Bristol-based band blending an eclectic mix of genres... mixing the styles of Tropicalia, punk, funk, Afrobeat, and Ethiopian jazz.
Zun Zun Egui
Soul Scratch 5:04
The Sweetest Part of Life 4:06
from Shackles' Gift 2015
It was very hard to pigeonhole Zun Zun Egui on their fantastically delightful 2011 debut album, Katang, and the same is true on their second album, Shackles' Gift. This time they have not only trod on the toes of many of their peers, they have left them in their wake. The multinational band's habit of effortlessly jumping through genres on a kaleidoscopic journey is still apparent. That said, all that genre defying isn't overly chaotic and sloppy -- it's tight and groovy, with their sound honed and almost distinctly Zun Zun Egui. As always, frontman Kushal Gaya expertly plucks and strangles his guitar with timely scatty guitar parts, and his vocals get stronger with each release...
Her contemporary sound blends elements of folk, jazz and neo-classical and 21st Century urban sounds with evocative vocal deliveries through her original eclectic compositions and arrangements of traditional songs of Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Mediterranean.
Olcay Bayir
Jarnana 3:21
Mer Dan 6:05
from Neva / Harmony 2014
elegant Turkish-flavoured world music
...Here, she reworks traditional music from the western borders of Asia and the Mediterranean coast, starting with an Albanian love song before moving to Armenian, Balkan, and Kurdish songs. While Durme, a charming Sephardic lullaby, shows her classical training, elsewhere she switches to dance songs, driven on by clarinet, violin and saz, a Turkish lute. This is an elegant and often gently exquisite set.
The project of British producer Richard Blair, Sidestepper fuses a Latin aesthetic with the late '90s electronic dance music aesthetic, resulting in a dancefloor-friendly hybrid that presents a refreshing alternative to the often formulaic sound of electronic dance music
Sidestepper
Fuego Que Te Llama 4:44
Supernatural Love 3:38
Magangué 5:12
Lover 5:37
from Supernatural Love 2016
La Candelaria is the prettiest, most historic barrio in Bogotá, Colombia’s high-altitude capital city... It was here that Sidestepper crafted their stunning new album, Supernatural Love —a work that marks a radical change in direction for the acclaimed collective. Long acknowledged as the original progenitors of electro-cumbia, the cutting-edge blend of electronica and Afro-Colombian rhythms that has torn up dancefloors from Medellin to London and New York... The new album befits the band’s reputation as innovators: organic, potent, rhythmic, and irresistibly danceable. “As soon as we got started I felt this great sense of freedom. An opening up of space and possibility.” RICHARD BLAIR, PRODUCER
New York-based Puerto Rican-American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for her work with the bands Cordero and Pistolera.
Ani Cordero
Corrupción (Ani Cordero) 3:37
Me Tumba (Ani Cordero) 3:19
Voy Caminando (Ani Cordero) 3:13
Vida Atrevida (Ani Cordero) 2:51
from Querido Mundo 2017
Querido Mundo, Ani Cordero's second release as a solo artist, falls musically somewhere between the vintage Latin stylings of 2014's Recordar and the more rock-oriented output of her longtime bands Cordero and Pistolera... Pulling no punches, Cordero leads off with "Corrupción," a pointed track aimed at not only the corruption of Puerto Rican politics, but of governments worldwide. Likewise, on the near-chanted "Me Tumba" she sings of police brutality, using an hard-edged delivery and twangy, fuzzed-out guitar solos over an insistent rhythm. The brighter, more hopeful "Voy Caminando" and the sweetly defiant "Vida Atrevida" are also highlights on this excellent collection that mixes anger, love, confidence, and poignancy in equal measures.
Mix a dose of klezmer with a pinch of ska, add a shot of Balkan and a smidgen of Gypsy, top it all off with a tablespoon of jazz, some dollops of punk, then put everything through the blender et voilà, you’ve got the recipe for Amsterdam Klezmer Band.
The brotherhood of virtuosity, contemporary inventions and respect - Söndörgő from Hungary combines these all brilliantly with their signature instrument, the Hungaro-Serbian tambura.
Amsterdam Klezmer Band & Söndörgő
Rubber Band 4:22
Shifted Sirba 7:03
Szikra / Spark 4:24
from Szikra 2018
Pinnacles of klezmer and Balkan scenes merge to form single super band; Szikra is a magical collaboration between the Amsterdam Klezmer Band and the Hungarian band, Söndörgő. When playing live the bands merge into a grooving, uplifting supergroup with a totally unique sound. The first concerts were electrifying. Klezmer and Balkan fans are already looking forward to the upcoming tour. "Both bands create and play music with an open mind," says AKB bassist Jasper de Beer. "We're inspired by everything that has common ground with klezmer, Balkan, and gypsy music. Söndörgő has a similar approach, and neither band is limited by tradition. So we have a unique sound." The acquaintance with the Hungarian band was purely a coincidence, Jasper says. "On a summer's day in 2015 I stumbled upon a performance in the Haarlemmerhout. I had never heard of Söndörgő. I had no idea what to expect." It soon dawned on him that he was witnessing something special. "The musicians play on tamburas, Serbian string instruments. They mix tambura with clarinet, kaval, sax, trumpet, accordion, davul, darbuka and occasional singing together. Unbelievable. The band is super tight and they are consummate instrumentalists. You can see and hear that they've been playing together for a long time. They've developed their own style, just like the AKB."...
Congolese collective whose artful lo-fi dance-pop is created on hand-built instruments mostly made out of junk.
Kokoko!
Likolo 4:00
Buka Dansa 4:21
L.O.V.E. 2:56
from Fongola 2019
Rising out of the tumultuous, crowded neighborhoods of Kinshasa, Africa's third largest city, are KOKOKO!, a Congolese collective of musicians whose wildly inventive dance music feels anarchic, dangerous, and distinctly modern. The band's roots lie in a group of childhood friends who, unable to afford or even find proper instruments, began creating their own out of spare parts and junk they found in the street. Among these inventions are repurposed percussive typewriters, single-string guitars made out of tin cans and scrap wood, tuned plastic bottles, and a rickety talk box made out of a rewired car stereo. Through a local production company, Dido Oweke, Boms Bomolo, and Love Lokombe met up with French electronic musician Débruit, who helped them arrange and structure their unique improvisations while adding his own beats and synth parts. The final link came during a guerrilla-style block party where the group found themselves jamming alongside enigmatic singer Makara Bianko and his dancers...
Carwyn Meurig Ellis (born 9 August 1973) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist. He is known as the frontman of British alternative band Colorama, as a member of The Pretenders and as a long-time collaborator with Edwyn Collins. In 2014, they worked together on the soundtrack to the film The Possibilities Are Endless which won the Mojo 'Film Of The Year' Award.... Since 2016 Ellis has hosted a weekly themed radio show on Soho Radio that plays a variety of genres, including rock, folk, jazz, hip hop, electronica, and soul.
Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18
Unman 4:29
Ymosodwyr Anweledig 4:18
Undiú 4:14
from Joia 2019
In Welsh, "Joia" means "enjoy"; in Portuguese it means "groovy." Both words certainly apply to this wonderfully summery and sweet record.
By the time he released Joia, the first album under his own name, Carwyn Ellis had already made his mark as the leader of the band Colorama, a trusted collaborator of Edwyn Collins and a member of the Pretenders' touring band. It was in the latter capacity that the seeds for Joia were sown. On tour in South America, Ellis scoured the record stores for finds, usually leaving with a full bag. His boss Chrissie Hynde took notice and suggested he record an album of music inspired by the records he was buying. To make it easier, she called up her friend, the prolific producer Kassin, and pitched the idea to him. He agreed, so Ellis wrote some songs and flew to Rio for a week. The duo called in the services of drummer Domenico Lancellotti, guitarist Manoel Cordeiro, and percussionist Andre Siqueira to bring the songs to life. Ellis then flew back to London to finish the tracks with producer Shawn Lee. The end product is a lovely album that blends sweet Welsh pop with loose and lovely Brazilian sounds, shuffling soul sambas, and gentle funk rhythms...
Scottish keyboardist, composer, and producer David McGuinness has carved out a diverse career that spans from early music to modern soundtrack composition, including collaborations within the classical, folk, and indie rock worlds.
Scottish songwriter Alasdair Roberts' career as a recording artist sprang into a critically lauded, cult-praised profession when a demo he made with his group Appendix Out found its way into the hands of intimate nouveau folkie Will Oldham.
With a focus on merging live performance and interactive technologies, British composer Amble Skuse has created a unique body of work that unites elements of electro-acoustic improvisation, modern composition, field recording, and folk music traditions.
David McGuinness, Alasdair Roberts, Amble Skuse
The Dun Broon Bride (David McGuinness / Alasdair Roberts / Amble Skuse / Traditional) 5:39
Young Johnstone (David McGuinness / Alasdair Roberts / Amble Skuse / Traditional) 6:21
Babylon (David McGuinness / Alasdair Roberts / Amble Skuse / Traditional) 4:14
from What News 2018
A gorgeous collaboration between Scottish folk singer Alasdair Roberts, electronic composer Amble Skuse, and early music pianist David McGuinness, What News frames a set of historical U.K. ballads within a minimalist context that is both powerful and immediate. Although the project originated from an idea of Roberts' and was released by his longtime label Drag City, this is undeniably the union of three peers combining distinctive but complementary disciplines. Rather than relying on his typical guitar arrangements, Roberts approached McGuinness, with whom he had previously worked in the former's eclectic Concerto Caledonia ensemble, and asked him to adapt the songs for fortepiano (a piano of late 18th and 19th century design often associated with composers like Haydn and Mozart). While Skuse may seem like the outlier here, she too has a great affection for traditional material of the British Isles and her contributions are a key element in how the songs on What News are presented. Even before the first piano note, it is her eerie tonal collage of electronic hum and clattering lens snaps that introduces "The Dun Broon Bride." Roberts, whose reedy brogue has never sounded so appropriately applied, makes a brief electric guitar appearance on this strident ballad, but otherwise acts solely as the trio's vocalist. For his part, McGuinness constructs the backbone of the album with rich and nuanced keyboard performances on a restored 1844 pianoforte and his own 1920s dulcitone, a melodious and quite beguiling tined keyboard endemic to Glasgow...
ZitheRandom
Elekimpro 5:12
Goa 3:56
Peacock Blues 4:28
from Stringswing 2017
The zither improvisation of Debreczeni-Kis Helga and Dömény Krisztián is the spontaneouos mixing of jazz, folk music, contemporary composing and pop music, in which the moment creates fusions, the meeting of inner worlds dialogues, playing and harmony. Melodies of folk music, ancient shamanistic rituals, and even blues circles, which seem to be far from the zither-style, can be heard in their concert.
Inimitable N.Y.C. band blends klezmer music and socially conscious lyrics with contemporary rock, funk, and avant-garde jazz.
The Klezmatics
Der Geler Fink [The Yellow Finch] (Lisa Gutkin) 2:48
Der Yokh [L'Estaca] (Lluís Llach) 4:43
Apikorsim [Heretics] (Frank London / Traditional / Yuri Vedenyapin) 5:01
from Apikorsim 2016
Back in the mid-1980s, when they started out, the Klezmatics shook up the then emerging world music scene by showing that klezmer should be part of the equation. After all, here was a band from New York who showed that the Jewish music traditionally performed at weddings and ceremonies across eastern Europe could be complex, contemporary and rebellious. And they deservedly won a Grammy. Their 30th anniversary album doesn’t show their full range – they were reworking Woody Guthrie when I last saw them – but the variety is still impressive, with brassy, jazz-influenced instrumentals and dance songs mixed against a dash of rebellion (the title track announces “happy heretics have no rabbi”), and finely sung ballads...
Acclaimed artist from Burkina Faso who has incorporated a wide array of influences, including reggae, Latin, jazz, funk, and soul.
Cheikh Lô
Bamba 3:50
Doyal Naniou feat.:
Oumou Sangaré 5:56
Leer Gui Fall 6:10
from Balbalou 2015
Cheikh Lô would be a major star if he were a little more prolific and consistent. This is his first album in five years, and there was an equally long wait for his previous set – which is unfortunate, because he has a distinctive, soulful and easy-going style, mixing Senegalese mbalax with influences from across Africa and as far afield as Brazil. Balbalou starts magnificently, with a trio of songs that include a cheerfully rousing collaboration with the Brazilian singer Flavia Coelho and the French accordionist Fixi on Degg Gui, and a powerful appearance from Mali’s Oumou Sangare on the driving Doyal Naniou, an attack on the African propensity for coup d’états...
