Monday, December 7, 2020
The 10 Best Folk Albums of 2020
Tim Cumming looks back over the best folk albums reviewed in Songlines in 2020, which have sustained us through this locked down year
Features
Friday, November 27, 2020
Top 10 Albums of 2020
Here are 10 of our favourite albums from the past 12 months, including releases from Sam Lee, Cocanha, Afel Bocoum, Siti Muharam, Damir Imamović and more...
Monday, November 23, 2020
Introducing María José Llergo: “What we now call tradition was a revolution in its own time”
The young Spanish flamenco singer tells Gonçalo Frota how tradition and contemporaneity come together in her music. Photographs by Miguel Triano
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Zoë Modiga interview: South Africa’s new voice on language, identity and #BLM
A deft exploration of identity, Zoë Modiga’s latest album proves the South African is on the up. She speaks with Jane Cornwell about topics ranging from Black Lives Matter to the cultural importance of cattle in African society
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Malian Guitarists: The Essential 10
While guitarist Afel Bocoum steps out of Ali Farka Touré’s shadow and into the spotlight with his latest release Lindé, Nigel Williamson selects ten other excellent albums by Malian guitarists
Friday, October 23, 2020
AMMAR 808
The musician Sofyann Ben Youssef, aka AMMAR 808, travelled to southern India for his latest rhythm fuelled project. Tim Cumming speaks to him about the experience
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Rajery: A Beginner's Guide
Madagascar’s leading player of the bamboo tube zither, otherwise known as the valiha, has come a long way from coping with an early disability to touring international concert halls. Daniel Brown retells Rajery’s journey
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Mahsa Vahdat: A Beginner's Guide
One of Iran’s leading female singers has become world famous with her myriad collaborations. Laudan Nooshin pinpoints some of her career highlights to date
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Afel Bocoum interview: “By the time corona arrived we had already more than enough going on here in Mali”
A key figure in Ali Farka Touré’s band, Afel Bocoum is releasing a long-awaited and rare solo album that finds him stepping into the limelight. He talks to Bram Posthumus about living in exile in Bamako, the situation in Mali and his desire to reconnect with the world
Friday, October 9, 2020
Criolo interview: “The streets of Brazil are going to burn even more, but all we want is an end to suffering. We cannot take any more”
Brazilian artist Criolo gives his frank views on Brazilian society today and although the challenges for its future look daunting, he tells David Katz why he remains hopeful for his country
Friday, September 4, 2020
Aynur: Solace in Exile
The Kurdish singer Aynur Doğan has released her first solo album while living in exile in the Netherlands. She tells Robert Rigney her reasons for leaving Turkey and her mission to keep Kurdish songs alive
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
China’s Musical Secrets
An ambitious Folk Music of China series by Naxos World features folk songs from all of the country’s 55 officially recognised ethnic minority groups. The compilations offer a COVID-proof musical journey to rural China. Frank Kouwenhoven reports
Monday, August 17, 2020
Korean New Wave Albums | The Essential 10
Simon Broughton picks out some highlight recordings from the South Korean music scene, including albums by Jambinai and Black String
Thursday, August 13, 2020
Musicians in Detention: “These people are hiding in plain sight, and rotting away”
Australia’s hardline treatment of refugees is under fire as high-profile artists join the campaign in support of two detained Kurdish musicians: Farhad Bandesh and Mostafa ‘Moz’ Azimitabar. Jane Cornwell reports
Saturday, August 1, 2020
Balinese gamelan: a complete guide to a unique world of sound
The Indonesian island of Bali resounds with the vibrant, often thunderous music of its gamelans – the ubiquitous percussion orchestras of bronze and bamboo. Andy Channing conjures up the magic of its many incarnations
