Le Super Borgou De Parakou | The Bariba Sound

ARTIST:  Le Super Borgou De Parakou 

TITLE:  The Bariba Sound 1970-1976 

LABEL:  Analog Africa

Following in the footsteps of Analog Africa’s archival work on Benin’s Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou, here’s a band with some striking similarities from northern Benin, part of the territory that label head Samy Ben Redjeb has begun referring to as the “Islamic Funk Belt” (a region that also includes northern Ghana, Togo and Nigeria).

Charts April 8, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 BOLA | Volume 7 | Awesome Tapes From Africa
2 SIDI TOURE | Koima | Thrill Jockey
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa | World Music Network
4 BLACK BAZAR | Black Bazar | Lusafrica
5 QUANTIC AND ALICE RUSSELLWITH THE COMBO BARBARO | Look Around The Corner | Tru Thoughts
6 FUNKEES | Dancing Time: The Best Of Eastern Nigeria's Afro Rock Exponents 1973-77 | Soundway
7 MARIEM HASSAN | El Aaiun Egdat (El Aaiun On Fire) | Nubenegra
8 FUNK ARK | High Noon | ESL Music
9 AMADOU AND MARIAM | "Oh Amadou" / "Dougou Badia" [Single] | Because
10 NOVALIMA | Karimba | ESL Music

Program April 6, 2012

Soul man deluxe Charles Bradley (pictured above) and Staten Island's number one Afrobeat band, The Budos Band, share billing Friday night at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville.  You'll hear a track from each, along with some like-minded soulsters, on this week's edition of Global A Go-Go.

Bola | Volume 7

ARTIST:  Bola

TITLE:  Volume 7

LABEL:  Awesome Tapes From Africa

There’s no doubt about it: drum machines and synthesizers are radically changing African music.

Quantic & Alice Russell with the Combo Barbaro | Look Around The Corner

ARTIST:  Quantic & Alice Russell With The Combo Barbaro

TITLE:  Look Around The Corner

LABEL:  Tru Thoughts

Will (Quantic) Holland, the British producer-musician who moved to Colombia in 2007, brings together his interests in soul and Latin music on this delightful project. His co-star is Alice Russell, probably England’s finest soul singer, whose powerful gospel-inflected voice shines throughout.

Sidi Toure | Koima

ARTIST:  Sidi Toure 

TITLE:  Koima 

LABEL:  Thrill Jockey

Guitarist-singer Toure released a set of duets last year on Thrill Jockey; now he’s back with a full-fledged band recording.

Charts April 1, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 RAYA BRASS BAND | Dancing On Roses, Dancing On Cinders | self-released
2 FUNKEES | Dancing Time: The Best Of Eastern Nigeria's Afro Rock Exponents 1973-77 | Soundway
3 MARIEM HASSAN | El Aaiun Egdat (El Aaiun On Fire) | Nubenegra
4 BONGA | Hora Kota | Lusafrica
5 FUNK ARK | High Noon | ESL Music
6 LENI STERN | Sabani | self-released
7 NOVALIMA | Karimba | ESL Music
8 CEU | Caravana Sereia Bloom | Six Degrees
9 CAETANO VELOSO AND DAVID BYRNE | Live At Carnegie Hall | Nonesuch
10 RAY LUGO | We Walk Around Like This | Jazz & Milk

Program March 30, 2012

Mariem Hassan, the best-known musician from the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (also known as Western Sahara), has an outstanding new recording that will be available for purchase soon.  You'll hear a track from it, probably a USA premiere in fact, along with several other female singers from North Africa.

The Funkees | Dancing Time

ARTIST:  The Funkees 

TITLE:  Dancing Time: The Best Of Eastern Nigeria’s Afro Rock Exponents 1973-77 

LABEL:  Soundway

The Funkees have been featured on three of Soundway’s Nigeria Special compilations; now that label presents a full-length retrospective of this fine band.

Mariem Hassan | El Aaiun Egdat

ARTIST:  Mariem Hassan 

TITLE:  El Aaiun Egdat (El Aaiun On Fire) 

LABEL:  Nubenegra

Mariem Hassan, “the voice of the Sahara,” is the best-known cultural representative of the Sahrawi (Western Saharan) people.

Charts March 25, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 LIJADU SISTERS | Mother Africa | Knitting Factory
2 GALACTIC | Carnivale Electricos | Anti-
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa | World Music Network
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Istanbul 70: Psych, Disco, Folk Classics | Nublu
5 CHICHA LIBRE | Canibalismo | Crammed-Barbes
6 FUNK ARK | High Noon | ESL Music
7 BALOJI | Kinshasa Succursale | Crammed
8 MATI ZUNDEL | Amazonico Gravitante | Waxploitation-ZZK
9 HUGH MASEKELA | Jabulani | Listen 2-Razor & Tie
10 LENI STERN | Sabani | self-released

Charts March 18, 2012

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 BALOJI | Kinshasa Succursale | Crammed
2 CHICHA LIBRE | Canibalismo | Crammed-Barbes
3 LIJADU SISTERS | Mother Africa | Knitting Factory
4 FUNK ARK | High Noon | ESL Music
5 HUGH MASEKELA | Jabulani | Listen2-Razor & Tie
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Africa | World Music Network
7 FRENTE CUMBIERO | Meets Mad Professor | Vampisoul
8 AMADOU AND MARIAM | "Oh Amadou" / "Dougou Badia" | Because
9 MATI ZUNDEL | Amazonico Gravitante | Waxploitation-ZZK
10 GALACTIC | Carnivale Electricos | Anti-

Program March 16, 2012

First of all, here's a big thank-you to the 480 donors who contributed over $37,000 during WRIR's Spring 2012 Fund Drive.  We definitely can't do it without you!  And if you haven't donated yet, it's not too late -- just click right here, it's easy as can be:

https://wrir.wufoo.com/forms/fund-drive-donation-wrirlp-973-fm

After two special fund drive programs and a week out of town, I have a lot of great new music to get you caught up on.

Amadou & Mariam | Oh Amadou & Dougou Badia

ARTIST:  Amadou & Mariam

TITLE:  “Oh Amadou” / “Dougou Badia”

LABEL:  Because

Amadou & Mariam’s new album Folila will be released worldwide on April 2.  Here are the first two singles, courtesy of their European label Because and the invaluable French-language music promotion site Francophonie Diffusion.

Chicha Libre | Canibalismo

ARTIST:  Chicha Libre 

TITLE:  Canibalismo 

LABEL:  Crammed / Barbes

Chicha Libre’s first album Sonido Amazonico almost seemed like a footnote to all the research bandleader Olivier Conan had done into the forgotten Peruvian psychedelic surf-rock cumbia style called chicha, which culminated in his two ground-breaking The Roots Of Chicha compilations.  Fast-forward 4 years, and now Chicha Libre’s sophomore effort shows the band building something deeper, more conceptual and truly post-modern from their retro base.