Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2020 Thread (Often African bands)

DC Ethiopian band Kino Musica has a new ep out on bandcamp plus a new video for one of the songs. I like the video but haven’t heard the ep yet. Looking forward to it

X-post - the Sufi events I have mentioned are gonna be made available post-zoom on the National Museum of Asian Art ( formerly Freer/ Sackler) YouTube page

relief fund for African musicians

https://www.soulidarity.org/index.html

Mdou Moctar and band sign to Matador and release new video. Album coming soon

https://pitchfork.com/news/mdou-moctar-signs-to-matador-shares-video-for-new-song-chismiten-watch/

New Ustad Saami is sounding incredible, even better than the first one

https://ustadsaami.bandcamp.com/album/pakistan-is-for-the-peaceful

Will check it out

Pitchfork story on Discotan- performance space, site, label for music from South Asia and North Africa

https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/welcome-to-discostan/

X-post - Pakistani Ustad Saami does have quite a vocal range

There’s a new Songhoy Blues album out. It’s called Optimisme

It's pretty great.

I still haven't heard more than 1 song from it. I need to dig in.

I am listening to Kino Musica, a DC based group led by 2 Ethiopian immigrants who have their new Ifaan ep out on multiple formats plus a video for their take on the song "Arke Yehuma"

Can attest to the Ustad Saami, it's incredible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn8e60wXbNw

Here's DC band Kino Musica melding Ethiopian and a tinge of North African desert guitar grooves

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjsWgw68F2s

The Music Time in Africa radio show on the VOA that airs in parts of Africa is pushing Kenyan band Sautisol song “Brighter Days” as the “ feel good song of the year” on their Facebook page.

Sauti Sol, 2 words and ILXors have mentioned them in the past, sometimes here and sometimes on Afrobeats thread. The song mentioned above has Sauti Sol backed by the Soweto Gospel choir. I like the choir’s backing vocals more than Sauti Sol.

https://youtu.be/OQEByF4dtY0

I am not liking new Songhoy Blues , well some of it. First song is kinda Malian metal/hard rock and that’s not my thing. “Bob Bon “ has some prog aspects I don’t like either . Still listening

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/501345/city-lights-jam-to-kino-musicas-ep-ifaan/

But I like Kino Musica’s Ethiopian with a tinge of North African sound. Their guitarist is Ethiopian but grew up in Texas where he also listened to blues and rap, and played blues. Although you don’t hear too much of that on the ep. They also do a Black Sabbath cover live ( the guitarist told me likes the anti war lyrics) but make it sound less rock

I still haven’t listened to recent Mdou Moctar mixtapes, or those Sahel Whats App ones that come out monthly.

The guitarist of Kino Musica also emailed me a bunch of 80s to the present Ethiopian musicians he likes ( that I have never heard).

Would be interested in seeing that list - def know kino's name - feel like i maybe have the music but not listened but the texas background sounds interesting - shld check if i know who that is - but would be interested in seeing the list he he suggested

Kumera Zekarias of Kino Musica faves:

Artists Mentioned
Ali Birra-- Oromo singer, oud and guitar player. He's my biggest influence on current song writing
Tilahun Gessesse--the most famous Ethiopian singer among Ethiopians. He was my father's favorite singer
Yared Negu-my favorite contemporary Ethiopop artist
Galaanaa Gaaromsaa-my favorite contemporary Oromo artist
Abinet Agonafir-my favorite contemporary/2000's Ethoipian artist

I've got to listen to the above plus been reading about some new Awesome tapes from Africa releases and Sahel Sounds ones too

Saw someone mention Ustad Saami in albums of the year thread, but I think it was because he got a good Quietus review during the year but didn’t make their list.

The Hailu Mergia ep is a top 10 for me. Still thinking about and listening to others when I can.

That was me. The new one from Ustad Saami is breathtakingly good.

i'll agree on that mergia, would like to see it in more places

Siti Muharam
Siti of Unguja (Romance Revolution on Zanzibar

This taraab music album made the NPR album top 50 list . I forget whether someone had mentioned it earlier this year

Is it good? There was a taraab album on another list I saw (iirc either Gioa's or Songlines)

Must admit I haven’t heard it yet

Heh no problem, I kept the Songlines list tab open for a day until I gave up on the hope of listening to it all. This year is beyond overstuffed.

I'm listening to Afel Bocoum's Lindé album right now, which is quite nice. I've been getting into Malian music in general this year, so the horn parts are a genuinely surprising flourish

oh cool I didn't realize that it's Vin Gordon playing the trombone on this

Didn't realize he's still alive!

same! I guess he was only about 14 or 15 when he joined the Skatalites

I am liking the Bocoum album too and the collaborators despite my concern that producers Nick Gold & Famon Albarn are trying to impose their hipster world music visions

Damn autocorrect. Damon

Nyege Nyege is doing an online festival today and tomorrow, it seems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyegeNyegeM

OOF, so embarrassing. Here's a better link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=featured

fuck my life

December 3 through 6 is Nyege Nyege fest and those YouTube links don’t seem to work

all the links are here on the Nyege Nyege Music YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UClyGfHMQNG

this one's live right now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c0gWTviskQ

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

“it” doesn’t do channel links apparently

the live link works tho

Alas, most music critics included in year end polls discussed in that other thread aren’t listening to music on this thread

:-(

Notable that Duma, among some other Nyege Nyege-related artists, have made it onto many lists.

That’s good . It’s beat driven and noisy enough. But others on this thread are ignored as they’re considered too traditional or too old ; or just ignored by folks just listening to only age 20-something artists from the genres of country, rap, chart pop, and rock .

...but not afropop

so it’s probably not so much age-related as geographical

Or maybe both. I see Jon Pareles of NY Times included Burna Boy in his album list, and a Tiwa Savage song in his song list. He has Bad Bunny and Lido Pimienta too. Other Times critics had no African music. NY Times jazz list had 2 South African releases though

LA Times song list I glanced at was largely US pop, rap, country with some token reggaeton

they are some of the exceptions that prove the rule unfortunately (I’ve been moaning about it on the 2020 end of year music lists thread)

I wasn’t clear enough. I agree with you that those are the exceptions.

Los Angeles Times top 10 album list with 10 more honorable mentions includes no African based acts. It does include Los Angeles resident ( via DC area) Kali Uchis new Spanish language release as its one exception to the rule.

this list includes some thread-worthy selections:

https://thevinylfactory.com/features/best-albums-of-2020/

(apart from two Nyege Nyege Tapes releases, I glanced Groupe RTD -
The Dancing Devils of Djibouti at 41, Benin's Star Feminine Band - s/t at 36, and Siti Muharam - Siti of Unguja (Romance Revolution On Zanzibar) at 25)

I finally listened to some of Siti Muharam - Siti of Unguja (Romance Revolution On Zanzibar). Hand slapped percussion with some traditional high-pitched female vocals, some jazzy horns, and high-pitched strings that all together evokes a mid-eastern, north African, and South Asian whirling Islamic feel