With Toumani and Ballaké’s epochal New Ancient Strings to be reissued for its 25th anniversary, we speak to Lucy Durán, the album’s producer, about the unique recording and her documentary tracing the history of the kora
Feminist supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique mark a decade of existence this year, with a new release to celebrate. Jane Cornwell talks politics, power and positivity with the current line-up. “Women are suffocating. We want them to breathe,” they tell her.
Eliza contemplates what is gained, lost and remains the same as the UK looks to ratify its culture through UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage
Welsh harpist Catrin Finch is embarking on a new partnership, this time exploring her Celtic and classical roots with Irish fiddle player Aoife Ní Bhriain
Annoying RTÉ, dissing the rich and staying true to Dundalk: Charles Hendy tells Emma Rycroft about The Mary Wallopers’ rise to the top. “Throughout my enjoyment of music, I’ve liked stuff that was probably done wrong,” he confides
Jo Frost speaks to trailblazing Moroccan musician Asmâa Hamzaoui and her sister Aicha about Gnawa traditions that have been passed down through generations, and the need for women to express themselves in their culture
Soema Montenegro tells Silvia Rothlisberger about the ancestral connections and magical realism influencing her new album. “I’m not transmitting musical notes, but sensations,” she explains
The West African xylophone is steeped in the mythology of the Mali Empire. Simon Broughton meets balafon player Mamadou Diabaté, who is helping to keep the instrument’s 800-year history alive
Balimaya Project’s latest album finds the group united, vulnerable and ready to take on the world. Erin Cobby speaks to bandleader Yahael Camara Onono about their evolution and the need to appreciate heritage
Charis McGowan finds Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux in a reflective mood as she talks about her much-awaited new album. “I wanted to create something more complete, take time to write a different type of album,” she confides
Here are our Top of the World – the best new albums reviewed in the April 2024 issue of Songlines, featuring Aziza Brahim, Abdul & The Gang, LINA_ and more...
Founder of Egyptian band El Tanbura, champion of the simsimiyya and an important icon of the Egyptian revolution, Zakaria Ibrahim has passed away
Words by Simon Broughton; Photos by John Millar and Mark Allan
Smallpipes player Brìghde Chaimbeul grew up on the Isle of Skye, speaking Gaelic and steeped in the island's culture, tunes and stories.
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
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