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Samba
Samba is the sound of Brazil, although it is a versatile rhythm that can assume many different forms
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Features
Essential 10 Iranian Albums
Founded in 2001, 127 are a cornerstone of Iran’s alternative scene. Erin Cobby asks the group’s drummer Yahya Alkhansa to map out the country’s underground music scene in ten albums
Features
Feel the Tremor
Erin Cobby heads to a festival in the Azores for a weekend of global sounds and finds herself part of a community championing inclusivity, creativity and open-air commmunions
Features
How Totó La Momposina became the Queen of Cumbia
Totó La Momposina reflects on her journey from a small Colombian village to the international stage
Features
Estonia’s Song and Dance Celebration
Every five years, Estonia asserts its culture, identity and independence in an enormous, joyful festival of song. Tim Bird follows a regional choir as they prepare for the main event. Photos by Tim Bird
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
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
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
Oumou Sangaré interview: “Africa can evolve while preserving certain traditions that are worth preserving”
Oumou Sangaré contemplates the current state of her native Mali. She speaks to Andy Morgan about how music and mogoya may be the only things that can save it. Photography by Holly Whittaker
A Beginner's Guide
Fela Kuti | A Beginner’s Guide
The perfect introduction to Fela Kuti – a true original: "Never have life, politics, art and music been so inextricably linked together in one incendiary, insurrectionary and highly danceable package"
Features
“My whole body was shaking. I started to tremble and sing. Two songs later, I didn’t want to stop” | Natalia Lafourcade interview
The multi award-winning Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade reveals to Catalina Maria Johnson how she found her voice in rewriting the Latin American songbook
The Rough Guide to World Music
The Rough Guide to World Music: Jamaica
Jamaica is a serious contender for the title ‘loudest island in the world’. On any night, and especially at weekends, it shakes to the musical vibrations of thousands of sound systems
A Beginner's Guide
Abdullah Ibrahim: A Beginner's Guide
A South African pianist who navigated the trauma and difficulties of apartheid while always staying close to home. Nigel Williamson documents a remarkable, boundless career… that’s not over yet
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...
Features
Erol Josué interview: “I wanted to participate in the reconstruction of Haiti’s national heritage. I needed to be there”
The vodou priest, singer, actor and choreographer Erol Josué is on a mission to dispel the myths and misconceptions about Haiti’s musical religion
