am I telling you this? - If you know Paris you will know! - Check out today's FREE song,- it will take you right there!

Listen To 'Nicolas DE Cusa Was Right'

For those not too familiar with this city, the neighborhood, 'La Chapelle', is one of the most "chaud" hoods of Paris. Southern and Northern parts of Africa is what you see and what you live! Arash's first solo music project is a synthesis of his experiences living in La Chapelle,  the culturally diverse Parisian neighborhood which is this album's namesake.

Arash Khalatbari, is an Iranian-born percussionist who has collaborated on numerous World Music projects (the most famous being his role as a founding member of the trio Ekova). He has lived in Paris since the age of 14.
Not a traditional musician in the true sense of the word, he assimilates the diverse cultures of the Parisian World Music scene into his music.

Enjoy today's free song, its 'special' I'd tell ya!

Listen To 'Nicolas DE Cusa Was Right'

Get more music from Arash Khalatbari here...

France, Iran, World Fusion, Ethno Techno,

Bole 2 Harlem and Bole to Harlem Vol. 1! - FREE SONG!!

What is the definition of a great "remix"? Is it a total 're-done' or just improvisation of new lyrics or new beats to original material? Check out today's FREE Song;

Listen To 'Hoya Hoye'

These days in Ethiopia, the phrase “remix” has a unique meaning. If you step into a taxi in Addis Ababa, there is a good chance your driver will attempt to get on your good side by playing a cassette, and singing along with a well-known song, while improvising his own set of lyrics over the song. The new lyrics might take on social commentary or may simply be humorous, but they will likely have insider references to modern-day Ethiopian life.    

While hip music enthusiasts are digging through record bins for Ethiopian funk and soul of the ’60s and ’70s, a diverse crew of Ethiopians, other Africans, and Americans in New York’s Harlem have created a new sound with positive Ethiocentric rhymes, funky horns, lively percussion and booty-shaking beats. Bole2Harlem represents the emergence of a new musical identity for the Ethiopian diaspora and a sonic bridge between New York’s uptown “Little Africa” and Bole, Ethiopia’s (air)port of entry. But there is a reason why a sound that some might think of as “out of left field” feels so catchy and danceable: it was created purely for fun among friends. 

“Hoya Hoye” comes from a children’s song chanted during a holiday similar to Halloween called "Buhe." Kids travel door to door in groups singing this traditional call and response. They pound walking sticks to the beat and take turns singing praises in rhyme to earn coins and bread. “The kid has to be sincere and original in his rhymes to get paid,” says Schommer, who set the tempo of the track based on hearing a young boy in Addis Ababa sing it while shining someone’s shoes. “Every Ethiopian knows this song regardless of tribe.”

The song also points to the influence of Harlem on the project. “I go to my corner bodega and hear the best salsa and merengue,” explains Schommer. “I walk down to the Ital juice store and hear the best reggae. The Senegalese and Malian vendors are blasting their traditional and modern music. The song ‘Hoya Hoye,’ is like a walk down the street in Harlem!

Harlem’s church choirs spilling onto the streets on a Sunday morning, was what inspired the opening line of the song that goes ‘Feelin’ alright!’ These riffs used could be either from the American Blues or from Amharic Tizita. 'Bole 2 Harlem' is open to all the sounds of Harlem and the experiences of Ethiopia!

The song 'Hoya Hoye' is a strong remix in that sense; mixing Western urban ghetto rhythms and rural traditional tunes. -  It is most definitely original material, which created this deep underground mix!

Listen To 'Hoya Hoye'

Get more music from Bole 2 Harlem here...

Ethiopia, Hip Hop, Harlem, David Schommer

DEBU and Don't turn back! - FREE SONG!

Have you ever been to the Eastern West and the Western East? Enjoy today's FREE SONG; Listen To 'Don't Turn Back'

DEBU’s repertoire does not focus on a particular category of music, but the musical style transcends cultural borders..

The creation of the music is to take exciting rhythms and themes from both familiar and ethnic instruments and meld them to produce a new, vibrant sound.
Each song is unique and attractive, creating excitement while conveying the message of its Sufi poetry - the universal love of the one True Love. One can clearly say DEBU’s lyrics are from the heart, to the heart.

The music of DEBU is free and rich in expression because it is not fettered to any one musical style or concept. DEBU’s music is progressive, exploring new horizons of sound while at the same time remaining faithful to the purpose of the underlying poetry. It may reverberate with energetic Middle Eastern drumming or soar on the ethereal sounds of a flute. Melodies may evoke an Arabian caravan scene or the strumming guitar of western country music. One may hear nuances of cool jazz, western and Turkish folk music interspersed with the multi-cadences of traditional Indonesian marawis. The listener may be roused by the fierce rhythm of a marching song or soothed by hints of European classical music. Often members of the audience are brought to their feet by soulful rhythms.

Shunning the trite rhythms of most popular music, DEBU’s percussionists play an eclectic array of meters, leaning heavily on Eastern beats and Middle Eastern dance rhythms.

Bon Voyage!

Listen To 'Don't Turn Back'

Get more music from DEBU here...

Asia, Indonesia, Pop, Malaysia

The Musical Black Coffee of Cuba and Congo - Cafe Noir

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Papa Noel’s Café Noir Crosses the Ocean with Pan-African Congo Rumba

There are centuries-old ties that bind the Congo and Cuba, dance steps that swayed from central Africa to the Caribbean and back again. The story of Congolese guitarist Papa Noel and his latest African-Cuban collaboration, Café Noir (Tumi Music), is the latest word in a long and fruitful cultural conversation spanning the Atlantic.

“Bana Congo is a mission for Papa Noel,” explains Tumi Music producer Mo Fini. “I recall when I took him to Cuba for the first time some seven years ago. As he walked the streets of Havana he cried and cried, saying that when he was young his mother used to play Cuban songs to him, and this was like coming home again.”

In the 1930s, Cuban sounds took the Belgian Congo by storm. The rhythms of the rumba, originating in a Congolese dance brought by slaves to the island long before, were delightfully, eerily familiar to Congolese musicians and dancers. Imported records inspired a new generation of musicians to explore the Cuban transformation of their ancestors’ songs, creating what became known as rumba congo, a musical form that hit a nerve throughout Africa.

At first, bands played tunes they learned from Cuban recordings, sometimes inventing Spanish-sounding lyrics, but soon they crafted their own original songs with words in the local language of Lingala or in French. Against the backdrop of colonialism and dictatorship, their music assumed a truly African flair and started a musical craze that soon spread across the Congo and beyond.

Seventy-eights of Cuban son and Congolese rumba spun on many a prized phonograph player around Léopoldville, now Kinshasa, including the turntable at the home of the young Nedule Montswet, later known as Papa Noel thanks to his Christmas birthday. Noel listened from an early age to his mother’s record collection, which featured Congolese rumba greats like Antoine Wendo, whose songs were believed by some fans to have magical powers.

"I was very lucky that I had all these amazing ‘babysitters,’” Noel mused in a 2002 interview with Jane Cornwall for Jazzwise Magazine. “I mean, Wendo's [1948] song ‘Maria Louise’ was held to be so powerful it could raise the dead! I couldn't help but be inspired by these musicians. They were the first epoch of a particular style of Congolese rumba."

Noel became an apprentice of sorts to the legendary musicians of this first generation of rumba congo players. After years of absorbing Cuban and Congolese sounds, Noel taught himself to play the guitar when his mother encouraged him to pursue his passion for music. Meanwhile, a tide of talented young musicians had gathered in 1950s Léopoldville, replacing the trés and piano parts found in their favorite Cuban songs with the guitar and infusing the new music with African jazz sensibilities. Noel began to hang around studios where musicians like Wendo recorded, learning the ropes and deepening his self-guided education in rumba congo.

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papa noel, rumba, son congo cuba cafe noir

Manuela Oh Manuela by Fanfare Ciocarlia

Listen To 'Let's Get Latin Oriental'

This week's Featured Song is from a compilation called Latin Oriental and features Fanfare Ciocarlia playing Manuela Oh Manuela. Fanfare Ciocarlia is a gypsy brass band from Romania, and they are playing songs and instruments and feelings that have been handed down for generations.

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LatinOriental, Fabian Alsultany, fanfare ciorcarlia, gypsy, romania

Democracy in Dakar, Episode 6

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Our friends at Nomadic Wax have been in Senegal producing a unique documentary film, called 'African Underground: Democracy in Dakar', showing how local hip-hop is shaping politics and the Presidential Election. Each week they are sending back 5-10 minute video segments. This "real-time" documentary style allows for immediate discussion of music and politics in Senegal. Upon their return, these segments will be made into a full length documentary.

Episode 6, "The African Dream" is about dreams. In Senegal all rappers have a dream. Whether that dream lives in the spiritual, political or material realm, they all seek success and fame in these realms. But can this dream be achieved in Senegal - a country where the recourses are vastly limited and thousands of youth die every year trying to flee to Europe in small boats? Episode 6 - "The African Dream" addresses this question, and the desire for rappers in Senegal to export their music and live abroad.

Featuring an interview (and freestyle) with legend Didier Awadi (of Positive Black Soul fame) and the track "Fresh Time Pt 1" by Zoo Squad off the album African Underground: Depths of Dakar.

To read more about this project, check out our posts on Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, and Episode 5. 

Exclusive Release: The soundtrack to this documentary is drawn from the new album African Underground: Depths of Dakar, and is available exclusively on Calabash. 

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Contributed by:  African Underground

Senegal, African Underground, Depths of Dakar, Didier Awadi, Positive Black Soul Awadi Zoo Squad DJ Awadi

National Geographic - Hip Hop Planet

"Whether you trace it to New York's South Bronx or the villages of West Africa, hip-hop has become the voice of a generation demanding to be heard."

-- James McBride "Hip Hop Planet", National Geographic, April, 2007

Listen To Hip Hop Planet

Many older Americans remember learning about the world through the pages of the National Geographic. The magazine has changed a lot over the decades. Witness an article in this month's issue. It's about hip-hop. PRI's and BBC's 'The World' produced this 'Global Hit' segment which says the article ties into a bigger National Geographic musical initiative. (in partnership with Calabash Music)

This month the society's flagship magazine featured an article called "Hip Hop Planet."  And their website, National Geographic World Music, (whose entire music catalog is provided by Calabash) has produced 'Geo Remixed: Big Beats for a Small Planet' an exclusive new album of international pop music -- remixed by other global artists.

Try sampling this track by the Tanzanian group X Plastaz which  is from the geo remixed project and combines Masai vocalizing and western hip-hop. With their music initiative National Geographic has begun to shed its reputation as covering the world from a middle-aged armchair. The article "Hip Hop Planet" is further proof of that and is destined to be the start of a series of music features highlighting emerging music talents from around the world.

The Senegalese artist Pato is also featured on the new National Geographic CD, "GeoRemixed." He and other hip hop artists recently played a key role in raising political consciousness among young voters in Senegal, and getting them out to the polls.

The World's Global Hit producer, Marco Werman says, "It would be ironic if National Geographic makes more Americans realize this. After all, many in this country will recall when the glossy pages of the magazine used to depict Africans as naked savages beating drums. Now the magazine shows just how plugged in to global culture many Africans really are."

Listen to The World's 'Global Hit' segment

Get the new GeoRemixed Album: Big Beats for a Small Planet

Hip Hop Planet, GeoRemixed, Pato, X Plastaz, Big Beats for a Small Planet

Calabash Exclusive: African Underground - Democracy in Dakar, Episode 5

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Our friends at Nomadic Wax have been in Senegal producing a unique documentary film, called 'African Underground: Democracy in Dakar', showing how local hip-hop is shaping politics and the Presidential Election. Each week they are sending back 5-10 minute video segments. This "real-time" documentary style allows for immediate discussion of music and politics in Senegal. Upon their return, these segments will be made into a full length documentary.

Episode 5, "Galsene: Hip Hop in Senegal" explores the history of hip-hop culture in Senegal. From the old school MCs to the younger generation of rappers - Episode 5 lays out the who, what, when, and where of the hip-hop scene, and sheds light on both its political past as well as its present state.

The episode ends with the song ‘Hip-Hop’ from Pikine rap super group - Tigrim Bi.

To read more about this project, check out our posts on Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, and Episode 4. Each week we'll continue to feature a new segment from the documentary, so stay tuned.

Exclusive Release: The soundtrack to this documentary is drawn from the new album African Underground: Depths of Dakar, and is available exclusively on Calabash. 

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Contributed by:  African Underground

Senegal, African Underground, Depths of Dakar, Tigrim Bi, Abdoulaye Wade

Calabash Exclusive: African Underground - Democracy in Dakar, Episode 4

Watch the Calabash Video Channel

Our friends at Nomadic Wax are in Senegal this month producing a unique documentary film, called 'African Underground: Democracy in Dakar', showing how local hip-hop is shaping the current Presidential Election. Each week they are sending back 5-10 minute video segments. This "real-time" documentary style allows for immediate discussion of music and politics in Senegal. Upon their return, these segments will be made into a full length documentary.

Episode 4, "Wade Wins." This episode shows the calm after the storm. A very eerie calm indeed as all of Dakar seems stunned by the election results, where Wade has seemed to have won 56% of the vote. This episode shows the calm on the streets and some incisive interviews with journalists and artists.

The group Gaston bring their appropriate and haunting track "Wallo" to this episode, as well as participate in a deep interview. Also featured are interviews with Keyti, Rose Skelton, Serigne Ndiaye, Pape Guey and Matador.

To read more about this project, check out our posts on Episode 1, Episode 2, or Episode 3. Each week we'll continue to feature a new segment from the documentary, so stay tuned.

Exclusive Release: The soundtrack to this documentary is drawn from the new album African Underground: Depths of Dakar, and is available exclusively on Calabash. 

Listen To African Underground: Depths of Dakar

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Contributed by:  African Underground

Senegal, African Underground, Depths of Dakar, Gaston, Abdoulaye Wade

Thione Seck - 'Assalo (Candle Games)'

Listen To Assalo (Candle Games)

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.

Thione Seck grew up with local music like mbalax but also lots of Arab and Indian sounds. African cinemas routinely show Bollywood movies as they're more affordable for theater owners than Hollywood blockbusters. This week's free song “Assalo (Candle Games) w/ Bombay Jayashri” shows how Thione Seck approached his concept of merging Senegal's music with that of Egypt and India. "Assalo" features the voice of Bombay Jayashri. She's one of India's leading exponents of carnatic music, the classical music of southern India.

Assalo is off the album 'Orientissime' or 'Orientation' which features some heavy experimentation by Seck in terms of the use of Indian & Arabic scales. This supplements his laid back vocals and the band's intense sabar driven rhythms, and displaces the band's more usual guitars, horns, and synthesizers. This album was made in collaboration with a range of more than 40 North African, Arab, and Indian musicians, playing diverse instruments and creating a fusion of styles. Seck has stated that Bollywood films were a longstanding musical influence for him, and the experiment in a fusion style reflects this.

contributed by Afropop.org

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thione seck, bollywood, Bombay Jayashri, senegal, carnatic, india, mbalax

Calabash Exclusive: African Underground - Democracy in Dakar, Episode 1

Watch the Calabash Video Channel

Our friends at Nomadic Wax are in Senegal this month producing a unique documentary film, called 'African Underground: Democracy in Dakar', showing how local hip-hop is shaping the current Presidential Election. Each week they are sending back 5-10 minute video segments. This "real-time" documentary style allows for immediate discussion of music and politics in Senegal. Upon their return, these segments will be made into a full length documentary.

'Democracy in Dakar' evolved from Nomadic Wax founder, Ben Herson's, original trip to Senegal, where he recorded African Underground: Hip-Hop Senegal -- an album filled with deeply political hip-hop recorded at a time when local rappers actually helped to elect the new president, Abdoulaye Wade, in the year 2000. The new documentary also promises to focus on the intersection of hip-hop and politics in Senegal, and although Wade is running again, this time he lacks support from the hip-hop community.

Each week we'll feature a new segment from the documentary.  Episode 1 sets the stage by explaining the realities of life in Dakar, the role of hip-hop in the previous 2000 election and introduces the current state of modern Dakar, hip-hop, youth and politics -- featuring interviews with: Keyti (classic Senegalese MC from groups such as Rapadio and the Dakar All-stars) Eye Witness (underground MC from the Wa Geble crew) Tigrim Bi (underground hip-hop crew from Pickine) Birima Fall (Senegalese journalist/academic) Baat Sen (Griot/Reggae singer). 

Exclusive Release: The soundtrack to this documentary is drawn from the new album African Underground: Depths of Dakar, and is available exclusively on Calabash. So you can get the music as the film unfolds...

Listen To African Underground: Depths of Dakar

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Contributed by:  African Underground

Senegal, African Underground, Depths of Dakar, Tigrim Bi,

Nation Beat & Estrela Brilhante: Maracatu of the Flipping Beat

Listen To MaracatUniversal

The third edition of the music conference PortoMusical just ended and this year's event was easily the best. Held in Recife, Brasil the conference has a series of discussions on the intersection between music and technology.

This year the Brazilian government became much more involved, added their own name, FeiraMusicaBrasil, and expanded the number of musicians showcasing times three with performances by Gilberto Gil, Cabruera, Bosscucanova, Otto and many others.

They call Recife the Venice of Brasil -- the old part of the city is built on two islands complete with canals and old style colonial architecture. The main music stage was set right on the ocean and in the pre-carnaval atmosphere this made for a very colorful setting replete with pastel fronted buildings, cobble stones and local acoustic bands rehersing in the streets. Whatever your stereotype vision of carnaval in Rio may be with large floats and the sambadrome -- the scene in Recife Antigua is nothing like Rio.

On the third night of the conference I fell in with Scott Kettner of the group Nation Beat who invited me to join him on a trip into one of the favelas of Recife. Scott has been recording with one of the local maracatu schools, Estrela Brilhante (Bright Star) and took me to watch them during one of their rehersals. Next thing I know we are winding our way through narrow alley ways and being guided by the sound of drumming coming from a hillside above.

Maracatu is the northern Brasil version of Samba -- but a very different rhythm. The main instrument is a large wooden drum. The Nação Maracatu Estrela Brilhante, led by Mestre Walter and rhythm master Jorge Martins, is one of the best in Recife and operates essentially as a community center for young people to learn music and dance and to participate in Carnaval. The youngest drummers were no more than 5 or 6 years old, but they could still wield their drum sticks with flair.

The entire group was packed into a small outdoor courtyard in front of the home of the maracatu Queen (Director) Marivalda Maria dos Santos. Inside costumes were hanging on every wall which the Queen had spent all the last year making by hand. I was very lucky and honored to come away with her permission to place their album on Calabash.

Listen To Maracatu Nação Estrela Brilhante Do Recife

The group Nation Beat  gets their name from the word Nação which means 'Nation' in Portuguese. Each escola maracatu begins their name with Nação Maracatu, such as 'Nação Maracatu Estrela Brilhante'. The word Baque means Beat in Portuguese. The traditional style of Maracatu that Nation Beat plays is called “Maracatu de Baque Virado”. Which translates into “Maracatu of the Flipping Beat”. Nation Beat had their own performance the following night down on the waterfront.

Tune Your World Album Pick!
Buy Estrela Brilhante's album! I have a dream that at least 1,000 Calabash users will buy this great album and bring positive change to the lives of the youth members of this troupe.  It's just that simple for you to support the work of this traditional maracatu school which has been bringing hope and spirit to the lives of children for the past 100 years -- using music to transcend the poverty and violence that is an unfortunate part of everyday life in the favelas of Brasil.

Brazilian Big-Beat, world-groove music. Inspired by the Afro-Brazilian rhythms of maracatu, Chico Science & the Mangue Beat movement of Recife, Brazil as well as New Orleans second-line funk and jazz, the Brooklyn-based group Nation Beat is the first North American group to record in Brazil with the legendary Maracatu Naçao Estrela Brilhante. Here they are in the studio in Recife, Brazil.

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Nation Beat, Estrela Brilhante, maracatu, recife, portomusical

Ayhan Sicimoglu - 'Reggaeturkaton'

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Ayhan Sicimoglu takes globalization to a new level. Originally from Turkey, he played for a while in Italy, before heading to New York, and becoming a regular on the latin club circuit. He also studied world percussion at Berklee School of Music, going deep into the Afro-Cuban offerings there.

Now back in Istanbul, Sicimoglu has combined his love of latin rhythms with turkish sensibilities. His new album "Friends & Family" is characterized by the collective efforts of guest performers such as Colombian Rodrigo Rodriguez, Cuban trumpet player Amik Abdel Guerra Ling Long; Peruvian Cesar Correa, Turkish jazz and popular musicians such as Fahir Atakoglu, Aydin Esen, Ozkan Ugur, Ugur Yucel, Mirkelam, and one genuine family-member, Ayhan Sicimoglu’s own soprano daughter Ayse Sicimoglu.

The song of the week 'Reggaeturkaton', is basically, as the title suggests is a very fun and interesting track of Turkish Reggaeton.

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Ayhan Sicimoglu, reggaeton, turkish music

Chris Berry & Panjea - 'Dancemakers'

Listen To Dancemakers

You're 18. You go from your home in California to Zimbabwe. And get lost. Lost in the music, lost in the culture, lost in the magic. Only when the elders of the community there tell you - "What are you doing here? There are lots of misguided people, lost and confused people, in your country. They’re killing each other there. It’s time for you to take what you’ve learned and bring it to your own country because they need it more than we need it here. That’s your job. You’re the bridge maker" do you wake up. You are Chris Berry.

And so now, 10 years on, we find him today back on his native soil preaching an uplifting transcontinental message of hope to contagious, dance beats based in the Zimbabwean mbira and sacred Congolese ngoma drum rhythms.

Chris Berry's story is one that I have often fantasized about, and I know I'm not alone. Not only did he get lost in the music, but this amazing talent came back "funkier than James Brown", as one of my friends put it. Check out his music. Funky, fresh global music, most of it just straight up super dance energy, and most of it with strong messages.

Probably the most powerful message comes from the song "Why Do We". In the song, he asks "Why do we kill people who kill people to show people that killing people is wrong?"

Download Chris Berry's music, You'll be uplifted.

Bole 2 Harlem - New Ethiopian Style

Listen To Bole 2 Harlem

While hip music enthusiasts are digging through record bins for Ethiopian funk and soul of the ’60s and ’70s, a diverse crew of Ethiopians, other Africans, and Americans in New York’s Harlem have created a new sound with positive Ethiocentric rhymes, funky horns, lively percussion and booty-shaking beats. Bole2Harlem represents the emergence of a new musical identity for the Ethiopian diaspora and a sonic bridge between New York’s uptown “Little Africa” and Bole, Ethiopia’s (air)port of entry.

The roots of this only-in-New-York record aren't so unusual, starting with Saturday night jam sessions in an out-of-the-way downtown nightspot. David Schommer explains; Ethiopians "have such a rich cultural heritage, and it's the most distinctive musical style I've ever heard. I took a trip there about five years ago, and when I was there, I found there was a new version of hip hop coming out and it was kind of bad. Big pimping works here, but maybe not so well in Ethiopia with this 3,000-year-old culture. I was interested in taking traditional Ethiopian song themes and traditional sounds and mixing them with what is in Harlem right now, because Harlem is the gateway to African music in New York City. Likewise, Bole is the airport in Addis Ababa, which is the gateway to Ethiopia.”

Realizing that they had a unique opportunity to fuse up-to-the-minute production techniques with deep flavors of hip hop, reggaeton, global music and traditional Ethiopian rituals, many of which are rooted in highly rhythmic — often politically charged — chants and boasts, Schommer and Siraj got to work.

The song “Ametbale” takes a page from this lyrical style and gets its name from a significant holiday celebrated in Ethiopia following a four-month fast. The first verse starts out by telling about the traditional ways in which celebrants break the fast: the drinks you have, the clothes you wear, the things you do. But in verse two, Siraj tells how modern day urban dwellers have adapted to the traditions. “Maki wrote from the Addis street experience,” explains Schommer, “just the way the cab drivers would tell the story. The verse says ‘I go get my suit, borrow my uncle’s Benz, and go out to the Gaslight [a popular dance club].’ The guy would never actually say this. He would act like he always wears a suit and like the car was really his. But here Maki is sharing an inside joke about how people try to up their status on this holiday.”

“Hoya Hoye” comes from a children’s song chanted during a holiday similar to Halloween called "Buhe." Kids travel door to door in groups singing this traditional call and response. They pound walking sticks to the beat and take turns singing praises in rhyme to earn coins and bread. “The kid has to be sincere and original in his rhymes to get paid,” says Schommer, who set the tempo of the track based on hearing a young boy in Addis Ababa sing it while shining someone’s shoes. “Every Ethiopian knows this song regardless of tribe.”

The song also points to the influence of Harlem on the project. “I go to my corner bodega and hear the best salsa and merengue,” explains Schommer. “I walk down to the Ital juice store and hear the best reggae. The Senegalese and Malian vendors are blasting their traditional and modern music. Our album has a little bit of all that stuff in there. Some of the songs, like ‘Hoya Hoye,’ are like a walk down the street in Harlem. I heard one of the hat vendors playing an old school break-beat and thought, ‘Of course! That’s the same tempo as Hoya Hoye!’ Then I came upon one of Harlem’s church choirs spilling onto the streets on a Sunday morning. That inspired the opening line of the song that goes ‘Feelin’ alright!’ We used riffs that could be either from the American Blues or from Amharic Tizita. We are open to all the sounds of Harlem and the experiences of Ethiopia.”

“Bole 2 Harlem is about being from Ethiopia and living in Harlem, in America, around the world,” says Siraj. “It’s a journey, one album that takes you thousands of miles from one place to another.”

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ethiopia, bole, Bole 2 Harlem, ethiopian music

Coup in Fiji

It is sad sad news out of Fiji that the people there are enduring their 4th Coup in 20 years. This news is especially sad to us at Calabash Music, as we had the distinct pleasure and honor of attending the South Pacific World Music Festival in Fiji in 2004. This festival, held in Savusavu Fiji, featured artists from around the South Pacific, including Black Rose, Edou, Laisa Vulakoro, Heart Beatz, and some other upcoming and undiscovered artists like Marika Nakete, the Somai Serenaders, and the Bula Band.

We hold out hope that democracy will be restored soon in Fiji, and that our friends and their families are safe. Take a listen to Black Rose's 'Power to the People' from their 'Kila...?' album and share our hope for a democratic future in Fiji.

fiji

Pitch Black Afro!

South Africa has a number of amazing musical scenes, including a vibrant underground Hip Hop scene. Pitch Black Afro comes from the underground, specifically Black Sunday Soweto (still the home of Hempza, T Klep, Bhubesii and the Black Sunday Mixtape), and has made himself a star by combining hip hop with kwaito (kwai-hop anyone?), and by wearing the most ridiculous afro and teeth in South African showbiz. His signature song of his debut album 'Stylin Gel' is, of course, titled 'Pitch Black Afro.' Catch the next thing before it hits. Get down with Pitch Black Afro!

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kwaito, kwai-hop, pitch black afro, soweto, black sunday

World Cup 2006 Music: The Beautiful Game's Beautiful Music

It's that time again: World Cup time. Friday, June 9th, Germany and Costa Rica open the tournament followed by Poland v Ecuador.

Our partners at National Geographic just did a wonderful cover story in their magazine about the beautiful game. Check it out and dig deep on their site.

As with billions of people worldwide, I'll be watching as many games as I can. I also join that worldwide crowd of people who think we can beat the world any given afternoon playing pick-up football, soccer, futbol, balontan, or whatever you want to call it. Playing 'keep or winger, I have my fun, but now, it is time to sit back and watch the best do what they do.

This playlist compiles some great music from around the globe and shows the connection to soccer via these artists. Some of them played professionally, some of them own teams, some of their music has been featured at World Cups, African Nations Cups, and other football competitions. So get ready to watch some games and join in the worldwide party that is the World Cup. Put on your face paint, grab your flags, and listen!

My liner notes for "World Cup Music 2006: The Beautiful Game":

Selasee - Run

"RUN was selected as a sound track for the EA Sports '2006 FIFA World Cup' soccer video game. Ghana (Selasee's home country) qualified to participate in the 2006 soccer World Cup competition for the first time this year. In bad news for Ghana, fellow Group E member Czech Republic won a simulation of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, played out using the EA Sports "2006 FIFA World Cup" video game. Czech forward Pavel Nedved scored the winning goal for the Czech national team in its 2-1 virtual final against Brazil."

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Neba Solo - Can 2002

"'Can 2002' was written especially for the African Cup of Nations 2002 competition (CoCAN 2002 or Confederation of African Nations Cup), which was held in Mali, West Africa. Mali advanced to the later stages of this tournament, but failed to qualify for World Cup. Neba and the rest of Mali are hoping to join the party in South Africa in 2010."

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Thomas Mapfumo - Jo Jo

"Thomas Mapfumo, from Zimbabwe owns a soccer team, the Sporting Lions, which consists of boys from Mbare, and is known for being scrappy on the field (much like Thomas' lyrics). This song Jo Jo is a great song to get ready for a fun and scrappy match."

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Jorge Ben - Caramba! Galileu da Galileia

"Jorge Ben (Brasil) dreamt of being a footballer with for Flamengo until injury got in the way. Whether or not your team does well this summer, you'll be joining Jorge in singing Aye Aye Caramba! I'm sure Jorge will be singing with joy as Brasil is again expected to reach the final stages of the "Copas do Mundo." p.s. - if you've never partied with Brasilians during the World Cup, you've never partied."

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Saban Bajramovic - Opa Cupa

"As a deserter from the army, Saban (from the former Yugoslavia) was sentenced to three years prison on the island Goli Otok, but as he told the military court they couldn’t hold him for so long as he could survive, they raised his punishment to five and a half years. He survived as he was a good goalkeeper in the prison football team. Because of his nimbleness and speed, they called him the "Black Panther"."

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Soum Bill - Gneze

"Soum (from Ivory Coast) got his start singing for soccer games in the Ivory Coast (another one of this World Cup's first timers). Soum Bill is of mixed ethnic origin, as is much of Ivory Coast's team, a fact which has helped maintain peace since Cote d'Ivoire qualified for the cup. As goes the team, so goes the country. When you listen to this track, Gneze, you won't be able to help moving your hips like captain Didier Drogba after he scores. Oh yeah!"

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Djosinha - Momento Magico

"Djosinha (from Cape Verde) is a legendary singer, ex-soccer player, and a "man of the sea" from Cape Verde. This song, 'Momento Magico' is what fans will be hoping throughout the tournament. And whether or not they get them, this song will calm folks down and get them ready for the next moment . . ."

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Vinicius Cantuaria - Odara

"Vinicius Cantuaria (from Brasil) has a song called ‘Normal’ which provide a taste of Cantuária’s approach to songwriting: ‘The boys from Bahia play capoeira / And every morning a hot soccer match on the sand / And the concrete poetry boys from Sao Paulo/. The track here called Odara shows some of his funky grooves, those same grooves I'm sure are running through Ronaldinho's head as he is running through defences."

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Madala Kunene - Celebrate

"Madala Kunene (from South Africa - host of the next World Cup in 2010) used to be a passionate soccer player (playing in Durban, SA for the African Wanderers FC) who traded in the round leather for a guitar. His track "Celebrate" is something only 1 country will be doing on July 9th, but fans worldwide will be doing for the month before that . . . For more of Madala's music, check out his collaborations: http://melt2000.calabashmusic.com/ and http://bernardmndaweni.calabashmusic.com/"

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Ndala Kasheba - Kadi ya Njano (Yellow Card)

"Ndala Kasheba (from Tanzania) shows us football is about more than football. In his song "Kadi ya Njano (Yellow Card)" he uses a football analogy to drive home health advice to his countrymen. "God has issued the world a yellow card (a warning in a soccer match). AIDS is a warning to the world. We must take our lives seriously now.""

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Djankine Kouyate - Code De La Route

"Djankine Kouyate (from Mali) was the lead male singer for the opening & closing ceremonies for the African Cup of Nations 2002 in Mali. His song "Cote de la Route" is a nice song to help those of us in the USA know that we are along the road to success in soccer! Someday we'll bring the big prize home."

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Cheb Hasni - Li Dlamni Ma Nsamhah

"Cheb Hasni (from Algeria) is another former footballer. His song "Li Dlamni Ma Nsamhah" will get you up for the month long party!"

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Boubacar Traore - Kar Kar

"We end with Boubacar Traore (from Mali), whose nickname came from soccer. Kar Kar says about his nickname: "[Kar Kar is a] nickname I got from playing soccer when I was young. People would yell ‘Kari, Kari' - dribble, dribble - the name stuck with me." Check out KarKar's movement on the strings. I'm sure if he had continued to play soccer as his finds his way around the guitar, Mali's opponents would have had the blues."

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soccer, fifa, world cup 2006, germany, football, futbol

'La Mujer de Mi Hermano' Soundtrack Advance Release!

The soundtrack to one of Latin America’s biggest films of last year, La Mujer de Mi Hermano, is now available as an early release on Calabash Music thanks to Nacional Records. The film and soundtrack follow the success of other influential films/soundtracks that have defined the new wave of Latin American Cinema such as Amores Perros and Y Tú Mama También.

 

La Mujer de Mi Hermano has already proven to be a box office heavyweight in Mexico and throughout Latin America, and the soundtrack features the latest tastemakers in Latin Alternative and Electronica such as Aterciopelados frontwoman Andrea Echeverri, electronic darlings Nortec Collective, Sara Valenzuela, Mexican Institute of Sound, The Pinker Tones and NYC-based up-and-comers Pacha. Highlights of the album include Tanghetto’s new “electro tango” version of the seminal New Order favorite “Blue Monday” and a re-working of the classic La Ley track “Mentira” by Beto Cuevas, the vocalist from multi-Grammy-winning Latin rockers La Ley (who also appears in the film as a Catholic priest).  The soundtrack also features original music composed by Angelo Milli.

 

The film, based on the novel of the same title by Jaime Bayly, features an all-star cast led by telenovela stars Barbara Mori, Christian Meier and Manolo Cardona, and is directed by Ricardo de Montreuil. After almost ten years of marriage, the stunningly attractive Zoë (Barbara Mori) realizes that her marriage to Ignacio (Christian Meier) no longer carries the passion and spark it once had. Emotionally adrift, she is left to search for those sensations once again, and soon finds herself seduced into the arms of Gonzalo (Manolo Cardona), her husband’s brother. At first, Zoë becomes reinvigorated by the romance, but her decision soon launches a series of events that drives these three people through a gauntlet of revenge, secrecy and despair that will unravel them all. La Mujer de Mi Hermano is a Stan Jakubowicz production directed by Ricardo De Montreuil.

 

Other artists on the album include: Bitman & Roban and Kemo the Blaxican

Check out the trailer here . . . 

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Technorati Tags : la, mujer, de, mi, hermano, nacional, nacionale, barbara+mori

Bitman & Roban - Advance Release!

Courtesy of Nacional Records, Calabash Music agains brings you an advance release! Due to hit the rest of the world on May 2nd, you can get Bitman & Roban now!

 

One of Chile’s most exciting musical exports, Bitman & Roban make their debut outside Chile May 2nd with the new album ‘Música Para Después de Almuerzo’ (Music For After Lunch). The album’s mix of electronic, funk, hip-hop, latin and lounge music is complemented by collaborations with Anita Tijoux, Solo Di Medina, Tea Time and Juan Chills.

 

The group, led by DJ Bitman, has already won heavy airplay and videoplay for the sensational clip “Tatita”, the album’s first single.  Bitman & Roban have had their music utilized in several prominent indie films (“Secuestro Express”, “Yellow”) as well as handled remixes for Grammy-nominated Latin Alternative act Babasonicos.  Bitman & Roman also have their album track “Despues de Almuerzo, Pt. 1” included on the forthcoming soundtrack to the film ‘La Mujer de mi Hermano.’

Bitman & Roban is  José Antonio “Toto” Bravo (a.k.a. DJ Bitman - samples, scratches, beats), Cristián Powditch (synthesizers), Roberto “Titae” Lindl (bass) and Adolfo Araus (piano).  Musica Para Despues del Almuerzo is their third release and first U.S. release following Hurtos (2000) and Robar es Natural (2002).

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Technorati Tags : bitman+roban, nacional, nacionale, chile

Robert Falk - 'Fetnat'

"Fetnat" is a reference to colonial Africa, specifically the former French colonies. Parents would often name their children after the saint of the many saint days celebrated by the french colonial government. One Saint Day, the 14^th of July, is known as the Fete Nationale, so many children born on that day were given the name “Fetnat”. Just as this is a funny name for a person, this song is a funny song. Robert Falk calls this style “pseudo-soukous”. Enjoy!

 

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Technorati Tags : soukous, fetnat, robert, falk

Stella Chiweshe - Double Free Single!

"When I first listened to the mbira sound, I wanted to hear more and more. I could not stop it, I was sick until I learned to play, so I could hear these sounds." – Stella Chiweshe

Known to the world as “The Mbira Queen of Zimbabwe” Stella Chiweshe is one of the first women to break into the male dominated tradition of mbira. Before the Zimbabwe revolution Stella was recognized as a ritual mbira player at secret bira ceremonies hidden from the government. Since the revolution she has traveled the world spreading the beautiful music and culture of the Shona people of Zimbabwe.

Her latest double cd “DoubleCheck” straddles these two worlds. The first program “trance hits” Stella music speaks to the old ways of mbira music focusing on spirits, dreams, and natural sounds. The second program “classic hits” brings her international sound to the fore with songs aimed at today’s youth who she implores to take pride in the traditional culture of Zimbabwe.

This week we decided to put two songs up for free; one song from each program of the double album.
With her feet in both worlds and a strong voice everywhere she walks, Stella Chiweshe exemplifies the spirit of Calabash Music.

 

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Tags: music, mbira, zimbabwe, mp3

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Selasee - 'Run'

Selasee was born in Accra, Ghana, West Africa, he learnt to play guitar and started composing and performing gospel music during his early teenage years with his local church group. However he had a strong desire to reach beyond the gospel audience. He has done just that, with today's featured song, 'Run' having been selected as the sound track for EA Sports 'FIFA 2006' soccer (football, futbol, etc) video game. This selection may (or may not) have been tied to the fact that Selasee's country of Ghana qualified for the first time for the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Germany in the summer of 2006. So get started early on World Cup fever, and Run with Selasee and the Black Stars of Ghana!

 

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Technorati Tags : world, music, reggae, soccer, world, cup, ghana, gospel

Zambian Roadside - Clement Moonga and Tontela & Sosela Band - 'Hamakando Vwiila'

Step off the beaten path and take a moment with some beautiful music on a Zambian roadside. Our featured song ‘Hamakando Vwiila’ is a beautiful illustration of the choral traditions found throughout southern Africa. This song and the others on the Zambia Roadside album were recorded and compiled by Michael Baird of the International Library of African Music, the organization founded by Hugh Tracey. Tracey is the well known collector and creator of numerous African field recordings. After enjoying our selection from the archive, check out other recordings from the Hugh Tracey collection by searching “tracey” from our home page.

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NUSA - S'Fhada Bhuainn Anna

Boarder pipes and turntable decks!? Yes, that's right; tradition, innovation, and modern instrumentation come together in NUSA, a collective of very hip celtic musicians. Our free single - S'fhada Bhuainn Anna - shows off their unique and forward thinking sound. Through NUSA, Rory Campbell and Malcolm Stitt are pushing the boundaries of Celtic music and continue to introduce younger audiences to folk and roots music

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Ballake Sissoko 'Tomoro'

Ballake Sissoko is one of the best kora players of the new generation. he has music in his blood and in his thumbs -- he plays the West African kora, whose 21-strings can sound like a harp. Ballake's 'Tomoro' is an ensemble recording with n'goni and balafon playing over and under the kora.

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Sevara Nazarkhan - Mogulcha Navo

Sevara Nazarkhan is one of our favorite artists representing Asia. Sevara is truly a treasure, an artist who is able to preserve her Uzbeki tradition, while bringing it into the pop world. Her singing of folk or classic songs is deeply informed, yet her arrangements reveal a sophisticated contemporary sensibility.
Mogulcha Navo, our featured song, showcases her intimate side with minimal instrumentation offering us a close interaction with her beautiful voice.

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Video: Dengue Fever - 'Sni Bong'

Album: Dengue Fever - Escape from Dragon House Song: "Sni Bong"

DENGUE FEVER
Here's a sweetly kitschy excursion into 60's Cambodian Pop. Lead singer Chhom Nimol, comes from a musical dynasty, and her strong delivery and ease in front of the camera make for obvious star quality. But it was brothers Zac and Ethan Holzman who had the dream of putting together a band that would use the psychedelic music they had fallen in love with on a trip to Cambodia. Bass player Senon Willams was equally intrigued with the idea and volunteered bass parts. When they spotted Nimol singing in a local hot spot called the Dragon House, they knew they had found their missing piece. The result is a mad mélange recalling James Bond movies, Pulp Fiction and the Shirelles.

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Thione Seck 'Orientation'

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.

Thione Seck grew up with local music like mbalax but also lots of Arab and Indian sounds. African cinemas routinely show Bollywood movies as they're more affordable for theater owners than Hollywood blockbusters. The song "Assala" shows how Thione Seck approached his concept of merging Senegal's music with that of Egypt and India. "Assala" features the voice of Bombay Jayashri. She's one of India's leading exponents of carnatic music, the classical music of southern India.

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Mona Gadelha 'Saint Denis Ceara'

Last January we travelled to Recife in Northern Brazil for the PortoMusical showcase where we had the pleasure of meeting Mona Gadehla who is very much a part of the modern sounds coming from the Northeast of Brazil. Try her new release to hear tasteful use of electronic effects and texture with Mona's original Brazilian songs that melt together bossa, samba, jazz and rock. get the music...

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Cris Aflalo 'Ainda Me Lembro'

Cris Aflalo sent us this great project from Brazil in which she recorded her own updated versions of the popular songs of her grandfather, Xerem, who was a huge star in the golden age of Brazilian radio. Cris presents the northeastern roots rhythms such as baião, coco, lamento and xote. These are obviously done with love and affection and show off popular Brazilian styles that go way beyond samba. "It's really, really adorable and charming and swinging and rootsy and Brazilian to its very core. I love it." -- Matt Cibula, Pop Matters

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Lobi Traore 'Segou'

They say that Mali is the true birthplace of the blues and when you listen to Malian artists like Boubacar Traore and Ali Farka Toure you can hear the confessional passion that the blues is supposed to be about. That's why you'll find Lobi Traore instantly likeable. His music is full of rippling guitar riffs and tempos that range from walking to rocking. Besides  the blues connection some of the same restlessnes that fuels the work of Tinariwen is present along with an inviting jam session feel.

This solo release, 'Segou', was directed by Ali Farka Toure

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DJ Cheb i Sabbah 'Sandya'

On his new album, 'La Kahena', Algerian-born Cheb i Sabbah returns to his North African roots, collaborating with some of the most distinctive female singers from the Maghreb. Recorded in studios in Marrakesh, San Francisco, New  York and New Delhi, Sabbah has added his own "dj Science" or modern aural magic to these performances making 'La Kahena' a truly orginal and groundbreaking project. get the music...

"Sabbah brings together the old world of Algeria and modern day dance-floor beats like a master conductor brings together an orchestra for the perfect harmony of sounds." - Khaled

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Monica Salmaso 'Doce Na Fiera'

Monica Salmaso has a sweet, penetrating voice with a unique and rare tone, and has the power to transform her interpretations into classics - a quality of great singers. "Iaia is a great coming together of the musicians and composers, of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in a free way, sometimes simple, sometimes complex," says Monica, "Many songs were recorded live in the studio, and this makes this album the most organic and most alive." get the song...

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Manou Gallo 'Dida'

Manou Gallo is, perhaps, best known for being the bass player for Zap Mama and Tambours de Brazza. But, she is also a singer, percussionist, and dancer, and now has her own group, Le Djiboi. With Dida , Manou Gallo steps out of the shadows of Zap Mama . She uses harmonies and her vocals in Dida (the language of the Ivory Coast, her country), French and English, with rhythms, heat, colours and her magnificent sensitivity.
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Kasse Mady Diabate: Maimouna

Fans of Malian music will know of Kasse Mady Diabate through his recent guest appearances on Taj Mahal's 1999 album 'Kulanjan'. But Kasse Mady's singing started back in the 70's and although he is not as well known, his voice is in the same league as compatriot Salif Keita. On his song 'Fununke Saya' he is joined by kora player Toumani Diabate -- a very clean acoustic piece with just voice and kora.

The song here, Maimouna, was popularized by the group Les Merveilles du Mali, and is strongly influenced by the study of Malian musicians in Cuba during the Cold War. During this 60's and 70's, the Malian government sent many of the top musicians to Cuba to study in the Conservatory there as well as participate in musical exchanges with musicians throughout the country. Upon returning to Mali, these artists spread the Cuban flavor throughout West Africa, heavily influencing the popular sounds of the day. Their influence is still felt today throughout West Africa in the blending of traditional with the latin feeling and with the use of sax, trumpet and other "western" instruments in many current groups. . . . get the music.

Somai Serenaders

At the end of November we traveled to Fiji to record the South Pacific World Music Festival. Over a period of ten days we lived and worked alongside a Fijian camera crew and all of the artists.

This recording, of a local Fijian string band, was absolutely the most exciting moment of our time in Savu Savu. The Somai Serenaders were not an official part of the program -- they are just part of the prolific local Fijian music scene. Every village has a string band and this group has earned the reputation of being one of the very best. Their music is played on the floor around a kava bowl -- and between songs, a coconut shell full of kava is drained by each player. They call this playing style 'sigi drigi' for singing and drinking.

Note the effortless guitar improvisations by lead guitarist Apenisa Waqa. Particularly savory is his playing on 'Mereula'. As we sat listening and drinking in the intoxicating atmosphere that is Fiji, it became clear that it does not get any better than this get the music...

Exclusive Fair Trade Music Note: These musicians will earn 50% of the revenue from the sale of their recordings. This group has never been recorded before. The group members all work as day laborers at a local resort. The minimum wage in Fiji is $1.05/hour. Lead guitarist, Apenisa Waqa, is a mason and carpenter who is currently building his own house -- typical local style with corrugated metals walls and roof. Apenisa's most telling comment was "We didn't know we were good, we just do this to make the kava taste better". Want to change their lives? They don't own the guitars they play on... Imagine of just 500 of you decided to buy ten of their songs this week -- that's more than a year's salary in Savu Savu.

Hanine y son Cubano 'Baladi'

It was well past midnight, but the narrow cobbled streets of the city's old Pelourinho section of Salvador da Bahia were still alive with music. In one small courtyard, people danced to a mixture of salsa, rumba and Latin rhythms combined with Arabic musical melodies sung by Lebanese singer Hanine y son Cubano.

This was Bahia's Mercado Cultural, or Latin American Cultural Market, a six-day event that brings together performers, agents and producers of music, dance and theater. This was my first encounter with one of the most successful fusion acts we've ever encountered. I know that Arabic melodies combined with Cuban son sounds like a mind-bender, but check it out for yourself... Hanine's first recording, 'Arabo Cuban' became the top-selling Lebanese album for an entire year. Now she's released a second album and today's song, 'Baladi' (Salsa Salsita) is a fine example of how well her Arabo-Cuban fusion works. The new album title, '10908 km' refers to the distance between Beirut, Labanon and Havana, Cuba -- as the crow flies get the music...

Vinicius Cantuaria 'Sem Pisar No Chao'

As singer, songwriter, guitarist and percussionist, Vinicius Cantuaria's career connects several zones of Brazilian music. And though his music is known for its decidedly twenty-first century feel, Cantuária’s band might best be described as ‘post-electronica acoustic’.

To get an idea on Cantuária’s soundworld, here is a song from his superb 1996 album 'Sol Na Cara', an album that both predicated and helped influence a new, supercooled world of neo-Brazilian music. This is the field now filled so successfully by artists such as Bebel Gilberto, Nacao Zumbi and Celso Fonseca.

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Robert Plant 'Win My Train Fare Home'

One of the most satisfying moments of this year's WOMEX was the screening of the documentary "Festival in the Desert -- the Tent Sessions" which was produced by Afropop Worldwide and LinkTV. The screening attracted a standing room only crowd.

The Afropop producers did extensive interviews with Robert Plant who was in attendance and he acts as an informatl narator for the film. Favorite phrase: "Of course I've seen this all before back in the early 70's when me and Jimmy hung out in Southern Morocco!" This track is a blistering live set lit up by desert camp fires alongside guitarist Justin Adams and a miraculously coherent pick-up band of family & friends.

The Film premieres on LinkTV December 4, 2004 ...get the song

Aurelio Martinez 'Santo Negro'

Following in the footsteps of the legendary Parranderos from the Caribbean coast of Central America, with an enchanting blend of African and Latin acoustic roots, Aurelio Martinez emerges as one of the most exceptional Garifuna artists of his generation.

Garifuna music has it's own unique mix of languages and rhythms, comes out of Belize and Honduras where it's more contemporary genre is the lively 'Punta Rock'. But in his song, 'Santo Negro', Aurelio reveals the slower-paced Parranda style that is sweet and savory...get the song.

Mahotella Queens 'Ma' Africa'

One Giant Leap is a unique project for the 21st century which fuses words, sounds, rhythms and images from across the globe to celebrate the creative diversity of musicians, storytellers, authors, filmmakers, artists and thinkers from cultures around the world.

This song, 'Ma' Africa' performed by the Mahotella Queens is a great example of the kind of collaboration involved to make this project happen -- in this case a remarkable vocal collaboration...get the song

Sevara Nazarkhan 'Kuigai'

I first met Sevara Nazarkhan backstage in Boston during her performance with Peter Gabriel. And then later on we met again at the World Music Exposition in Seville, Spain. Watching her perform it was immediately clear that Sevara is truly a musical treasure, an artist who is able to preserve her Uzbeki tradition, while bringing it into the pop world. Her singing of folk and classic songs is deeply informed, yet her arrangements reveal a sophisticated contemporary sensibility. Peter Gabriel was impressed enough to invite her into his studio, produce her second recording and to take her on his US tour.

However, what we have here is music from Sevara's own self-produced album 'Gozal Dema' that is not available outside Uzbekistan. Her independently produced album represents a meeting place between the old and the new. Along the Silk Route, even today, some traditions haven’t faded. Folk songs from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries underpin the popular music of the region. Unlike the west which has no musical equivalent, centuries-old maqams – cycles of vocalisation and instrumentation – are performed and danced to by old and young alike. This music has never been rediscovered or benefited from a ‘back to the roots’ retro movement, since it is as current today as it was hundreds of years ago. With the line between entertainment and ritual blurred, music played at toi, wedding parties or family and community festivities, and at bairam, national or regional celebrations, has been incorporated into the full body of life, not relegated to consumer consumption. As a result, the Spice Girls sit side by side with peasant songs. Time and music actually do stand still in Central Asia.

Sevara's lyrics in her song, called ‘Kuigai’, leave the Spice Girls sounding pretty empty:

The world is lit by a huge flame when you speak,
And seas, rivers, and lakes, too.
Your bow-shaped eyebrows shoot arrows.
I have no rest when you are around,
My heart burns into ashes with love for you
It's like sunshine when you look
Where shall I find patience if I can't look into your eyes?
The world is lit with a huge flame when you speak
...get the song

Balla Tounkara 'K'ita Fasa' (My Hometown)

Last weekend Calabash Music sponsored a music performance in Boston featuring Malian artists Coumba Sidibe, Moussa Traore and Balla Tounkara. Here is a small taste of how great it really was with Balla Tounakara's song 'K'ita Fasa (My Hometown).

Born in Mali, West Africa in 1972, Balla Tounkara is a griot or djeli: an ethnic group dating back to ancient times whose people functioned as musicians, storytellers, singers, and peacemakers. Attracted to music at an early age, Tounkara received his first kora, a 21-string harp, from his grandfather, Batouroue Sekou Kouyate, one of the most respected kora players in the world. Tounkara is also a nephew to Djelimady Tounkara, famous for his Super Rail Band from Mali.

Interviewed recently on Well Rounded Radio Balla responded to the question of how music plays an integral part of our lives and how the artists are deserving of our respect and honor: "when you get out of work now you get cranky, and you get angry about working. Once you get home, you listen something. It coulc be jazz, it could be blues, it could be anything – it could be any kind of music – why can’t you respect those artists?"...get the song

Boubacar Traore & Ali Farka Toure

'Je Chanterai Pour Toi' (I'll Sing For You) -- the original soundtrack of Jauques Sarain's film -- takes us on a journey through Mali along with Boubacar Traore. His songs, like pages from his diary, lead to the intimate dwellings of his past life. The film ends in Niafunke with this improvisation for the camera, simply titled: 'Improvisation 2', by the two greatest bluesmen in Mali: Boubacar Traore and Ali Farka Toure. You can hear their banter in French as they let their playing be guided by their musical cameraderie...get the song.

Jose Gonzalez: 'Bomba Te Traigo Yo'

Singer and Cuatro player, Jose Gonzalez and his group Banda Criolla plays in the Afro-Puerto Rican rhythm-based party music called 'bomba'. 'Bomba Te Traigo Yo' (I Bring You Bomba) celebrates this musical style. Listen for Jose's cuatro (peurto Rico's national instrument) playing opposite acoustic guitar, chants, whistles, cowbells and Puerto Rican percussion. The lyrics sing of Bomba dance music as the "delicious rhythm from the land where I was born." ...get the song

Markus James 'Wabissimila' (Welcome)

Songwriter Markus James has been visiting Mali for years, exploring the relationships between its music and his beloved American Blues. In the language of the Songhai of northern Mali, a “toubab” is a white man. When James visited Timbuktu to write and record new songs with three traditional Malian musicians, the resulting fusion became the subject of the documentary film “Timbuktoubab” a colorful, loving memoire of musical camaraderie and interchange between peers and paragons. In the film, James’ warm relationship with calabash player Hamma, kamale n’goni player Solo, and njarka violin virtuoso Hassi unfolds through anecdotes about the development of songs.

About the song 'Wabissimla' Marks says: "Writing with Hamma and Hassi is always interesting. Often they will respond, or provide a resolution to what I'm singing about. I told Hassi I was singing about someone on a journey, maybe who was lost in the desert, or in life, maybe they're starting to imagine they're seeing things or hearing people talking to them, they don't know if they're going to make it. Hassi thought for a moment and said 'Wabissimila', which means 'Welcome' ....'you made it...you're OK now, welcome in'...and then Hamma started singing 'welcome to Niafounke, welcome to Timbuktu, Gao, Kidal'...naming places around the edge of the Sahara....this song has really changed a lot from this initial version... now we play it faster and Hamma sings it an octave higher, really belts it out, and now he's singing to people from all over : 'welcome from Bamako, Morocco, France, America...welcome, welcome'... get the song