July 31, 2011

Charts July 31, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 JOLLY BOYS | Great Expectation | eOne Music
2 CORNERSHOP | "What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag?" [Single] | Ample Play
3 RAY LUGO AND THE BOOGALOO DESTROYERS | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
4 DZIAN! | Ali Shan A' Go Go | self-released
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Highlife Time Vol. 2 | Vampisoul
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Balkan Brass Battle | Asphalt Tango
7 STONEFACE & LIFE EVERLASTING | "Love Is Free" / "Agawalam Mba" [Single] | Academy
8 MONTY ALEXANDER | Harlem-Kingston Express Live! | Motema
9 THIEVERY CORPORATION | Culture Of Fear | ESL Music
10 STEFON HARRIS/DAVID SANCHEZ/CHRISTIAN SCOTT | Ninety Miles | Concord

WRIR's CMJ New World Adds
1 GEORGE DANQUAH | Hot And Jumpy | Secret Stash
2 LES HURLEMENTS D'LEO | Bordel De Luxe | Ladilafe
3 REMI KABAKA | Black Goddess | Soundway
4 SENOR FLAVIO | Nueva Ola | Nacional
5 SAMBA TOURE | Crocodile Blues | Riverboat

New & Recommended At WRIR
101 Things To Do In Bongolia | (various artists) | Electric Cowbell
Balkan Brass Battle | (various artists) | Asphalt Tango
Bamba, Sorry | Volume One 1970-1979 | Thrill Jockey
Cornershop | "What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag" / "Non-Stop Radio" | Ample Play
English Folk, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
Frimpong, K. & His Cubano Fiestas | Blue Album | Continental / Secret Stash
Funk Ark, The | From The Rooftops | ESL Music
Highlife Time, Volume 2 | (various artists) | Vampisoul
Hotel X | Unreleased 2010 | none
Keita, Mamani | Gagner L'Argent Francais | No Format!
Kuti, Seun Anikulapo & Egypt 80 | From Africa With Fury: Rise | Knitting Factory
Lugo, Ray & The Boogaloo Destroyers | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
Mapangala, Samba & Orchestra Virunga | Maisha Ni Matamu | Virunga
Shaolin Afronauts | Flight Of The Ancients | Freestyle
Tabou Combo | Respect | Secret Stash
Terakaft | Aratan N Azawad | World Village
Toure, Vieux Farka | The Secret | Six Degrees
Western Jazz Band | Songs Of Happiness, Poison & Ululation: Dar Es Salaam Dancing Club 1973-1975 | Sterns

Recent Arrivals
BLNRB: Welcome To The Madhouse | (various artists) | Out|Here
Danquah, George | Hot And Jumpy | Secret Stash
Dubtrak | Rapture | Renegade Media
Hurlements D'Leo, Les | Bordel De Luxe | Ladilafe
Kabaka, Remi | Black Goddess | Soundway
Kantala feat Abdoulaye Traore | "Bako" | self-released
King Hopeton | The King Of Kings | Doubleion
Senor Flavio | Nueva Ola | Nacional
Stronghold Sound Presents: The Audio Refuge Compilation | (various artists) | Stronghold Sound
Toure, Samba | Crocodile Blues | Riverboat
World Playtime, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network

July 28, 2011

Program July 29, 2011

It's a classic globetrotting edition of Global A Go-Go this week -- we'll touch down in 17 countries on our two-hour journey.  And that's with a quarter of the trip devoted to just one country, Zimbabwe, whence you'll hear three of her greatest artists -- Thomas Mapfumo, Oliver Mtukudzi and the Bhundu Boys (pictured above).

Also on the itinerary: Cornershop's new single, Iron Butterfly inna throat-singin stylee, some of the guitars of summer, and another edition of Balkan bangers.  Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/53444

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go


July 24, 2011

Charts July 24, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 MAMANI KEITA | Gagner L'Argent Francais | No Format!
2 THE FUNK ARK | From The Rooftops | ESL Music
3 THE JOLLY BOYS | Great Expectation | eOne Music
4 MONTY ALEXANDER | Harlem-Kingston Express Live! | Motema
5 DENGUE FEVER | Cannibal Courtship | Concord
6 SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS | Flight Of The Ancients | Freestyle
7 RAY LUGO & THE BOOGALOO DESTROYERS | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
8 K. FRIMPONG & HIS CUBANO FIESTAS | Blue Album | Continental-Secret Stash
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Balkan Brass Battle | Asphalt Tango
10 THIEVERY CORPORATION | Culture Of Fear | ESL Music

WRIR's CMJ New World Adds
1 ANCIENT FUTURE | World Without Walls | Capitol
2 EARLYWORM | Natty Droid | Renegade
3 GENERAL LEVY & PSB FAMILY FEAT BIG RED | "World Wide West" [Single] | X-Ray Productions
4 MARIACHI EL BRONX | "48 Roses" [Single] | ATO
5 AMALIA RODRIGUES | The Queen Of Fado | ARC

New & Recommended At WRIR
101 Things To Do In Bongolia | (various artists) | Electric Cowbell
Balkan Brass Battle | (various artists) | Asphalt Tango
Bamba, Sorry | Volume One 1970-1979 | Thrill Jockey
Cornershop | "What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag" / "Non-Stop Radio" | Ample Play
Dzian! | Ali Shan A' Go Go | self-released
English Folk, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
Frimpong, K. & His Cubano Fiestas | Blue Album | Continental / Secret Stash
Funk Ark, The | From The Rooftops | ESL Music
Hazmat Modine | Cicada | Barbes
Highlife Time, Volume 2 | (various artists) | Vampisoul
Hotel X | Unreleased 2010 | none
Jolly Boys, The | Great Expectation | eOne Music
Keita, Mamani | Gagner L'Argent Francais | No Format!
Kuti, Seun Anikulapo & Egypt 80 | From Africa With Fury: Rise | Knitting Factory
Lugo, Ray & The Boogaloo Destroyers | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
Mapangala, Samba & Orchestra Virunga | Maisha Ni Matamu | Virunga
Shaolin Afronauts | Flight Of The Ancients | Freestyle
Tabou Combo | Respect | Secret Stash
Terakaft | Aratan N Azawad | World Village
Toure, Vieux Farka | The Secret | Six Degrees
Western Jazz Band | Songs Of Happiness, Poison & Ululation: Dar Es Salaam Dancing Club 1973-1975 | Sterns

Recent Arrivals
DJ Raff | Latino & Proud | Nacional
Groundation | The Gathering Of The Elders | self-released
Torres, Walter A. | "Peligrosa" | self-released
Traore, Abdoulaye & Mohamed Diaby | "Agnakamina" | Chapa Blues

July 21, 2011

Program July 22, 2011

It's hotter than Hades here in Richmond right now, so I've whipped up a warm-weather show for you this week -- a set of Afrobeat, some reggae and dancehall, music from Mali (a new release by Mamani Keita, plus Tinariwen's new single from their forthcoming long-player) and a bit of Brazilian samba-soul.  Keep cool with some hot music, this week on Global A Go-Go.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/53281

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go


Mamani Keita | Gagner L'Argent Francais

ARTIST:  Mamani Keita
TITLE:  Gagner L’Argent Francais 
LABEL:  No Format! 
REVIEW:  Mamani Keita is a Malian singer who sang behind two of the greats, Salif Keita and Kasse Mady Diabate, early in her career, then moved to France in the 1980s.  She’s carved out her own niche, combining her classic Bambara vocals and traditional instruments like kora and ngoni with rock arrangements and electronic production.  Her 2002 collaboration with Marc Minelli, Electro Bamako, was a pioneer in Malian fusion music; since then she’s made two albums with guitarist-producer Nicolas Repac, of which this is the second.  Like her countrywoman Rokia Traore, Keita’s is the sound of today’s multicultural West Africa, a world where the line between tradition and American/European pop music is increasingly blurred.  And like her countryman Issa Bagayogo, Keita uses electronics to accent and enhance the essential Malian elements in her music.  Both of those two artists are much better known (at least in the USA) than Mamani Keita; that’s an oversight this fine album should help to address. 
TOP TRACKS:    1    4    9 
ALSO RECOMMENDED:   2    5    10

July 17, 2011

Charts July 17, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 CORNERSHOP | "What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag?" | Ample Play
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | 101 Things To Do In Bongolia | Electric Cowbell
3 SAMBA MAPANGALA AND ORCHESTRA VIRUNGA | Maisha Ni Matamu | Virunga
4 SEUN ANIKULAPO-KUTI AND EGYPT 80 | From Africa With Fury: Rise | Knitting Factory
5 TERAKAFT | Aratan N Azawad | World Village
6 DENGUE FEVER | Cannibal Courtship | Concord
7 IKEBE SHAKEDOWN | Ikebe Shakedown | Ubiquity
8 LA VIDA BOHEME | Nuestra | Nacional
9 SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS | Flight Of The Ancients | Freestyle
10 TABOU COMBO | Respect | Secret Stash

WRIR's CMJ New World Adds
1 BABA ZULA | Gecekondu | Essay
2 CORNERSHOP | What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag? | Ample Play
3 MAMANI KEITA | Gagner L'Argent Francais | No Format
4 MUNTU VALDO | The One & The Many | Warner Jazz
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Traditional Zulu Music: Songs Of King Shaka | ARC

New & Recommended At WRIR
101 Things To Do In Bongolia | (various artists) | Electric Cowbell
Balkan Brass Battle | (various artists) | Asphalt Tango
Bamba, Sorry | Volume One 1970-1979 | Thrill Jockey
Cornershop | "What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag" / "Non-Stop Radio" | Ample Play
Dzian! | Ali Shan A' Go Go | self-released
English Folk, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
Frimpong, K. & His Cubano Fiestas | Blue Album | Continental / Secret Stash
Funk Ark, The | From The Rooftops | ESL Music
Hazmat Modine | Cicada | Barbes
Highlife Time, Volume 2 | (various artists) | Vampisoul
Hotel X | Unreleased 2010 | none
Jolly Boys, The | Great Expectation | eOne Music
Kuti, Seun Anikulapo & Egypt 80 | From Africa With Fury: Rise | Knitting Factory
Lugo, Ray & The Boogaloo Destroyers | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
Mapangala, Samba & Orchestra Virunga | Maisha Ni Matamu | Virunga
Shaolin Afronauts | Flight Of The Ancients | Freestyle
Tabou Combo | Respect | Secret Stash
Terakaft | Aratan N Azawad | World Village
Toure, Vieux Farka | The Secret | Six Degrees
Western Jazz Band | Songs Of Happiness, Poison & Ululation: Dar Es Salaam Dancing Club 1973-1975 | Sterns

Recent Arrivals
Ancient Future | World Without Walls | Capitol
Athenians, The | Canto General: Music Of Greece | ARC
BaBa ZuLa | Gecekondu | Essay
Brothers Of Brazil | Brothers Of Brazil | SideOneDummy
Cornershop | "What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag" / "Non-Stop Radio" | Ample Play
Japanese Traditional Music: Koto -- Shamisen Kokusai Bunka Shinokai 1941 | (various artists) | World Arbiter
Keita, Mamani | Gagner L'Argent Francais | No Format
Mariachi El Bronx | "48 Roses" | ATO
Rodrigues, Amalia | The Queen Of Fado | ARC
Savani, Elspeth | Flights Of Mind | self-released
Traditional Zulu Music: Songs Of King Shaka | (various artists) | ARC
Valdo, Muntu | The One & The Many | Warner Jazz

July 14, 2011

Cornershop | The Singhles Club

ARTIST:  Cornershop
TITLE:  "What Did The Hippie Have In His Bag?" / "Non-Stop Radio"
LABEL:  Ample Play
REVIEW:  Cornershop's Tjinder Singh recently launched The Singhles Club, a series of six digital-only tracks that will aid, in his own words, in "freeing up the hard disc of Mr. Singh's headspace" -- these are the first two of the tracks.  "Hippie" marks the return of Tjinder the vocalist; Cornershop's last album, Cornershop And The Double 'O' Groove Of, featured Indian singer Bubbley Kaur.  If you're like me and have missed hearing Singh's droll half-spoken vocals in front of Cornershop's just-this-side-of-cheesy electronic swirl, this track is definitely for you.  And he gets extra points for collaborating with first-graders from Bolton's Castle Hill Primary School.  "Non-Stop" is more of a retro dance floor workout (think Prince's 1984 album) with sultry French vocals by Celeste.  More please, sir.

July 13, 2011

Program July 15, 2011

This week on Global A Go-Go, it's two hours with the accordion; won't you join me?  Two guests will do so -- Barry Bless from the Happy Lucky Combo (http://www.happyluckycommunique.blogspot.com) and Karen Sokohl, who writes the Accordion To Karen blog (http://www.accordiontokaren.com).

We've picked out accordion music from over a dozen countries and an eighty-year time span, including an as-yet-unreleased track by the Happy Lucky Combo.  Surely there's something in there that you'll enjoy, along with our sparkling three-way conversation about all things accordion.

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/53154

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go


July 10, 2011

Charts July 10, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | 101 Things To Do In Bongolia | Electric Cowbell
2 RAY LUGO AND THE BOOGALOO DESTROYERS | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Balkan Brass Battle | Asphalt Tango
4 SORRY BAMBA | Volume One 1970-1979 | Thrill Jockey
5 HAZMAT MODINE | Cicada | Barbes
6 JOLLY BOYS | Great Expectation | eOne Music
7 THIEVERY CORPORATION | Culture Of Fear | ESL Music
8 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Gozalo! Bugalu Tropical 4 | Vampisoul
9 DENGUE FEVER | Cannibal Courtship | Concord
10 AURELIO | Laru Beya | Sub Pop / Next Ambiance

WRIR's CMJ New World Adds
1 MONTY ALEXANDER | Harlem-Kingston Express Live! | Motema
2 JUAKALI | DreadBass Soundsystem | Foreign Familiar
3 NO TE VA GUSTAR | Por Lo Menos Hoy | Nacional
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Nickodemus Presents Turntables On The Hudson Vol. 8: Reflecting Cielo | ESL Music/Wonderwheel
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Sufi Music | World Music Network

New & Recommended At WRIR
101 Things To Do In Bongolia | (various artists) | Electric Cowbell
Balkan Brass Battle | (various artists) | Asphalt Tango
Bamba, Sorry | Volume One 1970-1979 | Thrill Jockey
Dzian! | Ali Shan A' Go Go | self-released
English Folk, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
Frimpong, K. & His Cubano Fiestas | Blue Album | Continental / Secret Stash
Funk Ark, The | From The Rooftops | ESL Music
Hazmat Modine | Cicada | Barbes
Highlife Time, Volume 2 | (various artists) | Vampisoul
Hotel X | Unreleased 2010 | none
Jolly Boys, The | Great Expectation | eOne Music
Kuti, Seun Anikulapo & Egypt 80 | From Africa With Fury: Rise | Knitting Factory
Lugo, Ray & The Boogaloo Destroyers | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
Mapangala, Samba & Orchestra Virunga | Maisha Ni Matamu | Virunga
Shaolin Afronauts | Flight Of The Ancients | Freestyle
Tabou Combo | Respect | Secret Stash
Terakaft | Aratan N Azawad | World Village
Toure, Vieux Farka | The Secret | Six Degrees
Western Jazz Band | Songs Of Happiness, Poison & Ululation: Dar Es Salaam Dancing Club 1973-1975 | Sterns

Recent Arrivals
Alexander, Monty | Harlem-Kingston Express Live! | Motema
Nickodemus Presents Turntables On The Hudson Vol. 8: Reflecting Cielo | (various artists) | ESL Music / Wonderwheel
Sufi Music, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
World Lullabies, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network

July 7, 2011

Program July 8, 2011

We're just past the midway point in 2011, so it's time to take stock.  This week on Global A Go-Go, it's the best of 2011 so far.  Lots of great releases so far this year -- Afrobeat, Latin, Caribbean, global remixe-y stuff, West African reissues, and a bunch of sui generis items, like the disc pictured above (Shangaan electro-gospel, I guess you'd have to call it).

Click "Read More" for today's tracklist; click here for a podcast of today's program:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/53029

The complete catalog of Global A Go-Go podcasts is here:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go


July 3, 2011

Charts July 3, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | 101 Things To Do In Bongolia | Electric Cowbell
2 TABOU COMBO | Respect | Secret Stash
3 RAY LUGO AND THE BOOGALOO DESTROYERS | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
4 SAMPA MAPANGALA AND ORCHESTRA VIRUNGA | Maisha Ni Matamu | Virunga
5 JOLLY BOYS | Great Expectation | eOne Music
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Fania Records 1964-80: The Original Sound Of Latin New York | Strut
7 CLUB D'ELF | Electric Moroccoland/So Below | Face Pelt
8 STEFON HARRIS/DAVID SANCHEZ/CHRISTIAN SCOTT | Ninety Miles | Concord Picante
9 SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS | Flight Of The Ancients | Freestyle
10 SEUN ANIKULAPO-KUTI AND EGYPT 80 | From Africa With Fury: Rise | Knitting Factory

WRIR's CMJ New World Adds
1 CAPTAIN PLANET | The Ningane EP | Bastard Jazz
2 ROGER DAVIDSON | On The Road Of Life | Soundbrush
3 HAMILTON DE HOLANDA AND YAMANDU COSTA | Live | Adventure Music
4 SHAYNA DREAD | Don't Fight The Youth | Catch Me Time
5 THIEVERY CORPORATION | Culture Of Fear | ESL Music

New & Recommended At WRIR
101 Things To Do In Bongolia | (various artists) | Electric Cowbell
Balkan Brass Battle | (various artists) | Asphalt Tango
Bamba, Sorry | Volume One 1970-1979 | Thrill Jockey
Dzian! | Ali Shan A' Go Go | self-released
English Folk, The Rough Guide To | (various artists) | World Music Network
Frimpong, K. & His Cubano Fiestas | Blue Album | Continental / Secret Stash
Funk Ark, The | From The Rooftops | ESL Music
Hazmat Modine | Cicada | Barbes
Highlife Time, Volume 2 | (various artists) | Vampisoul
Hotel X | Unreleased 2010 | none
Jolly Boys, The | Great Expectation | eOne Music
Kuti, Seun Anikulapo & Egypt 80 | From Africa With Fury: Rise | Knitting Factory
Lugo, Ray & The Boogaloo Destroyers | Mi Watusi | Freestyle
Mapangala, Samba & Orchestra Virunga | Maisha Ni Matamu | Virunga
Sergent Garcia | Una Y Otra Vez | Cumbancha
Shaolin Afronauts | Journey Through Time | Freestyle
SMOD | SMOD | Nacional
Tabou Combo | Respect | Secret Stash
Terakaft | Aratan N Azawad | World Village
Toure, Vieux Farka | The Secret | Six Degrees
Western Jazz Band | Songs Of Happiness, Poison & Ululation: Dar Es Salaam Dancing Club 1973-1975 | Sterns

Recent Arrivals
Davidson, Roger | On The Road Of Life | Soundbrush
Thievery Corporation | Culture Of Fear | ESL Music

July 1, 2011

Shaolin Afronauts | Flight Of The Ancients

ARTIST:  Shaolin Afronauts
TITLE:  Flight Of The Ancients
LABEL:  Freestyle 
REVIEW:  This is the debut album for the Shaolin Afronauts, an 11-piece instrumental band from Adelaide, Australia.  Many of the band members also play in the Transatlantics, a soul and funk band.  Funk is certainly part of the equation here, but the emphasis is on Afrobeat.  The players also have an affinity for 70’s era free jazz (think Pharoah Sanders and obviously Sun Ra), which comes through in the complex and non-intuitive horn lines that they play over the propulsive Afrobeat rhythms.  Frequent use of minor keys reminds me of Mulatu Astatqe’s Ethio-Jazz as well.  It’s a heady set of influences for a young band, and it puts them in direct competition with some outstanding groups: The Budos Band and The Superpowers come immediately to mind.  What really makes the Shaolin Afronauts stand out are their compositions -- they go beyond standard riff-based Afrobeat with intricate 3-horn arrangements and a series of solos that go far out while staying in the pocket.  A very impressive debut that will sit comfortably on the shelf with the best of progressive Afrobeat.
TOP TRACKS:    1    2    3    6
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    4    5    7    8

Tabou Combo | Respect

ARTIST:  Tabou Combo
TITLE:  Respect
LABEL:  Secret Stash 
REVIEW:  This is a reissue of a 1973 recording by Tabou Combo, one Haiti’s most famous bands.  They formed in 1967 and relocated to New York City in 1970, where they continue to be active as both a live and a recording act -- their most recent album was released earlier this year.  Tabou’s style is called konpa or compas; it got started in the 1950’s, derived from merengue but with a stronger, straighter rhythm.  Tabou incorporated a myriad of other influences into konpa -- the accordion evokes French chanson, the rhythm section adds American funk, salsa and Brazilian music to the mix, and the extended guitar rave-ups sound like they come right out of a Congolese sebene.  Like Congolese soukous, Tabou Combo’s version of konpa on this album is party music supreme: no matter how a song starts, it’s likely to end in an ecstatic dance floor pileup.  This is sometimes called Haiti’s national music, and by virtue of the band being based in Brooklyn for the last 40 years, it’s also one of the USA’s great contributions to world music.  If you don’t know konpa, here’s a great place to start.
TOP TRACKS:    1    4    5
ALSO RECOMMENDED:    2    6    8