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Review of Malayeen

Malayeen

Malayeen

Discrepant

Rating: ★★★★

Inspired by a love for the work of trailblazing Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, Lebanese trio Malayeen employed a similarly bold...

Reviewed by Paul Bowler in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Melodies of Light

Melodies of Light

Yosef-Gutman Levitt & Omri Mor

Soul Song Records

Rating: ★★★★

Having only recently reviewed Levitt’s Soul Song (in #190) I was surprised and delighted to see he’d released a second...

Reviewed by Tony Gillam in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Lullabies

Lullabies

Abigail Lapell

Outside Music

Rating: ★★★

Lullabies – cradle songs – a term derived from the middle English ‘lullen’ (lull) and ‘bye’ (near), and, much further...

Reviewed by Tim Cumming in issue: January/February/2024

Review of Japanese Celebration Melodies

Japanese Celebration Melodies

Junnosuke Uehara, Washu Yoneya & Kisaburo Umeya

Buda Musique

Rating: ★★★★

Matsuri bayashi, the celebratory festival music of Japanese prefectures, provides the core for this album, albeit reimagined for a contemporary...

Reviewed by Keith Howard in issue: December/2023

Review of Take to the Streets

Take to the Streets

Eparapo

Wah Wah 45s

Rating: ★★★★

Afrobeat creeps into so many heterogeneous mixes today that it’s refreshing to hear an unadulterated version. Conceived during the destabilising...

Reviewed by Mark Sampson in issue: December/2023

Review of bié Records meets Shika Shika

bié Records meets Shika Shika

VARIOUS ARTISTS

bié Records/Shika Shika

Rating: ★★★

This collab between Beijing-based label bié and Latin America-focused label Shika Shika is an energising alternative to the well worn...

Reviewed by Liam Izod in issue: December/2023

Review of Kiği

Kiği

Ali Doğan Gönültaş

Mapamundi Música

Rating: ★★★★

Although he now lives in the Istanbul district of Gazi Mahallesi, an area popular with Alevi Kurds, Kiği is the...

Reviewed by Simon Broughton in issue: November/2023

Review of Master of Bamboo Mouth Organ

Master of Bamboo Mouth Organ

Sombat Simla

Black Truffle

Rating: ★★★★

The free reed bamboo mouth organ, the khaen or khene, is the iconic musical instrument of Laotians living in Isan...

Reviewed by John Clewley in issue: April/2024

Review of I See a World

I See a World

Peatbog Faeries

Peatbog Records

Rating: ★★★

Fusing Scottish jigs and reels with influences from jazz, pop and techno, Peatbog Faeries’ music is often described as ‘high-octane.’...

Reviewed by Tony Gillam in issue: December/2023

Review of Tengo un Mustang

Tengo un Mustang

Jean Paul ‘El Troglodita’

Munster

Rating: ★★

Enrique Roberto Tellería was a wild non-conformist in 1960s Peru which sought to sanitise foreign youth music. His rare debut...

Reviewed by Mark Sampson in issue: November/2024

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