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

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

https://matsulimusic.bandcamp.com/album/ballak-sissoko-derek-gripper

very nice kora/acoustic guitar duo here, two master musicians who don't fuck about + put this together in 3 hours.

Yep been meaning to listen to that .

Also this:

Congo Funk! - Sound Madness From The Shores Of The Mighty Congo River (Kinshasa​/​Brazzaville 1969​-​1982)

some might consider Arooj Aftab outernational

Some recent things I've been digging (mostly dance music, but not sure where to put it otherwise - thought we had a thread for it but can't find it)

Most of these came recommended via the Terrain Facebook Community - join up if you're inclined!

Gqom vibes from Mr Thela - Wetsalang Remake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_UCkqk55vY

Polyrhythmic Arabesque techno: Muskila - QAAR A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H82_LZDXnzw

UK/Uganda team-up: Swordman Kitala x Burland - Sweet Bebe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuIXUBojWv0

A real favourite here from young Turkish artist Fevzi Kaan alongside Şenol Evgi - Size Mi Kaldı

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KkLGb4kzJE

Cambodian Drill: B-Side Khrew - Phlerng Jonk Keang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R__05EYHocU

Thanks . I need to check those out

thanks for the re-up!!

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/sisso-maiko-singeli-ya-maajabu/

sisso Maiko on nyege nyege might be better placed on an electronic or club thread but whatever

I thought we had a "global club" thread, but I couldn't find it, so here will do. Thanks for this

It's been on a couple of threads already! it's fantastic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrKO9JB30gI

Great 1 hour set by Le Etran de L’air , Agadez Saharan guitar led band at free show at Kennedy Center in Washington DC yesterday

I missed Mdou Moctar in dc last night but have seen a bunch of times before. Folks on social media seem to be enjoying this tour , especially some who I sense have not seen him before.

That Le Etran de L’Air show from Wednesday is really strong I think

Dobet Gnahoré, the Ivorian “Best Urban/Alternative Performance” Grammy-winner, drums, sings, and dances afropop afrobeats in a family presentation for Summer for the City; in Hearst Plaza at Lincoln Center; on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 12pm. FREE

Not seeing a date near me, just this NYC show. I saw her many moons back and she was good.

Put up some new recommendations on the site. We've got Portuguese art pop that occasionally folds in fado, Chinese dream pop from a band whose follow-up record was IDM, a 2000s bounce classic with a track that samples "Liberian Girl," and more

all this at https://t.co/paf6UPDYsW pic.twitter.com/2aGsmAWoD0

— Joshua Minsoo Kim (@misterminsoo) July 3, 2024

Hah, interesting to see Mler Ife Dada show up there. Would've expected them to get revived by the post punkers as opposed to within a world music context but it makes some sense.

Joshua Minsoo Kim is into post-punk, including post-punk from everywhere

https://www.jazzisdead.com/news/ebo-taylor-amp-pat-thomas-north-american-tour

Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas old-school afropop North America tour in October and November

I need to get my tickets for the dc show on that tour.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyedu-Blay_Ambolley

Ghana hi life and hiplife veteran musician also on tour

All the album of the year "so far" lists I see barely include any acts from Africa, the Caribbean, South America, or Asia

seeing Etran de L'Aïr tonight, excited!

Enjoy. Etran de L'Air were great in their Washington DC shows . Their guitar sound and a bit of onstage charisma combined to make their gigs work

Oh no. Malian kora great Toumani Diabete has died at age 58. Have seen some posts about this on twitter/x and one on Bluesky

Toumani Diabate at Other Music in NYC some years back

https://vimeo.com/5415073

According to the ilx search, I posted in 2007 that I was going to see Toumani Diabate and band in 2007, but I don't really remember that. Doh.

I do remember the other show I said I was seeing that weekend, Venezuelan salsa singer Oscar D'Leon

https://afropop.org/articles/festival-international-de-jazz-de-montreal-2024-an-overwhelming-musical-feast

This Montreal fest always has a fair amount of performers from Africa

This year's already happened! I saw Chief Adjuah and Shabaka Hutchings but no one from Africa this year. Nor did I make it to the Nuits d'Afrique festival the week after Jazz Fest (meant to see Bombino but forgot). I do hope to see RAM and Boukmans at this on the weekend: https://montreal.haitienfolie.com/

Yes, sorry my language wasn't clear but that link is a review by someone of what happened. I know the fest already happened-

Some of the acts they liked are :

an ecstatic set from Ugandan-British Alfa Mist with his mix of jazz and hip-hop; we melted into our chair listening to the voice of Angolan-Portuguese Fado diva Ana Moura (we will soon post an interview with Moura);

La Lom (which stands for Los Angeles League of Musicians) grooved us with their Latino meets surf guitar sound; Nigerian-British singer Ego Ella May and Cameroonian-American singer Ekep Nkwelle both delighted us in very different ways (and we'll be featuring interviews with them shortly), the incredibly energetic Thai-Canadian drummer Salin who brings together traditional Northern Thai sounds and Afrobeat rhythms;

Other world music acts of note included Tuareg guitar band Etran de l'Air, the Django Festival Allstars, Os Mutantes from Brazil (only featuring one original member), and the Congolese group Kin'Gongolo Kiniata (who will also be performing at Nuits d'Afrique festival next week).

my bad, I didn't click through. The Jazz Fest is a treasure, but that review is v otm about it being overwhelming, and this year I was moving house during it which sapped my going-out energy big time

Tinariwen are on tour again but I missed their Washington DC gig last night. Have seen em 3 times I think. Anybody seen em lately? I think their membership might have changed slightly based on a comment I read somewhere.

Funny enough, I checked in on this thread to say that I am seeing them tonight in Philly, as my husband is an enormous fan. Will report back.

Incredible show tonight in Philly. We ran into a friend who called it “euphoric,” and yeah, that’s a good superlative.

Saw a nice video clip of Tinariwen dc gig.

Congolese group Jupiter & Okwess are back in Washington DC on Friday. I might go .

Washington Post re range of music at Olympics opening ceremony

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2024/07/26/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony-arson-attack-live-updates/#link-FDE573U75JACRHAJ2JC7PCPGX4