Sunday, March 21, 2021
Babatoni | Musical Instrument Guide (with Gasper Nali)
A sucker for curious instruments, Simon Broughton catches up with Malawian musician Gasper Nali and his homemade babatoni
Features
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Sarod | Musical Instrument Guide (with Soumik Datta)
Soumik Datta reveals to Simon Broughton the secrets of his innovative, go-faster sarod
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Mandolin | Musical Instrument Guide (with Alex Vann)
Glenn Kimpton finds out why Alex Vann, of Spiro and Three Cane Whale, traded in his f-hole instrument for a round-hole mandolin
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Bandoneón | Musical Instrument Guide (with Julian Rowlands)
Chris Moss talks to Tango Siempre’s Julian Rowlands about his chromatic ‘cuckoo clock’ and how he came to the bandoneón
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Mbira Dzavadzimu | Musical Instrument Guide (with Stella Chiweshe)
Musician Stella Chiweshe speaks to Jim Hickson about the mbira, an instrument synonymous with Zimbabwe’s Shona people
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Fujara | Musical Instrument Guide (with Ivan Bobot)
In Slovakia, one of the most distinctive instruments is the fujara. Simon Broughton talks to one of its current players, Ivan Bobot
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Tabla | Musical Instrument Guide (with Kuljit Bhamra)
Max Reinhardt speaks to Kuljit Bhamra, the go-to musician and composer for UK-Asian West End musicals and film scores, about the instrument that is at the root of his ever-evolving career
Friday, March 19, 2021
On God’s Mission | Hamid El Kasri
The Moroccan bass lute player speaks about his homemade version of the instrument synonymous with Gnawa music’s spiritual heart
Friday, March 12, 2021
Playlist: Quintessential Kora
A Songlines playlist for Apple Music exploring the many and varied uses of this iconic instrument of West Africa
Friday, March 12, 2021
The 10 best Tabla Fusion albums
Tabla players, often confined to an accompanying role, have shone in their own right on a plethora of recordings. Liam Izod picks out some of his favourite albums
Monday, March 1, 2021
A Beginner's Guide to Habib Koité
The Malian singer-songwriter Habib Koité is also one of his country’s leading guitarists. Daniel Brown reflects on the artist’s recordings and career to date
Thursday, February 25, 2021
The 10 Essential Classic Dub Albums
Garth Cartwright cranks up the sound system for some bass-laden bliss. Here are his top ten classic dub long-players to check out
Monday, February 22, 2021
Stewart Lee interview: “Stand-up is a duet with the audience. It doesn’t mean anything unless people are laughing. Or booing”
The comedian and writer tells Julian May about a childhood fascination with the past and the parallels between stand-up and the music he loves
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Burna Boy, Davido and WizKid: The rise and rise of Afrobeats
Amid civil unrest, a slew of young African artists are transforming the perception of their continent, shaking up the mainstream with their infectious Afrobeats insurgency. Russ Slater surveys the scene’s UK roots and global impact
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Liraz interview: “I refuse to be silenced like women in Iran, who see my videos and tell me ‘Thank you!’”
The Israeli-Iranian singer and actress Liraz talks to Jane Cornwell about rediscovering her Iranian roots, singing in Persian and the risks taken to fulfil her desire to record with fellow Iranian musicians
