Features

Friday, July 1, 2022

Haya Zaatry interview

Meet the young Palestinian singer-songwriter and architect for whom dialect is local, but language is universal

Friday, July 1, 2022

Kakatsitsi Master Drummers, bringing Ghanaian drumming to the world

The Kakatsitsi Master Drummers have been introducing international audiences to traditional Ghanaian drumming for decades. John Owoo drops in on a rehearsal to find out more about their educational mission

Friday, June 24, 2022

Oumou Sangaré interview: “Africa can evolve while preserving certain traditions that are worth preserving”

Oumou Sangaré contemplates the current state of her native Mali. She speaks to Andy Morgan about how music and mogoya may be the only things that can save it. Photography by Holly Whittaker

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Antibalas: Beginner's Guide

The Brooklyn-based Afrobeat emissaries Antibalas have developed their own post-modern take on Fela Kuti’s legacy

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Fiddle Albums | The Essential 10

Simon Broughton selects some of his favourite exotic fiddle albums from across the globe

Friday, June 10, 2022

Pit Bosses: Nakibembe Xylophone Troupe

With keys sat on banana stems across a 50cm-deep hole dug into the ground, the embaire looks as extraordinary as it sounds. Jim Hickson navigates the mysteries of this unique multi-manned instrument from the Ugandan village of Nakibembe

Thursday, June 9, 2022

How Iberi's new album was inspired by the food, wine and glorious musical harmonies of Georgia

The Georgian male vocal group Iberi celebrate the country’s predilection for feasting with their new album. Simon Broughton gets a taste from the choir’s leader Buba Murgulia

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Maya Youssef, the Syrian qanun player on the search for her spiritual home

Maya Youssef’s second album is a stunning meditation on the essence of home. The Syrian qanun player speaks to Alexandra Petropoulos about how the music helped her find her own spiritual home

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Songlines Encounters 2022: Gallery of Stars

This year's Songlines Encounters Festival, captured in pictures via the photographic lens of Miguel Santos

Friday, May 27, 2022

“Ask where the music is taking you” | Frigg

Tony Gillam spoke with Frigg’s Esko Järvelä and Petri Prauda before the septet’s belated 20th-anniversary tour and finds the irrepressible Nordgrass veterans in buoyant mood

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Ibibio Sound Machine on their album Electricity and breaking down musical boundaries

Meeting Ibibio Sound Machine, the groove-riding octet funking up southern Nigerian culture in the shadow of adversity

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Annbjørg Lien: A Beginner’s Guide

Fiona Talkington looks back over the impressive career of one of Norway’s most celebrated fiddlers and gets a glimpse of where she’s going next

Monday, May 23, 2022

Concept Albums | The Essential 10

Nigel Williamson rounds up a list of great concept albums, from Nitin Sawhney's Beyond Skin to Angélique Kidjo's Remain in Light

Friday, May 20, 2022

Lido Pimienta interview: “When you realise that you don’t actually have to please other people, your life gets better”

It’s been a tough road for Colombian-Canadian artist Lido Pimienta, but she’s finally having her moment. She speaks to Russ Slater about her music and activism