Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2024 Thread (Often African guitar led bands)

Ethiopian music band Qwanqwa, most of whose band members are based in Addis, were great tonight at little Makeba in Alexandria , Va just south of DC . Crowd was mostly dc area based Ethiopians . The singer of Qwanqwa can sing powerfully with melisma; as well as ululate and do that Ethiopian shoulder dance

Oumou Sangare , Malian singing great, is doing some US gigs again, but it doesn’t look like she’ll be near me in the Washington DC area

https://occidentalbrothers.bandcamp.com/album/likambo-te

Jordan noted on the Rolling Jazz thread that the Chicago-based Occidental Brothers are back and have a new highlife album with drummer Mackaya Macraven. Circa 2009 I was a fan of their a bit gimmicky highlife cover of New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle

Reyna Tropical were highlighted by Rob on the Afro-Latino, Latin Pop etc thread, but the occasional use of soukous guitar & some other touches might intrigue folks on this thread too. I like the new album a lot

Saw on Facebook a great video clip of Malian singer Oumou Sangare guesting with Colombia band Rancho Aparte from Colombia at the Blue Moon Saloon in Louisiana as its festival time down there

Mokoomba from Zimbabwe got a US date in June in DC

Apologies if there's a specific nyege nyege thread I can't find but loving this
https://nyegenyegetapes.bandcamp.com/album/izigqinamba

Interesting contrasts there between the vocals and beats

Ghana special 2 arrived in the post today but it might wait bcz that can't stop with that new Mdou Moctar album

Ghana Special 2 sounds good so far to me (decided to check it out before the Mdou Moctar )

Yeah very much looking forward to getting that one, soundway comps never disappoint

Meridian Brothers are more for the Latin thread, but they're hyping this new one for adding some Congolese soukous guitar

https://meridianbrothers.bandcamp.com/album/mi-latinoam-rica-sufre-2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIQPfT_MiXs

Ballaké Sissoko (kora) and Derek Gripper (guitar) are putting out another album. Gripper is on tour in US now (In DC Monday night the 13th ) . Mellow but good

Absolutely loving Ghana Special 2, listened to it about 4 times straight through yesterday. I knew a few of these tunes beforehand but there is so much more great stuff on it. Kwasi Afari Minta - Barima Nsu is possibly my favourite new thing, but that MC Mambo song is super fun too. Top work Soundway!

It's definitely a good Ghana comp-

Sahel Sounds just announced a listening party for Africa Yontii by Tidiane Thiam:
Africa Yontii Listening Party with Tidiane Thiam!
The event is scheduled for:
Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 6:00 PM EDT

More details via label bandcamp

I could have sworn we had a dedicated Mdou Moctar thread. Anyway, I was already a huge fan, but the new one absolutely rips. "Imouhar" is the one I keep coming back to most.

X-post - that Tidiane Thiam album is mellow but beautiful guitar playing from Senegal

https://wapo.st/3UQ292T

gift link should hopefully work- Washington Post article title--With Europe’s support, North African nations push migrants to the desert

A year-long joint investigation by The Washington Post, Lighthouse Reports and a consortium of international media outlets shows how the European Union and individual European nations are supporting and financing aggressive operations by governments in North Africa to detain tens of thousands of migrants each year and dump them in remote areas, often barren deserts.

European funds have been used to train personnel and buy equipment for units implicated in desert dumps and human rights abuses, records and interviews show. Migrants have been pushed back into the most inhospitable parts of North Africa, exposing them to abandonment with no food or water, kidnapping, extortion, sale as human chattel, torture, sexual violence and, in the worst instances, death.
Spanish security forces in Mauritania photographed and reviewed lists of migrants before they were driven to Mali against their will and left to wander for days in an area where violent Islamist groups operate, according to testimony and documents.
In Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia, vehicles of the same make and model as those provided by European countries to local security forces rounded up Black migrants from streets or transported them from detention centers to remote regions, according to filmed footage, verified images, migrant testimony and interviews with officials.
European officials held internal discussions on some of the abusive practices since at least 2019, and were flagged to allegations in reports by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Frontex, the E.U. border agency.

The E.U. provided more than 400 million euros to Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania between 2015 and 2021 under its largest migration fund, the E.U. Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, an initiative to foster local economic growth and stem migration.

That's just some context for the music that I try not to overlook

guitar led band Etran de L'Air touring Europe in May and most of June, then touring North America in end of June and July

https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/2024/g:african-music/

xp they were great when I saw them last year

Mdou Moctar were on Office Hours two weeks ago and they fucking ruled

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xeQKXQrWIo

Office Hours performance in California