South African cellist Abel Selaocoe tells Emma Rycroft about the origins and inspirations behind his new album, Hymns of Bantu: “I wanted to celebrate all the people at home who really influenced me”, he explains
Jane Cornwell speaks to wordsmith, sonic alchemist and champion of the disenfranchised Alabaster DePlume about the power of collective healing and facing up to fear during an artistic residency in besieged Palestine
Alex Robinson visits Cambodia, where a new generation are using hip-hop as a force for social change despite repression that carries dark echoes of the country’s past
A lot is cooking this year. Here are the albums you should be getting excited about, from unknown West Virginian gospel singers and Afrobeat legends to Indigenous Brazilians playing ‘country music’ and soulful Ethiopian sounds
The Irish music icon tells Emma Rycroft about Planxty’s swift success, his love of Balkan music and the array of sounds he’s explored from his first days in Dublin
As Armenia’s The Gurdjieff Ensemble make their first visit to the UK for Songlines Encounters Festival, Simon Broughton talks to the group’s director about the enigmatic composer and mystic who inspired the ensemble
Breakout Japanese folk star Ichiko Aoba speaks to Paul Bowler about formative influences and reveals how the experience of free diving off the coast of Japan helped inspire her latest album
Featuring new releases from Lara Wong and Melón Jiménez, Lily Talmers and more
Eliza ponders folk music’s need to evolve and wonders if morris dancing could be key to the tradition’s future
On the 110th anniversary of the legendary folk singer’s birth, Allan Moore looks back at his legacy and skill
In 2004, a Norwegian record label joined forces with female singers from the so-called ‘axis of evil’ in protest against a global climate of fear – over 20 years later, Lullabies from the Axis of Evil continues to be relevant
The Brazilian samba singer and versatile actor picks out the albums and artists from his country that he couldn’t live without
For the Congolese-British comedian, music and entertainment have always gone hand in hand. He tells Emma Rycroft about the sounds of his upbringing and his continued role as a “facilitator of modern-day African music”
On their latest album, Lisa Knapp & Gerry Diver have recorded one of the darkest child ballads of all time. Tim Cumming looks for the motive
Bansuri flute master Rakesh Chaurasia has worked with the likes of Zakir Hussain and Talvin Singh. We talk to him as he prepares to tour the UK with leading tabla player Shahbaz Hussain
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