Program January 27, 2012

On Saturday, Buzzy Lawler ends the weekly seven-year run of his superb Shake Some Action radio program on WRIR.  With his prior radio experience, jobs at many of Richmond's finest record stores and gigs with a variety of bands, Buzzy immediately gave brand-new, all-volunteer WRIR a greatly needed dose of credibility.

Charts January 22, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 MAMADOU AND VANESSA | Faso Mali | self-released
2 BACHATA LEGENDS | The Bachata Legends | iASO
3 BLACK TRUTH RHYTHM BAND | Ifetayo | Soundway
4 DAWDA JOBARTEH | Northern Light Gambian Night | Sterns
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Original Sound Of Cumbia | Soundway
6 ZDOB SI ZDUB | Basta Mafia! | Asphalt Tango
7 ANALOG PLAYERS SOCIETY | "Let The Music Play" / "Dance Hall Days" [Single] | Redbud
8 MARTY DREAD | It Sometimes Rains In Paradise | Five Corners
9 BEATS ANTIQUE | Elektrafone | Antique
10 NOVALIMA | Karimba | ESL Music

Mamadou & Vanessa | Faso Mali

ARTIST:  Mamadou & Vanessa 

TITLE:  Faso Mali 

LABEL:  self-released 

REVIEW:  Mamadou & Vanessa Sidibe, based in Berkeley California, are among the leading American exponents of neo-traditional Malian music.

Program January 20, 2012

We're going to dig into some reggae versions this week; you and I usually call them "covers."  These aren't just any old covers -- all the songs were mega-hits in their original incarnations, which gives the reggae versions a certain je ne sais quoi.  For example, how about Yellowman (pictured above) covering the equally pigmentally challenged (but of his own choice) Michael Jackson?

Charts January 15, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 NOVALIMA | Karimba | ESL Music
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Original Sound Of Cumbia | Soundway
3 COMRADE FATSO AND CHABVONDOKA FEAT OUTSPOKEN & LASSANA DIABATE | "Korokoza" [Single] | Nomadic Wax
4 PINKER TONES | Special 10th Anniversary Edition: Singles 2001-2011 | Nacional
5 DJ REKHA AND DAVE SHARMA | "Pyar Baile" [Single] | Beat Bazaar
6 MARTIN SIMPSON | Purpose + Grace | Topic
7 SHAWN LEE'S INCREDIBLE TABLA BAND | Tabla Rock | Ubiquity
8 BEATS ANTIQUE | Elektrafone | Antique
9 IDRISSA DIOP & CHEIKH TIDIANE TALL | Diamonoye Tiopite: L'Epoque De L'Evolution | Teranga Beat
10 VIJANA JAZZ BAND | The Koka Koka Sex Battalion | Sterns

Novalima | Karimba

ARTIST:  Novalima 

TITLE:  Karimba 

LABEL:  ESL Music 

REVIEW:  Novalima is a quartet of Peruvian musicians and producers who perform with a six-piece live band that’s augmented, on their albums, by a bevy of additional studio players.  On Karimba, their fourth album, they continue to work on the same idea that originally inspired them – the notion of fusing traditional Afro-Peruvian music with contemporary global DJ culture.

Program January 13, 2012

After four weeks in a row of specially-themed programs, I have quite a bit of catching up to do.  So this week you'll hear a half-dozen premiers -- recent releases I haven't yet played at all on the radio.  Among them is the new single from Zimbabwe's Comrade Fatso & Chabvondoka (pictured above), who blend mbira pop in the style of Thomas Mapfumo with spoken word poetry.

Charts January 8, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 BIO RITMO | La Verdad | Electric Cowbell
2 RATTLEMOUTH | 5 | self-released
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Original Sound Of Cumbia | Soundway
4 BLACK TRUTH RHYTHM BAND | Ifetayo | Soundway
5 VIJANA JAZZ BAND | The Koka Koka Sex Battalion | Sterns
6 EL REGO | El Rego | Daptone
7 JOLLY BOYS | Great Expectation | eOne Music
8 IDRISSA DIOP & CHEIKH TIDIANE TALL | Diamonoye Tiopite: L'Epoque De L'Evolution | Teranga Beat
9 FRENTE CUMBIERO | Meets Mad Professor | Vampisoul
10 CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT | 2011: A Space Odyssey | Metal Postcard

Comrade Fatso & Chabvondoka | Korokoza

ARTIST:  Comrade Fatso & Chabvondoka feat Outspoken & Lassana Diabate 

TITLE:  Korokoza 

LABEL:  Nomadic Wax 

REVIEW:  Zimbabwean poet-rapper-bandleader Comrade Fatso calls his mash-up of hip hop, spoken word and mbira music “Toyi Toyi Poetry.”  His self-released album House Of Hunger was one of my favorites in 2009; he’s finally back with a new single and video, with the support of the folks at Nomadic Wax.

DJ Rekha & Dave Sharma | Pyar Baile

ARTIST:  DJ Rekha & Dave Sharma
TITLE:  Pyar Baile
LABEL:  Beat Bazaar 
REVIEW:  New York-based DJ Rekha Malhotra’s Basement Bhangra and Bollywood Disco series have made Indian electronic dance music part of the NYC club scene since 1997.  Here’s a song from her decks that adds some Brazilian baile funk flavor to the bhangra, along with a dash of Afrika Bambaataa-era electro.

The Pinker Tones | Special 10th Anniversary Edition

ARTIST:  The Pinker Tones

TITLE:  Special 10th Anniversary Edition

LABEL:  Nacional
REVIEW:  Barcelona’s The Pinker Tones are one of the really great, smart pop bands of the 21st century. They started as essentially a laptop band; their sound palate and influences have expanded through the years, but they’ve never lost the “let’s put on a show” fun that’s at the heart of their appeal.

Program January 6, 2012

Cumbia, the clip-clop rhythm that came out of Colombia in the 19th century, is in the midst of a great evolution.  Musicians around the world are fusing it with their own genres, sampling it, funking it up, rapping over it, remixing their songs to it, and re-imagining it in countless ways.

This week on Global A Go-Go, I'll devote the full two hours to my favorite nueva cumbia recordings of the last decade.  Put on your pointy boots and dance along.

Back in Business

As a lot of folks did, I switched my website's domain name registrar last week because I didn't want to be in business with a company that supported the Stop Online Piracy Act.  Because the switch can take time to become effective, and because I'm none too savvy about these things, my blog was down for a few days.

But now I'm back in business; shortly I'll have a brand-new episode of Global A Go-Go to write about, and I hope to post my first few reviews of the year this week as well.  Bonne annee!

Program December 30, 2011: The Best of the Rest in 2011

This week I'll play 21 songs from this year that, for one reason or another, didn't make it onto my first two "Best of 2011" programs but I think merit another spin.

Program December 23, 2011: Top Ten Reissues of 2011

This week, it's part two of Global A Go-Go's look at the best recordings of 2011.  This time, the focus is on reissues and compilations.  Click "Read More" to see my top ten list, plus an additional ten runners-up.