Raf Vilar’s Studies In Bossa opener is a Samba opus that immediately transports the listener to a Brazilian sambódromo, sunny lead cavaquinho presses the song’s chest and guarantees jittery feet. The beautiful “Bossa Me” follows, slowing the pace drastically with only a Rhodes piano accompanying Vilar’s frail, emotional voice. Continue Reading

No one could accuse musical outfit Watcha Clan and their new album Radio Babel of lacking cultural awareness. The Marseille-based band pride themselves on their magnitude of musical influences, ranging from the indigenous music of Morocco, Algeria, the Balkans, Turkey and France. Continue Reading

Following a stunning collaboration with Berlin-based Afrobeat Academy, Ghanaian highlife legend Ebo Taylor releases Life Stories, a definitive compilation of his 1970s recordings. Continue Reading

Selected by a panel of DJs, journalists and promoters who catapulted world music into what it is today, this rich compilation of seminal world classics presents “world music” in its infancy stage. One of those advocates was the late Charlie Gillett who recommended many of the tracks to be included, such as Youssou N’Dour’s mbalax masterpiece “Immigrés” and the sumptuous Sufi sounds of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Continue Reading

In town to record their next album, Buraka Som Sistema dropped in at XOYO in February to lay down another intense performance in East London.
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The World Ends is a fine start for those who want good music for the ears, and the feet. The release comes fresh from Soundway and bears vibrant tracks, evidently carrying influences from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, James Brown and Santana. Continue Reading

Samba-psychobilly to kuduro-baiana: a gringo’s musical odyssey in Brazil

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In 2009, former Far Out Recordings manager Mais Um Gringo set out on a mission to explore the farthest corners of the blogosphere and discover new Brasilian sounds. Then he jumped on a plane and re-traced his footsteps in person. Oi! A Nova Música Brasileira is the result of these travels.

An eclectic insight into the many musical movements, Oi! explores every corner, from Amazonian surf-rock to dubby electronica of Pernambuco’s manguebeat scene. Fascinating, but not always easy, listening.

There’s something here to suit every taste. But the downside is that, with little or no continuity from one song to the next, listening to the whole album is a bit like driving from São Paulo to Salvador in a car with a slightly broken radio. It’s certainly not a wasted journey, but a bit of a rough ride.

Words by Tom Crookston

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The Big Chill 2010 lived up to its name: a pretty and mellow weekend at Herefordshire’s lakeside ’boutique festival’…

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