After awakening winter, Lady Maisery are once more teaming up with Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith, and this time they have their sights set on summer, as Sophie Parkes finds out
The English folk singer’s latest album marks a quarter of a century of renewal and change in the world of traditional music, writes Tim Cumming
Your guide to the next 12 months of folk happenings, from beloved festivals to customs that have been lighting up the British isles for centuries.
Oral song traditions meet pop-infused beats for a new generation of Maasai and Samburu artists reclaiming identity, language and pride against the odds. Boris Paillard traverses Kenya’s Maa heartlands to meet this burgeoning scene
Charis McGowan visits SPOT Festival, one of Scandinavia’s most prominent musical showcases, where a dedicated roots programme is taking Nordic folk outside of its niche
The improvised evenings of From the Lips to the Moon are among London’s wildest happenings. Christina Hazboun discovers how they’ve captured the impossible on their debut album
Dick Dale’s surf-rock landmark ‘Misirlou’ didn’t come out of nowhere. It had been crossing borders decades before Pulp Fiction made it iconic. Erin Cobby traces the song back to its Eastern Mediterranean roots
The radio presenter, DJ and author tells Sophie Parkes how a Pentangle performance launched her quest to uncover an alternative Britain
From ‘Funky Nassau’ to Joseph Spence’s jovial calypso-folk and Exuma’s spirit-summoning surrealism, Chris Wheatley picks ten albums that trace the rich, syncretic music of the Bahamas
From selling cast-off jukebox records in 1950s Kingston to running the world’s biggest independent reggae label, Miss Pat reflects on a life dedicated to promoting Jamaican music
From a Congolese DJ reshaping Galway’s nightlife to a Georgian love song silencing a room, Ailbhe Kenny’s research reveals music as refuge. Her latest book argues that we must take it seriously
Essential folk releases from the England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales featuring Anna McLuckie, Honey and the Bear, Wayward Jane, Old Spot and Ali Levack
Kayleigh Watson hears how the Malian musician has maintained strength and positivity throughout her 15 years in music, celebrating her homeland while never being afraid to speak out against injustice
Russ Slater Johnson talks to Jonny Greenwood and Shye Ben Tzur about Sufi poetry, embracing sonic change and the tensions of making music at a time of political crises
Freya Parr visits Brìghde Chaimbeul and the Scottish Ensemble on the Isle of Skye to hear how one unyielding note serves as the cornerstone to intricate musical structures
Start your journey and discover the very best music from around the world.
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