The names keep coming: Barcelona-based Latin American punksters, Che Sudaka. Israel’s dance-floor fusionists, The Apples. British singer-songwriter (and former Peter Gabriel support act), Charlie Winston. From the east comes China’s new grassland musician, Mamer, and from the west comes Chicago’s jazz and hip hop septet, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.

And coming: hip-hop icon Neneh Cherry features in the line-up of Swedish electro-pop collective cirKus. Then there’s London-based Balkan/Gypsy firebrands Los Desterrados, cult Berlin folk-rockers 17 Hippies and two of Australia’s most acclaimed Indigenous singer-songwriters - Shellie Morris and Archie Roach. Archie will also be joined onstage by special guest Ruby Hunter. And from Argentina, comes the exotic and cool tangos of Melingo.

Hip-swivelling Cuban rap pioneers Orishas will show why they’re considered a national treasure in Latin America and have become a phenomenon everywhere else. Fronted by three buffed, boyband-parodying rappers/singers - crooner Roldan Rivera and compadres Ruzzo and Yotuel - Orishas fuse hip-hop beats with Afro-Cuban rhythms to scorching, innovative effect. Expect hits such as 537 C.U.B.A, Qué pasa and Naci Orishas. Most of all, expect to dance.

‘Everybody loves the sunshine’, runs Roy Ayers’ famous laid-back hit. And everyone, of course, loves Roy Ayers. Now in his fourth decade in the music business, the Godfather of Neo-soul (and the second most sampled musician in hip-hop after James Brown) continues to bridge the gap between generations of music lovers. With a new Roy Ayers album in the offing, the sun’s warming up already.

Eliades Ochoa started playing guitar when he was six years old in Cuba. Since then he has become one of the most important Cuban soneros of all time, known to the wider world largely for his involvement with the Buena Vista Social Club. Eliades will be reminding Charlton Park this summer why Cuban traditional music is one of the best sounds on earth.

One of the world’s leading beatboxers, Shlomo pushes the boundaries of beatboxing as an art form. Having collaborated with the likes of the Mighty Boosh and Björk, enjoyed a stint as Artist in Residence at London’s South Bank Centre and stunned last year’s WOMAD Charlton Park as the guest of Martha Wainwright, Shlomo returns with his jawdropping Vocal Orchestra - the world’s only human beatbox choir.

Others artists confirmed include: A Filletta (Corsica), Acetre (Spain), Andy White (Northern Ireland), Ba Cissoko (Guinea/Conakry), Besh o droM (Hungary), Black Arm Band (Australia), Caravan Palace (France), Darbar Morchang Party (India), Dhoad Gypsies of Rajasthan (India), Dub Colossus (UK/Ethiopia); Enkh Jargal (Mongolia), Ethiopiques (Ethiopia), Etran Finatawa (Niger, Western Africa), Fat Freddy’s Drop (New Zealand), Hindi Zahra (France), Mad Professor Dub Show (UK), Mariem Hassan (Western Sahara), Nneka (Germany/Nigeria), Oumou Sangare (Mali), Portico Quartet (UK), Rokia Traoré (Mali), RSD featuring Joe Peng (UK), Solomon Burke (USA), Spiro (UK), Victor Démé (Burkina Faso) and Wang Li (China). More acts will be announced in the coming months.

LISTINGS AND TICKET INFORMATION

WOMAD FESTIVAL 2009 - Charlton Park, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, SN16 9DG

24 - 26 July 2009

BOOKING LINE: 0845 146 1735
ONLINE: www.womadshop.com

Adult Weekend Ticket: £122
Teenager (14-17 Year Olds) Weekend Ticket: £59
Disabled Weekend Ticket: £122
All Children (13 and under): FREE

Please note that all minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult