Best of Globalwize 2020

23/12/2020Selector Jean Trouillet Delivers Episodes #381 & #382 Of His Far-Reaching Deep Listening Experience
 

Tick tock, tick tock, goes the sound of the clock, as 2020 slowly draws to a close, maybe for the better, who knows. Time for two (yes two!) new episodes of Globalwize on Greedio, as selector Jean Trouillet takes a look back at his personal favourites of the year and time for us to enjoy his wide-ranging, far-reaching curation: 

Episode #381 kicks off with an 'ouverture' by French project Féloche and the Mandolin' Orchestra, followed by the Amsterdam Klezmer Band and "Fortuna" - may it bring us all good fortune. Next up is Bosnian singer Nataša Mirković, who is joined by Michel Godard on serpent, Luciano Biondini on accordion and Jarrod Cagwin on percussion, and the wonderful sevdalinka of fellow Bosnian artist Damir Imamović. David Walters teams up with French-Lebanese jazz trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf to bring us his "Soleil Kréyol" and Portuguese singer Lina joins forces with one of Europe's most innovative producers Raül Refree, before Spanish singer Amparo Sánchez takes it away on "Mala Vida". Derya Türkan and Sokratis Sinopoulos' "Soundplaces" is another album we discovered thanks to Jean this year, as he juxtaposes their track "Fenelmont" with Kurdish singer Aynur's "Kal î Kal î" and then adds Ari Seki's "Topal" off the remarkable Uzelli Elektro Saz compilation as well as "Başındaki Yazmayı Sarıya mı Boyadın" from Shantel & Cümbüş Cemaat's collaborative album "Istanbul" to the mix. We continue to move East behind the Armenian pop of Hamlet Minassian and the "Sufi Dub Brothers", aka Ashraf Sharif Khan and Viktor Marek, and that completes the first hour. The next hour ensues with globe-trotting composer Mathias Duplessy and his Brothers of String, Lecce's Mauro Durante and his Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan, German producer/composer Pantha du Prince, New Zealand's Fat Freddy's Drop (watch the "Lock-In" concert film here), and then Mali's Bamba Wassoulou Groove, Oumou Sangaré, Tamikrest with Morocco's Hindi Zahra and, finally, Berlin's Omniversal Earkestra collaborating with Malian legends of the '70s.

Episode #382 hits the ground running with The Modern Tropical Quintet's "Midnight in Moscow", Disques Debs' Les Rapaces with "Music Passe Partout" and Cabo Verde's Voz Di Sanicolau with "Fundo De Marê Palinha". Up next is the "Queen of Exotica", Yma Sumac, and arguably the future queen of spoken word Soom T with a track off of her 2020-released album "The Arch". Nigerian ensemble Bantu's "Everybody Get Agenda" is another runner up for album of the year, as we hear "Yeye Theory (feat. Seun & Fela Kuti)", before Malian singer and guitarist Afel Bocoum takes over the reins on "Bombolo Lilo". German producer Daniel Haaksman surprised many this year with his phenomenal "Black Atlantica Edits", including his rework of Super Mama Djombo's "Dissan Na M’bera", as Jean weaves in another fantastic Analog Africa reissue, being "La Locura de Manchuca" and Colombia's Myrian Makenwa. Bringing the "Best of Globalwize 2020" selection to a thunderous close are Haitian roots band Chouk Bwa and Belgian production duo The Ångströmers with a track off their collaborative album "Vodou Alé" and, last but not least, Dutch/Gambian/Senegalese collective DANDANA with their forceful call to action, entitled "Free the System!" (make sure you watch the superb companion video). The next sixty minutes include even more extraordinary productions, i.e. Leyla McCalla's gorgeous tribute to Langston Hughes, the "Anatolian Sun" of pioneering Turkish 'Anadolu psych' outfit Moğollar, more high-ranging exotica by Yma Sumac, a dubby production by Israel's Kutiman, Berlin-based collective Sisa Me, Cape Verdean singer Elida Almeida, Cameroon's Manu Dibango, Congolese musician Ray Lemo and, lastly, two outstanding productions by Zimbabwe's Hallelujah Chicken Run Band.

To dig deeper, you can find the detailed playlists for #381 here and for #382 here. Feel free to stream both shows via the Greedio Mixcloud players below and stay tuned for another Globalwize-related surprise awaiting you next week.

But for now, we wish you a happy holiday season and hope you enjoy the music. Let us know, what you think and thank you all for your ongoing support!

AUTHOR: Lev Nordstrom