Around the World - Preview
30 January 2026
You can listen to Around the World on Mixcloud
The first hour is here on Mixcloud
The second hour is here on Mixcloud
This week
Music from: Andalusia, Basque Country, Belgium, Brazil, Estonia, Finland, Gambia, Ghana, Hungary, India, Italy, Kurdistan, Mexico, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Reunion, Slovakia, and Turkey
Music by: Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy, AySay, Dani Larkin, Gabba, Ganavya, Hartwin, Inude, João Leão, Júlia Kozáková, Mahotella Queens, Meral Polat, Nancy Vieira & Fred Martins, Nusantara Beat, Radio Tarifa, SADU, Saodaj’, Senduki, Silvana Estrada, Sophie Lukacs & Noel Mpiaza, Suntou Susso, The Three Seas, Veronika Varga, Xabi Aburruzaga, and Yin Yin.
This Week’s Featured Album 하늘 천 따지 by Gugaknori (A Sky Full of Heavens) or (The Sky Is Full of Heaven)
하늘천따지 Step by step- 구각노리 Gugaknori
Pete Jung of Gugaknori sent Around the World this information about the band and the project.
Gugaknori (Fusion Gugak) Team Introduction
Korea’s original emotion, Gugaknori. The meaning of the name is embedded directly within it—“playing and enjoying Gugak.” Today, how should Gugak be approached? Gugaknori presents a contemporary answer by boldly bringing traditional Korean music into the present. By integrating Western instruments, jazz, dance, and electronic elements, Gugaknori expands the boundaries of traditional Gugak performance. The ensemble delivers a modern and fresh sensibility while conveying the emotional depth and unique charm of Gugak to today’s audiences.
The performance “Living Well” reflects on life through Gugak-based compositions such as Nose, Jjaejina Chingching, and others. It asks how we should live our lives by observing reality from multiple perspectives. In a society where people are constantly pressured and compared, the program questions whether we are truly living well. Through Gugaknori’s creative reinterpretations, the performance expresses reflections on life—sometimes humorous and playful, sometimes serious and contemplative.
Musical Characteristics
The music is rooted in traditional Gugak rhythms (Jangdan) and reconstructed through jazz-based compositional techniques. Traditional Gugak genres and expressions—such as Eorini, Sori (song), and Sigimsae (ornamentation)—are reimagined within a contemporary musical framework. These characteristics allow audiences to intuitively connect with the stories and emotions conveyed through the music.
Performers
Pete Jung – Guitar & Vocal Bachelor of Music, Berklee College of Music Master of Music, FTC, New York An active performer at jazz festivals and art venues in Korea and abroad.
Won Ikjun – Drum Set & Percussion Jazz drummer and percussionist; performer in the musical Nanta Artistic Director of Artuju, CEO of UMI Music Lecturer at universities and cultural institutions, specializing in the fusion of Gugak and jazz.
Lee Aram – Geomungo Graduate of the Korean National University of Arts Recipient of major national Gugak competition awards. Recognized for expressive geomungo performance and contemporary reinterpretations of traditional repertoire.
Jung Gain – Vocal Master’s degree in Korean Traditional Vocal Music Winner of multiple national Gugak competitions and broadcasting awards, including KBS.
Kim Kyuhan – Daegeum Graduate of Korean Traditional Music Department Active performer, ensemble leader, and composer in contemporary Gugak scenes.
Awards
• 2020: SH Corporation Pension Concert Excellence Award
• 2020: Gyeonggi-do Selected Artist
• 2020: World Cultural Heritage Artist Award
• 2019: Seoul Arirang Festival Grand Prize
• 2017: Asia Culture Center Performing Arts Award
Discography
Full Album • Step by Step (2026) • Happy Life (2019)
Single Albums • Lunatic (2020) • The Wind Is Blowing (2021)
Yin Yin - Lecker Song (Live on KEXP)
Yin Yin’s Yatta!, released on January 23, 2026 on Glitterbeat Records, finds the Dutch quartet refining its globe‑spanning, dance‑floor‑minded aesthetic with new precision. The album’s 11 tracks, including “In Search of Yang,” “Spirit Adapter,” and “Lecker Song,” extend the group’s signature fusion of disco, funk, surf, psychedelia, and Southeast Asian motifs.
The band, now comprising Kees Berkers (drums), Remy Scheren (bass), Jerôme Scheren (keyboards), and Erik Bandt (guitar), continues the evolution heard on 2024’s Mount Matsu. Their sound—once dubbed “cosmic disco”—leans further into hypnotic rhythm and shimmering texture, with Italo‑disco influences shaping the album’s spacious, forward‑moving pulse.
Available in multiple vinyl editions and digital formats, Yatta! positions Yin Yin at a moment of confident expansion, balancing retro charm with a restless, contemporary imagination.
Sources: yinyin.bandcamp.com - Rush Hour -
LISANGA (behind-the-scenes) by Sophie Lukacs x Noel Mpiaza feat. Remi Cormier
In an increasingly polarized world, Hungarian-Canadian kora player and singer Sophie Lukacs and Congolese-Canadian drummer and vocalist Noël Mpiaza present “Lisanga,” (unity in Lingala) a sublime multilingual song about our interconnectedness.
Lukacs and Mpiaza speak eight languages between them. For “Lisanga” they chose two: Lingala and French. The track is buoyant and rhythmically driven, the two voices weaving through a melody that stays in your head long after the song ends.
“Lisanga” is the first single from Sophie’s second album, set for release later in 2026.
Budapest‑born and Montreal‑based, Sophie Lukacs has forged a singular path by pairing the West African kora with a songwriter’s lyricism. Trained in classical violin and shaped by the Hungarian folk traditions, she redirected her life after first hearing the kora in Burkina Faso. Seven years of study in Mali rooted her in the instrument’s lineage. Her debut album Bamako (2023) earned Global Roots Album of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards and praise from Songlines for its lyrical poise.
For more information, visit her website:
Noël Mpiaza
Montreal musician and producer Noël Mpiaza, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, draws on Central African rhythmic traditions while pushing into contemporary sound. A drummer, calabash player, vocalist, and in‑demand studio collaborator, he brings long‑standing creative rapport to “Lisanga,” his latest partnership with Lukacs.
Where and when to hear Around the World
Friday:
Akaroa World Radio New Zealand - 2:00 pm local time
NAR-GROUP Germany – 6:00 pm local time
Mosel Radio Germany – 6:00 pm local time
NAR-Alf Germany – 6:00 pm local time
Waterwaves Radio England - 9:00 pm local time
Saturday:
Best City Radio (Belfast, Northern Ireland) - 6:00 am local time
Power 101FM Malawi - 11:00 local time
Flirt FM (Galway’s Community of Interest & Student Station) 101.3 - 10:45 am local time Ireland
Stirling Community Radio - 2:00 pm local time Scotland
RCFM (Radio City FM) Duisburg, Germany - 3:00 local time
U Radio - Sri Lanka 8:00pm - 10:00 pm local time
World FM New Zealand - 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time
Essential Radio Scotland - 12:00 midnight
Sunday:
West Coast FM Namibia - 10:00 am Central Africa Time
Power 101FM Malawi - 12:00 local time
NFRS Osaka Japan - 12:00 noon local time
973FM in Singapore - 11:00 pm local time
Circl8 Chester England - 12:00 noon local time
Best City Radio (Belfast, Northern Ireland) - 3:00 pm local time
MoonFM, Montana - 6:00 pm (Mountain Standard Time)
Websound Radio (Larne Northern Ireland) - 8:00 pm local time
DCRFM (Dover Community Radio England - 7:00pm local time
Slice Audio Northern Ireland - 10:00 pm local time
Holywood Radio - Northern Ireland - Various times
Monday:
Armagh City Radio - 12:00 midnight local time (01:00 pm CET)
SparkFlame Radio - 00:00 am GMT (01:00 CET)
Circl8 Chester England - 12:00 noon local time
Stirling Community Radio Scotland - 10:00 pm local time
Waterwaves Radio England - 9:00 pm local time
BR2 Pure Gold Radio – Costa Blanca, Spain - 10:00 pm local time
Akaroa World Radio New Zealand - 10:00 pm local time
World FM New Zealand - 10:00 pm local time
Tuesday:
Shire Extra Lanarkshire, Scotland - 8:00 pm local time
Waterwaves Radio England - 9:00 pm local time
Wednesday:
World FM New Zealand - 4:00 am local time
Slice Audio Northern Ireland - 4:00 am local time
Life Right Radio London - 7:00 pm local time
Best City Radio Northern Ireland - 10:00 pm local time
Radio Skye Scotland - 10:00 pm local time
Thursday:
Waterwaves Radio England - 9:00 pm local time