The perfect introduction to Fela Kuti – a true original: "Never have life, politics, art and music been so inextricably linked together in one incendiary, insurrectionary and highly danceable package"
The Afro Celt Sound System founder, initiator of The Imagined Village, record producer, composer, guitarist and birdsong enthusiast has passed away
The record industry is in a state of flux, with many labels struggling to keep up with the rapidly changing marketplace. Yet there are artists and labels still riding the wave and who are unanimous about their ultimate motivation – making great music
Robin Denselow catches up with the Québec-based Senegalese singer-songwriter and drummer who has just released a new album
In a new autobiography, Rikki Stein reflects on a non-stop career working with some of the world’s most visionary musicians: Fela Kuti, The Master Musicians of Joujouka and Jimi Hendrix being three examples. Russ Slater Johnson gets Stein to sit still for a minute and attempt to summarise it all
Legendary Armenian duduk doyen and composer Djivan Gasparyan has died, aged 92
Liverpool’s celebration of African music and culture returns to Sefton Park this year to commemorate three decades of good music. Jim Hickson reports
All of these artists who released their first solo album during the lifetime of Songlines (ie since 1999), including Fatoumata Diawara, Mariza, Sam Lee and many more
Nigeria's best-known cultural exports – juju, Afrobeat and fuji music – barely scratch the surface of the vast and vibrant cultural topography of the nation
Nigeria's best-known cultural exports – juju, Afrobeat and fuji music – barely scratch the surface of the vast and vibrant cultural topography of the nation
Doyenne of the Polish knee-fiddle, Maria Pomianowska, speaks to Simon Broughton about evolving her instrument's repertoire
The annual Gnawa festival in Essaouira, Morocco has just celebrated its silver anniversary. Torben Holleufer has been a regular visitor since its first incarnation and returns to assess its impact, reflecting on some of the magical, unique and heartbreaking moments of the past 25 editions
Ahead of an opening performance for this year's K-Music Festival in London, we speak to Jung Jae-il, the award-winning composer of the soundtracks to Parasite and Squid Game. “Listening was the greatest study,” he tells Liam Izod
This October, one of Indian music's most important figures, Carnatic violinist Dr L Subramaniam, will be performing and speaking at Darbar festival. We spoke to L Subramaniam ahead of his performance. Here's an extract from that conversation…
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