Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2019 Thread Once Known as World Music

Now listening to Afro-folk of the Good Ones from Rwanda. And here’s video of Madagascar supergroup

https://www.kennedy-center.org/video/index/M70866

Toko Telo is the Madagascar supergroup

They're kind of afro-folk too. I like the singer's voice

i like the kokoko album

― Mordy, Thursday, September 26, 2019 5:42 PM (five days ago)

Less enthused about French synth player in Kokoko than I am about rest of the band

eh, he was ok -- in the live setup he kept the whole thing moving along, wore a pink hat in case anyone was confused about him being white
what's your beef w him?

His synth is too techno/edm while the homemade instruments are funky

That’s what I like about them! The collision of the two things. One of my students went to see them too and he went because he likes EDM and walked away w respect for their homemade instruments.

LL otm

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article236164663.html

Musicians leading Haitian protests

Rapper Izolan, who led the movement under the theme "Lage Pye Ou" (step on it) with the hashtag Rebat Kat La (reshuffle the deck of cards), was joined by fellow musicians, posting plans on social media and asking participants to wear white shirts, a sign of peace.

https://www.voanews.com/americas/thousands-join-haitian-musicians-peaceful-protest-demanding-president-step-down

lineup for next year's globalfest announced and includes vocal choir San Salvador from France who sound pretty great on first spin
https://soundcloud.com/lostintraditions/sets/san-salvador-live

The rai group looks interesting ( although I haven’t listened to them yet)

Saw and enjoyed Zambia Afro-psychedelic band Witch . Only surviving original member from their early 70s prime is singer Jagari Chanda.

Might make more sense to talk about Witch on a garage rock or psychedelic thread. But they do have some Zambia trad influences. I haven’t seen the movie doc about them. I don’t think they ever found live film footage of the band from the 70s. Just photos. Doc I think follows around Jagari Chanda in recent years and interviews people about the past and present

What is everyone listening to these days?

the new blick bassy a bunch

Listening to Blick Bassy now. Nice Sunday morning music so far (relaxing but not easy listening)

the album is about Ruben Um Nyobé, an anti-colonialist Cameroonian leader who was killed in 1958 and basically any discussion of him and his movement was repressed brutally by the government for the next few decades. it's a politically significant act that blick bassy made this album as well as being quite beautiful imo. the afropop worldwide sorta "primer" episode on it is worth listening to as a compendium for the context i liked the album the first few times i heard it but after listening to the ep i kept going back to it.

blick is good times

i mean, obviously that topic isn't so much but as a performer and artist, blick is a badass

The new album by Iranian percussionist Mohammad Reza Mortazavi has some deep, almost Aphex-y vibes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu282N-6WXM

saw pejman hadadi on drums live recently and his hands were unmappably fast and the beats painfully intricate, didn't really seem possible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-HBA0JqNjg

Just saw the Manginyar Seduction in DC. 36 Northern India musicians and vocalists set up in a Hollywood Squares like set w/ 9 across and 4 rows high.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gWOuYAJ1-zI

xp - wow, that guy's got major dancing hands! thanks for posting

Heh, curmudgeon, we are the same person: seeing manganiyar thursday.

Manganiyar were great. I think you will definitely enjoy

i have been making the "Hollywood Squares" comparison when discussing them too; also "advent calendar"

Am liking that Nigerian afrobeats/ afropop Lady Donli album that’s been mentioned on that other thread.

It has now been mentioned on three threads no less, it’s that good. It has a retro vibe, but still sounds real fresh and punchy.

Let me post that Fader feature again:
https://www.thefader.com/2019/10/31/lady-donli-enjoy-your-life-interview

Mauritania singer Noura Mint Seymali and her band have been to the US a bunch of times, but this time her husband guitarist Jeich Ould Chighaly and the bassist were denied entry. At Kennedy Center Seymali and her drummer were joined by her US-based brother and another guy. Not as much Afro-psych guitar but the keyboardist adds good sounds and Seymali’s vocal range still sounds impressive
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nllls4f7Png

Chighaly is a great guitarist who also gave some lessons to The 75 Dollar Bill guitarist. So lame that he got barred this time

getting them into the country has always been a deal as i understand it; unsurprising but yes, very shitty.

new staff benda bilili out today!

it's been 8 years since the last one

I wonder who’s in the group now. I thought they had broken up. Wiki notes:

In February 2013 The Guardian reported that singer and songwriter Coco Ngambali had quit, along with fellow vocalist Théo Nzonza, and a tour of top European venues scheduled for March and April had been cancelled amid accusations of mismanagement.[15] The band played some dates in Europe in the autumn of 2013 and summer of 2014. Ngambali and Nzonza now play in Mbongwana Star.[16]

Just saw Afropop Worldwide and VOA host Georges Collinet talk about his career dj’ing music. He also showed video clips from various African countries. Then Congolese singer Samba Mapangala sang with the DC based Highlife Allstars

i love georges collinet so much he has one of the alltime great radio voices

He does. I introduced myself and talked to him and he was very friendly. The live music was good old-school congolese rumba. An enjoyable night

Sometimes I think old school Congolese rumba is my favorite kind of music

That high-pitched Congolese guitar rhythm is magical

Was hoping to see Mdou Moctar, Burna Boy, Lady Donli & or a few other Afropop/ African acts on year-end lists, but I guess expecting that from American and Brit posted lists is naive.

i think mdou moctar will show up on lists

potential albums i'll put for on my year end list (that seem possibly of interest to this thread):

KOKOKO! - Liboso
Nicola Cruz - Siku
Ustad Saami - God is Not a Terrorist
Kel Assouf - Black Tenere
Saba Alizadeh - Scattered Memories
Tanya Tagaq - Toothsayer
Altin Gün - Gece
A-WA - Bayti Fi Rasi
Ikebe Shakedown - Kings Left Behind
Blick Bassy - 1958
75 Dollar Bill - I Was Real
Helado Negro - This Is How You Smile

KOKOKO! was one of the funnest shows I saw this year. Really memorable.

Amanda Petrusich has Mdou Moctar & Burna Boy on her New Yorker list. But not seeing them on others

Just discovered North African vocalist Aziza Brahim, who now lives in Spain. Her latest album is getting some attention in Europe

Still not seeing many musicians mentioned on this thread in best-of's.

https://afropop.org/articles/afropop-runs-down-2019

Stocking Stuffer list in alphabetical order

Just listened to a bit of Bantou Mentale, a Congo alternative afro-rocking band . Energetic and wild