South African cellist Abel Selaocoe tells Emma Rycroft about the origins and inspirations behind his new album, Hymns of Bantu: “I wanted to celebrate all the people at home who really influenced me”, he explains
Eliza looks at the heartbreaking scenes and songs that emerged from the Peterloo Massacre and wonders if any parallels will be found from recent UK riots and looting
Charis McGowan visits Reykjavik, where Iceland Airwaves is showcasing the many layers of Icelandic music. “It’s such a young culture”, she discovers
Bolsonaro’s election win and incendiary rhetoric have brought uncertainty and division to the country. Alex Robinson reports from Salvador where its deeply rooted Afro-Brazilian culture is under fire
Meeting Ibibio Sound Machine, the groove-riding octet funking up southern Nigerian culture in the shadow of adversity
A leading light in the Scottish Gaelic music scene, the singer is also a tireless collaborator, as Nathaniel Handy finds out as he looks back over her career
Frustrated by the state of popular African music, Franck Biyong decided to create his own ‘Afrolectric’ sound inspired by Le Grand Kallé, Fela Kuti, Manu Dibango and the greats of yesteryear
A special 80th birthday concert, celebrating the work of Bert Jansch, will be held on November 4 at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall
Footage of some of our favourite artists from this year’s festival, featuring Tinariwen, Amadou & Mariam, The Joy, N’Famady Kouyaté and many more
Another year, another full season of festivals to revive the soul and please the senses! Where better to plan your summer of culture than with our annual guide to the best festivals in the UK?
When African-American musician Billy Waters died in London in 1823, it was in poverty and with his reputation in tatters. Now, 200 years later, researchers and musicians are finally ensuring he gets the respect he deserves
What happens when two young post-rock fans grounded in traditional technique make music? Julian May talks to Spafford Campbell to find out…
As a new year begins, Eliza Carthy uses the ‘official’ folk chart as a barometer of what currently constitutes folk music
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
Jane Cornwell speaks to wordsmith, sonic alchemist and champion of the disenfranchised Alabaster DePlume about the power of collective healing and facing up to fear during an artistic residency in besieged Palestine
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