MUSIC

The Complex, Bittersweet Melodies of Return to the Andean Culture—Los Kjarkas, ‘Canto a la Mujer de Mi Pueblo,’ 1981

November 12th, 2020|Country: Bolivia|

From writing one of the world’s most recognizable dance hits to welcoming the exiled leader Evo Morales back home: the music of Los Kjarkas is the ultimate soundtrack to Bolivian RenaissanceFrom writing one of the world’s most recognizable dance hits to welcoming the exiled leader Evo Morales back home: the music of Los Kjarkas is the ultimate soundtrack to Bolivian Renaissance

Reggae Legend Toots Lives On in the Maytals’ Pioneering, Timeless Album—‘Funky Kingston’, Toots & the Maytals, 1975

September 22nd, 2020|Country: Jamaica|

Seemingly simple, yet breathtakingly complex, this album is one of the greatest in the genre, showing raw, earthy reggae at its finest: half a century later, it shines powerfully

The Reggae Heart of Anguilla Pulsating In the Dunes—Bankie Banx & The Roots and Herbs, ’Roots and Herbs’, 1977

September 8th, 2020|Country: Anguilla|

Listen to the man who brought reggae to the Eastern Caribbean and then built an extensive heritage in educating the youth, protecting nature, and sharing good vibes with listeners everywhere

The Pragmatic, Wholesome Hip-Hop of Russia’s Musical Prodigy—Antoha MC, “Pro Menya”, 2019

July 16th, 2020|Country: Russia|

Antona MC dances like no one is watching, raps about healthy habits and routines, and his music is crystal-clear nostalgic futurism: see why there is no one else like him in the industry

Rapping and Repping for Central America—Zaki & WEEDMACKER, ‘Centraka,’ 2020

June 11th, 2020|Country: El Salvador, Guatemala|

Salvadoran hip-hop prodigy Zaki now lives in Guatemala, but that only means a broader range of exploration of musical genres, cultural heritage and society’s discontents

Balkan Beats and Battle Hymns—Dubioza Kolektiv, ‘#fakenews,’ 2020

May 3rd, 2020|Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina|

A Bosnian band with firm positions on civil rights and intellectual property and a fluid approach to genre has a song for every political issue you may care about

The Bard of Simplicity Travels the Americas—Juan Wauters, ‘La Onda de Juan Pablo,’ 2019

April 28th, 2020|Country: Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, USA|

Montevideo-born Queens-based artist takes his incomparable aesthetic for a spin in his native region, creating an album of enlightened simplicity with musicians scouted in Central & South America

Powerhouse Rapper From Chad Who Rallies the Country’s Best Musical Talent Around Him—Anonyme, ‘Mukchacha,’ ‘Farafina Victory’ and ‘Comme un Seul Homme,’ 2019

April 12th, 2020|Country: Chad|

A musical triptych that invites to reclaim black heritage and collaborate creatively from a visionary hip-hop artist with a vision for African hegemony and an exemplary taste

The Dark, Brainy and Radiant Rap of an Ex-Offender From Belarus—Sirop, ‘Strashila,’ 2020

March 11th, 2020|Country: Belarus|

Once an aspiring musician, Sirop (Сiроп) became addicted to heroin and spent two decades in and out of detention. Now in his late forties, he is the rising star of Belarusian hip-hop.

An Anthology of the Best New Music from Burundi, Part III: East African Express

February 3rd, 2020|Country: Burundi, Rwanda|

Our last dispatch from the musical scene of Burundi, where genocide survivors, Christian youth ministers, and rural dwellers make fantastic music you know you want to dance to

An Anthology of the Best New Music from Burundi, Part II: Keeping Up With Kirundi

January 21st, 2020|Country: Burundi, USA|

Burundi has it all: afrobeat, gangsta rap, golden-voiced goddesses, bongo flava and boy bands. Come for them, stay for the zip bag suits and Cassava-themed trap anthems

An Anthology of the Best New Music from Burundi, Part I: Behold the Buja Beats

January 8th, 2020|Country: Burundi, Sweden|

Crooners, rappers and comeback kids, a diva and a soccer hymn: our first dispatch of freshest tunes from Burundi will satisfy your Afrobeat, R&B and hip-hop cravings and lift you up

The True Treasure of Monaco Is Its Deranged Music: Hardcore Hydrogen Anal, Hypercut, 2018

December 20th, 2019|Country: Monaco|

An avant-garde space adventure into the music of the 20th century from Monégasque metalheads who made a music video using Artificial Intelligence

Avant-Garde Music, Abstract Art, and Good Friends: ‘Do.So’ by Rolando Renè and ‘Trónco’ by Trónco from Torto Editions, 2019

December 9th, 2019|Country: Canada, Italy|

An Italian music label makes a premiere with two records of experimental music. One is a dramatic showcase of string musicians playing dangerously, another—an immersive easy listening experience

From Beslan hostage to hip-hop artist—Indi, ‘Perviy’, 2019

December 5th, 2019|Country: North Ossetia, Russia|

A survivor of the Beslan school siege and chronic illness creates soulful hip-hop about love, faith, and perseverance, blending Moscow moodiness with Caucasus mountains flair

Music: Senyawa, Sujud, 2018

November 26th, 2019|Country: Indonesia|

Dark experimental doom folk duo from the center of Javanese culture makes bringing music back to nature a visceral, earthy experience with handmade instruments and radical approach to vocals

Music: Rytmus, Krstný Otec, 2016

November 15th, 2019|Country: Slovakia|

An exploration of Slovakia's cultural and political contexts as a rapper reflects on the two decades of his career which made him, a working class Roma boy, into a superstar

Music: Davlatmand Kholov and Abdoussatar Abdoullaev, Tadjikistan. Davlatmand, Art and Folk Music, 1992

November 5th, 2019|Country: Tajikistan|

Music from the mountains of Pamir infused with Sufi mysticism as performed by its master: a testament to the power of Tajik-Persian culture that will entice lovers of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Music: Mighty Sparrow, Soca Anthology: Doctor Bird, 2011

October 21st, 2019|Country: Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago|

The most honored king of calypso whose sharp tongue had turned to a variety of topics, like sex, race, slavery and politics, which he then fearlessly explored—a musical treasure still performing at 84

Music: Laetitia Zonzambe, Sanza Soul, 2017

October 10th, 2019|Country: Canada, Central African Republic|

A singer's resilient voice serves as a reminder that the Central African Republic isn't just about war and poverty, but has quite a cultural heritage that is reimagined for the contemporary audience

Music: Mitra Sumara, Tahdig, 2018

September 6th, 2019|Country: Iran, USA|

An NYC-based avant-garde band fronted by a singer who found her Persian roots reimagines the music of pre-Islamic Revolution Iran: a delectable adventure into Tehran's sexy disco past

Music: Cherrie, Sherihan, 2016

August 17th, 2019|Country: Somalia, Sweden|

The first album by the Somali-Swedish R&B diva whose song “163 För Evigt” became a sensation worldwide despite the language barrier: powerful music informed by growing up black in Europe

Music: Narasirato, Inoni Ana Totoraha, 2015

July 26th, 2019|Country: Solomon Islands|

A perfect soundtrack for preventing climate change from a 17 piece panpipe orchestra who live and work near the rainforest: traditional yet modern Solomon Islands music that lights up rock festivals

Music: Huarere, Homson Tribute, 2004

July 14th, 2019|Country: Vanuatu|

Reggae from Vanuatu that’s both a testament to the genre’s power and a potent reimagining of it, drenched in Oceanian culture and realities. Archipelago dwellers sure know how to make intelligent beach music

Music: Afro-Beat Airways, West African Shock Waves: Ghana & Togo 1972-1978, 2010

July 2nd, 2019|Country: Ghana, Togo|

1970s psychedelic funk from the less explored musically regions of West Africa: fresh soundings of the epoch that sometimes doesn’t seem like it could be cool again

Music: Tenzin Choegyal and Taro Terahara, The Awakened Heart, 2011

June 21st, 2019|Country: Australia, Japan, Tibet|

Calming, healing collection of mantras, both ancient and contemporary, in a collaboration between Tibetan musician based in Australia and the Japanese master of the bansuri flute

Music: Ngaiire, Blastoma, 2016

June 11th, 2019|Country: Australia, Papua New Guinea|

Dark, danceable future soul from Papua New Guinea in a sophomore album named after the singer’s childhood cancer: Ngaiire is a talent from Oceania to look out for

Music: Bamba Pana, Poaa, 2018

May 29th, 2019|Country: Tanzania|

Singali reimagined for Dar Es Salaam’s dancefloors in this album of Tanzanian electronica of the future

Music: M.I.A., Arular, 2005

May 22nd, 2019|Country: Tamil Eelam, United Kingdom|

The vernacular of rootlessness, multiculturalism and politics of war in one of the greatest albums to come out in the 21st century so far

Abkhazia	Congo-Brazzaville	Indonesia	New Zealand	Spain
Afghanistan	Costa Rica	Iran	Nicaragua	Sri Lanka
Albania	Côte d’Ivoire	Iraq	Niger	Sudan
Algeria	Croatia	Ireland	Nigeria	Suriname
Andorra	Cuba	Israel	Niue	Sweden
Angola	Cyprus	Italy	North Korea	Switzerland
Antigua-and-Barbuda	Czech Republic	Iwaidja People	North Ossetia	Syria
Argentina	Dagestan	Jamaica	Norway	Taiwan
Armenia	Denmark	Japan	Oman	Tajikistan
Arrernte	Dominica	Jordan	Pakistan	Tamil Nadu
Aruba	Dominican Republic	Kanak People	Palestine	Tanzania
Australia	DR Congo	Karelia	Panama	Tatarstan
Austria	Dunghutti People	Kashmir	Papua New Guinea	Thailand
Azerbaijan	Ecuador	Kazakhstan	Paraguay	Tibet
Bahamas	Eelam Tamil	Kenya	Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians	Timor-Leste
Bahrain	Egypt	Kosovo	Peru	Tiwi Islands
Balochistan	El Salvador	Kurdistan	Philippines	Togo
Bangladesh	Estonia	Kyrgyzstan	Poland	Tonga
Barbados	Eswatini	Laos	Portugal	Torres Strait Islands
Bashkortostan	Ethiopia	Latvia	Puerto Rico	Transnistria
Belarus	Faroe Islands	Lebanon	Qatar	Trinidad and Tobago
Belgium	Fiji	Liberia	Rapa Nui	Tunisia
Belize	Finland	Libya	Reunion	Turkey
Benin	France	Lithuania	Roma	Turkmenistan
Bermuda	French Guiana	Luxembourg	Romania	Tuvalu
Bhutan	Gabon	Macedonia	Russia	Uganda
Biripi People	Gambia	Madagascar	Rwanda	Ukraine
Bolivia	Garifuna Nation	Malak Malak People	Saint Kitts and Nevis	United Kingdom
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Garrwa People	Malawi	Saint Lucia	Uruguay
Botswana	Georgia	Malaysia	Saint Vincent and The Grenadines	USA
Brazil	Germany	Mali	Samoa	Uyghur Nation
Brunei	Ghana	Malta	San Marino	Uzbekistan
Bulgaria	Golan Heights	Māori	Sao Tome and Principe	Vanuatu
Burkina Faso	Greece	Martinique	Saudi Arabia	Venezuela
Burundi	Greenland	Mauritania	Scotland	Vietnam
Buryatia	Grenada	Mauritius	Senegal	Wales
Cabo Verde	Guatemala	Mexico	Serbia	Wallis and Futuna
Cambodia	Guinea	Moldova	Sierra Leone	Water
Cameroon	Guyana	Monaco	Singapore	Yemen
Canada	Haida Gwaii	Morocco	Slovakia	Yöruk People
Central African Republic	Haiti	Mozambique	Slovenia	Zambia
Chad	Ho-Chunk Nation	Myanmar	Solomon Islands	Zimbabwe
Chile	Honduras	Namibia	Somalia
China	Hong Kong	Native American Tribes	South Africa
Chinook Nation	Hungary	Nepal	South Korea
Colombia	Iceland	Netherlands	South Ossetia
Comoros	India	New Caledonia	South Sudan

MUSIC

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