Features

Friday, January 31, 2020;

Hamid Sakhizada: "There were Hazara people that hadn't forgotten their culture"

Songlines spoke to the Afghan musician who, despite threats to his life, wants to show the world the beauty of Hazara music;

Thursday, January 2, 2020;

My World: Youssou N’Dour

Having recently turned 60, the Senegalese star is taking stock and looking to the future, as reflected in his My World playlist. He talks to Daniel Brown about his choices;

Wednesday, December 18, 2019;

The Flower Men of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has been making headlines, largely for its war on Yemen and the high-profile murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But now the kingdom is on a PR offensive, launching a tourism initiative. Simon de Bruxelles visits one of its new festivals;

Tuesday, December 17, 2019;

Music in Moskovistan: Central Asians in Moscow

For centuries, Central Asia was criss-crossed from the west and east by merchants on the Silk Road. Today Central Asia itself is on the move with millions of migrant workers in the Russian Federation. Razia Sultanova reports on how music helps them settle in;

Tuesday, December 10, 2019;

Daymé Arocena: “I am letting people see inside me with the music”

The young Cuban singer Daymé Arocena has had a rapid rise to fame. She tells Jane Cornwell about her journey so far and her tribute to Santería’s female orishas;

Friday, December 6, 2019;

Macha & Chico Trujillo: “In Chile, they have generated something very beautiful with the cumbia”

The Chilean musician known as Macha fronts a variety of ever- evolving bands, such as Chico Trujillo and Bloque Depresivo. Russ Slater chats to him about how it all began with cumbia;

Wednesday, December 4, 2019;

My instrument: Stella Chiweshe and her mbira dzavadzimu

Musician Stella Chiweshe speaks to Jim Hickson about the mbira, an instrument synonymous with Zimbabwe’s Shona people;

Tuesday, December 3, 2019;

Introducing... Altın Gün: “We just want to keep spreading the positive Turkish vibes”

Robert Rigney speaks to the sextet appealing to new audiences with their blend of vintage Turkish psychedelia and traditional folk music;

Friday, November 29, 2019;

Introducing... Bantou Mentale: “We need edge – the world is falling apart, the Congo is falling apart, everything is falling apart”

Get ready for a new global sound via Kinshasa and Paris. Jo Frost speaks to the band;

Tuesday, November 26, 2019;

BCUC: “We are from a culture of spiritual endurance and our music transcends sound”

Diane Coetzer talks to the South African band BCUC who are exporting their traditional Soweto music across the globe and mesmerising audiences, one transcendental show at a time;

Monday, November 25, 2019;

Orquesta Akokán: “If you went to a music industry person with this idea, some marketing asshole in New York… forget it”

A new Cuban big band are making waves. All the more surprising for the fact that Orquesta Akokán are a collaboration of first-class Cuban and American musicians. Kim Burton tells their story so far;