Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2021 Thread (Often African bands)

Haven’t listened to the Kidjo album yet

Cameroonian singer Wes Madiko:

https://then24.com/2021/06/26/singer-wes-madiko-author-of-the-hit-alane-died-at-the-age-of-57/

RIP

Was listening to Witch Camp— percussion and chants and harmonies from Ghanaian women in a camp who have been wrongfully condemned as witches

Sample tracks from this are good: https://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/album/cameroon-garage-funk

Pop Makossa was amazing so I'm looking forward to hearing that

Sounds funky and liners say most songs were recorded in a church with just one mic

This is pretty sweet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFZobgLF5Vc

Bandcamp daily had a story about this Moroccan banjo player, really nice: https://hassanwargui.bandcamp.com/album/tiddukla

I am behind on listening to various things related to this thread. But intend to find time

https://daily.bandcamp.com/hidden-gems/u-tin-burmese-guitar-review?utm_source=notification

The late Burmese / Myanmar guitarist U-tin sounds good on my first quick listen

yes, sounds very interesting

Yep

Belatedly caught up with the new Ballaké Sissoko, who never disappoints. The chamber pop collabs (with Camille and Arthur Teboul of Feu ! Chatterton, among others) are more convincing than I expected and don't sound off in this context where most features involve African musicians (or musicians of African descent). The duo with Oxmo Puccino is the sole misstep as far as I'm concerned. By far one of the best French rappers of the late 90s/early 00s, he just sounds exhausted here, and his attempt at doing a spoken word bit falls flat.

New Sissoko album is called Djourou

Salif Keita’s voice is still so gorgeous on Sissoko cut Guelen

Saw a little video clip on an Ethiopian DC FB group of Tsedi , an Ethiopian singer performing before a big Sunday night crowd at the Hashtag Lounge in Alexandria, Virginia, pretty close to Washington DC. I don’t know her music but may investigate further at some point

was Habibi Funk 015 mentioned? it's very good on first listen
https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/habibi-funk-015-an-eclectic-selection-of-music-from-the-arab-world-part-2

wow there are 15 volumes of that? not sure I've heard a one—any particular volume to recommend?

this is a personal favorite https://habibifunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/habibi-funk-010-mouasalat-ila-jacad-el-ard

cheers, I'll check that out!

https://pan-african-music.com/en/nobesuthu-mbadu-dies-at-76/

Too many deaths of older musicians lately

Nobesuthu Mbadu of South Africa’s Mahotella Queens mbaqanga and vocal harmonies group

Sir Victor Uwaifo guitarist
Barthalemy Attiso, guitarist for Orchestra Baobab

https://www.getrevue.co/profile/jonathanbogart/issues/exist-yesterday-2021-tropical-pop-2-may-aug-743619?utm_campaign=Issue&utm_content=view_in_browser&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Exist+Yesterday

Jonathan Bogart on his fave May to August 2021 pop/dance/ rap/reggae /soca songs

Really into this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0GKOazMFho

Falle Nioke & sir Was - Wonama yo ema

That sounds super nice

ooh that's lovely

this newer, bangier track is good too - i think it's on the BBC Radio 6 playlist

Falle Nioke & Ghost Culture - Leywole

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndqyUDPVBt0

Thanks for the Falle Nioke posts. Good stuff.

Unrelated-

Ethiopian New Year is Saturday. A couple of good live shows coming up this weekend in DC. One with guitarist Selamino who is on a Ethiopiques album or 2.

I checked Altın Gün's album because it was mentionned first on Popmatters mid-year list. It's a pleasant discovery: tasty mix of synths, grooves and Anatolian rock. It's light in a good way, without the superficial exotic I expect on such releases. For example the track of right now, Kesik Çayır, sounds kinda like the B-side of Remain in Light. I wouldn't mind a bit more edge and a world-class singer, but I think I'll check their previous album as well.

Following the author, I just found this. Fitting since I'm going to Kin soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0jF5QxNtI8
Rey Sapienz & The Congo Techno Ensemble - Eza Makambo

https://www.businessinsider.com/afghanistan-taliban-kills-popular-folk-singer-days-after-music-ban-2021-8

Oh no.

Mecca-based MSYLMA, who made what I believe to be the best record of 2019, is coming out with a new one next Monday, a collaboration with producer ISMAEL. Some gorgeous preview tracks here: https://editionsappaerent.bandcamp.com/album/the-tenets-of-forgetting

Doesn't fit with a lot of the more "traditional" music that this thread catalogs, but is obviously influenced by Muslim devotional music and prayer practices. Really cool stuff.

I missed the 2019 album as well, so will check out both

Some of 2019 Msylma is a bit too melodramatic for me, but much of it works.

Yeah, it is a little melodramatic, but I love it— and he does have quite a set of pipes.

Family responsibilities mean I can’t go see Cameroon’s longtime mokassa artist Petit Pays Friday night in a burb between DC and Baltimore, but he’s released a zillion albums that I haven’t heard and should check out

Makossa

Neha Kakkar from India is at the MGM theatre near me tonight, as well.

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/29/1041553988/googoosh-iranian-singer-american-tour

NPR story on Los Angeles based Iranian singer Googoosh who is on tour again

More than 100 young artists, teachers and their relatives affiliated with the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, a celebrated school that became a target of the Taliban in part for its efforts to promote the education of girls, fled the country on Sunday, the school’s leaders said.

The musicians, many of whom have been trying to leave for more than a month, boarded a flight from Kabul’s main airport and arrived in Doha, the capital of Qatar, around midday Eastern time, according to Ahmad Naser Sarmast, the head of the school, who is currently in Australia. In the coming days, they plan to resettle in Portugal, where the government has agreed to grant them visas

From NY Times

Between helping my elderly Mom ( who’s more a Sinatra fan than a Mdou Moctar one) and moving locally in the DC area , I am way behind on my global listening.

https://afropop.org/articles/robson-banda-and-the-new-black-eagles-soweto

I need to listen to this reissue

That Robson Banda and the new black eagles reissue has those zimbabwean and south african guitars from the 80s that I like

. BLK JKS - Abantu/Before Humans

Saw this and Mdou Moctar on a best of 2021 album list in that thread of them

Omar Souleymane now being held in a Turkish prison is bad news.

https://www.passionweiss.com/2021/11/16/afro-jams-of-the-week-november-16-2021/

Hmmm have I ever heard Sona Jobarteh who’s gonna be on cover of December Songlines and has a gig in London soon

That BLK JKS album is very busy with lots of sounds coming at you at once, sometimes I like it while other times it’s too jazz fusion/ prog busy for me.

learned recently that demola adepoju also played pedal steel on paul simon's "graceland" (the song). his solo album is amazing. any/all other nigerian/african pedal steel tips always totally welcome! https://t.co/PUnQ9dyfvF

— jesse jarnow (@bourgwick) November 20, 2021

https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/arooj-aftab-grammy-nomination-best-new-artist-things-to-know-1235001996/

Pakistani music for the masses. I like her but it’s interesting how she has managed to reach ilx, indie hipsters, and the Grammys

I think it's because it's very good