February 16, 2015

Charts February 15, 2015

Illustrations by C.S Fossett: http://popcornpicnic.com
WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Afrosound Of Colombia, Vol. 2 | Vampisoul
2 DENGUE FEVER | The Deepest Lake | Tuk Tuk
3 BABA COMMANDANT AND THE MANDINGO BAND | Juguya | Sublime Frequencies
4 VERCKY'S ET L'ORCHESTRE VEVE |Congolese Funk, Afrobeat And Psychedelic Rumba 1969-1978 | Analog Africa
5 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Feedback Madagascar | ARC
6 E.N. YOUNG | Live Love Stay Up | Roots Musician
7 REBEL TUMBAO | Rebel Tumbao | Sacred Rhythm
8 AZIZ SAHMAOUI AND UNIVERSITY OF GNAWA | Mazal | World Village
9 KASSE MADY DIABATE | Kirike | Six Degrees
10 PARADISE BANGKOK MOLAM INTERNATIONAL BAND | 21st Century Molam | Studio Lam

February 12, 2015

Program February 13, 2015

www.rebeltumbao.com
Global A Go-Go visits Madagascar this week -- the world's fourth largest island and biggest producer of vanilla is also an exporter of a wide variety of outstanding music.

You'll also hear some reggae hybrids: reggae meets salsa, for example, in the case of Rebel Tumbao (pictured above).  But how about reggae meets the synagogue?  Got that too.  Plus new Dengue Fever, Central American garifuna music, Haitian konpa and more.

February 8, 2015

Charts February 8, 2015

https://www.facebook.com/DengueFever
WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 DENGUE FEVER | The Deepest Lake | Tuk Tuk
2 RED BARAAT | Gaadi Of Truth | Sinj
3 SAMBA TOURE | Gandadiko | Glitterbeat
4 BABA COMMANDANT AND THE MANDINGO BAND | Juguya | Sublime Frequencies
5 KASSE MADY DIABATE | Kirike | Six Degrees
6 HAILU MERGIA AND THE WALIAS | Tche Belew | Awesome Tapes From Africa
7 CHIMURENGA RENAISSANCE | Kudada Nekuva Munhu Mutema | Brick Lane
8 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To African Rare Groove (Volume 1) | World Music Network
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Salsa | World Music Network
10 SELASEE & FAFA FAMILY | Time For Peace | self-released

February 5, 2015

Program February 6, 2015

Hardywood's WRIR X beer label, designed by Ed Trask
Tonight is WRIR's tenth anniversary party, the Party For The Rest Of Us, getting underway as soon as Global A Go-Go wraps up at 7 PM.  The festivities take place, as always, at the Renaissance Ballroom, 107 W. Broad Street, right smack in the middle of the First Fridays action.  We're looking forward to seeing all of you there!

And tonight marks the tenth time that Global A Go-Go has provided the prelude to WRIR's anniversary party.  I'll send you on your way to the party with new and old West African sounds, some Latin remixes, Indian and African brass, and a little DC go-go on your way out the door.

February 2, 2015

Charts February 1, 2015

Art by Sijie Wang: http://www.sijiewang.com/index.html
WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 DENGUE FEVER | The Deepest Lake | Tuk Tuk
2 REBEL TUMBAO | Rebel Tumbao | Sacred Rhythm
3 RED BARAAT | Gaadi Of Truth | Sinj
4 E.N YOUNG | Live Love Stay Up | Roots Musician
5 PARADISE BANGKOK MOLAM INTERNATIONAL BAND | 21st Century Molam | Studio Lam
6 SAMBA TOURE | Gandadiko | Glitterbeat
7 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Afrosound Of Colombia, Vol. 2 | Vampisoul
8 HAILU MERGIA AND THE WALIAS | Tche Belew | Awesome Tapes From Africa
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | 25 Years Of Mr Bongo | Mr Bongo
10 BUDOS BAND | Burnt Offering | Daptone

February 1, 2015

February 2015 Concert Calendar

Photo by Sarah Lee for The Guardian
February's Global A Go-Go picks:
  1. Richmond's own Fado Nosso bring their Portuguese sound to Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream on Friday February 6
  2. Aurelio Martinez, the great hope of garifuna music, returns to our area with a gig at Artisphere in Arlington on Friday February 13
  3. It's Brazilian Carnival Night at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery on Friday February 20 with Dende & Band from New York City plus Richmond's own Bio Ritmo and Capoeira Resistencia and WRIR's own Mike Murphy spinning Brazilian vinyl
  4. Two South African legends from two different generations, Hugh Masakela (pictured above) and Vusi Mahlasela, team up for a concert at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium on Sunday February 22
  5. Miramar has a Valentine's Month residence every Tuesday night in February at Balliceaux, playing boleros about love and anti-love
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 February calendar.

January 29, 2015

Dengue Fever | The Deepest Lake

ARTIST: Dengue Fever
TITLE: The Deepest Lake
LABEL: Tuk Tuk
Los Angeles-based band Dengue Fever is back with the sixth full-length album of their now 14-year career, and it’s their best one yet.

Program January 30, 2015

Black Masala (pictured above) returns to Global A Go-Go this week.  They're a gypsy-inspired brass band from Washington DC who damn near blew the doors down when they played in WRIR's Live Room back in June.

Black Masala is back in Richmond for another live performance -- they're at the Camel Friday night along with M.H. And His Orchestra and Love Logic.  But before that, they'll be back in the Live Room on Global A Go-Go -- don't miss it!

January 25, 2015

Charts January 25, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 E.N YOUNG | Live Love Stay Up | Roots Musician
2 REBEL TUMBAO | Rebel Tumbao | Sacred Rhythm
3 RED BARAAT | Gaadi Of Truth | Sinj
4 BABA COMMANDANT AND THE MANDINGO BAND | Juguya | Sublime Frequencies
5 PARADISE BANGKOK MOLAM INTERNATIONAL BAND | 21st Century Molam | Studio Lam
6 VERCKYS ET L'ORCHESTRE VEVE | Congolese Funk, Afrobeat And Psychedelic Rumba 1969-1978 | Analog Africa
7 VARIOUS ARTISTS | 25 Years Of Mr Bongo | Mr Bongo
8 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To Psychedelic Salsa | World Music Network
9 FAIANATUR | "Hail Selassi I" [Single] | self-released
10 VARIOUS ARTISTS | The Rough Guide To African Rare Groove (Volume 1) | World Music Network

January 23, 2015

Red Baraat | Gaadi Of Truth

ARTIST: Red Baraat
TITLE: Gaadi Of Truth
LABEL: Sinj
Red Baraat is one the most unique, explosive bands in America today. Led by dhol (double-headed Indian drum) player Sunny Jain, this 8-piece ensemble puts bhangra music into a whole new context: all horns and drums, they’re a desi brass band that draws as much on jazz, funk, hip hop and DC go-go as on any music from the subcontinent.

E.N Young | Live Love Stay Up

ARTIST: E.N Young
TITLE: Live Love Stay Up
LABEL: Roots Musician
E.N Young is a busy young San Diego-based reggae musician – he sings and writes songs, plays keyboards and melodica in the band Tribal Seeds, runs his own record label, and produces and engineers at his own recording studio.

January 22, 2015

Program January 23, 2015

I have a whole set of Brazilian music cued up for you this week, including one from the great Jorge Ben (pictured above with his VW Beetle) and covers of two of his hits.  Also new music from Brooklyn dhol-and brass octet Red Baraat and west coast reggae jack-of-all-trades E.N Young, a set of Congolese classics, and much more.

January 18, 2015

Charts January 18, 2015

WRIR's CMJ New World Top Ten
1 BABA COMMANDANT AND THE MANDINGO BAND | Juguya | Sublime Frequencies
2 REBEL TUMBAO | Rebel Tumbao | Sacred Rhythm
3 AZIZ SAHMAOUI AND UNIVERSITY OF GNAWA | Mazal | World Village
4 HAILU MERGIA AND THE WALIAS | Tche Belew | Awesome Tapes From Africa
5 VERCKYS ET L'ORCHESTRE VEVE | Congolese Funk, Afrobeat And Psychedelic Rumba 1969-1978 | Analog Africa
6 CARLOU D | A New Day | World Village
7 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Feedback Madagascar | ARC
8 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Golden Afrique, Vol. 1 | Network
9 VARIOUS ARTISTS | Glitterbeat: Dubs And Versions I | Glitterbeat
10 ALMA AFROBEAT ENSEMBLE | Life No Get Dublicate | Slow Walk

January 15, 2015

Program January 16, 2015

What does a West African garage band sound like?  You'll hear one this week on Global A Go-Go -- Baba Commandant (pictured above) & The Mandingo Band from Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

They do rehearse in a garage (videos are available), and they rock out just as aggressively as an American garage band.  It's just that the rhythms are a hell of a lot more complicated.

Also this week: the sound of spiritual jazz, music of Morocco and Algeria, and a visit to NYC's barrio.

Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band | Juguya

ARTIST: Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band
TITLE: Juguya
LABEL: Sublime Frequencies
The Sublime Frequencies label is best known for its audio verite recordings and for reissues from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Recently they’ve dipped their toe into releasing studio recordings of current artists, most famously Omar Souleyman.