Charts November 10-16, 2020

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE | In D | self-released

2 GYPTIAN | "Warm & Easy" [Single] | VP

3 ALFREDO LINARES | Lo Que Tengo | Vampisoul

4 BOSQ | Y Su Descarga Internacional | Bacalao

5 VUSI MAHLASELA | Shebeen Queen | ATO

6 LOS MOCOSOS | All Grown Up | Hip Spanic

7 MISTA SAVONA PRESENTS HAVANA MEETS KINGSTON | "Beat Con Flow (feat Cimafunk)" [Single] | Cumbancha-Baco

8 SONGHOY BLUES | Optimisme | Fat Possum

9 JUANA MOLINA | ANRMAL (Live In Mexico) | Crammed

10 LUCAS NWANANGA AND HIS BAND | Back To Soweto | Umsakazo

Back to Soweto

Lucas Nwananga can't go back to Soweto -- he's from Yorkshire.  He grew up collecting rare recordings of South African township jive and mbaqanga, then he taught himself to play all the instruments on those records by ear.  "His Band" is just Lucas playing guitars, bass, brushed snare drum and melodica, recreating the sonics of 1960s South Africa in his home during the lockdown.

 

Back To Soweto is one of the most joyful albums I've heard in 2020.  Tune in to Global A Go-Go this week and hear a selection from it for yourself, alongside some of the vintage jive that inspired it.

 

Also this week (Monday November 16, 3:00-5:00 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): Brooklyn Raga Massive's Terry Riley-inspired In D, North African rock 'n' roll, lovers rock - the romantic side of reggae, some tuneful Latin soul and salsa dura para los bailadores y los oyentes.

Charts November 3-9, 2020

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 BOSQ | Y Su Descarga Internacional | Bacalao

2 JUANA MOLINA | ANRMAL (Live In Mexico) | Crammed

3 KELEKETLA | Keleketla! | Ahead Of Our Time

4 ZEDASHE | Silver Sanctuary | Electric Cowbell

5 RICARDO LEMVO AND MAKINA LOCA | N'Dona Ponte | Mopiato

6 COLOR DE TROPICO | various artists | El Palmas

7 NAHAWA DOUMBIA | Kanawa | Awesome Tapes From Africa

8 QWANQWA | Volume 3 | Wuzzawazzee Industries

9 MINYO CRUSADERS AND FRENTE CUMBIERO | From Tokyo To Bogota [EP] | Mais Um

10 ACID COCO | Mucho Gusto | El Palmas

Rebellion manifesto

Gaye Su Akyol is a rock star in Turkey -- and the rest of the world is starting to pay attention as well.  She's an outspoken advocate for the rights of women and queer people, but her lyrics are just ambiguous enough to keep her safe from Ergodan's censors and enforcers.  At least so far.

Musically, she and a whole generation of young artists are reviving Anatolian rock, Turkey's home-grown psychedelic sound of the 1970s.  Akyol has a new single and it's her most forthright statement to date, both musically and politically.  Tune in this week and hear "Isyan Manifestosu" (Rebellion Manifesto) on Global A Go-Go.

Also this week (Monday November 9, 3:00-5:00 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): wild singing from three sides of the Black Sea, Ethiopian sounds, Latin remixes made for the dance floor, new music from Mali's Nahawa Doumbia and a question: how fast can you dance?

Charts Oct 27 - Nov 2, 2020

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 LA LOCURA DE MACHUCA 1975-1980 | various artists | Analog Africa

2 KELEKETLA | Keleketla! | Ahead Of Our Time

3 MADE KUTI | "Free Your Mind" [Single] | Partisan

4 WARSAW AFROBEAT ORCHETRA | Antibody | Peace & Rhythm

5 BUDOS BAND, THE | Long In The Tooth | Daptone

6 MODESTE HUGUES AND KILEMA | Ala Maintso - Green World | ARC

7 RICARDO LEMVO AND MAKINA LOCA | N'Dona Ponte | Mopiato

8 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT MOVEMENT | various artists | NYP

9 NATION BEAT | The Royal Chase | self-released

10 GARMARNA | Forbundet | Season Of Mist

Budos rising

The Budos Band has been a Global A Go-Go staple from the beginning -- their first album came out in 2005, the same year WRIR went on the air.  Their new album, Long In The Tooth, is a return to their original sound, their best in 10 years.  Hear for yourself as I play a track from the new album along with ones from their first four releases.

 

Also this week (Monday November 2, 3:00-5:00 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): European folk-rock appropriate for the spoopy season, four from Madagascar, Colombia's crazy pre-champeta sounds, Afrobeat from behind the former Iron Curtain, and Made Kuti's debut plus what his father and grandfather sounded like at the same age.

Charts October 13-26, 2020

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 BUDOS BAND, THE | Long In The Tooth | Daptone

2 MADE KUTI | "Free Your Mind" [Single] | Partisan

3 LA LOCURA DE MACHUCA 1975-1980 | various artists | Analog Africa

4 BAB L'BLUZ | Nayda! | Real World

5 RICARDO LEMVO AND MAKINA LOCA | N'Dona Ponte | Mopiato

6 NAHAWA DOUMBIA | Kanawa | Awesome Tapes From Africa

7 ALHOUSSEINI ANIVOLLA AND GIRUM MEZMUR | Afropentatonism | Piranha

8 JUANA MOLINA | ANRMAL (Live In Mexico) | Crammed

9 SONGHOY BLUES | Optimisme | Fat Possum

10 LINGO SEINI ET SON GROUPE | Musique Hauka | Sahel Sounds

WRIR's fall 2020 fund drive

WRIR's Fall 2020 Fund Drive is currently underway -- we're working to raise $40,000 by Wednesday October 28 to make sure Richmond's  "sound of surprise" continues to inform, inspire, delight and surprise you for a second 16 years (our first broadcast day was January 1, 2005 so we'll be turning 16 soon) and more beyond that.

 

Thank you for your previous donations to Richmond Independent Radio; I'm writing to encourage you to contribute once again this fall, if you can.  You can make that donation in less than two minutes by clicking this link: wrir.org/donating.

Global A Go-Go Classic: Tony Allen

I'm on vacation this week, so I'm presenting a rebroadcast of the program that was originally aired on WRIR on June 1, 2020.  It's a tribute to the great Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, who passed away on April 30.  He's one of my favorite musicians of all time in any genre: a drummer whose effortlessly cool style both defined and transcended Afrobeat, the genre of music he essentially co-invented alongside Fela Kuti.

 

On this week's program (Monday October 19, 3:00-5:00 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) you'll hear two hours of Tony Allen's drumming from all seven decades of his career. We'll range from his early days with Fela in the Koola Lobitos and the legendary Afrika 70, to his solo career, his electronica experiments, his many collaborations and the new album he released in March with Hugh Masakela.

Charts October 6-12, 2020

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT MOVEMENT | various artists | NYP

2 RICARDO LEMVO AND MAKINA LOCA | N'Dona Ponte | Mopiato

3 LEYLA MCCALLA | "Mesi Bondye" [Single] | Smithsonian Folkways

4 HIP HOP HOODIOS | "Mexican Miller (The Stephen Miller Song)" [Single] | self-released

5 CLINT EASTWOOD AND GENERAL SAINT | "Stop That Train/Talk About Run" [Single] | Greensleeves

6 LOS MOCOSOS | All Grown Up | Hip Spanic

7 ANDAL SUKABE | Music From Saharan WhatsApp 07 [EP] | Sahel Sounds

8 NOBLEZZA | "Coletera" [Single] | Codiscos

9 JUAN PINA CON LA REVELACION | Juan Pina Con La Revelacion | Vampisoul

10 BUDOS BAND, THE | Long In The Tooth | Daptone

Paging Dr. Freude ... Dr. Schaden Freude

Merriam-Webster reports that on October 2, "schadenfreude" was the most looked-up word on their dictionary's website.  So a set of related music seems timely, including a brand-new single from Hip Hop Hoodios about one of the many COVID-positive White House staffers, Stephen Miller.

 

Also this week (Monday October 12, 3:00-5:00 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): Haitian twobadou and Jamaican mento, salsa made for Africa, soulful dub and Afrobeat, the amazing dance music of South Africa's Tsonga people, and remixers who've moved to Colombia for inspiration and great cratedigging.

Charts Sep 29 - Oct 5, 2020

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 RICARDO LEMVO AND MAKINA LOCA | N'Dona Ponte | Mopiato

2 CLINT EASTWOOD AND GENERAL SAINT | "Stop That Train/Talk About Run" [Single] | Greensleeves

3 CONTENTO | "Paso Palante" [Single] | El Palmas

4 GOOD ONES, THE | "Soccer (Summer 1988)" [Single] | Anti-

5 CAMPOS | Shake Up The World: Live In The Studio, Volume 1 | Peace & Rhythm

6 JUANA MOLINA | "Eras (ANRMAL)" [Single] | Crammed

7 ROUGH GUIDE TO URBAN MALI, THE | various artists | World Music Network

8 KELEKETLA | Keleketla! | Ahead Of Our Time

9 BLACK MARKET BRASS | Undying Thirst | Colemine

10 OK JAZZ | Pas Un Pas Sans ... The Boleros Of OK Jazz | Planet Ilunga

Non-Violence, Peace & Rhythm

Ex-Richmonder Joshua Camp kept himself busy in his Brooklyn home studio during the lockdown: he recorded a one-man live-in-the-studio album and made videos to accompany each song for when he finally gets to perform them for an audience.  You'll hear one of those songs, plus three more from the Peace & Rhythm record label, on this week's program.

 

Also this week (Monday October 5, 3:00-5:00 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): a new single from Rwanda's The Good Ones for the U.N.'s International Day of Non-Violence; sounds of the lamellaphone (thumb piano); the wide influence of Congolese soukous; calypso, dancehall and roots reggae from the Caribbean; and the music of Bamako's balani shows.

Charts September 22-28, 2020

WRIR's NACC World Top Ten

1 LA DAME BLANCHE | Ella | Nacional

2 COLOR DE TROPICO | various artists | El Palmas

3 DANDANA | Free The System | Rebel Up

4 NATION BEAT | The Royal Chase | NBM

5 LOS SAICOS 69 | "El Mercenario/Un Poquito De Pena" [Single] | Munster

6 NAHAWA DOUMBIA | Kanawa | Awesome Tapes From Africa

7 GRESHKA | "To Prune A Triffid" [Single] | 4000

8 BEBEL GILBERTO | Agora | PIAS

9 LA MISA NEGRA | "Pistola" feat. Shae Fiol & Mireya Ramos [Single] | NAM

10 KELEKETLA | Keleketla! | Ahead Of Our Time

Punk rock, invented in Peru

Los Saicos released six furious, incendiary singles in 1965 and 1966.  When they broke up, garage rock was just gaining steam in the USA and around the world, notably throughout Latin America.

 

Decades later, listeners realized that this obscure band from Lima, Peru had anticipated the punk rock movement.  Now we're getting the first proper release of the seventh Los Saicos single, from their brief 1969 reunion.  I'll spin the A side this week on Global A Go-Go, along with a whole set of garage rock en Espanol chestnuts.

Also this week (Monday September 28, 3:00-5:00 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): Mali's veterans still in action, Cuban oddities, hair-raising Balkan sounds, the boss brass of Brazil's north, and psychedelic Senegambia and a new band inspired by it.