Marcelo D2 & Samba Drive

It's back to the Middle East, where Tel Aviv-based imprint Fortuna Records has not so silently been making a name for itself with a host of mind-blowing reissues. Latest in their repertoire of musical excavations is "Da'asa", a compilation of rare Yemenite Israeli Funk tracks 1974-1982.

"Ranging from extremely rare to previously unreleased, these tracks are a result of a unique scene [of Yemenite immigrants to Israel] which blended funk, soul, jazz & disco [...]

We already reported on the Selda Bağcan X Boom Pam collab around the same time last year, following their spot-on performance in Berlin. Now Red Bull brought them to Istanbul, where they played a one-hour live set at Zorlu Center. Selda Bağcan joins Boom Pam after a psychedelic introductory medley about ten minutes into the video and opens with her hit song "Yaz Gazetici Yaz". Watch the full show here.

We first chanced upon Egyptian/Australian singer/songwriter Mariam Sawires at a gig in Berlin on a cold day back in April and were absolutely blown away by one, this young lady's poise and then, if not simultaneously, by her gorgeous musicality and silky vocals to go along. You can imagine our delight with her recently released debut EP "Ahnuma", which we strongly recommend you lend an ear to. 

"My life has allowed me to experience many different cultures, [...]

So, as our Jewish Monkeys prepare for their last tour stop in Reutlingen tonight, we thought, why not share a recent episode of the new, online game show #Slanguage, where people are invited to see if they can guess the meanings of a certain jargon. The show at hand features an African American couple trying to guess Yiddish words brought into play by David Light and the result is hilarious. Watch the 'Jewish Slang' episode here, see if you know the meanings [...]

Gili Yalo has a story to tell. The native to Ethiopa fled to neighbouring refugee camps in Sudan and arrived in Israel as part of 'Operation Moses', a "covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a famine in 1984". Now he is set to launch his solo career. His soon-to-be-released self-entitled debut album on Jaffa-based Dead Sea Recordings contains a rich blend of traditional Ethiopian elements with modern soul, funk, psychedelic and jazz [...]

Today marks release day for The Souljazz Orchestra, as they propel their brand new 10-track effort into orbit on Strut Records with "one of their finest albums to date". Earlier this year we premiered their viciously energetic single "Lufunki". Now, the skies are ablaze with thumping tropical styles, tinged in a hue of jazz, soul, lofi disco, boogie and electronic influences, all decked out in vintage '80s synthesizers, drum machines and accompanying horn stabs [...]

Just ahead of their upcoming tour of Germany, the Jewish Monkeys decided to drop a short, animated teaser video, introducing the band's individual creative geniuses.

We were trying to win over the legendary Michael Buffer to voice these ringside announcements of the eight Jewish Monkeys. Due to monetary concerns however, we let main man Jossi Reich do the honours and introduce his band of merry men one by one.

Check the video below and to see if you can [...]

Thinking back to our very first visit of Bali back in 2010, one of our most cherished memories is that of the gamelan, the traditional ensembles, made up predominantly of percussive instruments and found mainly in Java and Bali. The word itself comes from the Javanese word gamel, which refers to a type of mallet used to strike instruments. Gamelan ensembles today often accompany dance and wayang shadow-puppet performances as well as rituals and ceremonies. The [...]

It is no longer a secret that we are true admirers of the prolific Israeli songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, orchestra-leader, mixmaster and film maker Kutiman, who keeps on adding to his already impressive repertoire. Labeled a "psychedelic space funk architect" by London's Straight No Chaser magazine, he continues his pioneering ways and is about to embark on tour early next month with his 8-9-piece psych-jazz combo, aka The Kutiman Orchestra, [...]

We first reported on this hallucinogenic native Canadian producer and DJ three-piece late last year, to highlight their amazing third studio effort "We Are The Halluci Nation" as well as their politically active ways, which tied in perfectly to the dramatic scenes unfolding around the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline project. While the outcome of the US government's plans for the pipeline remains up in the air, A Tribe Called Red continues to send [...]

Fresh off the press on pioneering Afrocolombian imprint Palenque Records, founded in 1996 by Lucas Silva, is album number 16 by the legendary Son Palenque. Founded in 1980 by Justo Valdez, the group has made a name for itself by re-working the strong musical tradition of San Basilio de Palenque in northern Colombia. Their innovative and surprising fusions include African rhythms ranging from "soukous, to afrobeat and highlife" as well as "Palenquero rythms such [...]

Yes, dear friends. Playing the World Music Stage at Sziget Festival two weeks ago was an absolute blast. Take this Facebook video for instance of the Jewish Monkeys engaging their crowd in some intense physical activity. Talk about authority.

In any case the band has just announced new Germany shows coming up in late September, early October. The Jewish Monkeys will be playing a string of shows in Wiesbaden, Konstanz, Mannheim, Viechtach, Frankfurt (am Main) [...]