Daora: Underground Sounds Of Urban Brasil - Hip-Hop, Beats, Afro & Dub

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: Daora: Underground Sounds Of Urban Brasil – Hip-Hop, Beats, Afro & Dub
LABEL: Mais Um Discos
Here’s another valuable release from Mais Um, who specialize in bringing the latest uncategorizable Brazilian recordings to the north’s attention. Daora is Paulistano slang that means just what an urban American means by “dope”: cool and generally awesome.

The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Bollywood

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Bollywood
LABEL: World Music Network
WMN’s new “Psychedelic” series is adding an extra twist of hipness to the venerable Rough Guide template. Here the focus is on Bollywood music of the 1970’s, a period where American and British rock and funk, legitimized by Ravi Shankar’s collaborations and borne by “hippy trail” tourists in Goa and elsewhere, became yet another influence incorporated by the all-devouring Indian movie-music industry.

Program June 21, 2013

Tuesday marks the 15th anniversary of the assassination of Lounes Matoub (pictured above), whose lyrics, music and performances made him the Kabylie (Algerian Berber) Bob Dylan or, perhaps more appropriately in light of his murder, the Kabyile Victor Jara.  I'll play one of Matoub's most haunting songs alongside three other contemporary Imazighen (Berber) singers, including one who now makes his home right here in Virginia.

Also this week: Marseille looks across the Mediterranean, Brazilian Afrobeat, and Bollywood madness.

Podcast: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/69326
All the podcasts: http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/series/Global+A+Go-Go

Charts June 16, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 FEMI KUTI | No Place For My Dream | Knitting Factory
2 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Ladies At Joe Gibbs | 17 North Parade
3 LORD MOUSE AND THE KALYPSO KATZ | Go Calypsonian | Piranha
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Stand Up, People: Gypsy Pop Songs From Tito's Yugoslavia 1964-1980 | Vlax
5 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Aw Sa Yone Vol. 1 | Teranga Beat
6 BOMBINO | Nomad | Nonesuch
7 WAYNE WALLACE LATIN JAZZ QUINTET | Latin Jazz-Jazz Latin | Patois
8 JAIMEO BROWN | Transcendence | Motema
9 TEO LAURA | El Sonido De La Carretera Central | Masstropicas
10 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Afro Funk 1969-1980 | Analog Africa

Program June 14, 2013

I'll be joined this week by a special guest co-host.  Vlad Cuiujuclu is one of my go-to sources for Balkan and Eastern European music.  His listening lately has been veering in a jazzy, proggy direction, and he'll bring some of the stuff he's currently digging -- the Russian avant-rock band Auktyon, guitarist Enver Ismailov from Ukraine, and the folk-jazz Trigon ensemble from Vlad's birthplace, Moldova.

And of course I'll add a few items to the proceedings: Dieuf-Dieul De Thies from Senegal, Bombino from Niger, and Chris Vasi from right here in Richmond.  Should be a fun show, you'll definitely hear something different on this one.

Charts June 9, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Ladies At Joe Gibbs | 17 North Parade
2 FEMI KUTI | No Place For My Dream | Knitting Factory
3 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Voodoo Funk | Analog Africa
4 CARBON LEAF | Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle | Constant Ivy
5 PIERRE AKENDENGUE | Destinée | Lusafrica
6 LORD MOUSE AND THE KALYPSO KATZ | Go Calypsonian | Piranha
7 VIEUX FARKA TOURE | Mon Pays | Six Degrees
8 DUBMATIX | Rebel Massive | Echo Beach
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Stand Up, People: Gypsy Pop Songs From Tito's Yugoslavia 1964-1980 | Vlax
10 ORQUESTA EL MACABEO | Salsa Bestial | Vampisoul

Program June 7, 2013

Femi Kuti's new album, No Place For My Dream, gets its USA release on June 25.  We've got it right now, and yes it is smoking -- you'll hear the title cut on this week's show.  Also on the new music tip: Fat Freddy's Drop's new single, Chicago Afrobeat Project's Fela-Radiohead mashup, and a beautiful posthumous release from Cesaria Evora.

And if you're craving something vintage, how about a track from Heart Of The Congos, hands down one of reggae's greatest albums?  Or perhaps the father of Anatolian rock, Yugoslavia's all-time most popular rock band, or some 1960's gypsy pop?  Yep, all that and more this week on Global A Go-Go.

Femi Kuti | No Place For My Dream

ARTIST: Femi Kuti
TITLE: No Place For My Dream
LABEL: Knitting Factory
Femi Kuti, Fela’s eldest son, isn’t the keeper of the flame: that’s the role of youngest son Seun, who fronts his late father’s still-awesome Egypt 80 band. Rather, Femi is the trailblazer – he left Fela’s band in the 80’s, fused Afrobeat with house music and collaborated with rappers in the 90’s and reemerged with a jazzier sound on 2008’s Day By Day and a fast, almost punk-like attack on 2011’s Africa For Africa.

June 2013 Concert Calendar

June's Global A Go-Go picks:

1. A stellar African double bill: Mali's Amadou & Mariam (pictured above) and Niger's Bombino at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC on Tuesday June 18
2. The Anderson Gallery's summer Wednesday Happy Hour series welcomes Richmond's one-and-only Balinese gamelan ensemble, Gamelan Raga Kusuma, on Wednesday June 19
3. Bio Ritmo has a Wednesday night residency at Emilio's, in preparation for their forthcoming European tour -- residency dates are June 19 & 26 and July 3 & 10

Have an event you'd like me to include, or a suggestion for the concert calendar?  Just drop me a line at globalagogoradio [at] gmail [dot] com, or leave me a message right here.

Click "Read more" to see the entire June calendar.

Charts June 2, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Ladies At Joe Gibbs | 17 North Parade
2 LORD MOUSE & THE KALYPSO KATZ | Go Calypsonian | Piranha
3 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Voodoo Funk | Analog Africa
4 BASSEKOU KOUYATE AND NGONI BA | Jama Ko | Out|Here
5 PIERRE AKENDENGUE | Destinée | Lusafrica
6 TEO LAURA | El Sonido De La Carretera Central | Masstropicas
7 ORCHESTRA SUPER MAZEMBE | Mazembe @ 45 RPM Vol. 1 | Sterns
8 BOMBINO | Nomad | Nonesuch
9 CARBON LEAF | Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle | Constant Ivy
10 KOBO TOWN | Jumbie In The Jukebox | Cumbancha

Pierre Akendengue | Destinee

ARTIST: Pierre Akendengue
TITLE: Destinee
LABEL: Lusafrica
Pierre Akendengue’s new album, DESTINEE is, in a word, wonderful. The songs feature rumba, folklore, and European elements all presented in Akendengue’s distinctive style.

The Ladies At Joe Gibbs

ARTIST: various artists
TITLE: The Ladies At Joe Gibbs
LABEL: 17 North Parade
Joe Gibbs was a TV repairman who started selling 45s in his shop and eventually became one of Jamaica’s top record producers. This well-curated collection picks 15 tracks by female singers who recorded for Gibbs in the 70s and 80s.

Lord Mouse & The Kalypso Kats | Go Calypsonian

ARTIST: Lord Mouse & The Kalypso Katz
TITLE: Go Calypsonian
LABEL: Piranha
Is calypso revival the new new thing? Well, two points don’t make a trend, but with Kobo Town’s superb new album (released in April) followed by this one, you do have to consider the possibility.

Program May 31, 2013

Hey, have you heard Gogol Bordello's new single yet?  You will on Global A Go-Go this week.  How about Rachid Taha's latest, a cover of Elvis' all-time best-selling song?  Yep, you'll hear that one too.

Also this week: a new calypso band from Berlin (seems logical), one of the most seminal Afro-pop recordings of the 80s, funk mixed with West African local rhythms, and, as always, much more.

Charts May 26, 2013

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 DUBMATIX | Rebel Massive | Echo Beach
2 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO DE COTONOU | Volume 3: The Skeletal Essences Of Voodoo Funk | Analog Africa
3 DIEUF-DIEUL DE THIES | Aw Sa Yone Vol. 1 | Teranga Beat
4 BOMBINO | Nomad | Nonesuch
5 CARBON LEAF | Ghost Dragon Attacks Castle | Constant Ivy
6 CRIOLO | No Na Orelha | Sterns
7 ETRAN FINATAWA | The Sahara Sessions | Riverboat
8 PIERRE AKENDENGUE | Destinée | Lusafrica
9 RAMY ESSAM | Introducing Ramy Essam | Introducing
10 CESARIA EVORA | Mãe Carinhosa | Lusafrica