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
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
Alan Gasser of Trio Kavkasia remembers his late mentor and friend, the Georgian singer, composer, and folk music researcher Anzor Erkomaishvili
Michael Levy speaks to Simon Broughton about his ‘lyre of Apollo’ explorations, which follow in the exalted footsteps of the ancient Greek masters
Chris Moss talks to Tango Siempre’s Julian Rowlands about his chromatic ‘cuckoo clock’ and how he came to the bandoneón
Alex Robinson visits Cambodia, where a new generation are using hip-hop as a force for social change despite repression that carries dark echoes of the country’s past
Philip Sweeney takes a look back at the life of the flamenco singer, dancer and actress who remains a beacon of Andalucian culture
The Nigerian composer and multi-instrumentalist discusses his distinctive musical evolution. “Afrobeat is part of my DNA,” hears Daniel Brown
André Reyes, a member of the Gipsy Kings since the late 70s, answers our Quickfire questions ahead of a big London show for the group
A selection of essential releases from the US and Canada including new albums from The Harlem Gospel Travelers, Quinn DeVeaux, Brandon Godman, Blind Pilot and Melissa Carper
BBC Radio 3 presenter Georgia Mann takes Simon Broughton on a sonic trip through her world music highlights and the sounds that have moved her
San Francisco-based singer-songwriter with a rock’n’roll heart and plenty of country swagger answers a few Quickfire questions. His latest album, Wake the Dead, sees him embrace cumbia, a genre he fell in love with while recovering from cancer.
Ten of our longest-standing contributors pick albums released during Songlines’ lifetime that are well overdue another listen
The Irish button accordionist from County Clare is known for her genre-crossing collaborations, taking traditional Irish music to places it’s never been before. Michael Quinn looks back over her impressive career
A surprise invitation led to the formation of a flute-focused Anglo-Irish group now celebrating 30 years. Dave McNally finds the secret to their enduring ingenuity
Start your journey and discover the very best music from around the world.
Subscribe