News
Introducing the November 2024 issue of Songlines
Ibrahim Maalouf, Seun Kuti, Afro Celt Sound System, Stick in the Wheel, Fania Records’ finest albums (chosen by their famous fans), Lithuania’s pagan past and much more…
Search results for
The Rough Guide to World Music
The Rough Guide to World Music: Australia
The story of Aboriginal music is centuries old and continues to develop in fascinating ways
News
All-Star Birthday Concert for Bert Jansch
A special 80th birthday concert, celebrating the work of Bert Jansch, will be held on November 4 at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall
News
My Black Country: The Songs of Alice Randall
Stars of folk, roots and Americana have assembled for a special compilation paying tribute to the torchbearing Nashville hit-maker
Features
Afel Bocoum interview: “By the time corona arrived we had already more than enough going on here in Mali”
A key figure in Ali Farka Touré’s band, Afel Bocoum is releasing a long-awaited and rare solo album that finds him stepping into the limelight. He talks to Bram Posthumus about living in exile in Bamako, the situation in Mali and his desire to reconnect with the world
Features
“My musical mission is to carry on where the ancients left off” | Michael Levy and his lyre
Michael Levy speaks to Simon Broughton about his ‘lyre of Apollo’ explorations, which follow in the exalted footsteps of the ancient Greek masters
Features
Dispatch from Kingston, Jamaica
Attendees of the Island Music Conference discuss the legacy of Jamaica’s golden era during Reggae Month
Features
Meeting Muireann Bradley
Paul Slade speaks to a young Irish guitarist Muireann Bradley, who is infatuated with Reverend Gary Davis, Elizabeth Cotten and John Fahey and whose debut album was one of the sleeper hits of 2023
A Beginner's Guide
Steeleye Span: Beginner's Guide
Hark to this parcel of rogues, as we place the career of these ever-evolving English folk-rock icons under the microscope
Features
At home with Ali Farka Touré
To record Ali Farka Touré’s album 'Niafunké', World Circuit took a mobile studio all the way to Mali. Nigel Williamson went to meet Touré for Songlines in the summer of 1999 and found out why his commitments at home meant that the mountain had to go to Mohammed
Features
50 Rhythms of the World (Part 1 – A to M)
Discover a whole world of music through the rhythms that bring it to life with our A to Z of 50 Rhythms of the World. This is Part 1, from Adi Talam to Morna...
Live reviews
Sam Lee, Round Chapel, London, June 13 2024
Singer and conservationist Sam Lee blends environmental activism with enchanting folk music in live show for 'songdreaming' tour
Features
Eliza Carthy: ‘I just don’t get why guitars are revered in the way they are’
Eliza explores the “daft” world of guitars before two passionate music friends begin her conversion…
News
Obituary: Kassé Mady Diabaté 1949-2018
Mali has lost one of its greatest singers of all time, Kassé Mady Diabaté, who passed away in Bamako on May 24, aged 69. Lucy Durán writes about the life of a much-loved musician and friend.
A Beginner's Guide
Bassekou Kouyaté: A Beginner's Guide
Simultaneously innovating and upholding the traditions of the ngoni, Bassekou Kouyaté is a name synonymous with his instrument’s modern sound. Nigel Williamson rounds up his sparkling career
