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Reviews

Review of Samā'ī

Samā'ī

Azmari

Sdban Ultra

Rating: ★★★

When Belgian six-piece Azmari get into that Ethio-groove, they go in hard. The immediately distinctive Ethiopian kignit scales possess horn...

Reviewed in issue March/2021

Review of Silent Voices

Silent Voices

Ayla Schafer

Nixi Music

Rating: ★★★

Singer-songwriter Ayla Schafer plays spellbinding folk music infused with Latin mystique. Her captivating new album carries a profound message of...

Reviewed in issue March/2021

Review of Diamond in the Rough

Diamond in the Rough

19th Street Band

19th Street Band

Rating: ★★★

Following 2017's The Things That Matter, 19th Street Band deliver Diamond in the Rough, a nine-track showcase for the core...

Reviewed in issue March/2021

Review of In D

In D

Brooklyn Raga Massive

Brooklyn Raga Massive

Rating: ★★★

After their extraordinary recording of Terry Riley's In C in 2017, the eclectic New York-based collective known as BRM follow...

Reviewed in issue March/2021

Review of The Tunis Diaries

The Tunis Diaries

Emel

Partisan Records

Rating: ★★

This is a sprawling double album from the highly cosmopolitan and experimental Tunisian-born, New York-based singer-songwriter Emel. Hot on the...

Reviewed in issue March/2021

Review of Lonely Hymns and Pillars of Emptiness

Lonely Hymns and Pillars of Emptiness

Iztok Koren

Takuroku

Rating: ★★★★

Conceived in isolation during the spring of 2020, this recording is the solo debut by multi-instrumentalist Iztok Koren (of Širom...

Reviewed in issue March/2021

Review of La Gouache

La Gouache

R.wan

Top of the World

Poupaprod

Rating: ★★★★

In 2000, Parisian band Java gave traditional bal-musette (French accordion music) a 21st-century makeover, adding the lyrics of Erwan Séguillon...

Reviewed in issue March/2021

Review of Medicine Man Orchestra

Medicine Man Orchestra

Medicine Man Orchestra

Aribo Productions

Rating: ★★★

An unlikely sonic collision, Medicine Man Orchestra brings together the divergent universes of electronic sound design (Alissa Syllah), West African...

Reviewed in issue March/2021

Review of Horisonten

Horisonten

Fågel Roc

PBP Records

Rating: ★★

Although Fågel Roc are a Stockholm group and often sing in Swedish, their original songs incorporate elements of varied global...

Reviewed in issue March/2021

Review of Les Mamans du Congo & RRobin

Les Mamans du Congo & RRobin

Les Mamans du Congo & RRobin

Top of the World

Jarring Effects

Rating: ★★★★★

Blending any sort of traditional music with electronic effects is always a risk. Meanings may be lost, or rhythms diluted....

Reviewed in issue March/2021

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