"The future of music happened decades ago," reads the catchy claim of Samy Ben Redjeb's Frankfurt-based imprint Analog Africa, specialising in unusual African music from the '70s, basically stuff you never even knew existed, but has nonetheless had a strong impact in certain regions of the world. As such, many of the Analog Africa releases are not just about the music, but also come with detailed liner notes and equally unusual stories. 

Last Friday, the label dropped another amazing compilation, focussing this time on a melting pot of mythical sounds from the Amazon, namely the city of Belém, aka the "Caribbean Port", in the northern Brazilian state of Pará that "has long been a hotbed of culture and musical innovation", home to "Amerindians, Europeans, Africans – and the myriad combinations between these people” as well as diverse musical genres, including "Carimbó, Samba-De-Cacete, Siriá, Bois-Bumbás and Bambiá."

Together with Australian DJ and producer Carlo Xavier, Samy Ben Redjeb began to immerse himself into this rich parallel universe, the history thereof, its recording industry as well as its thriving sound system culture. The musical result being "Jambú e Os Míticos Sons Da Amazônia": "The music and tales found in Jambú are stories of resilience, triumph against all odds, and, most importantly, of a city in the borders of the Amazon who has always known how to throw a damn good party." 

Jambú also happens to be the name of a plant found in Amazonian and Paraense cooking and known among other things for its "appetite-stimulating effect." That being said, this compilation has definitely whet our appetite for more of these extraordinary, organic musical blends.

To listen, support and to find out more about the extensive research that went into this great project, head over to the Analog Africa release page on Bandcamp. 

On Thursday, just in time for Shabbat, our phenomenal Victoria Hanna delivered a spectacular new music video to her debut album track "Orayta" that features an absolutely unique display of Aramaic rap or spoken word. On "Orayta" the Israeli vocalist brilliantly pairs the raw and mystical sounds of ancient Hebrew with Tamir Muskat's (APE Records, Balkan Beat Box) sleek and expansive hiphop-styled production. 

"The lyrics are taken from the main book of Kabbalah, praising the wisdom nestled in the old texts in a language bordering on incantation. 'Orayta' is the Aramaic term of endearment for the Torah [...] a book which is 'more than a book', so much so, that it becomes something like a woman in the eyes of the writers."

Ella Sade Chen, Alin Baray and Junior Romero now created an animated music video to "Orayta", telling Victoria Hanna's life story in mesmerising kaleidoscopic images; "the daughter of a rabbi, peeking into the men's section at the synagogue and discovering the rich world of silenced womanhood." 

Victoria Hanna will be performing live at this year's WOMAD festival on July 27th. 

We're happy to finally announce a special collaboration album released a few weeks ago on "genre-defying" London-based record label Wah War 45s and featuring Ghanaian xylophone master Isaac Birituro alongside the Leeds-based producer/singer/songwriter Sonny Johns, also know as The Rail Abandon. That's not to say they hadn't given us a fair warning with their first two singles "Yesu Yan Yan" and "Für Svenja” – the latter instantly sparking our germanophone interest. As we later found out, the project was made possible with the help of Tim Becker,  Svenja Albers and the Rüt'n'Rock Festival team, that has been raising money for over a decade now to support projects in Africa, namely in the North Ghanaian town of Kalba. 

But back to the "boundary-crossing duo" of Isaac and Sonny and this remarkable album project. What brought the two together was their innate "desire to hear the usual done unusually and play with the shared influence of the music from afar." As an album, "Kalba" stands for a lot more than the town where Isaac resides. It represents "the combination of differences" and emphasises "the importance of community, of preserving and presenting local cultures, the ardent desire to contribute to changing the world around us and, of course, the love and power of music created from a genuine place." 

Isaac and Sonny bring their individual backgrounds, experiences and stories to musical fruition on an album that makes for a great listen and also features contributions by the likes of Seb Rochford, Leafcutter John, Raph Clarkson, and Elliot Galvin. You can stream/buy the 10 tracks on "Kalba" via Bandcamp. Part of the proceeds will be used to fund the building of a school in Kalba. Visit the This is Kalba website for more information.

This Friday marks release day for part three of the Venezuelan trilogy of 45s on Olindo Records. The series started back in 2017 with the release of "Abeja b/w Black & Decker" by Monsalve Y Los Forajidos, was followed by Insólito UniVerso's "Vuelve b/w Décima" in 2018 and now concludes with Isaac Sasson's "Cantos Campesinos".

The EP features two original, folkloric compositions by Caracas-based multi-instrumentalist and composer Isaac Sasson, which previously appeared on his self-released 2017 album "Memorias del canto campesino", as well as a remix by London producer and drummer Hector Plimmer (Albert's Favourites). 

On Side A we find the short composition "Paseo en un sueño", a dreamlike tune, riding the melodic flute of Tomasito Garcia, before we are carried away by "Canción para mi familia, Venezuela", "a sort of mantra prayer dedicated to Venezuela and Isaac's family an friends; it's spiraling guitar riff and various percussion instruments quickly descending towards a chaotic state of bliss", the description reads.

The flipside features Hector Plimmer's remix of Sasson's "Cantos Campesinos": "Hector retunes the rhythm to his purposes, building tension and borrowing a bell sound to raise it even further, before releasing a skittering drum pattern, [eventually] adding sensual synth chords a flute-like synth solo to complete this musical trip." 

Isaac Sasson's "Cantos Campesinos" releases today. Head over to the Olinda Records Bandcamp page to stream/buy the release in full. There will also be a limited run of 300 vinyl records available. 

Hailing from the city of Wrocław, Polish seven-piece EABS (Electro Acoustic Beat Sessions) just released a new full-length of original material. Two years after their well-received debut album "Repetitions (Letters to Krzysztof Komeda)", paying homage to Polish Jazz legend Krzysztof Komeda, the group continues their free and spirited approach to "blending traditional Polish Jazz with sounds from other genres, thus creating a new and personal interpretation of modern jazz. EABS have created their unique compositions by employing an approach exercising the idea of 'reconstruction from deconstruction' where sampling and looping are merged with jazz improvisations." 

On "Slavic Spirits", EABS set out "in search of Slavic melancholy" and are joined by none other than London producer, "saxophone renegade and flute enthusiast" Tenderlonious: "The material is an attempt to radically break out of the status quo of national mythology which currently steers the collective imagination of the Polish society. The musicians turned to Slavic mythology and Polish demonology, while pondering upon the contemporary spiritual condition of Poles. [...] Slavic Spirits is an endeavour to get in touch with the world of a long- and brutally lost culture which, due to lack of sources, will never be thoroughly explored."

This also explains the album titles, i.e. "Ciemność" (Darkness) to "Przywitanie Słońca" (Sun Worship). Head over to Bandcamp for the full 44-minute experience that is "Slavic Spirits", a brilliantly atmospheric, somewhat challenging yet highly engaging tour de force in the spirit of jazz. Out now on Astigmatic Records. 

EABS are: 
Marek Pędziwiatr (Nordiska Bambino piano, Fender Rhodes MKII, Minimoog Voyager, Crumar Performer, Physharmonica E. Krauss Stuttgard, Korg Polysix, Roland DC-30 analog chorus echo)
Marcin Rak (drums)
Vojto Monteur (electric guitar) 
Paweł Stachowiak (bass guitar) 
Spisek Jednego (percussion, sound fx) 
Olaf Węgier (tenor saxophone) 
Jakub Kurek (trumpet)
Tenderlonious (flute, soprano saxophone)

Say what?! We were instantly captivated by the sounds of this new compilation on Bangkok's Zudrangma Records, once again expertly put together by Chris Menist and Nattapon Siangsukon, aka Maft Sai, of Paradise Bangkok fame. "DIY Disco Molam" presents an exceptional collection of catchy experimental molam tunes by Thai producer Soonthorn Chairatanachot, "previously only released  as a short run of 45s on his private label Khaen Sang and featuring only members of his family." 

Instantly intrigued by his music, Chris Menist and Maft Sai decided to pick their favourites and put them back into circulation with another stunning record (make sure you also check out their recently released "Suphanburi Soul" compilation): "The sparse production style immediately marked it out from other molam we had unearthed through hours of searching. [...] The records felt so ahead of their time, though whether this was intentional or not is hard to pinpoint." 

Soonthorn Chairatanachot was born in 1938 in Sarakham, a town in the north-eastern district of Isan. Both his paernets were famous molam singers and he was trained from a young age, while also learning to play the khaen mouth organ. His talent showed early on and he began to perform publicly at age twelve. During his military service in 1957 he performed on a military radio station and thereby became known "to an even wider audience." 

After a brief stint as a monk, "he joined Sun Thirat Pirom, one of Thailand’s longest running music collectives," and continued to hone his skills. "Whilst he had a huge following as a live musician he’d never released any music, and through a friend, who had a recording studio and a tape echo, he embarked on what would ultimately be his only recordings, using family members on instrument and vocal duties. It is here that an unanswered mystery begins - no one is sure when the recordings were made, or what inspired their unique sound." 

Soonthorn Chairatanachot passed away in 2004, but his musical legacy remains and sounds as modern as ever. You can stream/buy the full "DIY Disco Molam" release on the Zudrangma Records Bandcamp page and we strongly advise you do. 

Building on the success of their 2016 collaborative short documentary "Woza Taxi" (on the South African club music genre Gqom) Rome's Crudo Volta collective set out on another trip in August 2017 to visit Ghana and produce the follow-up "Yenkyi Taxi", covering the contemporary Ghanaian music scene alongside music producer Hagan.

In the film, Hagan recalls growing up in a Ghanaian home in London, being raised in two cultures, listening to the radio, including stations like Rinse FM, where he first discovered the UK Funky genre. "At one point I realised that this UK funky sound is so similar to music I'd grown up with like Highlife and all the Ghanaian rhythms and all the drums...the drum patterns were very similar. And I felt like it was important to understand, where this has all come from."

Thus, the team flew to Ghana to meet with contemporary producers there, including Gafacci (Akwaaba/Enchufada) and Rvdical The Kid (Soulection / Flow Fi), to find out how they fuse African and electronic music in a culture obsessed with dancing: "You know when you go to France, they have their croissants...In Africa it's dancing, in Ghana especially it's dancing. So the dance thing is what drives me to add these elements into my music," says Gafacci.

However, the team also explores the religious side to Ghanaian music culture, i.e. gospel or church music. "Now we also get a lot of our music from religion," explains Professor (owner of Vivivi Studios). "Some traditional songs have their own rhythms. When you listen to the music that is played at the shrines, the traditional religious places, you get a lot of inspiration from the rhythms. [...] These are rhythms that have remained the same over the years."

You can watch "Yenkyi Taxi" in full via the YouTube video below and make sure to watch "Woza Taxi" as well. In a recent Facebook post, the Crudo Volta crew also announced that the "Taxi" miniseries will continue shortly, covering the music scenes of Addis Ababa, Maputo and Lagos, so stay tuned! Unfortunately for us, the new episodes were produced by Italian streaming platform TimVision and will not be available on YouTube.

Earlier this year, the phenomenal Ethiopian-born and now Tel-Aviv-based artist Gili Yalo unveiled "Sew Lesew", the first precursor to his brand new four-track EP "Made in Amharica", now out on Dead Sea Recordings. The spellbinding track, accompanied by an equally enticing companion video, promotes the basic principle of being a 'mensch' (a decent human being), "its lyrics reflecting the issue of immigration and refugees, of borders, discrimination and newcomers." Like most of his music, "Sew Lesew" emodies his own personal story, seeing as Gili Yalo himself arrived in Israel as part of what is today known as 'Operation Moses', "the covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a famine in 1984." 

Building on the success of his 2018-released, self-titled debut LP, Yalo toured the world, gathering well-deserved critical and popular acclaim and wowing audiences with his undeniable on-stage presence. His travels eventually brought him to the United States of America, where he teamed up with Niles City Sound (the Grammy-nominated team behind Leon Bridges' "Coming Home" LP, i.e. Josh Block, Austin Jenkins and Chris Vivion) to record his new EP "Made in Amharica" in their high-end, vintage-equipped recording studios in Forth Worth, Dallas.

"Made in Amharica" is a play on words: Amharic being the language of the Ethiopian people and 'Amharica' being the place this project became a reality. Singing in both English and Amharic, Gili Yalo brings together two distinct worlds, combining a modern approach to his Ethiopian roots with influences from funk, jazz, rock and a whole lotta soul. You can stream/buy the full release over on Bandcamp or listen in the SoundCloud player above.

We've been meaning to do a short write-up on DakhaBrakha for a while now. Why? Because they're simply outstanding in what they do and deserve to be heard far beyond the borders of their native Ukraine, where they already enjoy cult status. Don't be mistaken. We are not the first to fall captive to their mesmerising and mystical charm as well as to their innovative blend of "soulful Ukrainian folk with jazz and trance sounds" and more. DakhaBrakha are the real deal, the full musical package in terms of the highly conceptual, performative and visual approach they take to their art.

Over the past 15 years, the quartet has played over a thousand concerts and festivals, bringing their self-proclaimed "ethnic-chaos" to unsuspecting international audiences. And by unsuspecting we mean that until you've heard them live, you literally don't know what you've been missing: "A shadowy procession to the pounding of drums, to the murmur of a cello, morphs into an anthem, an invocation, a wild and wacky breakdown. Drones and beats, crimson beads and towering black lambs-wool hats all serve as a striking backdrop for an unexpected, refreshingly novel vision of Eastern European roots music."

DakhaBrakha in the old Ukrainian language means "give/take". Created in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art (DAKH) by avant-garde theatre director Vladyslav Troitskiy, it comes as no surprise that the multi-instrumentalist group's performances verge on scenic theatre productions as they combine the more traditional sounds of their native Ukraine with a plethora of influences from around the globe: "With one foot in the urban avant-garde theatre scene and one foot in the village life that nurtured and protected Ukraine’s cultural wealth, DakhaBrakha shows the full fury and sensuality of some of Eastern Europe’s most breathtaking folklore."

You can watch their full 2017 performance on Seattle's KEXP in the video below (or their previous 2015 KEXP performance right here) to get a better idea of the actual sonic experience we are trying to put into words. More infos and videos here. 

DakhaBrakha are: 
Marko Halanevych (vocal, darbuka, didgeridoo, accordion)
Iryna Kovalenko (vocal, djembe, bass drum, accordion, percussion, bugay, zhaleyka)
Olena Tsibulska (vocal, bass floor tom, percussion)
Nina Garenetska (vocal, cello, bass drum)

Is this the past or is it the future? With Tehran-based electronic music composer Ata Ebtekar, aka Sote, it is hard to tell. Fact is, he has been honing his craft for three decades and counting, an explorer, a scientist, a sound artist in an ever-changing sonic environment. He "composes music with a deeply-held conviction that rules and formulas should be deconstructed and rethought", as he "alters musical modal codes from their original tonality and rhythmic tradition to achieve vivid synthetic soundscapes." 

Sote's musical vision is acutely experimental in form, yet eerily organic in nature and constantly in motion. You might remember his CTM-commissioned album "Sacred Horror In Design" released on Opal Tapes in 2017, which had us wondering, what exactly we had just listened to. And trust us, his latest album is likely to keep you guessing, with musical surprises lurking at every twist, turn and flourish. Preceded by the standalone single Artificial Neutrality, Sote recently unveiled his mind-rattling new full-length on Oscar Powell's Diagonal Records, entitled "Parallel Persia".

Created in early 2018, "Parallel Persia" features an electro-acoustic "series of compositional structures", combining "various synthesis techniques with Iranian acoustic instruments [Arash Boulouri (santour) & Pouya Damadi (tar)] that are pushed beyond ordinary operation." Or in the words of Sote himself, these are "snapshots of an apocryphal Iran [...] presented via sonic schematics for a synthetic 'Meta-Persian' experience," an experience that could be taking place "in our present-day life or maybe somewhere else somehow differently in a parallel world..." We'll let you decide.

You can stream/buy "Parallel Persia" in full on Bandcamp and make sure to check out the magnificent visuals to album track "Brass Tacks" by Pedram Sadegh-Beyki below.

All the way from Bangkok comes a fantastic new compilation, featuring a selection of rare and "crucial cuts" by Kwanjit Sripajan, aka "The First Lady of Lae Music". Lae is a vocal genre that is generally performed at initiation ceremonies for monks and focusses on the teachings of Buddha as well as communicating traditional values and "exhorting listeners to a righteous life."

Born to a farming family in 1947 in the Suphanburi region of central Thailand, Kwanjit Sriprajan's road to music was a windy one, seeing as her father opposed her pursuing a career in music. It was actually her younger sister who received training in the plang puen baan tradition. But Kwanjit found ways to observe singing techniques and receive valuable tips along the way.

When she heard of a competition taking place on a Bangkok radio station in 1966, she managed to participate and actually won, providing her with an opportunity to perform and record with a local band, which led to her connecting with key producers from the era (Jiew Pijit and Porn Pirom). 

"Recognising her talent and unique vocal delivery, [Porn Pirom] arranged a series of recordings for [Kwanjit] to perform on. He assembled a band of different players from military and police groups, who created an uneven mix of traditional arrangements coupled with elements of R&B and latin percussion. Such flourishes were not so surprising for luk thung, but less common for lae, which tended to be played on Thai percussion and wind instruments."

These recording sessions were eventually released on an LP ("Sin Haa") as well as four EPs and although "they weren't big hits commercially, they were hugely popular with the religious community" and "spread her notoriety as a performer and artist." Kwanjit continued to perform with different groups and self-release her music, until she became pregnant in 1973 and returned to Suphanburi, where today "she runs a centre from her house for anyone who wishes to come and learn about the music and culture for themselves."

"Suphanburi Soul: Kwanjit Sriprajan - The First Lady Of Lae Music" introduces listeners to eleven tracks from her storied career, compiled by Nattapon Siangsukon, aka Maft Sai, and Chris Menist of Paradise Bangkok.  

You can stream/buy the full release via the Bandcamp page of Thai record store and label Zudrangma Records and watch her perform live at the Paradise Bangkok fifth anniversary party in 2014 below.

We first covered the Yemenite sisters back in 2016, when they teamed up with Loco Hot on APE Records. That was after they released their breakout single "Habib Galbi" (which has so far amassed over 12 million views on YouTube) and followed that up with their eponymous debut album. Blending traditional Yemenite folk with urban beats and electronic soundscapes, Tair, Liron and Tagel Haim have made quite a name for themselves across the globe, as they confidently continue to propagate their role as strong and modern women in the rather conservative Middle East. 

Just recently A-WA released their new single "Hana Mash Hu Al Yaman", based on the real-life experience of their great-grandmother, who fled her home in Yemen in 1949 during what is today known as "Operation Magic Carpet" and immigrated to Israel to escape persecution and violence. However, upon arrival in Israel, said Yemenite Jews were placed in camps and regularly discriminated against. The lyrics of "Hana Mash Hu Al Yaman" reflect these early tensions and struggles:

"Where will I stake a home? (You have a tent for now) / Or at least a small shack (along with four other families) / And here I will raise a family (Don't let them take your daughter) / I'll find myself a job with an income (either in cleaning or working the earth) / And I will learn the language (Lose the accent) / With time I'll feel like I belong (Here is not Yemen)."

Reminiscent of the song "America" from the musical "West Side Story", the catchy single is led by the sisters' melodic chants, while driven by intricate rhythms and a beat produced by Tamir Muskat (Balkan Beat Box) that is clearly purposed for the dancefloor. The companion music video, which you can watch below, was shot in the streets of Tel Aviv and directed in collaboration Omer Ben-David. It features an array of powerful dance moves as well as a modern take on popular looks of the time. 

After "Mudbira" (unveiled earlier this year), "Hana Mash Hu Al Yaman" is the second promising precursor to A-WA's forthcoming full-length "Bayti Fi Rasi" (transl. My House Is My Head), to be released on May 31st (S-Curve/BMG). Preceding the album release the siblings will be on tour in Germany (see below). Check here for more dates. 

May 23rd Leipzig, Werk 2
May 24th Hannover, World Music Festival
May 25th Berlin, Gretchen Club