Return of the World Music Thread: 2012

Okayafrica’s Top 11 Music Videos of 2011

Art Melody “L’ébène Est Dans Le Noir”

Nneka “My Home”

Just A Band “Kichwateli”

Tinariwen & TV On The Radio “Tenere Taqqim Tossam”

Spoek Mathambo “Control”

Blitz The Ambassador “Native Sun”

Lexxus Legal ft. Leslyman “Fauchés”

Buraka Som Sistema “Hangover (BaBaBa)”

Mo Kolours “Biddies”

Die Antwoord “Fok Julle Naaiers”

Ruffest “Siyabenzela”

Anyone see Ethiopian singer Aster Aweke on her current US tour? It was a home with family night for me, so I missed her W. DC gig. I like her newest song posted on her Facebook page

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16387629

BBC News Africa
2 January 2012 Last updated at 19:15 ET
Youssou N'Dour announces Senegal presidential bid

Musician Youssou N'Dour has announced he is running in February's presidential elections in Senegal.

"I have listened... and I am responding favourably," Mr N'Dour said on his own TV network, referring to requests that he put himself forward, AFP reports.

Mr N'Dour will run against incumbent Abdoulaye Wade, who is seeking a controversial third term.

Mr Wade's bid and changes he proposed to the constitution have prompted widespread unrest in recent months.

Senegal is seen as one of the most democratic and stable countries in West Africa - it is the only country in the region never to have experienced a military coup.

However, tension is rising ahead of the election and one prominent politician has been charged with murder.

I spent a week in Uzbekistan maybe a dozen years ago or so. I can say for certain the worst Uzbek music I heard was when I got stuck auditing some Russian pre-school pageant that involved listening to the Chicken Dance (or Russian/Uzbek equivalent) blasting at top volume for 30 minutes in an echoey gym.

What do people think of Blitz the Ambassador? Or Aurelio? Seen them on at least a couple of year-ends.

I like a song or 2 of Blitz that I have listened to. I was doing a bunch of quick listening to stuff on lists, so I think Blitz is a native tongues style African retro-rapper but I should check youtube again.

I saw Seun Kuti on several lists and listened and thought it was decent enough afrobeat but not top 10 material.

it's very much like his father's material i thought. to its detriment

Yep

Aster Aweke fans on her Facebook site naturally raved about the DC gig. She's in Las Vegas on the 4th and LA on the 7th.

No Washington Post review of Aster (no mention of her period).

My Global list:

Lucas Santtana - Sem Nostalgia (Mais Um Discos) - Brazil
Tinariwen - Tassili (Anti-) - Mali
Tamikrest - Toumastin (Glitterhouse) - Mali
Omar Souleyman - Haflat Gharbia: The Western Concerts (Sublime Frequencies) - Syria
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - From Africa With Fury: Rise (Knitting Factory) - Nigeria
São Paulo Underground - Tres Cabeças Loucuras (Cuneiform) - U.S./Brazil
Kassin - Sonhando Devagar (Coqueiro Verde) - Brazil
Domenico - Cine Prive (Coqueiro Verde) - Brazil
Marcelo Camelo - Toque Dela (Universal Brazil) - Brazil
Femi Kuti - Africa For Africa (Knitting Factory) - Nigeria
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Cotonou Club (Strut) - Benin
Rômulo Fróes - Um Labirinto em Cada Pé (Livraria Cultura) - Brazil
Cornershop - Cornershop & Double ‘O’ Groove Of (w/ Bubbley Kaur) (Ample Play) - UK/India
Hayvanlar Alemi - Guarana Superpower (Sublime Frequencies) - Turkey
Maria Rita - Elo (Warner Music Latina) - Brazil
Cut Hands - Afro Noise 1 (Susan Lawly/Very Friendly)
Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Songs From a Zulu Farm (Razor & Tie) - South Africa

A guy at the Reader wrote about the Santtana album in 2009, but it simply was not available anywhere. I wonder if he had just gotten ahold of a pre-release? I didn't get issued on Mais Um Discos 'til this year, but sadly was ignored.

Nice list. I like that Romulo Froes Brazilian one alot -art-rock samba w/ a hint of Caetano Veloso plus the Afro-funky Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou is great and a bunch of others there as well(Cornershop,Tamikrest)

So in 2012, what magazines/blogs/etc are giving coverage to new music that are worth reading?

http://soundclash.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/2011-in-reggae-and-dancehall-part-1/

http://www.afropop.org/multi/cd_review.php

http://www.negrophonic.com/ dj rupture's mudd up

http://wayneandwax.com/

http://reggaetonica.blogspot.com/

http://www.frootsmag.com/content/critpoll/

Caribbean stuff: http://largeup.okayplayer.com/
Africa: http://www.thefader.com/category/columns/lungu-lungu/
^^wish that had its own RSS
Africa: http://africasacountry.com/category/media/music/

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2012/01/globalfest_webster_hall_january_8_review.php

Did any of you New Yorkers go to this?

So I was finally listening more to the fall 2011 album Common Ground from Canada-based (although she might be living in NYC now) Indian singer Kiran Ahluwalia who is joined on a few cuts by Saharan desert groups Tinariwen and Terakaft. They offer understated but impressive instrumentation.

http://carmencham.com/

African music(mainly Gambian, Senegalese, and Congolese) blog with youtubes, I just stumbled across--in English, French or German depending on the particular post

moroccan rapper locked up

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201101350.html

the buraka show was NUTS. how do we make that happen again like tomorrow

― fauxmarc, Wednesday, 11 January 2012 05:01 (9 h

Was home with family and missed this DC gig last night.

Not what I mean by world music, but Tokyo Jihen will disband in the near future.

Here they were (actually this particular Phase I line-up is long gone) being Japanese:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzMuCp8Ku_I

I liked what I heard from Tokyo Jihen (whom I heard about from your/Rudiph's postings)

I'm also still listening to:

So I was finally listening more to the fall 2011 album Common Ground from Canada-based (although she might be living in NYC now) Indian singer Kiran Ahluwalia who is joined on a few cuts by Saharan desert groups Tinariwen and Terakaft. They offer understated but impressive instrumentation.

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, January 10, 2012 3:32 PM (

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4VqYHXwX5Y

I'm listening to old Grupo Niche songs and enjoying it more than most things I've listened to lately, despite having heard some of them hundreds of times.

Classic salsa. Joe Arroyo died so young.

I still need to catch up on the latest on some of those blogs listed above.

Tinariwen and Bambino appear to be the African artists who got the most votes in the Village Voice's Pazz & Jop Critics poll.

My ballot included Orchestre Poly-Rythmo (reunited Benin afro-funk) , Amina Alaoui (Moroccan melancholy crooner), and Romulo Froes (Brazilian art-rock-samba)

I had Tamikrest and Pitom (Tzadik) on my ballot. My only ~world music albums.

I almost put Tamikrest on mine. Eliminated them at the last minute.

Some good stuff from Ghana in this Fader column:

http://youtu.be/SR5ItzlDhJc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTJ3bwDIyWc

probably old news to people on this thread, but i am currently being blown away by Mulatu Astatke's Mulatu Steps Ahead from a couple years ago. What a great record!

Has anyone heard this new bbc comp?
World Routes: On the Road

Looks interesting.

x-post -- Mulatu Astatke is great, isn't he...

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/23/145361675/78-78s-in-search-of-lost-time

is there any way to listen to that thing on my iphone? i've been trying to locate a podcast for it for like half an hour now...

Is the podcast link on the bottom of the npr music homepage working?

I need to listen to that mix

the little bit i heard this morning on my laptop before leaving for work was amazing. unfortunately i can't find a way to put it on my iphone and until i can do that, i can only listen in tiny chunks

kudos to this guy for amassing such an amazing collection -- and for really having a great sense of what is fantastic about it while curating

I think an article about him (Ian Nagoski of True Vine Records in Baltimore) made the Da Capo best music crit writing collection

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/13/AR2010081305087.html

oh my gosh this 1978 highlife record is just gorgeous:

Augustine Enebeli Olisa (with the Black Arrows)
http://freedomblues.blogspot.com/2012/01/augustine-enebeli-olisa-no-body-knows.html

Is this the right place to ask about (not necessarily 2012) African dance music? I'd love if someone could school me on hyperactive Ivorian coupé décalé like DJ Arafat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zFfTuen7EQ

That Berlin-based sometime ilxor could probably school you and me on coupe decale.

Looking at the EMP Pop Conference thread, I noticed several items that should be of interest to folks on this thread, and I realized that I should try to find time to see if I would like Korean K-pop (which is the subject of several folks there).

K-pop currently being celebrated on the EOY countdown btw.

Thanks.

And others are celebrating an Ethiopian born, Finnish raised singer/songwriter with a ghostly Mazzy Star feel (according to Ned R.)

Mirel Wagner

I keep getting emails about kizomba dance classes and a monthly kizomba dance night. All I know about this genre/dance is that I think it is an Angolan genre with its roots in French Caribbean zouk.

There was a thread about it lately:

What kind of music is this?

Cool. Thanks, I missed that. Will check it out this weekend.

So is the title of this year's thread scaring people away from it?

You know, sometimes I wonder about you.

I've had this bookmarked since Benny posted it: "See I like Beyoncé, but she dey with Jigga / I like Nicki, her yansh is bigger..." // D'BANJ - OLIVER TWIST // afrobeats in the charts

for more traditional sounds there's this list (I haven't listened to any of 'em I don't think. Some are from various African countries)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/dec/13/best-world-folk-music-albums-2012

That's a short list and most of its folky. I wonder if Mokoomba from Zimbabwe are any good though.

That Guardian writer has penned some interesting pieces over the past year about Afropop, but that list does not completely reflect that.

He put Staff Benda Bilili in his singles list I see

The afropop.org folks like Mokoomba too

Not listened to much current world music this year, but I was blown away by the janka nabay & the bubu gang album which someone recommended on another thread.

That's a good one, and we talked about it on this thread also. Chris Richards of the Washington Post put it in his top 10, and perhaps some others have as well.

rhapsody world music list

30) Chicha Libre, Canibalismo
29) Antibalas, Antibalas
28) Bonde do Role, Tropicalbacanal
27) Curumin, Arrocha
26) Sinkane, Mars
25) Sistema Bomb, Electro-Jarocho
24) Kayhan Kalhor, I Will Not Stand Alone
23) Ondatropica, Ondatropica
22) Staff Benda Bilili, Bouger Le Monde!
21) Rodrigo y Gabriela, Area 52
20) Bomba Estéreo, Elegancia Tropical
19) Spoek Mathambo, Father Creeper
18) Various Artists, Music of Central Asia Vol. 10: Borderlands: Wu Man and Master Musicians from the Silk Route
17) Krar Collective, Ethiopia Super Krar
16) Debo Band, Debo Band
15) CéU, Caravana Sereia Bloom
14) Chimurenga Renaissance, Pungwe
13) Mati Zundel, Amazonico Gravitante
12) Batida, Batida
11) Amadou & Mariam, Folila
10) Anoushka Shankar, Traveller
9) Novalima, Karimba
8) Nneka, Soul Is Heavy
7) Niyaz, Sumud
6) Egyptian Project, Ya Amar
5) Tim Maia, World Psychedelic Classics 4
4) The Very Best, MTMTMK
3) Fatoumata Diawara, Fatou
2) Samuel Yirga, Guzo
1) Maga Bo, Quilombo do Futuro

Have not listened to their number 1 and 2. I like Diawara's voice and songs although she's a bit too folky at times. The Very best--yes. The Maia is a reissue or hard to find stuff or something from that late Brazilian singer, right? I think I have a cd copy of Egyptian Project but haven't listened to it yet.

I think Debo Band, made up of Ethiopians and others living in Boston, makes these lists and gets more attention than Ethiopian artists living in Ethiopia, because Debo tour gigs and cds are marketed to English language pop and more critics in the US. I have seem 'em and they're good, but not better (or worse) than most Ethiopian artists who are just marketed to Ethiopians.

Reminds me, Aster Aweke is doing her seemingly annual DC holiday appearance on Christmas Day night this year. At techno club Echostage. Wonder if she put something out this year?

Streaming the Egyptian Project on Spotify right now (had not heard of this album before). It's pretty solid, but I'm not sure how it will hold up to repeat listens. The vocals are a little more street/roots Egyptian than I tend to prefer.

Was reading about Egyptian Project at lunch:

http://news.allaboutjazz.com/news.php?id=100480
from a six degrees press release it appears:

French producer Jérôme Ettinger devoted himself to exploring, preserving and spreading the sound of the North African country he fell in love with. Assembling world-class musicians and layering in tasteful electronic rhythms beneath virtuosic playing...

As his passion for Egyptian culture and music grew, Ettinger assembled a team of renowned artists for a touring band: percussionist Ragab Sadek, rababa player/violinist Salama Metwally, oud player Ihad Radwan and singer Sayed Eman, whose epic vocals decorate many of this album’s ten songs. With all musicians between the ages of 50 and 60, Ettinger has played an important role in introducing these incredible artists to the world beyond the Nile.

Using Ableton Live during live shows — they’ve played many times in France and Egypt in the three years since the band’s founding —

The Maia is a reissue or hard to find stuff or something from that late Brazilian singer, right?

Yeah it's a retrospective comp. I think everything by Tim Maia counts as "hard to find" these days? Anyway it is great.

this album is pretty good - brazilian guys playing afrobeat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOtU3NZgFns&feature=share

maga bo is great btw.
fatou's on my top ten album list for sure. it opens up with relistens.

Oh yeah, Maga Ba is Brazilian favela music.

Bo. That Bixiga 70 Brazilian afrobeat is nice

Listening to Samuel Yirga now. He's an Ethiopian who plays jazz piano with an Ethiopian feel. Not that far out. Its pleasant.

The old stuff on this thread is good:

What African rock record should I listen to next?

Was trying via google quickly to find music year-end lists from African-based writers in English (or translatable). Sadly, I haven't been successful so far. Maybe I am just out of touch or not doing the right search; or folks are just indicating their favorites in a different manner tech-wise

http://africasacountry.com/2012/12/26/the-top-10-african-music-videos-of-2012/

New-school dance and rap stuff mostly. I haven't watched 'em all yet

http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/critics-best-top-music-2012/Content?oid=8243121

Peter Margasak's top 5 international:

Fatoumata Diawara, Fatou (World Circuit/Nonesuch) Mali

Mairi Morrison & Alasdair Roberts, Urstan (Drag City) Gaelic folk

Antonio Zambujo, Quinto (World Village) Portuguese Fado singer

Sidi Touré, Koïma (Thrill Jockey) Mali

Huong Thanh, L'arbre aux Reves (Buda) Vietnamese

http://www.newworldbuzz.com/2012.html

1
Amadou & Mariam | Folila | Nonesuch
2
Rodrigo Y Gabriela & C.U.B.A. | Area 52 | ATO-Red
3
Novalima | Karimba | ELS Music
4
Tinariwen | Tassili | Anti-
5
Marisa Monte | O Que Você Quer Saber De Verdade | Blue Note
6
Antibalas | Antibalas | Daptone
7
Jimmy Cliff | Rebirth | Trojan
8
Bonga | Hora Kota | Lusafrica
9
Afrolicious | A Dub For Mali | ESL
10
VA | Samaya: A Benefit Album For Cheb i Sabbah | Six Degrees
11
Te Vaka | Havili | Warm Earth
12
Staff Benda Bilili | Bouger Le Monde | Crammed Discs
13
Chicha Libre | Canibalismo | Barbes
14
Nation Beat | Growing Stone | Barbes
15
Midnite | Kings Bell | I Grade
16
Fatoumata Diawara | Fatou | Nonesuch
17
Lila Downs | Pecados Y Milagros | Sony
18
Bibi Tanga & The Selenites | 40º of Sunshine | Nat Geo
19
Céu | Caravana Sereia Bloom | Six Degrees
20
DRC Music | Kinshasa One Two | Warp
21
Sola Rosa | Get It Together | Melting Pot
22
10 Ft. Ganja Plant | Shake Up The Place | ROIR
23
Jose Conde | Jose Conde | Pipiki
24
Vlada Tomova | Balkan Tales | Kuker Music
25
Kiran Ahluwalia | Aam Zameen: Common Ground | Avokado Artists
26
Ana Tijoux | La Bala | Nacional
27
Debo Band | Debo Band | Sub Pop-Next Ambiance
28
Abdoulaye Traoré & Mohamed Diaby | Debademba | Chapa Blues
29
The Spy From Cairo | Arabadub | Wonderwheel
30
Delhi 2 Dublin | Delhi 2 Dubland EP | Self-Released

http://africasacountry.com/2012/12/24/kuduros-international-wave/

Interesting post:

Are the artists involved with the Os Kuduristas project the most relevant or representative in Angola? Probably not. What’s more, the campaign doesn’t reveal any of the intricacies of urban life in Angola, or really document any of the politics that are lurking just underneath the surface. It’s an advertisement for a country, promoted as a brand, with a campaign built by a significant budget, and run by a private U.S.-based company. But, perhaps that’s what it takes in this day and age to be seen as an equal contributor to our contemporary global cultural conversation. If Os Kuduristas is problematic, there’s no one to blame for its existence but perhaps us, the international community and the media.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/bestmusic2012/2012/12/22/167750238/top-10-world-music-albums-of-2012

Janka, Staff Benda Bilili, and more

The NPR list is done by Banning Eyre from afropop worldwide

i know for a fact boima is dead on with that point.

batida only mentioned parenthetically in that post but worth checking out -- soundways put out his latest album and it's great

lol i just noticed above curmudgeon that you listened to it earlier this year and weren't impressed

i wonder why was soundway so universally snubbed? they release a lot of interesting stuff imo.

The reissues are not snubbed, just not included in polls of new albums. They seem to receive a lot of praise. I have seen a few critics poll votes for Batida and Ondatropica. I find something too gimmicky about them, so I do not personally like them, but some clearly do. They are not marketed to a Latino radio audience (or at least a USA one I would guess) and I do not think the label can afford to push promo cds or downloads to lots of critics.

They are not marketed to a Latino radio audience (or at least a USA one I would guess)
true, and i think this is part of the problem

I was looking for some Indian and Asian music and the one thing I saw to check out is Kiran Ahluwalia - Common Ground from last year. Anything else? I like how Tinariwen and other Malian bands have been touching on some psychedelic rock, and I imagined that would be a cool fusion in the context for Indian artists, but have not heard of anything.

Have you listened to any of that Sa Dingding I've linked to (in this thread, and on her own thread, and on the ILM EOY campaigning thread, and probably a couple other places)? Asian-Canadian Yamantaka//Sonic Titan? Not very Asian here, but it seems up your alley if you haven't heard it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxrH1pWRVw

(Better is their full ablum from last year.)

I find the Shiina Ringo/Tokyo Jihen board Electric Mole a good lead for Asian music, but that may be because I already share an enthusiasm for SR/TJ. The lists here are a mix of the usual suspects plus for Asiancentric choices, plus more idiosyncratic ones: http://forums.electricmole.net/showthread.php?t=2019

(I remember that you liked Adult to some extent.)

Or are you mostly looking for Indian and Pakistani music (and the like)? I can't say I've heard anything much from this year.

This rolling listening thread has turned up some good things for me, too. Lots of Asian music posted to it (not what we'd normally think of as world music, and again not really Indian/Pakistani): http://forums.electricmole.net/showthread.php?t=8

There was also this which I think might have had more people posting to it, and more Asian material, unless I'm mis-remembering (also possible):

http://forums.electricmole.net/showthread.php?t=1966

Oh yeah, maybe you'd like Zazen Boys' albums, Stories. I knew I was forgetting something Asian from my own list.

I liked Mordy's whirled list

Curmudgeon, you might as well start 2013's thread. (I do think it makes sense to keep it even as we all moan about the "world music" label.)

Here it is:

Rolling World Music Thread 2013