Rolling Global Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2025 Thread (Often African guitar led bands)

This thread is mainly for polyrhythmic, international sounds that aren't big enough to get threads of their own (and often include use of old-school non-programmed instrumentation like guitars). I lean toward south of the equator sounds here that are sometimes less club-oriented than those of artists highlighted on Afropop, Afrobeats, dancehall, soca, etc. threads. Sometimes, but not always, the artists are older than those on those other threads. More old-school bands too. Often less digital programming but if it includes such playing/programming it is usually less popular, and/or more avante.

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

2024 thread

At some point my wife wants to go back and visit where she was in the Peace Corps in the rural Venda region of South Africa. We had toyed with going in February of 2025 and then also going to this music fest in Zanzibar Tanzania. Alas, we're not going to make it this year .

https://busaramusic.org/

Sauti za Busara 2025 w/

Details on the Mdou Moctar acoustic tour--

Tears of Injustice is Mdou Moctar’s Funeral for Justice completely rerecorded and rearranged for acoustic instruments. It is an evolution of the band’s critically-adored breakout – the meditative mirror-image to the blistering electric original. Here the songs convey the grief of a nation locked into a constant churn of poverty, colonial exploitation, and political upheaval. It is Tuareg protest music in raw and essential form.

Crown Vic’s Tropical 🌴 Pizza Box all vinyl hang at Doris in Bed-Stuy Thursday January 9 💥🪇 featuring guest selectors throughout the night rolling in with whatever wax they can fit into a pizza box! A little pre-get together for everyone before the madness of APAP, Secret Planet, Winter Jazz Fest, and Globalfest. Come warm your bones to analog tones at this fine establishment! 9pm-2Am @nyctrust @ananananant @gorintoproductions @olivierconan @barbesrecords @modrums.music ETC 💥🌴🪇

Busy time starting in NYC

https://www.rebelup.org/info/mission/

Was reading reference to Rebel Up global music radio show from Brussels and to their emails as a source for music releases

APAP (the Association of Performing Arts Professionals has events, panels , and showcases for its paying registered members in NYC from January 10 to 14th, but there are also events open to APAP and the public like Sat. Jan 11 Secret Planet NY at Drom with Yeison Landero, Lollise, Chicha Libre, Los Crema Paraiso, Miramar, Luciferin, Yallah Yallah And Djs Leon City Sounds.

And Global Fest Sun. Jan 12 at Lincoln Center w/ Akshara Music Ensemble (India music ); Bamba Wassalou Groove (Malian music); Elida Almeida (Cape Verde); Ghazi & Boom.Diwan w/ Arturo O’Farrill ( A fusion of Kuwaiti pearl diving songs and Khaleeji & Afro-Latin jazz); Mireya Ramos and the Poor Choices ( Mexican ranchera w/ American country); Maruja Limón (all-female Catalan rumba); Paul Beaubrun ( Haitian funk and Rara); Rebolu (Colombian Caribbean coast music) ; Zar Electrik (Mahgreb oud & guitar solos w/ drums and programmed keyboard beats); Hazmat Modine (American roots & global)

Secret Planet and Barbes folks also did a Sunday afternoon program before Global Fest

https://www.adelina-sasnauskaite.com/12823994-blind-in-1-eye

Lithuanian painter/photographer who moved to the UK and was in rural Senegal and Mauritania recently and has posted photos and video of musicians and more there (that I first discovered via Sahel Sounds IG stories). I now follow her blind-1-eye IG page.

https://www.instagram.com/blind.in.1.eye/

Saw South African guitarist Derek Gripper and Iraqi (& now American citizen) oud player Rahim Alhaj in DC. Pleasant show (maybe a bit staid classical folk for me but I liked when they sounded more Iraqi and or Malian) where they dueted together and then Alhaj played solo and then Gripper played solo and they then dueted again together. Gripper is able to make his guitar sound like a Malian kora and also like an ancient European stringed harpsichord or something playing Bach (who he covered and described as "someone who topped the charts hundreds of years ago"). He also spoke about his intense respect for the late Toumani Diabete whom he met in Bamako and who sadly died young last year. Alhaj asked in English at one point did anyone speak Arabic? A fairly big number of people responded yes and he smiled and said my wife sometimes says we should move (they currently live in Albuquerque). After talking back and forth in Arabic with a guy in the row in front of me, he did what sounded like a traditional Iraqi folk song and the guy in front of me chanted out the call and response lyrics. Alhaj spoke about MLK and about the need for peace and love and respect for all including Palestinians. He condemned the number of Palestinians who have died. Gripper made a critical comment about the Inauguration and one about Reagan too.

I missed this March 2024 release that critic Mike Rubin mentioned in his year-end African best of list

https://abdallahoumbadougou.bandcamp.com/album/amghar-the-godfather-of-tuareg-music-vol-1

Amghar: The Godfatdher of Tuareg Music - VOL. 1 is the first career retrospective of the legendary, late Tuareg innovator Abdallah Oumbadougou, who is considered the Godfather of the Tuareg / Desert Blues genre and was a primary influence of current Tuareg musicians like Bombino and Mdou Mocktar. Features 14 tracks, newly remastered by 5 time GRAMMY winning engineer Michael Graves, and includes 6 unreleased, never before heard originals. The gorgeous DOUBLE VINYL package also includes extensive historical liner notes from Tuareg expert & historian Andy Morgan and lyric translations in Tamashek, French and English. The cover portrait of the artist was created by Nigerian born illustrator Diana Ejaita who is notable for her extensive cover work with the New Yorker magazine.

"He was like a father to us. Like our first inspiration" - BOMBINO

This Rubin fave from 2024 also was never discussed here:

Mamman Sani and Tropikal Camel-Nijerusalem

African synth guy Mamman Sani has been mentioned a few times over the years but not this most recent album

From Bandcamp-

Batov Records presents ‘Nijerusalem’, a groundbreaking collaboration between Nigerien synth pioneer Mamman Sani and Berlin-based electronic artist Tropikal Camel.

Mamman Sani's electronic organ music, first recorded in 1978, made him a national hero in Niger, led to him writing the Niger’s new national anthem, and has long been cherished by aficionados for its unique blend of traditional Nigerien melodies and synth experimentation. Mamman's music embodies a sense of intimacy, echoing the presence of a solo artist in the room with the listener.

This album is the result of a serendipitous meeting at the Nyege Nyege Festival in Uganda. Both artists shared a residency and studio space, which led to long recording sessions together over the course of two weeks, capturing the organic fusion of Mamman's synth melodies and Tropikal Camel's percussive electronic beats. Despite their divergent backgrounds and ages, Mamman at 73 and Tropikal Camel at 44, they found equilibrium in their collaborative process....

https://mammansani.bandcamp.com/album/nijerusalem

I am behind on finding new stuff to post about here.

Amghar: The Godfatdher of Tuareg Music - VOL. 1 is the first career retrospective of the legendary, late Tuareg innovator Abdallah Oumbadougou

Ok

It didn’t wow me in first listen I mean

Abdallah Oumbadougou may have been an innovator, but so far to me his Tuareg music is just decent enough to me.

Batov Records presents ‘Nijerusalem’, a groundbreaking collaboration between Nigerien synth pioneer Mamman Sani and Berlin-based electronic artist Tropikal Camel.

This one is a bit uneven

I am scheduled to see Mdou Moctar and band play acoustic tonight in suburban DC area, but show may get cancelled if predicted snow comes this afternoon

Sahel Sounds band Etran de L'Air are doing a US tour April 8 to May 11 . DC gig May 9

I missed the acoustic Mdou Moctar band gig in suburban Virginia near DC due to the 6 inches of snow. Wife and I wimped out. The club booking agent said if there had been 8 inches of snow he would have postponed it

https://linktr.ee/etrandelair?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaaLkKzyFzmYmL6M-bGBflu5gUseruKvdxH1tMBosBotlakUjud-hd7vsbI_aem_N9eCDWqE5ONzA6zeMlBEeg

Etran de L’air are doing Australia and New Zealand gigs before they do US ones