Caprixo de Fashion

Just to remember that there are lots of persons and peoples in this world who are still fighting for their freedom and dignity, unfortunately with no happy endings guaranteed.So, in wishing you all a happy new year, I do hope 2008 may be a year of reconciliation, peace and prosperity, especially for them. Peace and Love, RaduHere is a short trailer for the documentary film SIERRA LEONE'S

«Made up of former displaced persons from the killing fields of Sierra Leone, members of the Refugee All Stars (a.k.a. R.A.S.) were forced to flee for their lives during the 1990s, fanning out into nearby West African nations. Through continued hard times, bandmates Reuben M. Koroma, Francis (Franco) Langba, and Abdul Rahim (Arahim) Kamara entertained and heartened their compatriots with

«L’avventura della musica etiopica moderna cominciò durante il regno dell’imperatore Menelik II (1889-1913). Quest’avventura, che da più di due decenni mi sforzo di studiare e di far conoscere, è strettamente legata all’influenza degli strumenti a fiato offerti al sovrano abissino dopo la vittoria di Adua. Nel 1897 lo zar di Russia, Nicola II, inviò in omaggio al vincitore e suo fratello nella

Tobi, again (thanx!), proposes us this interesting trio that offers us a vast selection of popular songs from Italy and France, all revived with classy arrangements and inspired readings. A small gem, well worth a listen! «Questo gruppo, dal nome insolito, propone dall’inizio del XXI secolo l’incontro “musicale-linguistico” proveniente dalle rive del Mediterraneo. Paroplapi attinge le sue

Saxan K points us instead to this remarkable artist from Brittany (Bretagne). «Denez Prigent's strong voice and nuanced performance», says our kind reader – and I fully agree – «floats among beautiful and strange soundscapes. He blends Breton traditional songs and instruments with ambient, techno, and hip-hop elements. The overall sound is a refreshing diversion from the mainstays of the Celtic

Hello, happy holidays to you all! Here’s the first of a series of beautiful «Christmas gifts» from my readers. Chris S. proposes us this gorgeous CD by Etnika, a Maltese group engaging in a compelling «fusion of Maltese ethnic instruments with the contemporary». Many thanx, Chris! «Etnika focuses on the resurrection of Maltese traditional instruments and music. The idea is to use the ancient

Many thanx to Tobi from Austria for this true discovery! «Activist, composer, and actor Hubert Achleitner (better known as Hubert Von Goisern) was best known for his stint as lead singer of Die Alpinkatzen. Von Goisern was born and raised in Austria, where he learned to play the guitar, trumpet, and accordion at a young age. He lived in South Africa and Toronto for many years before

«One of the most internationally successful acts to emerge from the contemporary Finland music scene, Värttinä revitalized the nation's folk traditions with an aggressive and ultra-modern style that eschewed not only the costumes of their ancestors but also the long-accepted cultural notion that women should sing unaccompanied. […] After Kokko, their trip into the barren land of neo-pop, it

Courtesy of JTC

«This welcome addition to the Rough Guide catalog shines a light on a country whose music has largely been ignored internationally, and proves that, within the borders of Greece, the musical traditions are complex and marvellously rewarding. Thankfully it's not solely focused on modern-day artists, but frames them in the context of the past, with tracks by the legendary Kostas Nouros, "The

«London’s Outcaste Records continues to sate those in the know with some of the most intriguing fusionary sounds on either side of the Atlantic. Untouchable Outcaste Beats, Volume 1 will serve as the label’s American calling card – an amalgam of tracks from its roster as well as from other seminal works in the genre. Dance Music Federation’s essential “Cybersitar” stands out as a pioneering work,

«La cultura musical criolla y afroperuana se inicia con la llegada de los españoles y los esclavos africanos que fueron traídos por ellos. La cultura musical criolla en Lima construye de manera permanente una identidad propia, transformando los géneros musicales y patrones estéticos importados. Desde la presencia de valses de origen vienés, mazurcas, jotas españolas, continuando con la influencia

«Starting with either a sample or a cool replication of a legendary one-off line in the Beatles' "Revolution No. 9" – "Take this, brother, may it serve you well!" – the Lips dive head-on into rock dreams on Oh My Gawd!!! Coyne's sudden resemblance vocally to Paul Westerberg is its own curiosity, but the Replacements never quite got so fried – drunk, yes, but not fried. The cover, one weird-ass

«Deliciously different music from Cameroon which takes simultaneously sure aim at head, heart and feet! Only Manu Dibango (with his slinky makossa) & Les Têtes Brulées (with their much more aggressive Bikutsi rock'n roll) have enjoyed a high international profile, but Africa's most ethnically diverse nation has other musical treasures. Our featured CD is "Divine" by title and nigh-irresistible in

Picture: Cri & Chris

The Coltrane of the clarinet «It was a Wednesday night down the alley in Badehane's, one of Istanbul's hidden soup kitchens for the soul, where a generation of artists and musicians have found refuge from the harsh political and crueller economic realities of Turkey. Istanbul does conspiratorial like London does damp. And the dark, smoky corners of Badehane's that night held a street acrobat,

Kimonogirls in HamamatsuPicture: Noel G.-S.

«It has been said that Hungary has two languages: its ancient spoken language and its ancient folk music. Probably due to the fact that Bela Bartók and Zoltán Kodály vigorously promoted Hungarian folk music during the inter-war period, it is intricately woven through the country’s national identity. So when an electro-acoustic, urban wedding collective like Besh o droM rises to the forefront of

«American continent is not the only place where descendants of black slaves make wonderful music. The Moroccan Gnawas are well known for their trance music and healing rituals. Their history spans more that 4 centuries. When the Moroccan army captured Timbuktu in 1591, several thousand men and women were brought north as slaves. Caravans were transporting unfortunate black Africans to the slave

NeonlandOn the ShinkansenPictures: Noel G.-S.

«“I'd make time for Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra anytime,” said no less an authority than the band's one-time producer, veteran reggae guitarist Dennis Bovell. Starting out in the late '80s as a ska revival group playing the streets and clubs of their hometown, the sharply suited Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra quickly became the flag-bearers for the Japanese ska scene. This movement gained

«Since 2002, the Ottawa-based band has been keeping the classic sounds of raw, gritty groove alive and well in Canada. Their style combines jazz, funk, African and Latin music with messages touching on politics and spirituality. The blaring horns, retro keyboards and polyrhythmic beats show the influence of James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Fela Kuti and Tito Puente, but the sound remains nonetheless

Martín La Spina, SelfportraitKindly offered by Alonsii. Check his "Arbre de les 1000 Musiques"

«B'net Houariyat is formed by five women from the region of Marrakech, singing and dancing to the rhythm of their drums, performing traditional music of the Houara (the region between Taroudant and Tiznit), of the Hammada (plain of the Dra'a), together with Berber dances and urban styles like the Aitci (female seductive appeal) and the Chaabi, popular style that originated Rai music. The image of

«After the various side projects and explorations the band got up to for most of the early '80s, not to mention switching some members around (with bassist Sauter and drummer Demeski now forming the rhythm section), the Feelies made a fine return with The Good Earth. With co-production from noted fan Peter Buck, the group exchanged some of the understated tense frazzle of Crazy Rhythms for a

Haruka, Petrol Station

«Hybrids is a jazz album in name only – specifically the names of multi instrumentalist John Surman and drummer Jack DeJohnette, who leads this collaborative ensemble. One of the few musicians to have recorded or performed with Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis, DeJohnette’s jazz credentials are obvious. But Hybrids tosses his cap into the modern electronica realm

«"We who live by rock and rai and accordion/On the periphery of commercial hits" is a line from Zebda's hometown portrait Toulouse and that's a pretty accurate capsule description of where the French band fronted by three second-generation North African immigrants fits among the Euro-mix crew. Rough-and-ready ragamuffin reggae and rapid-fire rapped vocals, Arabic flourishes, touches of French