Yes, we're late, but never too late to share some love...

For the past days, Cologne has been host to the first ever Urban Africa Festival, a hub for urban culture and a gathering of lifestyles, artists and artistic forms of expression, stemming from several African metropolises. Hosted by none other than the prolific rapper/director Wanlov the Kubolor (hailing from Ghana and part of the notorious FOKN BOIS) the festival features a special lineup, [...]

Stunning, Ukrainian born Israeli singer/songwriter Marina Maximilian is quite the provocative type. And we mean that in a positive sense. Her art tends to explore the extremes and so it comes as no surprise that she teamed up with APE Records' prodigious Tamir Muskat to produce her latest single "My Boy", a rhythm-driven, pulsating pop ballad that is equally appealing to the eye.

"Tamir's crazy beat painted a scene in my head, some mysterious environment [...]

Three years in the making, Bologna-based Original Cultures imprint is set to release a captivating collaborative project by Bologna's Fawda Trio and London's SwamiMillion (better known as production duo LV) out into the open. 

"Road To Essaouira" is the musical outcome of a three-year journey from Bologna, via London, all the way to Morocco's Essaouira that "captures the spirit of Gnawa music through the lens of African-American traditions".

The album was [...]

Little did we know how excited we would be to finally see Selda Bağcan live on stage in Berlin, backed by Tel Aviv's Boom Pam and an additional saz player. The show took place at the longstanding Neukölln-based venue Huxleys Neue Welt, a pretty sizeable venue for the small, but euphoric crowd awaiting her. And so it happened, that she took to the stage, arm in a sling* and kicked off the evening with one of her most iconic songs to date, being "Yaz Gazeteci". [...]

Let's just get this off our chest straight away: Here's an album that pretty much slipped under our radar and that we believe deserves way more attention than it has garnered to date. The İstanbul-bred, Cologne-based artist Elektro Hafiz released his eponymous solo album on Pharaway Sounds back in spring, an electric saz smorgasbord of Anatolian psychedelia, mesmerising funk and progressive grooves moulded into a cutting-edge sound tapestry, bridging many a [...]

When her debut album "Tzenni" impacted in 2014, Noura Mint Seymali hit the ground running. As expressed via NPR: "the arrival of [this] Mauritannian vocalist in front of Western audiences feels like the start of a new era". And indeed, so it is.

In a whirlwind of events Noura was awarded "Best Female Artist from North Africa" at the African Union's 2015 AFRIMA awards and this summer, took to the stage alongside Damon Albarn and The Orchestra of Syrian [...]

There's nothing like a Ms. Bombastic to pull you back out of that holiday hole you dug for yourselves. If you were wondering how we came up with this metaphor, Tel Aviv's terrible two, alias Malox, just teamed up with the equally impressive Echo & Tito, to release their joint cover and souk-tinged counterpart to Shaggy's notorious smasher "Mr. Boombastic". The track is off their latest album "Gaza Trip" released earlier this year and a real blast.

Before you [...]

Following our tour of the Ecuadorian Highlands by ways of Nicola Cruz's brilliant mix a few weeks back, we now return to the South American continent for a sonic journey through Peruvian folklore. The latest compilation by Latin American music and culture magazine Sounds and Colours, delivers a forward-thinking selection of tracks entitled "Sonidos Raíces del Perú".

"Our aim was to show the beauty of traditional Peruvian music and customs, but in a [...]

"Call me 'Neckbone', I'm a man, and this is how one day, I burned down tha brewery..." – Anthony Joseph "Neckbone"

In the modern day Northern Hemisphere the Caribbean is often associated with luxury cruises, leisurely island hopping and the occasional painting by Paul Gauguin. Others however, may feel reminded of a harsh colonial past, a vibrant yet scattered diaspora and a rich cultural heritage stretching from San Fernando/Scarborough, Kingston and Les [...]

Last weekend at Barcelona's Primavera Festival Turkish folk icon Selda Bağcan took to the stage with Tel Aviv psych-rock outfit Boom Pam to present their latest collab project, alias SELDA feat. BOOM PAM.

Back in 2014, in light of an upcoming performance at the Dutch independent music festival Le Guess Who?, Selda gave a 5-minute interview, detailing her outspoken artistic approach and past political involvement, which led to a 20-year ban and subsequent [...]

The inimitable and prolific musician, producer and selector Will Holland, better known as Quantic, has done it again. Currently residing in Brooklyn, the UK-born jack of all musical trades continues to dig deep, dedicating his latest mix to the great Anibal Velásquez, legendary and lightning-quick accordion player and singer, or as Holland puts it:

"This is a short mix dedicated to Maestro Anibal Velásquez, incredible musician and the world’s most [...]

Amongst all the political turmoil these days Istanbul, the Turkish metropolis populated by an estimate 20 million inhabitants, is set to welcome the new, biannual 212 Magazine to its glossy ranks.

In light of the pioneering first issue to appear this week, local DJ, producer, record store owner Kaan Düzarat teamed up with Murat Meriç to include an exclusive essay on the history of Anatolian pop music.

To accompany his piece, the publication asked [...]