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
The composer, producer and musical polymath Nitin Sawhney is revisiting his acclaimed Beyond Skin album 20 years after its release. He talks politics and music with Nigel Williamson
The Kurdish singer Aynur Doğan has released her first solo album while living in exile in the Netherlands. She tells Robert Rigney her reasons for leaving Turkey and her mission to keep Kurdish songs alive
Nigel Williamson surveys the US musician whose career has long shown that the blues is a global musical movement
Simon Broughton speaks to the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind Conclave and Wolf Hall about how music infiltrates his creative process
Simon Broughton surveys the impressive career and beguiling back catalogue of the classical Azeri singer Alim Qasimov, including his extensive collaborations with his daughter Fargana Qasimova
We ask the Havana-born cellist, vocalist and composer about the albums she loves, the musicians she admires and her favourite new artists
Fiona Talkington speaks to Sámi activist and singer Mari Boine who, now in her 60s, finally feels confident in her own work
For the Congolese-British comedian, music and entertainment have always gone hand in hand. He tells Emma Rycroft about the sounds of his upbringing and his continued role as a “facilitator of modern-day African music”
Andrew Taylor-Dawson hears how pan-African journeys and future-facing philosophy inform the Moroccan’s latest sonic mutation
Charis McGowan hears of a diasporic dance revival bubbling up in western Netherlands
Mateusz Dobrowolski dives into the international programme on offer at the risk-taking Poznań festival
Simon Nichols talks Fairport Convention and the magic of Sandy Denny's songwriting
Vincent Moon heads to Japan for an incendiary encounter with the enigmatic howling poet, Kazuki Tomokawa
Billy Rough tracks down a Scottish trio swirling through tango, klezmer, jazz and ‘Northern’ folk
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