Reviews
Devil’s Tale
Adrian Raso & Fanfare Ciocarlia
You don’t expect an album from Fanfare Ciocarlia, the Balkans’ most fiery brass band, to open with reverb-drenched electric guitar,...
Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: March/2014
Classical & Contemporary Chinese Music
Growing up in Maoist China, Mei Han had to undergo numerous hardships to study her chosen instrument, the guzheng (21-stringed...
Reviewed by Charlie Cawood in issue: December/2016
Prince of the Violin
Sami al-Shawwa (1885-1965) introduced the Western violin to Cairo, devising new techniques for it and reinvigorating the art of modal...
Reviewed by Martin Stokes in issue: Jan/Feb/2017
Tongue & Groove
This is in fact two albums released together. Tongue and Groove are one disc of songs with vocals and a...
Reviewed by Doug Deloach in issue: October/2018
Sin Rumba No Hay Son
Septeto Nacional Ignacio Pineiro
Does any other country of musicians celebrate the history of their music and its incredible creativity quite like the Cubans...
Reviewed by Jan Fairley in issue: Nov/Dec/2010
Welcome to the Family
Bosnian guitarist Igor Sekulović grew up in Banja Luka, loving the sevdah music his mother and aunts sang. He ended...
Reviewed by Garth Cartwright in issue: Aug/Sept/2013
Ondas
French producer Teacher Jekyll's third album is a multi-generational, multicultural affair with an emphasis on traditions from Cape Verde, Brazil,...
Reviewed by Jordan Barnes in issue: June/2018
La Migra
Opening track ‘Aguanileo’ is a marvellous thing: seven minutes of swirling guitars and horns, electronic trills and crashing sound effects...
Reviewed by Russ Slater in issue: July/2017
A Carousel for Fools
Dave Mather and Pete Robinson grew up together in and around Salford in the 60s but this is only their...
Reviewed by Kevin Bourke in issue: October/2015
