This week
You can listen to the show on Mixcloud
Music from: Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Macronesia, Mexico, North Macedonia, Prague, Reunion, Rwanda, Skye, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Texas, Ukraine, and Wales
Music by: Adrian Quesada & Trish Toledo, Baklava & Elena Baklava, Barbora Xu, Brighde Chaimbeul, Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, Daughters of Donbas, Duo Ruut, Entre Ilha, Haris Pilton, Koupes (Κούπες ), Laura Itandehui, Levina Storåkern, Lina & Jules Maxwell, Mila Trani, Murmurosi, Nina Rosa, Söndörgő, Stefano Saletti, Tempus, The Gentle Good, The Good Ones, Värttinä, and Votia
This week’s Featured Album: Nidia Góngora - Pacífico Maravilla
Nidia Góngora is acclaimed as the leading contemporary voice of Colombia’s Pacific Afro-descendant musical traditions. Originating from Timbiquí, a region renowned for its rhythmic marimba-driven music, Góngora is a composer, educator, researcher, and passionate cultural ambassador. She rose to prominence as lead singer for Canalón de Timbiquí, with whom she earned a Latin Grammy nomination in 2019, and has since collaborated with international acts including Quantic, Ondatrópica, Bahía, and The Bongo Hop, bridging traditional roots with modern musical sensibilities.
Góngora’s art is grounded in the marimba’s distinctive sound, a blend of African and Indigenous musical traditions recognized in Colombia as intangible cultural heritage. Her collaborations with British producer Quantic—on albums “Curao” (2017) and “Almas Conectadas” (2021-2022)—have brought Pacific Colombian folklore to global audiences, fusing marimba with cumbia, funk, and electronic sounds. Her music is also marked by lyrical intelligence, celebrating—especially through lullabies, story-songs, and ceremonial pieces—the lived experience, memory, and nature of the Pacific region.
2025 is a banner year: Góngora will release her long-awaited solo album, “Pacífico Maravilla” (April 2025), which sees her collaborating with Cuban singer Daymé Arocena and Costa Rican poet Shirley Campbell, among others. The album reflects on grief, gratitude, and the beauty of Pacific Colombian daily life, produced with support from leading Latin Grammy-winning engineers. She is also performing internationally with a new all-women ensemble, bringing the music of her albums and her signature “muvelo negro” songs to new venues and festivals.
Nidia Góngora. Singing The Memories Of Her People. - News & views from emerging countries
Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino (CGS)
Founded in 1975 in Lecce by writer-activist Rina Durante, CGS revived Salento’s pizzica/tarantella and the trance-inducing ritual of “tarantism,” while continually reimagining tradition with modern arrangements and collaborations. Under Mauro Durante (since 2007), they’ve expanded globally with 20 albums, projects like “Taranta” (with Ludovico Einaudi), and landmark appearances at La Notte della Taranta before 100,000+.
ABOUT – Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
Adrian Quesada & Trish Toledo
Grammy-winning Black Pumas co-founder Adrian Quesada bridges psychedelic soul, Latin, and funk; his solo albums Boleros Psicodélicos (I & II, 2022–2025) reimagine ’60s–’70s balada/bolero with cinematic production and guests, including the 2025 single “Ojos Secos” with Cuco.
LA-based Trish Toledo revives early-’60s pop, soul, and doo-wop with a modern edge, earning a devoted fanbase. In August 2025 at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, Toledo opened Quesada’s Boleros Psicodélicos set featuring iLe, Angélica Garcia, and Mireya Ramos—an authentic, cross-generational showcase. Both artists are poised for further cross-genre projects, tours, and releases.
Under The Influence: Adrian Quesada | Sounds and Colours
Laura Itandehui
Oaxaca-born, Mexico City–raised singer-songwriter weaving Mexican folk (huapango, son, bolero, ranchera), pan-Latin rhythms (salsa, samba, vallenato, cumbia), and jazz-rooted expressiveness. Si Me Ven Alegre (March 2025), produced by Gustavo Guerrero at El Desierto Casa Estudio, widens her palette while centering lyrical storytelling about joy and growth.
The title track (a paseo vallenato) draws on travel in Colombia; “Causa Perdida” channels Cuban danzón. Recent highlights include Bahidorá (2025), a residency in Krems, and Glatt & Verkehrt festival. She tours flexibly—solo to sextet—embodying the vitality of contemporary Latin songwriter culture.
Laura Itandehui: "Prefiero salir a buscar un río que un bar" - Revista Marvin
Brìghde Chaimbeul
Scottish smallpipes innovator from Skye whose immersive, trance-like minimalism sits between Hebridean ritual and the avant-garde. Sunwise (June 2025, tak:til/Glitterbeat) deepens her focus on drones, cyclic melodies, and folklore-inspired forms, evolving from Carry Them With Us (2023).
Recent solo sets at experimental festivals (e.g., Supersonic, UK) and collaborations with Caroline Polachek and Colin Stetson position her at the frontier of contemporary Celtic music; a summer 2025 tour extends the album’s meditative world.
Pipe Drone Zone: Brìghde Chaimbeul Returns With Sunwise | World Music Central
Sunwise – Brighde Chaimbeul | Monorail Music
Barbora Xu
Czech-born, Finland-based singer-composer blending Finnish kantele and Chinese guzheng with ancient Finnish/Chinese/Taiwanese poetry, guided by eco-poetic themes. Olin Ennen (I Was, Nordic Notes) interlaces Finnish and Mandarin vocals with luminous minimalism.
Her research on Taiwanese Bunun traditions and studies at the Sibelius Academy inform intercultural initiatives (“Ask Your Elders”) and international performances (Kings Place, Turku Concert Hall). Xu continues to develop repertoire where cultural dialogue and environmental consciousness meet.
Olin Ennen (I Was) - FolkWorks
Stefano Saletti
Mediterranean fusion pillar, multi-instrumentalist (bouzouki, oud, saz, guitar), founder of Novalia and leader of Banda Ikona (singing in Sabir, the historic Mediterranean lingua franca). Mediterranima (2025) presents nine Sabir songs with a large ensemble (Ginevra Di Marco, Elena Ledda, Lucilla Galeazzi, Eleonora Bordonaro), arguing for unity through art.
The album launch at Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica (May 2025) underscored his convening role. With 25+ albums, direction roles (Sete Sois Sete Luas Festival), and broad collaborations, Saletti remains central to Italy’s folk renewal.
STEFANO SALETTI - Napoli World - Musiconnect Italy
Söndörgő
Hungarian tambura virtuosos (founded 1995 by the Eredics family), reimagining Southern Slavic traditions with improvisation and modern instrumentation. Albums like Tamburocket – Hungarian Fireworks (2014) and Eight 8 Nyolc (2019) show rhythmic intricacy and genre fluidity.
Gyezz (2024, GroundUP) with Chris Potter topped the World Music Charts Europe and Songlines’ Top of the World. Their 30th anniversary (2025) brings a new compilation, major festival tours (including Finland), and a residency at Budapest’s Palace of Arts; members also teach at the Budapest Academy of Music.
Daily Discovery: Söndörgő - from Hungary - Rhythm Passport
Söndörgő, Explorers of Hungarian and Balkan Traditions | World Music Central
Entre Ilhas
A Macaronesian “island bridge” connecting the Canaries, Madeira, Azores, and Cape Verde. Macaronesia Vol. 1 (2025) threads local folklore with contemporary world music, pairing timple, cavaquinho, laúd, and viola caipira with electric rhythm sections.
They couple performance with cultural education and environmental awareness, mapping Atlantic identities. In 2025 they headlined Festival Soltura (Gran Canaria) and premiered the festival anthem, with further collaborations and “island map” expansion in view.
Entre Ilhas reúne el sábado en La Granja a músicos de toda la Macaronesia
Värttinä
Formed in 1983 in Rääkkylä, Finland, Värttinä’s razor-sharp polyphony, dialect singing, and all-female front line propelled Finnish-Karelian traditions onto global stages. After Oi Dai (1991), they appeared at WOMAD, Rock in Rio, Sziget, and co-created the Lord of the Rings stage musical with A.R. Rahman.
Releases like Viena (2015), Iki, Miero, and the single LOUHI (2021) pair tradition and reinvention. Current tours feature “Värttinä Vieraissa” (Finnish pop reinterpretations) and collaborations with jazz orchestras and artists like Paleface.
Music Finland | Pioneers: To infinity and beyond – four decades of…
Haris Pilton
Ljubljana-based producer/multi-instrumentalist blending reggae, dub, Balkan beats, and electrified gypsy brass. Soon in Your Village (2025) with the Balkan Voodoo Orchestra fuses Bulgarian choirs, brass, and electronics for kinetic, dancefloor-ready sets.
Signature tracks (“Gitanos,” “Cargo Dub,” “Gipsy Lioness”), remixes, and festival runs (Overjam, Seasplash, Goulash Disko) cement his party-circuit stature; lyrics often touch on struggle, love, and unity.
Haris Pilton - Asphalt Tango Records
Lina & Jules Maxwell
Portuguese fado voice Lina Rodrigues and Irish composer Jules Maxwell merge saudade and atmospheric electronica/folk. Terra Mãe (June 2025, Atlantic Curve / Schubert Music Europe), produced by James Chapman (Maps), features nine originals with lyrics partly by Amélia Muge.
Following Lina’s Fado Camões (2024)—winner of Transglobal World Music Chart’s Best European Record (2023/2024)—they staged a gala at Malmesbury Abbey (June 23, 2025), honoring tradition without diluting either voice, now touring major European stages.
LINA & Jules Maxwell are releasing a new album “Terra Mae” | Schubert Music Publishing
Lina_ And Jules Maxwell Forge Musical Bridges On "Terra Mãe" | Music Arena Gh
The Gentle Good (Gareth Bonello)
Cardiff songwriter whose pristine guitar work and melodies reframe Welsh tradition. Ruins / Adfeilion won the Welsh Music Prize (2016–2017); Y Bardd Anfarwol (2013), inspired by Li Bai, won Welsh Language Album of the Year (2014 Eisteddfod).
Cross-cultural projects include the Khasi-Cymru Collective (2021). Galargan (2023) offers austere, affecting takes on traditional Welsh songs and appeared in The Guardian’s top folk albums of 2023. He continues to tour internationally.
The Good Ones
Rwandan group formed by genocide survivors Adrien Kazigira and Janvier Havugimana as an act of reconciliation across Tutsi, Hutu, and Abatwa communities. Their cyclical guitar and close harmonies carry African roots/blues inflections, performed in Kinyarwanda.
Albums include RWANDA, You Should Be Loved (2019) and Rwanda Sings With Strings (2025, Glitterbeat). A 2024 NPR Tiny Desk highlighted their moving live presence; collaborations span Tunde Adebimpe to Nels Cline. Proceeds regularly support rural communities.
Afropop Worldwide | The Good Ones: Rwanda, You Should Be Loved
The Good Ones: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert - PM Press
Baklava & Elena Baklava
Since 2005, Macedonian ensemble Baklava has reimagined Balkan traditions with tambura, kaval, and Elena Hristova’s emotive vocals.
Under her solo moniker Elena Baklava, Yorukluk (2025, CPL-Music) explores the
Turkmen-origin Yoruks of Macedonia via reconstructed melodies, asymmetric rhythms, and modern electronics—the first in a planned trilogy, grounded in anthropological research. Baklava’s five albums (incl. From Skopje With Love, 2023) continue to appear at major festivals.
Elena Baklava - Yorukluk | CPL-Music
Votia
Réunion Island family band led by Marie-Claude Lambert-Philéas, heirs to maloya’s polyrhythmic, trance-rooted tradition revived by her father Gramoun Lélé.
Vié Kaz (2025, Ajabu) honors their ancestral home and Lélé’s legacy (20 years on), addressing environmental change and women’s rights. WOMEX showcases and a sold-out European summer tour mark their expanding international presence.
Koupes (Κούπες )
Kastoria-based six-piece (formed 2017) fusing Greek folk dance motifs with rock drive, led by clarinet and gaida atop guitars, bass, and drums.
Three albums culminate in the double LP Αντάρα (Antara, 2024) with Greek and international lyrics; collaborations include Alkis Kehagias (Memphis), Nikos Portokaloglou, Georgia Kefala (Ble). In 2025 they share bills with Yannis Angelakas and Alkinoos Ioannidis across festivals.
Murmurosi
Montreal duo Natalia Telentso (Western Ukraine roots) and Eli Camilo reanimate Ukrainian folk primarily a cappella, balancing scholarship and emotion.
Bohutyn (2020) traces a ritual calendar with polyphony and minimalist frames, occasionally adding bandura (guest Marina Krut), piano, and bass. Their cinematic shows, workshops, and community work sustain transmission of song in times of upheaval.
Murmurosi / Мурмуроси — Eli Camilo Music
Levina Storåkern
Swedish musician/poet crossing Nordic folk, spoken word, and experimental sound art (Diket, Ævestaden; solo).
Månadsvill (May 2025, Punkt Records) blends field recordings, recitation, electronics, kantele, and violin into time-cycling vignettes. Honors include the Edvard Prize and Manifestgalan’s Folk Music of the Year; recent performances include Bergen Kunsthall’s “Poesi i villniset.”
Poesi i villniset 2 / Bergen Kunsthall
Tempus
Czech seven-piece “medieval rock” ensemble (since 2007) fusing hurdy gurdy, shawms, cornamuse, bagpipes with guitars/violin and Linda Ravena’s vocal lead.
Drawing on medieval/Renaissance sources with theatrical flair, they lean heavier on tracks like “Spellbound” (2020). Active touring continues across CZ and Slovakia (autumn 2025), with Bludička anticipated next.
Home - Tempus, fantasy world music
Videos - Tempus, fantasy world music
Duo Ruut
Estonian pair Ann-Lisett Rebane and Katariina Kivi perform face-to-face over a single kannel, crafting minimalist, modern runo-song.
Tuule sõnad (2019) won Debut Album of the Year (Estonian Ethno Music Awards); Kulla kerguseks (2021) and Ilmateade (2024) deepen their delicate, handclap-and-harmony minimalism around weather’s metaphors. Touring in 20+ countries includes Glastonbury 2024 and global press praise.
Duo Ruut: Two voices, one instrument, endless horizons — Estonia
FEATURE: Spotlight: Duo Ruut — Music Musings & Such
Mila Trani
Milan/Barcelona-based vocalist, composer, and choral director interlacing Mediterranean, Caribbean, flamenco, jazz, and Italian folk. Beyond solo work since Nove (2012), she leads projects like Elephant Claps and Malanga Voice Orchestra (TEDx Milano, Blue Note).
Menta Selvatica (2025, Segell Microscopi) is a concept album on wild mint’s myth/medicine, invoking tarantismo as metaphor and sonic motif; warmly received, it anchors a summer 2025 run across leading Italian venues.
Wild Mint, Wild Sound: Mila Trani’s Genre-Blending Hybridization | World Music Central
MILA TRANI ci racconta la sua "Menta selvatica" - INTERVISTA - Inside Music
Where and when to hear Around the World
Friday:
Akaroa World Radio 2:00 pm local New Zealand Time (3:00 am GMT 4:00 am CET)
NAR-GROUP Germany – 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m (CET)
Mosel Radio – 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m (CET)
NAR-Alf – 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m (CET)
Waterwaves Radio: 9:00 pm GMT (22:00 CET)
Saturday:
Power 101FM Malawi: 11:00 local time
Flirt FM (Galway's Community of Interest & Student Station) 101.3 10:45 am - 12 45 pm
RCFM (Radio City FM) Duisburg, Germany 3:00 – 5:00 pm CET
U Radio - Sri Lanka 8:00pm - 10:00 pm local time
World FM 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am GMT, 12:00 noon CET)
Essential Radio Midnight to 2:00 am GMT (1:00 am CET)
Sunday:
West Coast FM Namibia 10:00 pm to 12:00 noon Central Africa Time (2:00 to 4:00 GMT)
Power 101FM Malawi: 12:00 local time
NFRS Osaka Japan: 12:00 noon local time (3:00 am UK time 4:00 am CET)
973FM in Singapore and 11:00 pm local time (3:00 pm/15:00 hours UTC – Universal Time).
Circl8 Chester: 12:00 noon
Best City Radio (Belfast) 3:00 pm
Websound Radio (Larne) 8:00 pm
Slice Audio 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Monday:
Armagh City Radio 00:00 pm local time (01:00 pm CET)
SparkFlame Radio: 00:00 am GMT (01:00 CET)
Circl8 Chester: 12:00 noon
Stirling Community Radio 8:00 pm GMT (9:00 pm CET)
Waterwaves Radio: 9:00 pm GMT (22:00 CET)
BR2 Pure Gold Radio – Costa Blanca, Spain 10:00 pm local time (CET)
Akaroa World Radio 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am GMT, 12:00 noon CET)
World FM 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am GMT, 12:00 noon CET)
Tuesday:
Shire Extra: 8:00 pm GMT (21:00 CET)
Waterwaves Radio: 9:00 pm GMT (22:00 CET)
Wednesday:
World FM 4:00 am local New Zealand Time (5:00 pm Tuesday GMT, 6:00 pm CET)
Slice Audio 4:00 am local time GMT (5:00 am CET)
Life Right Radio (London) 7:00 pm
Best City Radio (Belfast) 10:00 pm
Radio Skye (Radio Garden) 10:00 pm GMT (11:00 pm CET)
Thursday:
LIVE DRN1 Perth Western Australia - 9:00 p.m. local time (2:00 pm CET)
Waterwaves Radio: 9:00 pm GMT (22:00 CET)