Artists
Anouar Brahem
A exceptional oud player and collaborator, Anouar Brahem is one of the leading lights in Tunisian music
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Features
The Rough Guide to World Music: Mali
Few African countries have contributed so many important artists to the World Music market: Salif Keita, Toumani Diabaté, Habib Koité, Kandia Kouyaté, Oumou Sangaré and the late Ali Farka Touré being but a few
Features
Introducing La Perla: “We sing about the raw violence that we’ve lived in this country”
Meet the Colombian trio who are using the rhythms and vernacular of their traditional culture to transmit a message of defiance
Features
BCUC: Trusting in Love
Diane Coetzer talks to the South African band BCUC who are exporting their traditional Soweto music across the globe and mesmerising audiences, one transcendental show at a time
Features
Franck Biyong: “I just want to tear down the barrier that separates African music from the mainstream”
Frustrated by the state of popular African music, Franck Biyong decided to create his own ‘Afrolectric’ sound inspired by Le Grand Kallé, Fela Kuti, Manu Dibango and the greats of yesteryear
Features
Introducing... Guiss Guiss Bou Bess
Jenny Cathcart speaks to the Senegalese group who are making waves with their inventive, contemporary take on sabar drumming
Live reviews
Orpheus at The Lowry, Salford, November 19
East-meets-West as Opera North and South Asian Arts-UK present their riveting modern-day makeover of Monteverdi’s mythical marvel, L'Orfeo
Features
“The music takes me over. I dive in so deep that I go into a trance… Music is who I am” | Rokia Koné interview
The new voice of Mali, Rokia Koné, teamed up with producer-to-the-stars Jacknife Lee for an album sure to go down as a classic. Jane Cornwell catches up with this seemingly improbable, though quite inspired, pop partnership. Photography by Karen Paulina Biswell
Features
Youssou N’Dour interview: “Even today music can carry a message and change people’s lives”
Senegal has recently seen the long-anticipated opening of a museum dedicated to black civilisations. One of its chief supporters is Youssou N’Dour whose latest album, History, reflects on the past and acknowledges the next generation of artists. Jenny Cathcart reports
Features
Terry Riley interview: “Every decade of my life has had a different focus”
The pioneering minimalist composer talks about the Indian music that captured his imagination and his tutelage under Pandit Pran Nath
Live reviews
Samba-Festival Coburg review
Every year, the sleepy town of Coburg is overrun with musicians, dancers, and music fans for the largest samba festival outside of Brazil
Features
Introducing... Bantou Mentale: “We need edge – the world is falling apart, the Congo is falling apart, everything is falling apart”
Get ready for a new global sound via Kinshasa and Paris. Jo Frost speaks to the band
Features
Introducing... Balimaya Project
The 16-piece are reclaiming Mande tradition and helping to educate their communities. Jane Cornwell catches up with bandleader Yahael Camara Onono
Features
Fatoumata Diawara: “We have created something, a fusion, a music that I would say is totally new”
Fatoumata Diawara adds collaboration to the mix on an album of reconciliation and largesse. “It’s time for me to invite you… into my world,” she tells Lucy Hallam
Features
Speaker's Corner: MacDara Yeates on Joe Mulheron
Macdara Yeates pays tribute to one of Belfast’s most beloved singers, songwriters and cultural agitators, known for his generosity as much as his radical politics
