Baloji | Kinshasa Succursale

ARTIST:  Baloji

TITLE:  Kinshasa Succursale

LABEL:  Crammed Discs 

Baloji is a Congolese-born, Belgian-raised songwriter, rapper and producer who came to fame as a member of the top-selling Belgian group Starflam.  For his second solo album, Baloji returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Charts February 26, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Opika Pende: Africa At 78 RPM | Dust-to-Digital
2 LENI STERN | Sabani | self-released
3 HUGH MASEKELA | Jabulani | Listen2 / Razor & Tie
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Istanbul 70: Psych, Disco, Folk Classics | Nublu
5 NOVALIMA | Karimba | ESL Music
6 LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO AND FRIENDS | Collaborations With Some Of The Worlds Finest Artists | Listen2 / Razor & Tie
7 LULU GAINSBOURG | "Bonnie And Clyde" [Single] | Mercury
8 LOS DESTELLOS | Constelacion | Secret Stash
9 GALACTIC | Carnivale Electricos | Anti-
10 BONGA | Hora Kota | Lusafrica

Charts February 19, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Electric Cowbell Fall 2011 45 RPM Releases | Electric Cowbell
2 BALOJI | Kinshasa Succursale | Crammed
3 GALACTIC | Carnivale Electricos | Anti-
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa | World Music Network
5 LENI STERN | Sabani | self-released
6 HUGH MASEKELA | Jabulani | Listen2 / Razor & Tie
7 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Istanbul 70: Psych, Disco, Folk Classics | Nublu
8 MAMADOU AND VANESSA | Faso Mali | self-released
9 PINKER TONES | Special 10th Anniversary Edition | Nacional
10 DAWDA JOBARTEH | Northern Light Gambian Night | Sterns

Galactic | Carnivale Electricos

ARTIST:  Galactic 

TITLE:  Carnivale Electricos 

LABEL:  Anti- 

REVIEW:  Galactic is a popular, difficult-to-categorize New Orleans-based instrumental band.  You could call them jazz, or jam-band, or funk – whatever you call them, they incorporate a wide variety of influences from hip-hop and electronica to world music to, especially, the indigenous sounds of their home city.

Hugh Masekela | Jabulani

ARTIST:  Hugh Masekela 

TITLE:  Jabulani 

LABEL:  Listen2 / Razor & Tie 

REVIEW:  Hugh Masekela is one of the legends of South African music.  He helped pioneer the township jazz sound along with Dollar Brand and Kippie Moeketsi in the Jazz Epistles; he’s the first African artist to make it to #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 (“Grazing In The Grass,” 1968); his trumpet playing has backed up everyone from Miriam Makeba (his ex-wife) to the Byrds to Paul Simon to Herb Alpert.  Now in his seventh decade as a professional musician, Hugh has made one of his finest records ever with Jabulani.

The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa

ARTIST:  various artists 

TITLE:  The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa 

LABEL:  World Music Network 

REVIEW:  The Rough Guide series wades into the burgeoning African-psych-reissue category for the first time, and their angle is a little bit different.

Leni Stern | Sabani

ARTIST:  Leni Stern

TITLE:  Sabani

LABEL:  self-released 

REVIEW:  Leni Stern is a German-born musician who started as a film composer, switched to jazz, moved in a more singer-songwriter direction, and in the last eight or so years has immersed herself in African music, especially that of Mali.  All of her influences and experience are brought to bear on this intimate, unique album.

Program February 17, 2012

Mas, Mardi Gras or Carnaval -- whatever you call it, it's carnival time.  This week Global A Go-Go takes you to Port Of Spain, New Orleans and Rio De Janeiro for a timely set of carnival tunes, including the batucada of Brazil's Monobloco (pictured above at Rio Carnaval 2011).

Charts February 12, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Istanbul 70: Psych, Disco, Folk Classics | Nublu
2 BONGA | Hora Kota | Lusafrica
3 COMRADE FATSO AND CHABVONDOKA FEAT OUTSPOKEN & LASSANA DIABATE | "Korokoza" [Single] | Nomadic Wax
4 PINKER TONES | Special 10th Anniversary Edition | Nacional
5 BACHATA LEGENDS | The Bachata Legends | iASO
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Original Sound Of Cumbia | Soundway
7 IDRISSA DIOP & CHEIKH TIDIANE TALL | Diamonoye Tiopite: L'Epoque De L'Evolution | Teranga Beat
8 KARANTAMBA | Ndigal | Teranga Beat
9 CAMBODIAN SPACE PROJECT | 2011: A Space Odyssey | Metal Postcard
10 OMAR SOULEYMAN | Haflat Gharbia: The Western Concerts | Sublime Frequencies

Bonga | Hora Kota

ARTIST:  Bonga

TITLE:  Hora Kota

LABEL:  Lusafrica

REVIEW:  Bonga Kwenda is the most famous voice in Angolan music.  His classic album Angola 72, recorded in exile, is widely regarded as the soundtrack of the Angolan independence movement.

Program February 10, 2012

I'm featuring a new recording this week from Bonga (pictured above), the voice of Angola's independence movement in the 1970's who is releasing his 30th album next week.

Charts February 5, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 NOVALIMA | Karimba | ESL Music
2 PINKER TONES | Special 10th Anniversary Edition | Nacional
3 DJ REKHA AND DAVE SHARMA | "Pyar Baile" [Single] | Beat Bazaar
4 GUELEWAR | Halleli N' Dakarou | Teranga Beat
5 ZDOB SI ZDUB | Basta Mafia! | Asphalt Tango
6 RENE LOPEZ | E.L.S. | Nat Geo Music
7 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Istanbul 70: Psych, Disco, Folk Classics | Nublu
8 MAMADOU AND VANESSA | Faso Mali | self-released
9 COMRADE FATSO AND CHABVONDOKA FEAT OUTSPOKEN & LASSANA DIABATE | "Korokoza" [Single] | Nomadic Wax
10 VIJANA JAZZ BAND | The Koka Koka Sex Battalion | Sterns

Istanbul 70: Psych, Disco, Folk Classics

ARTIST:  various artists 

TITLE:  Istanbul 70: Psych, Disco, Folk Classics

LABEL:  Nublu 

REVIEW:  I guess we can call Turkish 70’s music the latest reissue trend, on the strength of recent compilations of Cem Karaca, Erkin Koray, and now this sampler from Nublu (the label and NYC club owned by Turkish-Swedish musician Ilhan Ersahin) curated by Istanbul-based DJ Baris K.

Program February 3, 2012

This week's episode of Global A Go-Go is dedicated to getting you revved up for WRIR's annual Party For The Rest Of Us, this year celebrating our seventh birthday.  It's at the Renaissance Ballroom, 107 W. Broad Street, starting at 7 PM; all the details are here:

http://wrir.org/index.php?/blog/entry/6155
https://www.facebook.com/events/182491748515477