Northern France

Skolvan - Kerzh Ba'n' Dans / Entrez dans la Danse (1991)

«Créé en 1984, a été l'un des moteurs du renouveau de la musique bretonne. Cette période s'impose par le formidable travail de la part des musiciens pour la sauvegarde de la musique traditionnelle en Bretagne, patrimoine alors en péril. C'est dans ce contexte que Youenn Le Bihan tenta une expérience de groupe en invitant deux professeurs du conservatoire de musique traditionnelle de Ploemeur (

The Rough Guide to the Music of Brazil: Rio de Janeiro (2005)

«Cutting down the usual mass of music contained in any given Brazilian compilation, and following the more regional focus of the Bahia Rough Guide, this album covers the more urban music of Brazil — the samba, bossa nova, carioco, and so on. Some electronic samba opens the album, followed quickly by a rendition of a classic Gilberto Gil piece. Fusions of samba with electronica, bossa nova with

Star Band Number One - N°2 de N°1 (2000)

«Number 2 de Number 1 is the second instalment in the Senegalese salsa/mbalax story of Star Band and Number One de Dakar. Number One were the main rivals to Orchestre Baobab in the 1970s. Both had similar sounds apart from the guitars. Baobab's Barthelemy Attiso is the consummate technician and plays quietly but his understated leads creep up on you till you are totally engulfed in his sound.

Coffee Time

Cuarteto Patria & Manu Dibango - Cubafrica (1998)

«Founded by vocalist and maracas player Maria Emilia Garcia, guitarist Pancho Cobas and the group's first director, Francisco Coba La in 1939, Cuarteto Patria achieved international success after guitarist/tres player and lead vocalist Eliades Ochoa assumed leadership in 1978. Under the guidance of Santiago, Chile-born Eliades Ochoa, the group expanded its early bolero and criolla repertoire to

Tamara Obrovac &Transhistria Ensemble - Daleko Je... (2006)

Many thanx to Mladen from Zagreb for this post!«The composer singer and flutist Tamara Obrovac from the Croatian city of Pula is one of the most impressive artists on the Croatian music scene, and in the past few years she has become very popular due to the influence of the Istrian folk music that has been the creative force of her works. Istria is a beautiful Croatian region, a North Adriatic

The Rough Guide to Bhangra (2001)

«The Rough Guide to Bhangra marks a milestone in the history of Bhangra by bringing together, for the first time ever, most of the key artists and labels onto one CD. Every track is a classic, no padding, no 'fillers', just hit after hit. You don't need to understand the words, just get the vibe. From humble beginnings in the North Indian Punjab region, where Bhangra began as traditional folk

Les Bantous de la Capitale - 1963-1969 (1993)

«Attention, groupe mythique! En effet, son histoire commence lorsque six musiciens, auteurs, compositeurs jouant dans diverses formations déjà réputées (Rock-A-Mambo, OK Jazz, Négro Jazz…) à Léopoldville – aujourd’hui, Kinshasa – rejoignent leur Brazzaville originel au début de l’indépendance. C’est précisément le 15 août 1959 que se créent les Bantous de la Capitale qui ne tarderont pas à

Yellow Cups

Yalla - The Beard of the Camel (1996)

Pop music from Uzbekistan! Maybe not a masterpiece, but a curious piece of music indeed! «Yalla, the leading popular music group in the former Soviet central Asian republics, is from Tashkent – the capital of Uzbekistan, one of the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. The group, whose name is an Uzbek word for a song accompanied by dancing, has become a popular icon in

Putumayo Presents: Nuevo Latino (2004)

«This is the perfect chill disc to throw in your musical rotation. A mix and match grab bag of musical styles with one common thread; it's in a Latin groove. The artists span the globe which is what one comes to expect from Putumayo. The styles of music run the gamut of Latin exotica but with an edge of electronica that results in world beats with a modern attitude. It is very exciting to hear

Raquel Tavares - Raquel Tavares (2006)

«Raquel Tavares edita um disco homónimo, que marca a estreia de uma jovem fadista genuinamente lisboeta, que tem feito carreira em vários palcos nacionais e europeus e, sobretudo, escola na numa casa de fados lisboeta. A descobrir. Aos 21 anos de idade, Raquel Tavares já venceu a Grande Noite do Fado, em 1997, e actuou em vários palcos nacionais (como o Café Luso) e europeus (Paris, Roma,

Info Note

Hello everybody!For those who could not download I.K. Dairo's file: as you can see, now the links are working - sometimes it takes time to reupload the file (especially if it's a big one) on fileservers. So, please be patient:)As for the Tapas Box, the Box.net Team says: "the account is currently out of bandwidth. Bandwidth normally resets at the first of the month, but sometimes takes longer. If

I.K. Dairo MBE & His Blue Spots - Definitive Dairo (1996)

«I.K. Dairo is often called The Father of Juju Music. In the 1950s and 1960's Juju was considered music of the 'poorer' people because it wasn't modern enough for the elite of the class-conscious Nigeria. After independence, I.K. Dairo was the chief reason Juju took off. In 1957 I.K. Dairo founded his band, the Morning Star Orchestra, later to become the Blue Spots. He incorporated rhythms from

Cara Dillon - Cara Dillon (2001)

«Born in 1975 and performing since the age of 14, Cara Dillon has created many opportunities with an almost angelic voice. Born in Dungiven, Ireland, Dillon won the All Ireland Singing Trophy at age 14. She also became vocalist for Oige, an Irish band in her area. In 1995, she became the vocalist for Equation, an Irish "folk super-group" that toured Europe and the Middle East. In July 2001,

Super Biton - Belle Époque (1999)

«Biton Coulibaly was the founding member of the Segou Bambara empire. This explains why he gave his name to Mali’s most representative Bambara music orchestra. This pentatonic music style with mesmerizing rhythms is very different from the Malenké music Western countries have discovered through Salif Keita or Kassemady Diabaté. The Super Biton was formed just after Mali became indipendent. It

Amman at Night (Jordan)

Pat Metheny - One Quiet Night (2004)

«Pat Metheny by himself with an acoustic guitar – for longtime fans it might not get any better. Always interested in blending jazz with folk and pop, the guitarist does just that, focusing heavily on the folk end of things on One Quiet Night. Featuring a nice afterglow interpretation of Norah Jones' hit "Don't Know Why" and an unexpected reinterpretation of "Ferry Cross the Mersey" which turns

El Bicho - El Bicho VII (2007)

«Elbicho VII is Elbicho’s third album. Two years after their last album and with two golden discs in their pocket, the seven members of Elbicho (hence the name of the album), are back with their peculiar brand of flamenco fusion. 15 new tracks, with a special appearance by Bebe. A new and fresh approach that mixes rumbas, tangos and bulerías with jazz, rock and African and Moroccan rhythms. Their

Miró - The World in Maps

A video for Miró by Chris Draper. It was made in 1990-91? at the time of the 1st Iraq conflict and was released as a 7" single and film... (More info here)

Miró - Angel N1 (1990)

Some time ago, an anonymous reader (thanx!) left a link for the first Miró album in the comments section of my first Miró post, devoted to their beautiful The Divine E.P. Since it’s a very nice album, worthy of your attention, I thought it deserved a post of its own. «Roderick "Roddie" I. Harris (v,g), nato nel 1963 da madre spagnola e padre inglese, influenze che vanno dalla Incredible

Vincent Delerm - Vincent Delerm (2002)

«Dans la lignée un peu bancale de son père écrivain qui s’attache à la description minutieuse et drôle des petits plaisirs quotidiens, Vincent chante les drames familiers de l’existence. Il se situe lui-même dans la lignée d’une tradition qui évolue avec le temps, celle de la chanson à textes estampillée "rive gauche". Sa devise ? Trouver la légèreté en chaque chose…» (Lisez plus) «In the