This thread is mainly for polyrhythmic, international sounds that aren't big enough to get threads of their own. I lean toward south of the equator sounds here that are sometimes less club-oriented than those of artists highlighted on Afrobeats, dancehall, soca, etc. threads. Sometimes, but not always, the artists are older than those on those other threads. More old-school bands too. Often less digital programming but if it includes such playing/programming it is usually less popular
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 3 January 2021 02:01 (three weeks ago) link
Here's last year's thread- 2020
Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2020 Thread (Often African bands)
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 3 January 2021 02:03 (three weeks ago) link
Still catching up on 2020 music slowly ( other things keeping me from listening)
Saw an Awesome Tapes from Africa email about a Mail release that looked promising; once I find time
― curmudgeon, Friday, 8 January 2021 18:46 (two weeks ago) link
https://jonathanbogart.substack.com/p/50-songs-of-2020-14
Jonathan Bogart in part re his top songs of 2020 : I dare say that just about anyone could find something to love in there, even if they don’t speak Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swahili, or Zulu (the most common non-English languages throughout the playlist).
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 12 January 2021 02:48 (two weeks ago) link
Bogart ranked 50 songs and did a Spotify list plus a 626 song YouTube playlist. A lot of it is more Afro thread material but since he has Caribbean and Brazilian and more , I posted it here
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 12 January 2021 05:34 (two weeks ago) link
Breastcrawl may even know already about many of the above artists.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 12 January 2021 15:21 (two weeks ago) link
cool, I only just saw this. reservations about JB aside, I’m looking forward to do some digging in. (rest assured, if last year’s list is anything to go by there will be lots I don’t know)
― partyin' maskless with Rudy G. and Vanilla Ice, it's a gas gas gas (breastcrawl), Wednesday, 13 January 2021 12:15 (two weeks ago) link
Chouk Bwa & The Ångstromers Vodou Alé Haitian Drumming and Singing with Touches of Electronica and Dancehall Music
Just finally listened to this 2020 effort. Not bad but doesn’t consistently wow me. Critic Ted Gioia had it in his long year end list
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 14 January 2021 02:15 (one week ago) link
https://afropop.org/articles/catch-up-on-tiny-desk-globalfest-2021
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 17 January 2021 16:29 (one week ago) link
https://afropop.org/articles/albums-from-2020-highlights
album titles in the link
Rocky DawuniSonghoy Blues Elida AlmeidaAricia Mess from Putumayo presents Brazil-Samba, Bossa, and BeyondHailu Mergia Groupe RTDGordon KonangLinos Wengara Magaya & Zimbaremabwe Mbira VibesModeste Hugues & Kilema Artists for Peace & Justice- Let the Rhythm Lead: Haiti Song Summit Vol. 1Ali Bilali SoudanHerb AlpertAndal Sukabe from Music from Saharan WhatsApp 7 Sahel SoundsPenny PennyNahawa Doumbia Ballake SissokoOumou Sangare - AcousticMonty Alexander
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 17 January 2021 16:46 (one week ago) link
This rips (Ugandan drum group on Nyege Nyege):https://nyegenyegetapes.bandcamp.com/album/ejokawulida
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 18 January 2021 20:57 (one week ago) link
Still catching up on 2020-- the Al Bilali Soudan (not Ali as I mistakenly typed earlier) album has great North African desert guitar work. Maybe not anything new at this point, but done really well.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 19 January 2021 17:03 (one week ago) link
Actually that's ngoni on that and maybe not guitar
https://www.clermontmusic.com/tombouctou
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 19 January 2021 17:09 (one week ago) link
Malian singer Nahawa Doumbia also on above list has a powerful, passionate voice . She's from southern Mali. in the Wassoulou region. This area is well known for generating some of the best female singers in Mali, including Oumou Sangaré.
https://earthbeat.nl/artist/nahawa-doumbia/
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 19 January 2021 17:25 (one week ago) link
Modeste Hugues & Kilema is pleasant afro-folk from Madagascar .
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 19 January 2021 19:54 (one week ago) link
Still more there to go through.
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 21 January 2021 17:34 (six days ago) link
The Oumou Sangare acoustic album from last year is nice. She's still got a great voice. One of those many fantastic southern Mali vocalists
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 23 January 2021 06:30 (four days ago) link
I don't think the kora album by Ballake Sissoko that afropop.org listed is available yet. He is a good player. Saw him duet with French musician Vincent Segal live, and they also were together on Tiny Desk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtiTfejYpgs
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 26 January 2021 00:20 (yesterday) link
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jan/26/kyrgyzstan-ballads-okinawan-folk-ugandan-hymns-the-album-rewriting-global-music-history-excavated-shellac?fbclid=IwAR1bKpkJrd2_MAmkb85GeWq3eQ5fLEV1CZBb7i7JZhqtXf4PynrAsMuBhpY
New digital only collection with e-book of global 78s put together by Excavated Shellac and Dust to Digital
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 26 January 2021 16:33 (yesterday) link
thanks for posting that tiny desk concert! I watched it last night. I know their albums together already, but it was a real treat to be able to see them playing with each other. This is basically what I imagine heaven would sound like.
I skipped a kora concert summer '19. I don't even remember who was playing, but I've regretted it ever since, particularly in the past year.
That shellac collection sounds amazing, I kind of want to convene a group project to listen to the whole thing.
― rob, Tuesday, 26 January 2021 16:50 (yesterday) link
Good description.
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 27 January 2021 02:00 (seven hours ago) link