Reviews
Mapendo
50 years ago, the Starlight Club in Nairobi was one of the hottest nightspots in East Africa, a venue that...
Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: November/2023
Inventor Vol 1
Born in Luanda’s Barrio do Rangel, DJ Znobia began experimenting with audio production tool FruityLoops in the early 90s, mixing...
Reviewed by Olivia Cheves in issue: November/2023
Leon Keïta
Born in Conakry, Guinea, guitarist Leon Keïta eventually became a significant figure on the Malian scene, helping to form the...
Reviewed by Martin Longley in issue: November/2023
Off the Grid
‘The word [Onipa] means ‘human’ in Akan, the ancient language of the Ashanti people of Ghana,’ frontman Kweku Sackey (aka...
Reviewed by Max Reinhardt in issue: November/2023
Viral Wreckage
Bisola Olungbenga has all the makings of a new Nigerian star. Trading under the memorable name of Aunty Rayzor, she...
Reviewed by Robin Denselow in issue: November/2023
Traverse
Laura Risk, Nicholas Williams & Rachel Aucoin
Californian Laura Risk now resides in Montreal and has been playing Québécois fiddle for decades. Traverse is her first solo...
Reviewed by Glenn Kimpton in issue: October/2023
Yebo! Rare Mzansi Party Beats from Apartheid's Dying Years
Mzansi is a Xhosa word meaning south and in the 1980s became shorthand slang in the townships for South Africa...
Reviewed by Nigel Williamson in issue: October/2023
Lullabies from Scotland
There are some lovely, sparkly moments in this self-descriptive album from 2015's BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the...
Reviewed by Tom Newell in issue: October/2023
Tarkabarka
Balamuc are a London-based band with a global membership and a clear interest in the music of the Roma, especially...
Reviewed by Kim Burton in issue: October/2023
