Features
Top 10 Albums of 2020
Here are 10 of our favourite albums from the past 12 months, including releases from Sam Lee, Cocanha, Afel Bocoum, Siti Muharam, Damir Imamović and more...
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News
Obituary: Shivkumar Sharma (1938-2022)
The Indian composer and santoor maestro whose work spanned the divide between classical and popular music has passed away, aged 84
News
Obituary: Mikis Theodorakis (1925-2021)
The renowned Greek composer, conductor and master of melopoisi who waged wars of words and music against a military junta has died aged 96
Features
Best Albums 2020: Africa
All of these albums received a maximum of five stars when reviewed in the 2020 issues of Songlines. Looking for your next favourite album? This is the perfect place to start.
Features
Khiyo: Bengali Tribute
Khiyo talk to Jo Frost about the impact of Bangladesh’s rich musical traditions and that country’s poetry on their long-awaited second album, Bondona
Features
The Gentle Good: “I’m a city boy, but I’ve always been fascinated by nature”
Elliw Iwan talks to the Welsh singer and musician whose latest album goes from protest songs about lost valleys to a collaboration with one of Rajasthan’s finest folk groups
Best New Albums
Best New Albums – March 2021 (Les Mamans du Congo & Rrobin, Made Kuti, Urban Village, Edgelarks)
Great new releases from Les Mamans du Congo & Rrobin, Made Kuti, Urban Village, Edgelarks and more... Tracks from all of these albums are included on the free cover-CD with the March 2021 issue of Songlines
Features
“The music takes me over. I dive in so deep that I go into a trance… Music is who I am” | Rokia Koné interview
The new voice of Mali, Rokia Koné, teamed up with producer-to-the-stars Jacknife Lee for an album sure to go down as a classic. Jane Cornwell catches up with this seemingly improbable, though quite inspired, pop partnership. Photography by Karen Paulina Biswell
Features
Peter Gabriel Discusses ‘Biko’, His Anti-Apartheid Anthem
In 1980 Peter Gabriel released ‘Biko’, raising awareness of South Africa’s apartheid regime. It’s since become a human rights anthem across the world. Gabriel tells the story of its genesis and legacy
Features
The Beatles in India
Nigel Williamson explores The Beatles and India, a new film lifting the lid on the Fab Four’s journey east and the impact that Indian music and culture had on the group’s own sound and legacy
Features
The Gurdjieff Ensemble's Sacred Movements
As Armenia’s The Gurdjieff Ensemble make their first visit to the UK for Songlines Encounters Festival, Simon Broughton talks to the group’s director about the enigmatic composer and mystic who inspired the ensemble
A Beginner's Guide
Toumani Diabaté: A Beginner’s Guide
The kora has become almost synonymous with the music of Mali. Nigel Williamson examines the career of its chief exponent Toumani Diabaté
Features
Introducing... Bai-Terek
A young throat singing trio from the mountainous Altai Republic are rapidly gaining a worldwide fanbase thanks to their online videos. Dan Shutt reports
Features
Celebrating Barbès at 20: The Sounds of Brooklyn
Catalina Maria Johnson catches up with the co-founder of Brooklyn’s hippest bar and venue, Barbès, which celebrates two decades of excellent music this year
Artists
DakhaBrakha
The Ukrainian folk quartet with with rebellious and anarchic spirit are a formidable live act
