Live reviews
Oslo World 2023
Martin Longley witnessed Mari Boine, Bixiga 70, Gaye Su Akyol and Les Mamans de Congo at the 30th anniversary of this exceptional city-spanning festival…
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Jackie Oates interview: “There are so many confessions within traditional songs… it makes you wonder why they have survived in this medium”
Folk singer and fiddle player Jackie Oates explores the confessional nature of folk song on her new album, Gracious Wings
Features
Tinariwen: every album reviewed
Since their debut album in 2001, the throbbing desert blues of the Touareg guitar band Tinariwen has conquered the musical world: here are reviews of all of their albums to date
Features
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
Features
Cimafunk interview: “You must never forget where you come from”
Jane Cornwell catches up with Cimafunk, the Cuban sensation taking the world by storm
Features
Colombia’s Petronio Alvarez Festival: setting things right with the culture
Twenty-seven years after the launch of Colombia’s Petronio Alvarez Festival, Timothy Pratt returns to find out how “the largest African diaspora cultural event in Latin America” is staying true to its roots – and how it’s changed. Photos by Jesse Pratt López
Features
20 Great Artists from 20 Years of Songlines
All of these artists who released their first solo album during the lifetime of Songlines (ie since 1999), including Fatoumata Diawara, Mariza, Sam Lee and many more
Features
Field of Research: Ewan MacColl
On the 110th anniversary of the legendary folk singer’s birth, Allan Moore looks back at his legacy and skill
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
Features
The Rough Guide to World Music: Mali
Few African countries have contributed so many important artists to the World Music market: Salif Keita, Toumani Diabaté, Habib Koité, Kandia Kouyaté, Oumou Sangaré and the late Ali Farka Touré being but a few
Features
“This all-or-nothing, right-or-wrong thinking makes creative vision very narrow” | Dongyang Gozupa
The Korean group are turning the power trio on its head, using tropes of their national music to make genre-splicing sounds
Features
Musicians of the Nile pay tribute to Oum Kalthoum in Paris
Egyptian musicians come together in Paris to celebrate the life of one of the world’s most iconic singers
Features
Evolving Beats: Interview with Spëcht
Spëcht, formally known as Hands in Motion, tell Justin Turford about their rebranding and bringing together music from all four corners of the globe
Features
Taraf de Impex: “it’s exciting to be doing this. Fresh. A new way for Romanians to look at making music”
Garth Cartwright travels to Bucharest to preview the revitalised and reformed Romanian Gypsy band, Taraf de Haidouks, who are making their UK debut as Taraf de Caliu, alongside Impex
Features
Folklore Tapes: reviving the mystical soundscapes of Britain’s landscape and lore
An experimental record label and research project blending field recordings, ambient soundscapes, and cultural storytelling to reconnect with Britain’s forgotten traditions and rituals
