Russ Slater Johnson
Editor of Songlines
Articles by Russ Slater Johnson
7/16/2019 12:00:00 AM
Obituary: João Gilberto (1931-2019)
Russ Slater honours the legacy of the pioneer of bossa nova
7/31/2020 12:00:00 AM
Relief for Rajasthan’s musicians
Jodhpur RIFF has set up a crisis appeal to help support Rajasthan's musicians as COVID-19 continues to take its toll.
1/25/2023 12:00:00 AM
Video: Baaba Maal’s ‘Agreement’
Senegalese superstar returns with his first album in seven years and today releases a brand new video for one of the record’s standout tracks
2/9/2023 12:00:00 AM
New video from Brazil’s Criolo sows seeds for Black Brazilian prosperity
Discover how, via the tale of a fabled Money Tree, Brazilian rapper Criolo is urging his country’s youth to pave their own way towards a better future
4/13/2023 12:00:00 AM
Introducing the May 2023 issue of Songlines
Arooj Aftab, Dur-Dur Band Int., Tashi Lhunpo Monks, Jorge Drexler, Catriona Price, Islandman, and so much more, including the Songlines Music Awards nominations – find out who got the votes
10/5/2023 12:00:00 AM
The Latin Grammy nods are in…
Natalia Lafourcade, Susana Baca, Omara Portuondo, Xênia França and a Shakira freestyle session (!) are all in with a chance at this year’s Latin Grammys
6/19/2024 12:00:00 AM
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's 'Lost Album' To Be Released
A collection of recordings, dating back to 1990, by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan are to be released in September as 'Chain of Light'
2/7/2025 12:00:00 AM
Special Source #1: Salif Keita, Femi Kuti, Youssou N'Dour, Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson
A round-up of new releases that are on the horizon from some of the biggest names in Africa and the US
2/19/2018 12:00:00 AM
Criolo: Soul Searching
The hugely popular Brazilian rap artist Criolo is refreshingly self-effacing when he meets Russ Slater to talk about his work and the problems facing Brazil
7/14/2020 12:00:00 AM
Music in the time of Coronavirus
COVID-19’s impact has been global and unprecedented. Russ Slater speaks to various musicians and people who work within the music community about how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting their approach to making and promoting music
2/17/2021 12:00:00 AM
Burna Boy, Davido and WizKid: The rise and rise of Afrobeats
Amid civil unrest, a slew of young African artists are transforming the perception of their continent, shaking up the mainstream with their infectious Afrobeats insurgency. Russ Slater surveys the scene’s UK roots and global impact
5/3/2018 12:00:00 AM
Playlist: Totally Tropicália
A Songlines playlist for Apple Music of the Brazilian movement, tropicália.
4/4/2024 12:00:00 AM
Afro-Brazilian Spirituals: Essential 10
Driven by axé (energy) in service to the orixás (gods), these top albums, selected by Russ Slater Johnson, draw on Brazil’s African diasporic religions and spirituality
7/15/2021 12:00:00 AM
Making music with the Kogi: “Singing is a way for them to connect with the animals… a way to live peacefully among them without fear”
French producer Lion’s Drums talks to Russ Slater about recording the Kogi people of northern Colombia whose singing practices form an integral component of their profound relationship with nature
9/1/2021 12:00:00 AM
“You don’t need to sing well, you need to sing from your soul. So, I sing from my soul” | Bomba Estéreo on finding their authentic musical voice
Colombia’s Bomba Estéreo speak to Russ Slater about their aim to propagate positivity amid political upheaval via their distinctive tropical sound
3/14/2022 12:00:00 AM
Elvis Costello – My World: “We need to get free of being so impressed with our own continuity and music”
The British singer-songwriter tells Russ Slater all about his disparate musical tastes, from country to Ethiopian music and almost everything in between. Photography by Mark Seliger
12/11/2022 12:00:00 AM
Son Rompe Pera: “It is a huge wooden monster!”
Punk-rock brothers Mongo and Kacho Gama explain how they became the unlikely ambassadors of Mexico’s marimba scene
2/8/2023 12:00:00 AM
How Totó La Momposina became the Queen of Cumbia
Totó La Momposina reflects on her journey from a small Colombian village to the international stage
6/15/2023 12:00:00 AM
Setting the Scene: Mary Ocher
We speak to Mary Ocher, a musician, performer, poet and visual artist to find out where she calls ‘home’
9/14/2023 12:00:00 AM
Tajik Tales
A highly unlikely series of events led to Tajikistan becoming a musical hub and focus for a brand-new compilation, Lost In Tajikistan
2/22/2024 12:00:00 AM
The Story Behind Songlines
The first-ever Songlines hit the shelves in early 1999, its genesis stemmed from a complaint about what constitutes ‘world music’. Here, current editor Russ Slater Johnson speaks to founding editor Simon Broughton about the magazine’s beginnings
5/9/2024 12:00:00 AM
Seabird, Fly Home: Garefowl Take Flight to St Kilda
Russ Slater Johnson hears from Garefowl’s Ewan Macdonald about his connections to the last British seabird made extinct and why he will soon be recording on the Scottish isle where the bird was killed
7/10/2024 12:00:00 AM
Four Corners and Centre of Raghu Dixit’s Universe
The Indian folk-rocker is back and in ebullient form picking out a truly global selection of albums that have left a deep imprint on his psyche
12/4/2024 12:00:00 AM
The 4 Corners and Centre of Pratibha Singh Baghel’s Universe
The Indian ghazal and Bollywood singer picks out the albums that taught her how to sing and the collaborations that have left an indelible impact
1/30/2025 12:00:00 AM
A Conversation with Sam Lee: “I want every album to be filled with forests, and I want every forest to be filled with music”
Russ Slater Johnson speaks to the English singer and climate activist about campfire singalongs, collecting folk songs in unexpected places and how nature is at the heart of everything he does
1/30/2025 12:00:00 AM
Folk Archives: Tabla Tarang
The tabla tarang is a set of between 10 and 16 tablas with each tabla tuned to a different note
7/3/2023 12:00:00 AM
Playlist: Totally Tropicália
A Songlines playlist for Apple Music of the Brazilian movement, tropicália.
7/20/2023 12:00:00 AM
Playlist: João Donato
In tribute to the Brazilian pianist and composer, who passed away on July 17, here are twenty of the finest songs that João Donato recorded in a career that lasted over 70 years
