Global A Go-Go Classico: Serge Bulat in the house

This week (Sunday October 12, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) I have a Classico edition of Global A Go-Go lined up for you.  It features my conversation with Serge Bulat, a multidisciplinary artist originally from Moldova who spends a lot of time nowadays here in Central Virginia when he's not traveling the globe working on those art projects.

I interviewed Serge on April 6th of this year, and on that program he also did a live in-studio mix that featured selections from his most recent album, Phonomundi: Selected Recordings of Heritage Sites and Traditions 2017-2024.

Serge also talks about his time studying with the legendary singer, dancer and performance artist Meredith Monk, and he and I have teamed up to help bring the new documentary film about Meredith, Monk in Pieces, to Richmond.  It's going to be presented by Cinema Niche at Studio Two Three on Saturday November 15th.

Charts Sep 29 - Oct 5, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 ALICK NKHATA | Radio Lusaka | Mississippi

2 EJE EJE | Primordial Soup | Batov

3 EL BAILADOR DE LA ESQUINA | various artists | Vampisoul

4 MEKLIT | A Piece Of Infinity | Smithsonian Folkways

5 LA SONORA DINAMITA | Cumbia Sin Fronteras | Altafonte

6 YASMINE HAMDAN | I Remember I Forget | Crammed

7 ORQUESTA LA MURALLA | Como Me La Pida | Hyperopia

8 ABA DIOP AND THE YERMANDE FAMILY | Family | Dal Diam Fall

9 LOS ZHEROS | Psychedelic Cumbia Party | Vampisoul/Rey

10 STAR FEMININE BAND | Jusqu'au Bout du Monde | Born Bad

To sing is to listen

My favorite weekend of the year, the one that includes the Richmond Folk Festival, is coming up shortly: It's Friday October 10th through Sunday October 12th.  And that means it's also time for Global A Go-Go's annual Folk Festival preview show, where I fill you in on the international artists I'm excited about seeing there.

 

This year that list starts with Ustad Naseeruddin Saami & the Saami Brothers from Karachi, Pakistan.  The Saamis are probably the very last singers in the world of the 49-note surti microtonal octave scale (FYI, conventional Western notation has 12 tones per octave), which they employ in the performance of qawwali music and its predecessor, khayal.  They'll presents programs of both styles of music at the Folk Festival.

 

I'm also stoked to see one of my favorite reggae singers active today, Meta Dia, originally from Senegal and now living in New York City, with his band the Cornerstones.  And one of the most interesting new African acts anywhere, Dogo du Togo & the Alagaa Beat Band, led by Serge Massama Dogo, who lived for 20 years in Washington DC but is now based back in his hometown of Lomé, Togo.

 

Also on the Folk Festival schedule and on this week's program (Sunday October 5, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Richard Hagopian, America's foremost oud player, who will be accompanied at the Festival by two additional generations of his family; Raiatea Helm who will introduce you to Hawaiian leo ki'eki'e (falsetto singing); Villa 5, a young all-siblings música norteña band from southern California; and Son Qba, Cuban son specialists from Miami.

Charts September 22-28, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MEKLIT | A Piece Of Infinity | Smithsonian Folkways

2 BONGO DISTRICT | Motelito Flores [EP] | 90DB

3 COCHEMEA | Vol. III: Ancestros Futuros | Daptone

4 MULATU ASTATKE | Mulatu Plays Mulatu | Strut

5 IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE | Anyone Like You [EP] | Merge

6 UMUT ADAN AND ZEBANIS | "Bogota" [Single] | Six Degrees

7 ME AND MY FRIENDS | "Tell Me" [Single] | Split Shift

8 ANTIBALAS | "La Ceiba" [Single] | Daptone

9 AFRICAN STEEL | various artists  | Olvido

10 AMADOU AND MARIAM | "Sonfo" feat. Fally Ipupa [Single] | Because

Bongo bong

The folks at Secret Planet Richmond are back with two more live shows at the beginning of October.  First of all, Yeison Landero y su Conjunto return to Richmond from Colombia for the third time this year.  If you're a Global A Go-Go listener and you haven't seen them yet, I'm not sure what you're waiting for, because this is as good as cumbia gets.  And if you know you know, in which case you'll probably be back for more.  That's happening at Révéler Experiences on Wednesday October 1.

 

Then on Thursday October 9, Secret Planet Richmond presents Bongo District, also at Révéler.  They're a band of immigrants based in the District of Columbia who call their sound ritmos nómadas: It's cumbia, reggae, funk, rock, ska and more.  If that sounds a little like Manu Chao, you're in the right neighborhood.  You'll hear the music of Bongo District and Yeison Landero on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go.

 

Also this week (Sunday September 28, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): More twangy South and East African guitar music off of 78 rpm discs, courtesy of three new compilations; brassy Colombian sounds from Bandejas Espaciales and Colectro; new Anatolian rock from Umut Adan & Zebânis; the return of America's finest Afrobeat band, Antibalas; and England's surprisingly funky Me and My Friends.

Charts September 15-21, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 ORCHESTRA GOLD | Dakan | self-released

2 BALIMAYA PROJECT MEETS DISCOS PACIFICO ALLSTARS | Calima | Jazz Re:freshed/Discos Pacifico

3 MULATU ASTATKE | Mulatu Plays Mulatu | Strut

4 OMARA PORTUANDO | Eternamente Omara | Warner Spain

5 ANTIBALAS | "La Ceiba" [Single] | Daptone

6 MEKLIT | "Abebayehosh" [Single] | Smithsonian Folkways

7 AL CAMPBELL | "Declaration Of Rights" [Single] | 17 North Parade

8 YALLA MIKU | "Alemuye" [Single] | Bongo Joe

9 LOS CALIGARIS | "Mi Vida Sin Tu Vida" [Single] | PopArtDiscos

10 PEKI MOMES | Peki Momés | Mocambo

A spell cast in rhythm & reverie

Orchestra Gold is an ensemble from Oakland that doesn't sound like any other American band.  They play a sludgy, heavy kind of psychedelic rock -- it's almost stoner metal.  They also have a full horn section.  And underlying all of it are the traditional melodies and rhythms of Mali's centuries-old Mandé culture.  Band leaders Mariam Diakité and Erich Huffaker met in Mali almost 20 years ago, and they've build this project patiently and organically since then.

 

That process has led to the album Dakan (Destiny), which will be released on October 2.   It's massive, noisy and abrasive, also beautiful and thrilling, and one of the best rock or African records I've heard in 2025.  I'll play you three songs from Dakan on this week's program so you can hear it for yourself.

 

Also this week (Sunday September 21, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Sly & Robbie, the producers, including a previously unreleased digital roots single voiced by Al Campbell; a wonderful new collaboration between England's Balimaya Project and musicians from Colombia's Pacific region; Bio Ritmo, salsa celebrities in Colombia, play a hometown gig at Get Tight Lounge on Thursday September 25; and new Ethiopian sounds from Mulatu Astatke, Meklit, Yalla Miku, Trio Kazanchis + 1 and Trio Mokili.

Charts September 8-14, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 2015-2025: LES DISQUES BONGO JOE - 10 YEARS OF SONIC EXPLORATIONS | various artists | Bongo Joe

2 LOS ZHEROS | Psychedelic Cumbia Party | Vampisoul/Rey

3 BALIMAYA PROJECT MEETS DISCOS PACIFICO ALLSTARS | Calima | Jazz Re:freshed/Discos Pacifico

4 AMADOU AND MARIAM | "Sonfo" feat. Fally Ipupa [Single] | Because

5 EJE EJE | "Oyun Corbasi" [Single] | Batov

6 RANIL Y SU CONJUNTO TROPICAL | Sonido Amazonico | Vampisoul

7 QAP BAND AKA SWIN BATUKA | "La Picosa (Remix)" [Single] | Club Coco

8 TRIO TERNURA | "A Gira" [Single] | Vampisoul

9 STAR FEMININE BAND | Jusqu'au Bout du Monde | Born Bad

10 K FRIMPONG AND HIS CUBANO FIESTAS | Blue Album | Soundway

Our man in Iquitos

Iquitos, the capital of the Peruvian Amazon with half a million residents, is the largest city in the world that can't be reached by road.  It's been a hotbed of chicha and Peruvian cumbia since the 1960s, and on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go you'll hear four bands that originated in Iquitos, including Ranil y su Conjunto who are the subject of a new compilation album from Vampisoul Records.

 

Also this week (Sunday September 14, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): An all-South American first hour with Brazilian samba-soul including a newly reissued single of Trio Ternura, and Colombian champeta highlighted by a deeply-dug 1992 track by Q.A.P. Band; more music from the Anatolian rock revival like the new single from Eje Eje; the latest in Afropop by Habib Koité's Mandé Sila, Amadou & Mariam and Star Feminine Band; and some Afrobeat to close out the show, including a new cover of Fela Kuti's "Zombie" by Kotoa, an Afrobeat-dub band from South London.

Charts September 1-7, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 GOOD ONES, THE | Rwanda Sings with Strings | Glitterbeat

2 2015-2025: LES DISQUES BONGO JOE - 10 YEARS OF SONIC EXPLORATIONS | various artists | Bongo Joe

3 MULATU ASTATKE | Mulatu Plays Mulatu | Strut

4 SCIENTIST AND DUBITERIAN FEAT. JOSEPH COTTON | Signed and Sealed | Scientist

5 JUNIOR MURVIN | Cool Down the Heat | Greensleeves/Jammy's

6 T.P. ORCHESTRE POLY RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Trop Parler C'est Maladie | Acid Jazz

7 ABIJAH STONE | Ashes in the Offering | From Babylon to Zion

8 MUSIC FOR A REVOLUTION, VOL. 1: GUINEA'S SYLIPHONE RECORDING LABEL (1967-1973) | various artists | Radio Martiko

9 MADALITSO BAND | Ma Gitala | Bongo Joe

10 GRUPO PILON | Nu Sta Li | El Palmas

¡Sonido Amazonico!

I've got a special Global A Go-Go event coming up this weekend.  It starts on the radio on the afternoon of Sunday September 7, and continues that evening at Révéler Experiences.  Olivier Conan, the founder and leader of the band Chicha Libre, will take over Global A Go-Go this week (Sunday September 7, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site).

 

Olivier has selected a whole show's worth of music to spin, and he and I will talk about the band, their influences, how they've gotten to where they are and where they're going from here, and a whole lot more.  Other Chicha Libre members might join us in the studio for this live on-air event.  Now, the band is on the road right now, so arrival times are always subject to change.  If Olivier isn't in Richmond by 1:00, you'll hear his musical selections and my own commentary instead.

 

Then Chicha Libre will perform at Révéler (3108 W. Cary Street in Carytown), where the doors will open at 6:00 PM and their first set starts at 7:00.  It's a unique opportunity to see this band not in a rock club but in an intimate (100 seats) cabaret setting that still has plenty of room for dancing.  Not surprisingly, this show is a production of Secret Planet Richmond.

 

Chicha Libre is the band that introduced the rest of the world to the marvels of Peru's psychedelic cumbia called chicha.  Founder Olivier Conan, a native of Paris, was turned on to this music by his travels in Peru, and came home to Brooklyn with the ideas of issuing the first ever international compilation album of the genre, and of creating a band to play the music.

 

Olivier was a veteran of several bands and already ran a wildly eclectic music venue in Park Slope called Barbès.  He started Barbès Records to release The Roots of Chicha in 2007, which is one of those albums that's so influential that it's now hard to imagine a time before it existed.  Chicha Libre's debut ¡Sonido Amazonico! followed the next year, then The Roots of Chicha 2 in 2010 and Chicha Libre's Canibalismo in 2012, which for my money is one the best albums of the 21st century so far.

 

Fast forward to today, where DJs all over the world are spinning vintage chicha in their tropical music sets, dozens of chicha revival bands are gigging and recording in the USA and Europe, and chicha original gangsters like Los Mirlos and Los Wembler's de Iquitos have reunited and played for adoring crowds at home and across the globe.  None of this would have happened without Olivier and Chicha Libre.

 

Chicha Libre went on hiatus in 2016, but last year they decided to get back together for some recording and touring.  They've been on the road quite a bit in 2025, including a stop at Richmond's Get Tight Lounge in July.  And now they're coming back to Richmond, the hometown of their keyboard player Joshua Camp, on their way home to Brooklyn after playing at the Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh.

 

Please join Olivier and me on the radio this Sunday between 1 and 3 PM, and catch Chicha Libre live at Révéler that evening, if you are so inclined.

Charts August 18-31, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MAHOTELLA QUEENS | Buya Buya: Come Back | Umsakazo

2 GOOD ONES, THE | Rwanda Sings with Strings | Glitterbeat

3 ALICK NKHATA | Radio Lusaka | Mississippi

4 SKIP MARLEY | "In Our Sight" [Single] | Tuff Gong International/Def Jam

5 JAAKKO LAITINEN AND VAARA RAHA | "Lapis Philosophorum" [Single] | Playground

6 T.P. ORCHESTRE POLY RHYTMO DE COTONOU | Trop Parler C'est Maladie | Acid Jazz

7 GROUP INERANE | Marjahan Bianou | Sublime Frequencies

8 K. FRIMPONG AND HIS CUBANO FIESTAS | Blue Album | Soundway

9 PACHYMAN | Another Place | ATO

10 ZULU GUITAR BLUES: COWBOYS, TROUBADOURS AND JILTED LOVERS 1950-1965 | various artists | Matsuli

The indestructible beat of Mahotella Queens

Mahotella Queens, South Africa's greatest mbaqanga singing group, are now in their 60th year.  Led by Hilda Tloubatla, their last remaining original member, they've just released their first album, Buya Buya: Come Back, in almost 20 years, and it's a beaut.  You'll hear two songs from it this week on Global A Go-Go, plus a recording of the Queens from their first UK-USA tour in 1988-89, a tour that brought them to Richmond.

Also this week (Sunday August 31, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Acoustic music from southern Africa by the Good Ones, Alick Nkhata and Cowboy Sweethearts; a reissue of one of my favorite highlife recordings, the Blue Album of K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas; a new version of the "Westbound Train" riddim by Skip Marley; Finland's Jaakko Laitinen & Väärä Raha go Anatolian rock; and the sizzling desert blues of Group Inerane, recorded live.

Charts August 11-17, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 TERROR/CACTUS | "La Pantera" [Single] | Names You Can Trust

2 SAHA GNAWA | "Baba Mimoun" [Single] | Pique-nique

3 ORCHESTRA GOLD | "Baye Ass N'Diaye" [Single] | self-released

4 OUSMANE KOUYATE | Ousmane Kouyate (Analog Africa Limited Dance Edition No. 18) | Analog Africa

5 MUSIC FOR A REVOLUTION, VOL. 1: GUINEA'S SYLIPHONE RECORDING LABEL (1967-1973) | various artists | Radio Martiko

6 ADRIAN QUESADA | Boleros Psicodélicos II | ATO

7 MINYO CRUSADERS | Tour of Japan | 180g

8 QUITAPENAS | ¡Retumba! [EP] | Nepantla

9 TRIO MOKILI | Trio Mokili | Nsango Nini

10 LA BANDA CHUSKA | Basic Bichos | self-released

Rebeldía y twist

Global A Go-Go welcomes Romperayo to Richmond -- they're playing at Révéler Experiences on Saturday August 23.  Here's how bandleader Pedro Ojeda describes them: "As if Colombian tropical music from decades past traveled to the city on an acid discharge."

 

Ojeda is no more than one degree of separation from every cool project that's coming out of Bogotá Colombia right now.  If you saw Frente Cumbiero in May, that was Ojeda behind the drum kit.  You can also find him there with Los Pirañas, his cooperative trio with Mario Galeano (who leads Frente Cumbiero) and Eblis Alvarez (who leads Meridian Brothers).

 

All of those other bands have toured the USA multiple times, and all but Los Pirañas have played here in Richmond.  But this is Romperayo's first American tour, and it is long overdue.  Check out a whole set of Romperayo music this week on Global A Go-Go, if you're thinking about checking them out at Révéler next weekend.

 

Also this week (Sunday August 17, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Moroccan gnawa meets jazz via Saha Gnawa; three distinctive takes on Afrobeat from Trio Mokili, Bejuco and Ousmane Kouyaté; the blistering Mande rock of Orchestra Gold; new cumbia variants by Terror/Cactus, Minyo Crusaders, La Banda Chuska and Quitapenas; and music from Chicha Libre and its offshoots, since Chicha Libre will be back in Richmond, also at Révéler, on Sunday September 7.

Charts Jul 21 - Aug 10, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MULATU ASTATKE | Mulatu Plays Mulatu | Strut

2 STORY OF NACIONAL RECORDS, THE, VOL. UNO Y DOS | various artists | Nacional

3 MIRAMAR | Entre Tus Flores | Ansonia

4 SORCERERS, THE | Other Worlds and Habitats | ATA

5 HABIBI FUNK 031: A SELECTION OF MUSIC FROM LIBYAN TAPES | various artists | Habibi Funk

6 TAKESHI TERAUCHI AND BLUE JEANS | Let's Go Eleki Bushi | 180g

7 NANA BENZ DU TOGO | Sé Nam | Komos

8 EDNA MARTINEZ PRESENTS PICO: SOUND SYSTEM CULTURE FROM THE COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN | various artists | Strut

9 NEBA SOLO | Tuma Duma | Blanc Manioc

10 BIO RITMO | "Largos Caminos" [Single] | Locutor

The Big BW & the Sun of Latin Music

I've never wanted Global A Go-Go to be "that show that's always talking about musicians who died," but sometimes you just have to stop and pay your tribute.  Tribute is certainly due in the case of Eddie Palmieri, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 88.

 

By any reasonable reckoning one of the most important musicians of the 20th century, Palmieri is responsible for many of the innovations that have made Latin music such a dynamic cultural force.  When you listen to salsa today, or Latin jazz, or Latin soul, almost everything you're hearing builds on his ideas, compositions and recordings.  The whole second hour this week will be devoted to Palmieri's music of the 1960s and 70s.

 

Also this week (Sunday August 10, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site), I'll resume the tribute I started three weeks ago to Chris "Mu" Faiumu of the pioneering New Zealand band Fat Freddy's Drop with selections from their four most recent albums.

 

Plus you'll hear from Mulatu Astatke, who's blessedly still with us at age 81 and will soon release Mulatu Plays Mulatu, a valedictory statement that Mulatu calls "the culmination of my work bringing [Ethio-jazz] to the world," and more new Ethio-jazz from The Sorcerers.

Charts July 14-20, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 ADRIAN QUESADA | Boleros Psicodélicos II | ATO

2 T.P. ORCHESTRE POLY RHYTMO DE COTONOU-BENIN | Tidiani Kone et le T.P. Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou-Benin | Acid Jazz

3 ORUA | "Deus-Dara" [Single] | K

4 SABABA 5 | Nadir | Batov

5 ORCHESTRE TOUT PUISSANT MARCEL DUCHAMP | "Revenant du Nord b/w Siilent" [Single] | Bongo Joe

6 DOM SALVADOR, ADRIAN YOUNGE AND ALI SHAHEED MUHAMMAD | Dom Salvador JID024 | Jazz Is Dead

7 KOKOROKO | Tuff Times Never Last | Brownswood

8 HABIBI FUNK 031: A SELECTION OF MUSIC FROM LIBYAN TAPES | various artists | Habibi Funk

9 BIO RITMO | "Largos Caminos" [Single] | Locutor

10 FRANCK BIYONG | "Struggle 4 Money" [Single] | Tangential

Dr. Boondigga

I was stunned to hear that Chris (Mu) Faiumu, the founder and bandleader of Fat Freddy's Drop, passed away in his sleep on Wednesday at home in Wellington, New Zealand.  Fat Freddy's is one of the most popular bands New Zealand has ever produced: their first four albums all went to #1 in their home country, and they did that as a fully independent act, managing themselves and running their own record label.

 

The albums and their amazing live shows have earned them a strong following in Europe, but they've never toured the USA so they remain relatively unknown here.  If you can imagine a cross between the Wailers, Parliament, Phish and J Dilla, that's kind of what they sound like.  If you want to know exactly what they sound like, tune in to the second hour of Global A Go-Go this week for my tribute to Mu: a full hour of Fat Freddy's music.

 

Also this week (Sunday July 20, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): New singles from Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp and Oruã, the Malawian banjo music of Gasper Nali and Madalitso Band, and Afrobeat by Tidiani Kone and Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou.

Charts Jun 30 - Jul 13, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 BRIVELE | Khaveyrim Zayt Greyt | Borscht Beat

2 BRIGHDE CHAIMBEUL | Sunwise | Tak:til

3 KOKOROKO | Tuff Times Never Last | Brownswood

4 HABIBI FUNK 031: A SELECTION OF MUSIC FROM LIBYAN TAPES | various artists | Habibi Funk

5 MUSIC FOR A REVOLUTION, VOL. 1: GUINEA'S SYLIPHONE RECORDING LABEL (1967-1973) | various artists | Radio Martiko

6 HAWA AND KASSE MADY DIABATE | Toumaro | One World

7 GIO CHAMBA | "La Danza de los Mirlos" [Single] | Mixto

8 EDNA MARTINEZ PRESENTS PICO: SOUND SYSTEM CULTURE FROM THE COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN | various artists | Strut

9 TRIO KAZANCHIS PLUS 1 | Sheger | 121234

10 TRIO MOKILI | Trio Mokili | self-released

Cause & Effect: Chicha Libre

Bill from Global A Go-Go here, bringing you a special edition of WRIR's Cause & Effect program this week (Saturday July 12, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site).  What's so special about it, you ask?

 

Well, first of all, Chicha Libre is performing on Saturday night at the Get Tight Lounge, with the Balkan psychedelic twang of Richmond's Zarove opening for them.  So this radio show should be an ideal pre-game situation for a Get Tight tailgate party.  And for those of you who are considering whether to spend your evening at Get Tight, tune in and get the whole Chicha Libre story while you decide.

 

Secondly, Chicha Libre founder and bandleader Olivier Conan will join me live in the studio for this show.  As you might already know, Cause & Effect is WRIR's weekly program that focuses on a single band (or sometimes a genre or a time and place) and digs into their origin, development, influences, peers and the artists they've influenced, with a healthy dose of the band's own music of course.

 

Rarely do we have the actual subject with us in person for a Cause & Effect episode.  So tune in and hear the Chicha Libre story straight from the horse's mouth.  It's a unique opportunity and should be a lot of fun.

Once tejones

Hot Secret Planet Richmond Summer continues in mid-July in two quite different flavors.  On Saturday July 12, Chicha Libre, the Brooklyn band that brought Peruvian-style psychedelic cumbia to worldwide recognition, returns to Richmond for the first time in 12 years to play at the Get Tight Lounge.

 

And on Tuesday July 15, Larry & Joe bring their unique mix of Venezuelan joropo and Appalachian bluegrass to Révéler Experiences.  To help you decide if you'd like to spend an evening with either or both of them, you'll hear several selections from both Chicha Libre and Larry & Joe this week on Global A Go-Go.

 

Also this week (Sunday July 6, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): New music from Mali by Habib Koite's Mandé Sila and Hawa & Kasse Mady Diabaté; vintage African sounds from two excellent new compilations: Music For a Revolution Vol. 1 and Edna Martinez Presents Picó; Trio Kazanchis + 1 and Trio Mokili expand the boundaries of Ethiopian music; and a rediscovered recording of the classic Ethio 70's Ibex Band.

Charts June 23-29, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 TSAPIKY! MODERN MUSIC FROM SOUTHWEST MADAGASCAR | various artists | Sublime Frequencies

2 NOURA MINT SEYMALI | "Guereh" [Single] | Glitterbeat

3 TRIO MOKILI | Trio Mokili | self-released

4 BIO RITMO | "Largos Caminos" [Single] | Locutor

5 CHEIKH IBRA FAM | "Sali" [Single] | Cumbancha

6 AFRODREAM | "Afrotrip" [Single] | Rubik

7 GYEDU-BLAY AMBOLLEY | Wake Up Afrika | Agogo

8 ZULU GUITAR BLUES: COWBOYS, TROUBADOURS AND JILTED LOVERS 1950-1965 | various artists | Matsuli

9 FEMI KUTI | Journey Through Life | Partisan

10 SALIF KEITA | So Kono | No Format

Cumbia sin fronteras

Yeison Landero, grandson of the legendary Andrés Landero and keeper of the flame for Colombian cumbia campesina, played here in Richmond in January.  If you saw him and his conjunto then, you know they are a peak musical experience, maybe the best cumbia band in the world right now.

 

And if you didn't see them then, you're getting a second chance.   Yeison Landero y su Conjunto bring their Cumbia Sin Fronteras tour to the Get Tight Lounge on Thursday July 3, the first night of the Independence Day holiday weekend.  This week on Global A Go-Go, I'll get you acquainted (or re-acquainted, as the case may be) with Yeison's music, including spinning his brand new single.

 

Also this week (Sunday June 29, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Some Afropop, including the latest from from Cheikh Ibra Fam and Amadou & Mariam; new highlife and Afrobeat by Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, Femi Kuti and Afrodream; the Malian sounds of Salif Keita and Trio Mokili; the first new music in nine years from Mauritania's Noura Mint Seymali; and tsapiky, the blistering dance music of southwest Madagascar.

Charts June 16-22, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MINYO CRUSADERS | Tour of Japan | 180g

2 HAWA AND KASSE MADY DIABATE | Toumaro | One World

3 WITCH | SOGOLO | Partisan

4 SUPER DJATA BAND | Authentique Vol 2 Feu Vert 81-82 | Numero Group

5 QUITAPENAS | ¡Retumba! [EP] | Nepantla

6 ELJURI | "La Vida" [Single] | Manovill

7 SOUL SUGAR MEETS DUB SHEPHERDS | "Give Me Your Love" [Single] | Gee

8 QUANTIC | DJ-Kicks: Quantic | !K7

9 SYSTEMA SOLAR | Futurx Primitivx 2025 | Sambumbia

10 MOSKITO | Idolar | Awesome Tapes From Africa

Best Richmond radio show 2025, per Style Weekly readers

I'm pleased to announce that Global A Go-Go has been selected by readers of Style Weekly, Richmond's alternative voice since 1982, as Richmond's best radio show of 2025.  Thank you for the honor, and I'm looking forward to decolonizing your ears with music from around the world in the universal language of groove for many years to come.

 

And how about WRIR almost winning a Pick 4 in this category?  Global A Go-Go and Open Source RVA and What The Fontaine, broken up only by former WRIR DJ Todd Ranson's Loblolly Pine Show on WDCE.  Your community radio station, indeed! 

So many things to feel guilty about

Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp (OTPMD for short) is a hard band to describe, an easy one to love.  Based in Geneva, Switzerland, it is truly an orchestra: 12 players on viola, cello, bass violin, trombone and bugle plus guitars, marimbas (two of them, somehow) and drums.  In their music you'll hear post-punk, krautrock, African rhythms, brass bands, 20th century minimalism, free jazz and more, sometimes all in the same song.

 

OTPMD is touring the USA right now, and they will squeeze all dozen band members onto (or at least near to) the stage at the Get Tight Lounge on Wednesday June 25.  You'll hear their music this week on Global A Go-Go, and I will give away a pair of tickets to the concert as well.  Opening for OTPMD will be the new Richmond folk-jazz-world supergroup Amminal, a band nearly as eclectic as the headliner.  You'll hear Amminal on this week's program as well, from a session they recorded on Global A Go-Go in the spring.

 

Also this week (Sunday June 22, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): New Latin sounds from Alfa & Manu Chao, Eljuri, Quitapenas and Systema Solar; the fabulous second studio album by Japan's Minyo Crusaders; Soul Sugar and Dub Shepherds give Curtis Mayfield the reggae version treatment; two very welcome Malian reissues: Super Djata Band's Authentique 81 and Wagadu Grooves Vol. 2; and classic South Africa kwaito by Moskito.

Charts June 9-15, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 LAIZ AND THE NEW LOVE EXPERIENCE | "Se Segura" [Single] | Agogo

2 HAWA AND KASSE MADY DIABATE | Toumaro | One World

3 BIO RITMO | "Largos Caminos" [Single] | Locutor

4 MADALITSO BAND | Ma Gitala | Bongo Joe

5 LA BANDA CHUSKA | Basic Bichos | self-released

6 FRANCIS BEBEY | Trésor Magnétique | Africa Seven

7 GYEDU-BLAY AMBOLLEY | Wake Up Afrika | Agogo

8 SYSTEMA SOLAR | Futurx Primitivx 2025 | Sambumbia

9 SEMBLANZAS DEL RIO GUAPI | Lindo E | Llorona

10 ZULU GUITAR BLUES: COWBOYS, TROUBADOURS AND JILTED LOVERS 1950-1965 | various artists | Matsuli

He fell for chicken feet

Malawi's Madalitso Band have gone in eight years from busking for survival on the dusty streets of Lilongwe to playing international music festivals like Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar, Roskilde in Denmark and WOMAD and Glastonbury in England.

 

Their music, made with nothing but their voices, guitar, kick drum and the homemade one-stringed long-necked slide bass called babatone, is one of the most life-affirming sounds you'll ever hear.  Madalitso's new album Ma Gitala was just released on Friday, and you'll hear a track from it this week on Global A Go-Go, alongside more acoustic guitar music from southern Africa.

 

Also this week (Sunday June 15, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Rockin' cumbia from XIXA and La Banda Chuska, Bio Ritmo's brand new single as they prepare for their first visit to Colombia, Brazilian samba-funk by Laiz & the New Love Experience and Seu Jorge, beautiful late-career statements from Mali's Salif Keita and Kasse Mady Diabaté, and Trinidadian soca remixed by Luke Una.

Charts June 2-8, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 BEJUCO | Machete | Discos Pacifico

2 GRUPO PILON | Nu Sta Li | El Palmas

3 GRUPO SON SAN | "La Hamaca" [Single] | Polen

4 SOOTHSAYERS | "Fly Higher" [Single] | Wah Wah 45s

5 BRIVELE | Khaveyrim Zayt Greyt | Borscht Beat

6 FEMI KUTI | Journey Through Life | Partisan

7 IBEX BAND | Stereo Instrumental Music | Muzikawi

8 ESTRELLAS DEL CARIBE | La Terapia de Palenque | Polen

9 MIZIK MALADI: DISQUES DEBS INTERNATIONAL VOL. 3 | various artists | Disques Debs International/Strut

10 SAMI GALBI | Ylh Bye Bye | Bongo Joe

Me mueve el tambó

 

The sound of the band Bejuco is based on currulao, the traditional marimba music of Colombia's Pacific coast.  But they've added a new beat to it: the polyrhythmic funk of Nigerian Afrobeat.  Turns out it's a great pairing, as you'll hear this week when I play a track from Bejuco's superb new album Machete, alongside new Afrobeat from Soothsayers and Femi Kuti.

 

Also this week (Sunday June 8, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Comrades, get ready for Brivele's Yiddish folk against fascism; the rediscovery of Ibex Band of Ethiopia's Stereo Instrumental Music; champeta from Colombia's Caribbean coast, including new tracks from veteran bands Grupo Son San and Estrellas del Caribe; another veteran band makes a comeback: Grupo Pilon from Cabo Verde via Luxembourg; and some zouk and mini jazz from the French Antilles.

Charts May 26 - Jun 1, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 THE STORY OF NACIONAL RECORDS, VOL. UNO Y DOS | various artists | Nacional

2 GYEDU-BLAY AMBOLLEY | Wake Up Afrika | Agogo

3 SYSTEMA SOLAR | Futurx Primitivx 2025 | Sambumbia

4 PACHYMAN | Another Place | ATO

5 GRUPO SON SAN | "La Hamaca" [Single] | Polen

6 FREH KHODJA | Ken Andi Habib | Wewantsounds

7 AMMAR 808 | Club Tounsi | Glitterbeat

8 GRUPO PILON | "Tempo Passa" [Single] | El Palmas

9 SOOTHSAYERS | "Fly Higher" [Single] | Wah Wah 45s

10 LIDO PIMIENTA | La Belleza | Anti-

Viva la juventud

As you probably know already, WRIR is celebrating its 20th birthday this year.  There must have been something in the water in 2005 (myself, I think that something was "Year 1 of Bush 2's second presidential term"), because Richmond linchpins RVA Magazine and Gallery 5 were also founded that year.

 

And all the way across the country in Los Angeles, a fellow named Tomas Cookman was starting up Nacional Records, a new independent label, to focus on what he called "Latin alternative" music.  Today, Latin alternative is squarely in the mainstream: Nacional releases have been nominated for over 100 Grammys and Latin Grammys, and Cookman's business Green Lane Entertainment includes artist management and booking, the LAMC music conference (Latin alternative's Sundance) and a major sync (music licensing for movies, TV, commercials, video games and the like) operation along with the label.

 

Nacional was one of the first record companies to figure out that WRIR played a lot of international music.  They've been sending us promos of their releases for 20 years, and for all of that time I've been working with Jennifer Sarkissian, who's now Nacional and Green Lane's General Manager, in what might be the longest running business relationship I have in radio.

 

This week (Sunday June 1, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) I'm going to play two hours of my personal Nacional favorites from the last 20 years including long time Global A Go-Go go-to artists like Systema Solar, Mexican Institute of Sound, Bomba Estéreo, Nortec Collective, Hip Hop Hoodios and Manu Chao, and including selections from the label's new two-volume, 4-album 20th anniversary set called The Story of Nacional Records.

 

Viva Nacional, viva WRIR!

Charts May 19-25, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten 

1 FRENTE CUMBIERO |  Inconcreto & Asociados | Salgaelsol/Biche

2 BEJUCO | Machete | Discos Pacifico

3 KOKOROKO | "Closer To Me" [Single] | Brownswood

4 CULTURE | Africa Stand Alone | VP

5 SUGAR MINOTT, BOUNTY KILLER AND KING JAMMY | "Give the People What They Want" [Single] | Hits 38

6 ABIJAH | "Warrior Code" [Single] | Tad's

7 FEMI KUTI | Journey Through Life | Partisan

8 DERYA YILDIRIM AND GRUP SIMSEK | Yarin Yoksa | Big Crown

9 LOS PIRANAS | Una Oportunidad Más De Triunfar En La Vida | Glitterbeat

10 SATELLITES | Aylar | Batov

Inconcreto & Asociados

One of my favorite bands in the world is coming to Richmond for the first time ever on May 28.  And I see I'm not the only Frente Cumbiero fan around -- it looks like the Simpsons creator Matt Groening is one as well.

 

You might become one too after you hear my concert preview this week on Global A Go-Go (Sunday May 25, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site).  I'll play several songs from Frente Cumbiero's great new album Inconcreto & Asociados, one from their equally outstanding previous album Cera Perdida, plus tracks from a few of the various projects that Frente Cumbiero bandleader Mario Galeano has worked on over the last fifteen years.

 

Continuing last week's theme, I'll have a lot more new music once again: roots reggae from Abijah, a roots reggae reissue of Culture, and Bounty Killer and King Jammy's remake of a Sugar Minott classic; soulful samba by Seu Jorge and Uli Costa e Sandália de Prata; new Anatolian rock from Meral Polat, Derya Yıldırım and Şatellites; and a whole set of scorching tsapiky music from southwest Madagascar.

Charts May 12-18, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 ADRIAN RASO AND FANFARE CIOCARLIA | The Devil Rides Again | Asphalt Tango

2 CAVEMEN, THE | "Dancing Shoes" [Single] | self-released

3 F.A.V., TINO AMOR AND BARZO | "Mi Barrio" [Single] | Lacteo Cosmico

4 MADALITSO BAND | Ma Gitala | Bongo Joe

5 LOS HERMANOS ROSARIO | Infinito Positivo | La Oreja

6 FRENTE CUMBIERO | Inconcreto & Asociados | Salgaelsol/Discos Biche

7 KANAZOE ORKESTRA | Balabeatz | Antipodes

8 ROOTS ROCKING ZIMBABWE: THE MODERN SOUND OF HARARE TOWNSHIPS 1975-1980 | various artists | Analog Africa

9 LUC-HUBERT SEJOR | Mizik Filamonik: Spiritual Sound | Heavenly Sweetness

10 FEMI KUTI | Journey Through Life | Partisan

Journey through life

It's hard to believe that Femi Kuti, Fela's eldest son, leader of the band Positive Force and manager of the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos, will turn 63 years old next month.  And it's a pleasure to say that he's still making powerful, challenging, threatening music.  Tune in to Global A Go-Go this week, hear the title track of his new album Journey Through Life, one of the best songs he's recorded in his career, and see him on tour this summer if you get a chance -- he'll be at the 9:30 Club in DC on July 25.

 

You'll hear all kinds of new releases this week (Sunday May 18, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Balkan brass meets guitar twang from Adrian Raso & Fanfare Ciocărlia, Kwashibu Area Band's quiet storm of highlife, desert blues singer-songwriter Mohamed Alassane Karzo, Madalitso Band's Malawian banjo music, the psychedelic Afro-Colombian sounds of Pambelé and many more.

Charts May 5-11, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 AFRICAN JAZZ, O.K. JAZZ, AFRICAN TEAM, DIBANGO AND PEPITO | African Jazz invites O.K. Jazz (1961-1970) | Planet Ilunga

2 FEMI KUTI | Journey Through Life | Partisan

3 ADRIAN YOUNGE | Adrian Younge Presents Something About April III | Linear Labs

4 ERMELINDA CUELLAR | Under A Lavender Sky | self-released

5 KANKOU KOUYATE | N'Darila | One World

6 AMAYO | Lion Awakes | self-released

7 LOS PIRANAS | Una Oportunidad Más De Triunfar En La Vida | Glitterbeat

8 TRIO DA KALI | Bagola | One World

9 MDOU MOCTAR | Tears Of Injustice | Matador

10 WAGADU GROOVES VOL.2: THE HYPNOTIC SOUND OF CAMARA 1991-2014 | various artists | Hot Mule

Global A Go-Go Classico: Amminal live in Studio C

I'm out of town today (Sunday May 11, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site), so here's a Classico edition of Global A Go-Go for your listening pleasure.  Maybe I should call it an Instant Classico edition, since it just aired last month, on April 13, 2025.

 

That's when I hosted the Richmond-based band Amminal in WRIR's Studio C.  I thought they played a great set of music that day, and the mix by WRIR's live sound engineer Richard Schellenberg really captured all the nuances in the ensemble's sound.

 

So let's give Amminal another listen here on Global A Go-Go.  They'll be playing live on Wednesday June 25 at the Get Tight Lounge, on a bill with Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp from Geneva, Switzerland, presented by Secret Planet Richmond.

Charts Apr 28 - May 4, 2025

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WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 FRENTE CUMBIERO | Inconcreto y Asociados | Salgaelsol/Discos Biche

2 ORCHESTRE TOUT PUISSANT MARCEL DUCHAMP | Ventre Unique | Bongo Joe

3 MADALITSO BAND | Ma Gitala | Bongo Joe

4 AFRICAN JAZZ, O.K. JAZZ, AFRICAN TEAM, DIBANGO AND PEPITO | African Jazz invites O.K. Jazz (1961-1970) | Planet Ilunga

5 ROOTS ROCKING ZIMBABWE: THE MODERN SOUND OF HARARE TOWNSHIPS 1975-1980 | various artists | Analog Africa

6 K. FRIMPONG | Best of 1990-1995 | Hot Casa

7 LA DELIO VALDEZ | El Desveto | Delirio Valdez

8 AZUKA MOWETA AND HIS ANIOMA BROTHERS BAND OF AFRICA | Ekobe Global | Odogwu Entertainment/Palenque

9 JUANA MOLINA | Exhalo [EP] | Little Butterfly

10 LARRY AND JOE | Manos Panamericanos | self-released

Music without borders, spring-summer 2025

Richmond's home for music without borders is the Secret Planet Richmond concert series.  Started in 2024, it brings cutting-edge international roots-based artists to Richmond, performances that ought to be happening all year round, not just at the Folk Festival.

 

Secret Planet Richmond has announced their Spring-Summer 2025 season, and on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go (Sunday May 4, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, and any old time at my podcast site) you'll hear from all the artists who'll be visiting Richmond for this season's series: Frente Cumbiero, Mourning [A] BLKstar, Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp, Chicha Libre, Larry & Joe and Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou, and also from a couple of Richmond bands who will be opening for them.

 

The performances will take place at two Richmond venues: Révéler Experiences in Carytown and Get Tight Lounge in the Fan.  All shows and dates are listed below in this post, along with links to tickets and more information (if available yet).  Tune in to your community radio station and get early notice about some cool things that will be happening in your community.

Charts April 21-27, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 UKANDANZ | Evil Plan | Compagnie 4000

2 FAMO MOUNTAIN | For Those Left Behind | Glitterbeat

3 SALIF KEITA | So Kono | No Format

4 CHARIF MEGARBANE | Hawalat | Habibi Funk

5 KIN'GONGOLO KINIATA | Kiniata | Helico

6 YOUSSOU N'DOUR | Eclairer Le Monde | Light The World | TBI

7 THIAGO FRANCA E A ESPETACULAR CHARANGA DO FRANCA | "Bololo" [Single] | YB

8 DERYA YILDIRIM AND GRUP SIMSEK | Yarin Yoksa | Big Crown

9 TRIO DA KALI | Bagola | One World

10 SANTROFI | Making Moves | Outhere

Charts April 14-20, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 RED BARAAT | Bhangra Rangeela | Sinj

2 GUSSIE CLARKE | Reggae Masters: Horace Andy & Leroy Smart | Reggae Library

3 TSAPIKY! MODERN MUSIC FROM SOUTHWEST MADAGASCAR | various artists | Sublime Frequencies

4 LES ABRANIS | Album No. 1: Id Ed Was | Wewantsounds

5 ROLANDO BRUNO Y EL GRUPO AREVALO/OF TROPIQUE | "Sabadabada" b/w "Fatman" [Single] | Electric Cowbell/Pepei

6 ESTRELLAS DEL CARIBE | La Terapia de Palenque | Polen

7 STORY OF NACIONAL RECORDS, THE, VOL. UNO Y DOS | various artists | Nacional

8 SISKA | Holdin' the Vibe | VLB

9 AFRODREAM | "Zugumalamba (feat. Killabeatmaker)" [Single] | Ludwig

10 GYEDU-BLAY AMBOLLEY | Simigwa | Strut

This hustling world

WRIR's Spring 2025 Fund Drive is now underway -- right now we're deep in this hustling world, hard at work toward raising $45,000 by Friday May 2nd to power Richmond Community Radio for another six months.  Supporters like you have made WRIR possible for the last 20 years, and now is the time when we ask you to donate what you can afford, and what this marvelous, successful experiment in community-built media is worth to you.

 

You can become a monthly supporter at this link: https://bit.ly/3QnrP5H.  Or make a one-time contribution here: https://bit.ly/3FnagN1.  Or simply go to wrir.org to donate and to find out more about the Spring 2025 Fund Drive, including the premiums available to donors and the many events that are happening during the fund drive.

 

It's been three weeks since I've played much new music on the show, owing to vacation and hosting two awesome on-air guests, so this week (Sunday April 20, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, and any old time at my podcast site) I'll play nothing but excellent new releases and reissues I've heard lately.

 

The first $500 donated during Global A Go-Go will be doubled because I will personally match your gift -- together, let's raise $1,000 and more for Richmond Community Radio on this edition of Global A Go-Go!  Thank you for your support, and long live Richmond Independent Radio!