Features
Peggy Seeger on the art of songwriting: “Make them laugh before you make them cry”
The irrepressible Peggy Seeger talks to Julian May about dealing with the inevitability of ageing and her unique and very candid approach to songwriting
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Features
Ragnar Johnson’s 'A New Guinea Journey': preserving the last echoes of sacred flute music
In the 1970s, Ragnar Johnson recorded Papua New Guinea’s sacred flute and bamboo Jew’s harp music before the traditions died out
Features
Setting the Scene: Ale Hop
Fresh from a scintillating collaboration with Congolese guitarist Titi Bakorta, Peruvian musician and producer Ale Hop discusses her adopted home of Berlin
The Rough Guide to World Music
The Music of Ireland: A Rough Guide
Ireland’s traditional music has some innate and elusive quality whose appeal has spread far beyond its shores
Features
Dispatch from the Nordic Folk Alliance in Roskilde, Denmark
The Scandinavian music world convened for the Nordic Folk Alliance, aiming to build on current interest in all things Norse
Features
Mari Boine interview: “I was on my way somewhere, but now I’m really, really me”
Fiona Talkington speaks to Sámi activist and singer Mari Boine who, now in her 60s, finally feels confident in her own work
Features
Edinburgh International Festival 2024 Unites Us with Rituals
The theme of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival is Rituals that Unite Us. Simon Broughton witnesses three performances that fit the brief
Features
Imarhan: Storm Chasers
Imarhan are pushing their desert blues into new territories while grappling with an increasingly unrecognisable home impacted by tourism and migration. “Things are changing”, hears Daniel Brown
Features
The Rough Guide to World Music: Ireland
Ireland’s traditional music has some innate and elusive quality whose appeal has spread far beyond its shores
Live reviews
Eurosonic Noorderslag 2024
CMAT, Lina_ and YĪN YĪN are but a few of the big names that showed up for ESNS 2024
Features
Rhiannon Giddens and Béla Fleck: The Banjo Summit
The banjo is riding high once more, and with various accusations of cultural appropriation in the air, we decided the time was right for a debate with two of the best banjo players out there, Rhiannon Giddens and Béla Fleck
News
Obituary: Toots Hibbert (1942-2020)
The Jamaican reggae legend dies at the age of 77. Garth Carthwright reports
Features
The Pipa: a guide to the Chinese lute
A masterful instrument played by masterful players – Michael Church talks to internationally acclaimed artist Wu Man and looks at the historical importance of the Chinese lute
Features
2025 Preview: Reasons to be Cheerful
A lot is cooking this year. Here are the albums you should be getting excited about, from unknown West Virginian gospel singers and Afrobeat legends to Indigenous Brazilians playing ‘country music’ and soulful Ethiopian sounds
Features
Setting the Scene: Mary Ocher
We speak to Mary Ocher, a musician, performer, poet and visual artist to find out where she calls ‘home’
