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.

Program December 16, 2011: Top Ten New Releases of 2011

Dude!  It's time for my favorite program of the year -- the one where I reveal my top ten new releases of 2011, Global A Go-Go stylee, plus ten (or so) runners-up.  Click "Read More" to see the winners.

Charts December 11, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Original Sound Of Cumbia | Soundway
2 THE BACHATA LEGENDS | The Bachata Legends | iASO
3 FRENTE CUMBIERO | Meets Mad Professor | Vampisoul
4 GUELEWAR | Halleli N' Dakarou | Teranga Beat
5 ZDOB SI ZDUB | Basta Mafia! | Asphalt Tango
6 SIBIRI SAMAKE | Dambe Foli | Kanaga System Krush
7 CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT | 2011: A Space Odyssey | Metal Postcard
8 LOS DESTELLOS | Constelacion | Secret Stash
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | El Sonido De Tupac Amaru | Masstropicas
10 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Bachata Roja: Amor Y Amargue | iASO

The Bachata Legends | The Bachata Legends

ARTIST:  The Bachata Legends 

TITLE:  The Bachata Legends 

LABEL:  iASO 

REVIEW:  Bachata is a guitar-based style from the Dominican Republic, related to bolero, merengue and son, that has long been popular at home – it’s the country music of the DR.

The Original Sound Of Cumbia

ARTIST:  various artists 

TITLE:  The Original Sound Of Cumbia: The History Of Colombian Cumbia & Porro As Told By The Phonograph, 1948-1979 

LABEL:  Soundway 

REVIEW:  DJ/musician/producer Will Holland, aka “Quantic,” is a cumbia fanatic.  With cumbia in a worldwide renaissance, he’s not the only one.  But he’s such a fanatic that he moved from to Colombia five years ago to be closer to the motherlode.

Program December 9, 2011

Will Holland (aka Quantic, pictured above) is a British DJ, musician and producer who moved to Colombia five years ago so he could be closer to the source material that was inspiring him -- cumbia.  Will's remarkable compilation The Original History Of Cumbia has just been released, and you'll hear two tracks from it on this week's program.

Charts December 4, 2011

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VIJANA JAZZ BAND | The Koka Koka Sex Battalion | Sterns
2 BLACK TRUTH RHYTHM BAND | Ifetayo | Soundway
3 DAWDA JOBARTEH | Northern Light Gambian Night | Sterns
4 GUELEWAR | Halleli N' Dakarou | Teranga Beat
5 HINDI ZAHRA | Handmade | Naive
6 IDRISSA DIOP & CHEIKH TIDIANE TALL | Diamonoye Tiopite | Teranga Beat
7 SIBIRI SAMAKE | Dambe Foli | Kanaga System Krush
8 JONI HAASTRUP | Wake Up Your Mind | Soundway
9 SEE-I | Remixed | Fort Knox
10 SIA TOLNO | My Life | Lusafrica

Black Truth Rhythm Band | Ifetayo

ARTIST:  Black Truth Rhythm Band

TITLE:  Ifetayo 

LABEL:  Soundway

REVIEW:  The ongoing project to reissue every international funk record ever recorded continues apace.  Soundway, which have been doing a bang-up job in Caribbean crate-digging over the last few years, has unearthed a gem here.

Dawda Jobarteh | Northern Light Gambian Night

ARTIST:  Dawda Jobarteh 

TITLE:  Northern Light Gambian Night 

LABEL:  Sterns 

REVIEW:  Dawda Jobarteh, a native of The Gambia in West Africa, is the scion of a long line of kora players.

Vijana Jazz Band | The Koka Koka Sex Battalion

ARTIST:  Vijana Jazz Band

TITLE:  The Koka Koka Sex Battalion 

LABEL:  Sterns 

REVIEW:  This is the fourth installment in East Africa specialist Doug Paterson’s troll of the archives of Nairobi’s AIT Records, and it might be my favorite so far.

Program December 2, 2011

As the year winds down, I'm digging in to a big plateful of reissues -- you'll hear some of the fruits of my listening on this week's program.