Posts tagged folk

Sahara Soul – featuring Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba, Tamikrest and Sidi Touré

One of ’s richest musical heartlands, today is sorely afflicted by internal conflict, an ongoing state of adversity from which this defiantly inspiring collaboration, uniting artists from three of ’s different musical cultures, arose to demonstrate their shared homeland’s strength, diversity, and its music’s power to bring people together.
26 January 2013 – ,

WOMAD 2012 – Line up announced: Buena Vista Social Club, Robert Plant and Boubacar Traore

womad 640x480 WOMAD 2012   Line up announced: Buena Vista Social Club, Robert Plant and Boubacar TraoreArtists confirmed so far… Alaev Family (Tajikstan/Israel); Ane Brun (Norway); Boubacar Traore (); Social Club (Cuba);  and the Small Gods (UK); Grupo Fantasma (USA); Lo’Jo(France/Algeria); Joe Driscoll &  (USA/Guinea); Narasirato (); Peatbog Faeries (UK);  (); Sensational Space Shifters (UK/USA/Gambia); Spiro (UK);  (Russia); Tokyo  (Japan). Continue reading WOMAD 2012 – Line up announced: Buena Vista Social Club, Robert Plant and Boubacar Traore

WOMAD 2011


Round up: despite a wobbly moment with the weather on Friday morning, the was flawless in every other way. Some great bands, clearly enjoying playing to audiences free to dance and enjoy the non-auditorium experience, strutted the various stages. My favourites were probably (I didn’t even know I liked his music that much before), of course and Faiz Ali Faiz among the bigger names. The dynamo Nomfusi was a refreshing blast of energy and the reflexive caught my attention among the newer names.

It was great to see the festival so well organised. Almost no litter at all thanks to enterprising children getting money back on empty plastic glasses, the beautiful arboretum to wander through, great indian food and some damn fine coffee made it a real pleasure to be there.
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V/A – Psychedelic Pernambuco

MRBCD074 V/A   Psychedelic Pernambuco

I don’t know what The Gentlemen were on when they recorded ‘Sorriso Selbagem’ but whatever it was, we all need some more of this from in the east of .
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SMOD – SMOD

What with the “Produced By ” sticker on the cover and the Metro’s ‘Album of the Week’, what more do you want from SMOD’s third album?

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Scandinavia – Sounds from the Wilderness

61VTKawEfVL. SS500  300x300 Scandinavia   Sounds from the Wilderness

Beginner's Guide to

Tatiana Rucinska, compiler of the Beginner’s Guide to Scandinavia (3CD box set released on Nascente in May 2011) talks us through the inspiration for her picks

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Celebrating Sanctuary London 2011 – Sunday, 19 June 2011, 2 – 7pm

kristeva Celebrating Sanctuary London 2011   Sunday, 19 June 2011, 2   7pm

Kerieva's playing at


On Sunday, 19 June, Celebrating Sanctuary , the annual free which launches Refugee Week (20-26 June 2011), returns to the Bank with a profusion of new talent, including the dazzling from , one-man orchestra , young virtuoso vena player , the glittering harp collaboration “Home is Where The Harp Is” and nu-skool singer Kerieva

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Donso – Donso

Early on this year was proclaiming as one of the albums of the year, so why has it taken us so long to take it to our hearts and agree with the supremeo?

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Youn Sun Nah – Same Girl

Quite an interesting statement of intention calling your debut album Same Girl with all but two tracks being covers of mostly well known songs; if she is the same, she’s always been uniquely fantastic on this evidence.

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Jolly Boys – Great Expectations

The original Jamaican are back and who the dickens would have thought that the sound of would be big with the kids in 2010?

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Andy Votel – Vintage Voltage (Plugged-In-Prog & Conrete Pop)

When isn’t putting his talents to creating album covers for Recordings he spends all his time on his other passion, creating a mix of experimental, , sci-fi popcorn and his latest album is vintage Votel.

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Morcheeba – Blood Like Lemonade

Here’s a crowd pleaser from back in the day as Skye Edwards rejoins Paul and Ross Godfrey in the classic line up of downtempo beat favourites with a new album, Blood Like Lemonade.

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The Soundcarriers – Celeste

This band’s debut album last year left me a little lost for words so could they do the same with the “difficult second album” with its celestial body?

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Big Chill Festival 2010 – Saturday 07.08.10

Day two of the 2010 extravaganza was my first full day on site and by the time I was up and about the action was already well underway.

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Taraf de Haidouks / Marko Markovic Orkestar double-bill at Hackney Empire

The ’s Blaze is presenting an astounding range of contemporary music this summer, a line-up – from to Youssou N’Dour – that puts every other presenter in the shade.

Continue reading Taraf de Haidouks / Marko Markovic Orkestar double-bill at Hackney Empire