Features
“Geomungo playing is a combination of melody, percussion and bass” | Hwang Hyeyoung
One half of the South Korean duo Dal:um, Hwang Hyeyoung speaks about her deep-toned, bamboo-plucked zither
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Features
Tiken Jah Fakoly: “In Africa, I can’t perform as much as I’d like. Sponsors are afraid of my image”
During his career, Tiken Jah Fakoly has fused reggae with unwavering pan-African activism. The Ivorian reggae icon speaks to Daniel Brown about his latest release and how the fight for justice in Africa is far from over
Features
Why does ‘ethnic’ nearly always mean non-white?
Following her review of an album with a shocking blackface cover, Gabrielle Messeder delves into problematic representation in world music...
The Rough Guide to World Music
The Music of Iran: A Rough Guide
Laudan Nooshin reports on the revival of Iranian classical music since 1979 and Simon Broughton takes the pulse of the folk and pop scenes
Features
Lola Flores: a beginner's guide
Philip Sweeney takes a look back at the life of the flamenco singer, dancer and actress who remains a beacon of Andalucian culture
Features
Fela Kuti: A Beginner's Guide (by Femi Kuti)
Femi Kuti discusses his father’s legacy and his life as the son of an Afrobeat legend. “He was too kind to everybody”, hears Robin Denselow
Features
How The Watersons recorded a landmark in English folk music
In a bedroom in Camden, one Sunday in January 1965, The Watersons recorded a landmark in English folk music whose reenactment of ritual and magic still sounds thrilling 60 years later
Features
Balinese gamelan: a complete guide to a unique world of sound
The Indonesian island of Bali resounds with the vibrant, often thunderous music of its gamelans – the ubiquitous percussion orchestras of bronze and bamboo. Andy Channing conjures up the magic of its many incarnations
News
Empowering the next generation - ISM Trust
Next month the Incorporated Society of Musicians Trust are holding a one-day symposium that will provide practical advice and support for the professional musician.
Features
Toumani Diabaté and Ballaké Sissoko: 21 Strings
With Toumani and Ballaké’s epochal New Ancient Strings to be reissued for its 25th anniversary, we speak to Lucy Durán, the album’s producer, about the unique recording and her documentary tracing the history of the kora
A Beginner's Guide
Renaud Garcia-Fons: A Beginner's Guide
Rob Adams examines the extensive career of the acclaimed French double bassist, who has been influential in taking the instrument to its sonic limits
Features
Celtic Connections 2024: Scotland’s ‘City of Music’ tunes up for its much-loved winter festival
A stellar line-up of multi-genre talent gears up to gather in Glasgow for Celtic Connections 2024
Features
Sarod | Musical Instrument Guide (with Soumik Datta)
Soumik Datta reveals to Simon Broughton the secrets of his innovative, go-faster sarod
A Beginner's Guide
The Sabri Brothers: A Beginner's Guide
Jameela Siddiqi celebrates the legacy of the first qawwali group to find fame and send devotees into spiritual ecstasy around the world
Features
50 Great Moments in World Music
We've noted 50 great moments from 7000BC to the present day – concerts and confrontations, collaborations and conspiracies – all of which have shaped the sounds we're listening to today
