Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2018 Thread Once Known as World Music

this looks cool haven't heard it yet

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2440170954_16.jpg

That does look intriguing. Currently listening though to a more serious Arab world effort-- DC based Palestinian singer/oud player Huda Asfour whom I have touted here before. She's on Spotify and her latest album Kouni is very good.

La Lechera, how was the Chicago fest? Did you see Jupiter & Okwess? Did your students go to any of the events?

It was amazing, as usual! In fact, before I tell you any more I learned that the webcasts have been archived and you should be able to view them from the facebook page -- this should work? https://www.facebook.com/pg/WorldMusicFestivalChicago/videos/?ref=page_internal

I caught Juana Molina (awesome, inventive, super fun), Rio Mira & Orquesta Akokan (their only US appearance?! wut? two students came to this and both enjoyed it a lot, insanely packed venue), and Jupiter & Okwess (no students showed but the performance was great and I enjoyed Quantic's DJ set a LOT) I didn't get to all the events I wanted to see, but it was satisfying.

By the time last Saturday rolled around I was completely exhausted but that is what I want from WMF -- it helps a person save up good memories to last through the winter

i like this - it's on spotify:

https://thevinylfactory.com/news/african-acid-is-the-future-launches-new-label-ambiance-vinyl/

Oh will have to check that out, as it includes “the queen of mbira” Stella Chiweshe from Zimbabwe. I didn't recognize the Kenyan names on it.

Rio Mira, the Ecuador/Peru marimba music act, that was one of the groups La Lechera saw at the Chicago Fest, are gonna be in the month long October DC Global Music fest. The DC Fest has a mix of paid ticket and free shows, plus they're showing movies also like Zerzura: A Saharan Acid Western (made by Sahel Sounds )

Oh, thanks for the Facebook video links for the Chicago fest performances. Just checked out a bit of Rio Mira and the retro-mambo Cuban and more group Orquesta Akokan

I need to find time to check out more of those Chicago Fest videos

The DC Flash of the Spirit month-long global music fest is going on. A mix of ticketed and free gigs. Gonna probably see Ethiopia's Fendika tonight (who play music and dance) with the Brooklyn-based Anbessa Orchestra (made up mostly of some Israelis into Ethiopian music who moved to US) . Fendika played in NYC the other night with my Ethiopiques DC based fave guitarist Selam Selamino Woldermariam

Fendika were afro-folkloric and rhythmic with some good dancers; Anbessa have the old-school Ethiopiques sound down tight.

I love Fendika! <3 Melaku <3

just listening to Benin guitarist Lionel Loueke's The Journey album rn, like it!

Been loving the Kamal Keila reissue on Habibi Funk - amazing that they managed to get such sound quality out of tapes of radio sessions that, as per the liner notes, got wet and damaged in the meantime. It's "Sudanese Jazz", which feels to me more like Funk crossed with local influences. Very much worth hearing.

x-post--just listening to Benin guitarist Lionel Loueke's The Journey album rn, like it!

― calzino, Monday, October 8, 2018

In the past Loueke's playing has always been more jazz than Benin-sounding, which is ok but didn't dazzle me. Fans of his insist even his jazz is unique because of what he brings to it, but perhaps I haven't listened close enough to hear it.

Saw at Richmond, VA Folk festival yesterday a Baltimore-based Caribbean carnival troupe, Tribu Baharu (Afro-Colombian champeta band), and Orchesta El Macabeo (Puerto Rican punks gone salsa) plus Mavis Staples, Sherman Holmes Project, and more

not gone back to that Loueke album much since tbh, it seems to go a bit off the boil after the first few tracks.

Oh well, re Loueke.

Unrelated:

I still have so many Afropop.org episodes to catch up with.

I see that someone else likes the Louke album on the jazz thread. Still too many other things I want to listen to before that (as I like stuff on this thread more than instrumental jazz).

I didn't see Rio Mira and their call & response vocals over marimba at either the DC festival or the chicago one, but am liking the video of one of their Chicago gigs better than i expected I would. more rhythmic and uptempo than I thought it would be.

https://www.facebook.com/WorldMusicFestivalChicago/videos/266948357485706/

When I saw South African guitarist/singer Vusi Mahlasela a long time ago he seemed a little too folky for me. It might have been a solo gig. My wife had never seen him and she wanted to go see him this past weekend and we did. I liked him better. Joined by a band, and talking a lot between songs about his new upcoming live album recorded where he grew up, and about politics and hate (this was a Saturday night gig in a DC synagogue hours after the Pittsburgh synagogue killing), his voice seemed more powerful over the township jive throwback rhythms from his band. He noted he had been struggling with his health but was now doing better. His inspirational performance reminded me a bit of seeing longtime American civil rights activists now; people who have endured so much and are still enduring and are still pushing forward for justice.

Glanced at Pitchfork Best albums page link and I see a couple of folk and country releases and some metal among the rap, rock,experimental, and electro, but I don't see anyone from any genre from the continent of Africa, plus no Caribbean acts and no Central or South American. Hven't looked closely for Asian or other parts of the world. Some so-called niche genres just don't count I guess. I haven't looked at the Pitchfork best tracks list to see if things look better there-- maybe a reggaeton or Afrobeats track... Hopefully.

Pitchfork tracks list has a jazz track, folk/ country ones, electronic and experimental but none that are afropop, afrobeats, reggaeton, dancehall, or soca

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ObS-u4XXYb0

I saw footage circulating of new Minnesota congressperson Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American celebrating with family to this great Somali dance song

I was about to witness a three day ceremony with five gong players, each man holding one gong, drunk on new rice alcohol fermented for three weeks. All I knew when I left Banlung (a Khmer town) was wanting to check Kavet territory and luckily winter is the time of celebration when people of the villages congregate. Some have not seen each other for months or weeks and reunite on the territory of the village after rice harvest has been finished.

Excerpt from article about Laurent Jeanneau, aka Kink Gong, who traveled around Southeast Asia between 1996 and 2014 recording traditional musicians

https://www.popmatters.com/sounds-of-zomia-kink-gong-2608153653.html

thanks for posting -- saving for later
five gong players!

Angelique Kidjo sounded powerful and emotional in singing in front of world’s politicians in Paris at Armistice Day WWI event

Here's the video of Kidjo. She celebrated peace and sung tribute to fallen World War One African soldiers with a moving rendition of a song popularized by a Togo singer, Bella Bellow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpABEO2Embs

Seeing Tal National & Fatoumata Diawara on best of lists, whom else do you like (yea I know it’s only November)!

Imarhan, Hailu Mergia, Ebo Taylor, Bombino

I generated this at work at Spotify using listening data from the first day of streaming in the 13 Middle-East/North-African countries we launched in this week:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glennpmcdonald/playlist/43PAWHK47Nl6B9BW59EDxI?si=-Sywg3ZeRPqKDCpuOtlbgg

Also, if you don't already know about these, a few other ways to see what people around the world are programming or playing on Spotify:

http://everynoise.com/worldbrowser.cgi (Spotify editorial playlists)
http://everynoise.com/countrysounds.html (countries)
http://everynoise.com/everyplace.cgi (cities)
http://everynoise.com/hyperspace_house_concerts.cgi (cities, part 2)

How are the editorial playlists generated?

Oh, sorry, the editorial playlists are made by humans, that's what "editorial" means in this context.

you hire ppl in all these different countries to make these playlists? how often do they update them?

Yes, although sometimes a small team handles multiple countries. Update frequencies vary, but most of the Featured ones get new stuff daily or weekly.

and who are the ppl who make them? music journalists in those places, radio ppl, fans?

They're Spotify employees, and come from various backgrounds. You can see openings on our Jobs site, including two of these positions right now (one for Classical, one for Indonesia):

https://www.spotifyjobs.com/search-jobs/#search=senior+editor&category=shows-editorial

New Music Friday Maghreb is largely US rap and indie. Uh, thanks Spotify editorial

Welcome to Mena is more interesting

Well, my rogue efforts at globalist data-liberation notwithstanding, NMF Maghreb exists for the local audience, not for musical tourism. In North Africa by default you see that instead of the other versions, not in addition, so of course it has a lot of global artists...

Spotify Colonialism Maghreb

But I like many of the other ones

The city thing there is interesting. Had used it before but forgotten about it.

Back to Mordy's post -- yes to Ebo Taylor and the others...Thanks for reminding me

Bandcamp and Pitchfork contributor Marc M*st#rs got folks talking about African reissues and some new stuff on Facebook the other day: Here's some stuff mentioned

subscribe to the Now-Again/Rappcats thing where I get downloads every month of whatever obscure Zamrock thing they're currently doing

Dur Dur of Somalia on Analog Africa Bandcamp

All the Zamrock stuff is a blast - Witch, Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family. Ripping guitars

African Scream, vol. 2; Ernesto Chahoud presents Taitu; Editions Syliphone Conakry reissues ; The first Rikki Ililonga record (Zambia) reish on Now-Again is GREAT.; Habibi Funk; Sahel Sounds; Asnakech, by Asnakech Worku; Two Niles to Sing a Melody: The violins and Synths of Sudan on Ostinato records via Bandcamp; Shina Williams & His African Percussionists are well worth checking out. He used a lot of the same musicians as Fela Kuti. ; Electric Jive label South African 60s reissues

I missed out on that Afro-garage rocking Zambia stuff like Witch when it was first getting reissued circa 2011 I think, but have heard a bit now

i love that stuff

I need to get to the South African and Sudan reissues next.

heads up jordan, there was a new toto bona lokua album in the past year, more than that long ago actually

http://www.noformat.net/album-toto-bona-lokua-bondeko-58.html

sounds great

Sometimes Richard Bona can be a bit too syruppy jazzy, but maybe not in Toto Bona Lokua

29. Hailu Mergia - Lala Belu

From the Wire magazine album poll. Sons of Kemet won

xps to curmudgeon:

The Dur-Dur and Sudanese compilations are talked about (a bit) on this thread:
’Sweet as Broken Dates: Lost Somali Tapes from the Horn of Africa' - THIS COMP OMG.