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

Catching up on Substacks I see that critic Andy Beta also likes Ballaké Sissoko & Derek Gripper - Ballaké Sissoko & Derek Gripper

Malian with a South African guitarist

Andy Beta likes this nyege nyege release I haven’t heard
Yet

Ekuka Morris Sirikiti - Te​-​Kwaro Alango​-​Ekuka

US based Palestinian oud player Huda Asfour is playing at Nublu Classic in NYC wed Feb 26. I used to see her play on occasion when she lived in DC area and I like her albums. But then she went back to Egypt for awhile where she has family, and now she’s back in NYC.

Canary Records new release-To Say I Was Here: Arabic, Greek, Judeo-Spanish, and Turkish Speaking Jewish Recording Musicians, 1907-69

On Bandcamp. Plus he’s giving away free cds at a Baltimore Museum exhibit

https://jesssahbi.bandcamp.com/album/jesus-christ-ne-de-oit-pas

Awesome Tapes from Africa is pushing this Jess Sa Bi Ivory Coast guy who lives in California now and put out this laidback, Afro-twangy effort that thanks Jesus for his return to health

Brad Luen on Bluesky is posting women artists from 31 countries all March for International women's month

https://bsky.app/profile/bradluen.bsky.social/post/3lkhwo62mmc23

The Trump shutdown of VOA has put all its employees on administrative leave including Music Time in Africa host Heather Maxwell. It also has me worried about the Music Time in Africa archives with material going way back

The Music Time in Africa website was still working the last time I looked. Don't know if that just means they have lots of already prepared stuff that someone is still placing online .

I saw Pakistani Ustad Saami and his sons the Saami Brothers Saturday night outside Washington DC at a sold out Barns of Wolf Trap. The crowd was 99% plus South Asian. Ustad Saami got attention here back in 2020 I think for his 2019 God is Not a Terrorist album. Ustad led the group in the first set backed by his sons with one playing a harmonium and one on tabla. I think this first set was mostly "khayal" music-- with cosmic and ethereal humming and sounds. In the second set, just the sons were out there, and the emcee said they would be doing qawwali music (pronounced "kavali"). They had 2 harmonium players this set plus tabla. The music was more upbeat and danceable and the vocals were more soaring. A number of Pakistanis in the audience approached the center front of the stage and made hand gestures near their foreheads and placed money on a stand .

Saw him a few years back, was great! Sounds like a good show

yes very much so, love it

Pat Thomas with the Ebo Taylor and Family Band touring North America now

Considered posting this Cheikh Ibra Fam video with a young dancer on the Afropop thread, but while pop and soulful it also has a bit of a roots trad feel. He was a singer for a bit in Orchestra Baobab, but went solo recently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiSoCb63jfU

Saw 89-year old Ebo Taylor from Ghana a few nights ago at the Howard Theatre in DC with a great band led by his son on keyboards. 70-something Ghana singer Pat Thomas did a bunch of songs as well with the band. Ebo Taylor was in a wheelchair and just sang about 4 songs with the band. He doesn't play guitar anymore.

Ah yes, for now at least international acts can come to Washington DC and elsewhere in the US and perform. Also, last night I saw US-based Iranians The Vahdat sisters, Mahsa and Marjan from Iran, were great last night at the Freer Gallery of the Museum of Asian Art in DC . They have such strong vocals and their mournful songs with minimalist but there rhythms were especially strong. They were backed by a pianist and a percussionist. They had fled Iran after they were charged with a crime for singing a song together on a Tehran rooftop without head coverings, and with male musicians (and posting a video of the performance on Youtube). They both now live in California . Mahsa said last night that Washington DC needs people willing to sing on rooftops.

https://4columns.org/dayal-geeta/tsapiky

Geeta D writing about Madagascar music called tsapiky

https://soundcloud.com/elpadrecordsprod/tshala-muana-vs-missy-elliot-get-ur-freak-on-like-malu-el-padrecords-mashup-mix

cool remix from several years ago of Congolese singer Tshala Muana and Missy Elliot's "Get ur Freak On"

I heard Pierre Kwenders mention it in an Afropop. org interview

Ghana's King Ayisoba and Wiyaala

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1360910731892052

I saw Etran de L'Air at Pearl Street in DC last night do their Saharan rock thing, which was fun. They just go and go. The guitars get all the attention, but the drummer's galloping beats are really great too.

Thursday night I was at the the Library of Congress and saw the NY Andalus Ensemble play music rooted in Moorish Spain with Ladino, Arabic, Hebrew, and Spanish lyrics. This was a free show. There was also a speaker talking about the Abraham Pinto collection of Moroccan music and artifacts that is part of the Library of Congress. Pinot was a Jewish Moroccan who recorded Moroccan Jews and others in that country. The oud player in the group's playing was better than his voice, but thankfully they had 2 other singers , one male , one female, who had great voices. Sadly on Friday I read that Trump on Thursday night while I was there at the LOC, fired the Library of Congress librarian Carla Hayden, the first ever woman (and Black woman) librarian at the Library.

Later that night I saw NY-based Colombian percussion and singing group La Manga at Haydee's in DC (they also did a free Kennedy Center gig earlier that night that is on Youtube now)

there are two tracks from Falle Nioke's album, due in sept, out: https://fallenioke.bandcamp.com/album/love-from-the-sea

I really love the opener; not quite sure about LDN Girl yet but sounds like the album will be pretty eclectic

and in the curmudgeonly spirit of the thread: I saw Palestinian violinist, oud player, and composer Simon Shaheen last month in Brooklyn. The music was fantastic though the night was marred by a disturbing incident in the audience directly in front of me and my friends: some guy had a violent outburst, yelling at his girlfriend and basically freaking out and ranting incoherently. there was no security at the venue and Shaheen ended up intervening directly! He also ably resolved the tension after the guy had been taken out of the hall but it was still pretty unsettling.

Wow

I know Putumayo albums were often corny but was just reading an interview with the label founder who just died of cancer and saw this. How he got music to bigger name musicians who then spread the word and collaborated with the less known musicians (for better or worse) -

One day, Dave Letterman was going to the same acupuncturist as I went to, a South African guy, and I had given him Oliver’s CD, and Dave said, “I love this African music you’re turning me onto. Anybody else?” And he gave him the CD that I gave the acupuncturist, and Letterman freaked out, called him the next day, “Who is this? I gotta get him.” and I started getting calls from the girl that I had dated saying, “When can you get Oliver on the show?” So, it’s the funniest thing how just one song can somehow make its way. That’s what that Manu Chao thing did on NPR.

B.E: It’s like Bonnie Raitt turning onto Oliver’s song “Hear Me Lord.” That triggered a whole string of interesting events, leading to her coming to Mali with us!

https://afropop.org/articles/dan-storper-1951-2025

D.S: I gave her Habib’s album, and she said, “You know, I love African music,” but she didn’t really know Habib. And so I gave her the album and she went like six months later, three months later, she went to Mali to hang out with him.[/i]

might be an interesting if challenging project to work out when exactly country fell out of favor in non English-speaking places (c.f. my mother growing up in Malaysia and being able to sing a bunch of Jim Reeves songs with ~50% accuracy)

https://bsky.app/profile/bradluen.bsky.social/post/3lpwmk55ikc2f

Saw Takaat last night. That's Mdou Moctar's band without Mdou. Noisy and rocking without the hybrid metal aspect that Moctar brings in. The drummer was the star for Takaat hitting the drum set hard and offering galloping beats at times, and machine gun like bursts other times.

phrases with terms I have seen lately: The dj will be playing SWANA music.

"faaji nights w/ dj "

The term 'SWANA' represents Southwest Asia and North Africa, a decolonial term challenging Eurocentric labels like 'Middle Eastern' and 'Islamic World.

Faaji is a Nigerian word for having a good time, party or celebration

https://www.jonathanbogart.net/blog/2024/11/28/50-songs-2023-fs5c2

Jonathan Bogart just posted his 2024 best recently. Caribbean and tropical dance music and more largely chosen via Youtube

I'd heard of SWANA but not faaji

Xp what an amazing list!