Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Roots Round-up (Eden Brent, Wyatt C Louis, Adeem the Artist and more)
A selection of essential releases from the US and Canada including new albums from Eden Brent, Wyatt C Louis and Adeem the Artist
Features
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Meeting Asha Puthli: “I have a four-octave range from my classical training and I just went for it, this spaced-out singing”
Undeterred by expectations, Asha Puthli had a vision of uniting Indian classical music with jazz, heading to New York and getting a job singing with a free-jazz icon. It was the beginning of an adventurous, incendiary and unparalleled career
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
New Regency Orchestra: Fiesta Time!
Since forming in 2021, New Regency Orchestra have ignited Latin big band fever in London. With a debut album now out, Izzy Felton speaks to the group’s founder Lex Blondin
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Jacken Elswyth: The Banjo Maker
Builder and player of banjos, Jacken Elswyth, tells Spencer Grady how her intimate relationship with the instrument has changed her approach
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Introducing.... Sofia Kourtesis
This Peruvian is much in-demand for productions full of Latin soul yet driven by Berlin’s motorik beat. Charis McGowan finds out about her infectious debut
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Def Mama Def: “We will introduce you to the new Senegalese musical era”
Def Mama Def are a new West African duo lighting up the region with their hybrid of traditional and modern sounds
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Abdullah Ibrahim: A Beginner's Guide
A South African pianist who navigated the trauma and difficulties of apartheid while always staying close to home. Nigel Williamson documents a remarkable, boundless career… that’s not over yet
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Big Band Revival: 10 Essential Albums
There is nothing quite like the sound of a whole room of people playing music, reflected in the countless times that an oversized genre once seemed lost has risen from the ashes. Here are a few ensembles from the past years that prove the size of your band counts
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Introducing Birdvox
Flight, fun and food for thought. Jo Frost talks with the nature-loving, socially conscious Scottish supergroup about clubland and cicadas
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Spotlight on Hermanos Gutiérrez: “Our music can’t be pinpointed”
The genial guitar interplay of these Swiss-Ecuadorian brothers has earned them a growing fanbase fascinated by their ‘cosmic sound.’ With their new album, they’ve “elevated the experience,” discovers Silvia Rothlisberger
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Salif Keita: “The youth are into machines… We are about to lose our traditional instruments”
After announcing his retirement in 2018, Malian singer and musician Salif Keita has slowly returned to the spotlight following a series of shows last year. Now, he’s making the comeback official with an extraordinary new album
Thursday, June 13, 2024
The Zawose Queens: “We wanted to blend the traditional and modern to create something new”
The Zawose Queens have had to fight gender discrimination in order to release their own music. “We are part of the evolution,” they tell Nigel Williamson
Thursday, June 13, 2024
The Joy: “You can hear how we poured our hearts into the songs”
The Joy started their a capella singing in a small classroom in rural South Africa; now they’re set to release their eponymous full-length album
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Lady Donli: “That’s what music is for me – the transmission of joy”
With Afrobeats and African pop on the rise, Lady Donli has emerged as one of Nigeria’s most interesting artists. At home with Afrobeat and satirising modern African life with smooth R&B hooks, she’s led by her fans: “People are the foundation of music,” she tells Erin Cobby
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Franck Biyong: “I just want to tear down the barrier that separates African music from the mainstream”
Frustrated by the state of popular African music, Franck Biyong decided to create his own ‘Afrolectric’ sound inspired by Le Grand Kallé, Fela Kuti, Manu Dibango and the greats of yesteryear
