Around the World
12 July 2024
This Week
Music from: Amsterdam, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, California, Côte d'Ivoire, Czech Republic, England Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Portugal, Slovenia, and Tanzania.
Music by: Albaluna, Altin Gün, Andrew Guruwiwi Band, Atàndá, Atse Tewodros Project & Gabriella Ghermandi, Bala Desejo, Dele Sosimi & The Estuary 21, Dobet Gnahoré, Eliza Carthy & The Restitution, Hoobastank, Jordan Rakei, Katja Šulc, Landless, Martin Brdečko, Mdou Moctar, Ol Sing Blong Plantesen, Olcay Bayir, Pamela Badjogo, Radical Son, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Son Rompe Pera, Sona Jobarteh, Suonno D'Ajere, Suzumeno Tears, and The Zawose Queens
The Featured Album: Bilambiyal (The Learning) by Radical Son
Elder - Radical Son
Radical Son, David Leha, is from the Kamilaroi nation of Australia and the South Pacific nation of Tonga. [Website]
“Coming from hip hop roots, moving through soul, and then moving into a space where music and activism meets, Radical Son’s music has really punched through the heart of the Australian industry...” - Sosefina Fuamoli, ABC Pacific
“Authenticity. Understanding. Optimism. Hope. Intuition. True meaning. Humility. Ethics. Value.” David Leha chooses his words deliberately; delivers them in a huge, weathered voice as unyielding as stone. These are titled Cultural Contract: a powerful spoken word interlude on his second album as Radical Son, Bilambiyal (The Learning).[pronounced bil-lamb-be-yewl]
“What matters changes day by day, in terms of what people are going through, what they have to do, what’s next, what plans that they have for their life,” the singer says. “We are all on that constantly changing journey of learning; of understanding ourselves and each other. I think those words feel like a strong foundation for some guidance.”
Bilambiyal — The Learning in the Gamileraay tongue of his mother’s Kamileroi people — is a watershed for Radical Son. It’s a modern Australian soul record, an unflinching stocktake of a sometimes troubled past and a resolute statement of personal survival. A sharing of lessons learnt and an act of guidance for those who follow.’
Those who have witnessed Radical Son in performance never fail to feel that power. His jaw-dropping version of Archie Roach’s Walking Into Doors has been met with open mouths and standing ovations at Port Fairy and Parrtjima Festivals, a testament to his commanding presence and interpretive skill as well as a deep connection to his late mentor.
The lead single, Elder — rapturously received in June by media as diverse as ABC Radio National, MTV, Frankie magazine and Triple J — is a key declaration, a statement of devotion to country, his Kamilaroi and Tongan cultures, and to maintaining those lines of knowledge and belonging.
From song to song, Bilambiyal is an act of constant evaluation and balance. The album’s second single, Until You Call My Name, fathoms dark days to emerge stronger in the process of remembering and expressing. “Highs and Lows, we’ve only one life,” he sings in the reggae centrepiece, Only One Life. “Now that times are good, let’s enjoy it like we should.”
“I don’t know if I was aware that a theme would come through,” he says. “I guess I’m not surprised if there something that ties it all together. But that something would have to be myself.” [Lifted from the Press Release that accompanies the new Radical Son album.]
Also on Around the World
Full Running Order
Part 1
Bala Desejo Baile De Máscaras (Recarnaval) SIM SIM SIM
Pamela Badjogo Tounka YIÊH
Suonno D'Ajere Mare 'e Margellina Nun v' annammurate
Radical Son All My Life Bilambiyal (The Learning)
Landless Blackwaterside Lúireach
Martin Brdečko Jano Z Hory Jede 23
Suzumeno Tears Itokuri Bushi (feat. Tomoko Kageyama) Sparrow's Arrows Fly so High
Rodrigo y Gabriela True Nature In Between Thoughts...A New World
Altin Gün Vallahi Yok Vallahi Yok / Kırık Cam - Single
Atàndá Ogundele Ọ̀mọ̀nílẹ̀ Son of the Soil
Ol Sing Blong Plantesen Komarakakua Ol Sing Blong Plantesen
Radical Son Only One Life Bilambiyal (The Learning)
Hoobastank The Reason (Sped Up)
The Zawose Queens Maisha Maisha
Andrew Gurawiwi Band Arriba Sing Your Own Song
Part 2
Sona Jobarteh Fondinkeeya Badinyaa Kumoo
Jordan Rakei Family What We Call Life
Katja Šulc To the Pine Tree West Wind Blow from your Prairie Nest
Radical Son Yuluwirri Wandabaa Bilambiyal (The Learning)
Eliza Carthy & The Restitution Good Morning Mr Walker Queen of the Whirl
Dele Sosimi & The Estuary 21 Ẹ Si M'ẹ̀dọ̀ (feat. Lizzy Dosunmu) The Confluence - EP
Olcay Bayir Ötme Bülbül Tu Gulî
Atse Tewodros Project & Gabriella Ghermandi Set Nat Maqeda
Dobet Gnahoré Zouzou Zouzou
Son Rompe Pera Proteus (feat. Gil Gutierrez) Chimborazo
Radical Son The Fall Bilambiyal (The Learning)
Albaluna Sob O Manto Diáfano da Fantasia Ennead
Mdou Moctar Oh France Funeral for Justice
Bala Desejo: “Dora Morelenbaum, Julia Mestre, Lucas Nunes, and Zé Ibarra emerged from the confinement of Rio with diverse experiences and creative processes and decided that this variety should be reflected in their songs. Bala Desejo is like a juice with many ingredients, with a nostalgic and joyful aura, typical Brazilian sounds, and a lot of charisma, and perfect for listening to on a sunny Sunday morning.” [Bandcamp]
Suonno D'Ajere: A trio that breathes together from the slightest to the fullest whisper.
A voice, that of Irene Scarpato, frontwoman of the group, a vocal and scenic body that releases a variety of timbres as bewitching as essential. A guitar, played in many different styles: from the “posteggia”‘s ripped to the Van Wood’s stoppato.
A mandolin and a mandoloncello, always on the move, constantly looking for a sensual touch, as virtuosic as it is expressive, An ensemble made of three instruments dialoguing and humoring each other, running in countertempo through a sought-after repertoire of genres: from serenata to “tear-jerking” song, from macchietta to unpublished composition. - Paquale Scialò – Musicologist. [Website]
World Music Festival Bratislava - A unique music festival in the historic city centre of Bratislava
Suonno D'Ajere are among the bands and musicians playing at this year’s World Music Festival in Bratislava. Held between 15th to 18th of August 2024, the line-up includes Džambo Aguševi Orchestra (North Macedonia), Alice in Wonderband (Serbia), Imed Alibi & Khalil Epi (Tunisia), Nguyên Lê Trio (France) and Driss El Maloumi Trio (Morocco) as well as many Slovakian bands. The website has the up-to-date details.
Martin Brdečko is a flute player from Czech Republic. His album of Lullabies is called 23. There are 24 songs each in and around a minute long – longest 1’45”, shortest 41 seconds. The music is from Moravia – some go back more than 800 years.
Three very different pieces of music from England.
First – the Traditional musician with a very strong sense of modern music – Eliza Carthy, daughter of Martin Carthy who taught Paul Simon the song Scarborough Fair, and the late Norma Waterson whose career as a member of the English folk band The watersons goes way back to the 1960s and possibly before.
From London, the Nigerian/British musician Deli Sosimi who music was described by my fellow panel member of World Music Chart Europe Max Reinhardt as "The most fluent Afrobeat you're going to hear today". The 61 year old was born in Hackney, London, but his career really began then took off when he joined Fela - Kuti's Egypt 80.
Kurdish Anatolian singer-songwriter Olcay Bayir, was born in southeast Turkey not far from the Syrian border. As a teenager, she moved to London with her family, but has kept her music strongly rooted in the region where her family are from.
Where and when to listen
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)
Saturday:
RCFM (Radio City FM) Duisburg, Germany 3:00 – 5:00 pm CET
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)
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).
Slice Audio 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Ferry FM 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Armagh City Radio 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Monday:
SparkFlame Radio: 00:00 am GMT (01:00 CET)
Waterwaves Radio: 8:00 pm GMT (21:00 CET)
KNC Radio St Lucia 6:00 am local time (10:00 am GMT 11:00 am 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)
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)
Radio Skye (Radio Garden) 10:00 pm GMT (11:00 pm CET)
Stirling Community Radio 10:00 pm GMT (11:00 pm CET)