Around the World - Preview
7 March 2025
This Week
You can listen to the show on Mixcloud.
Music from: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, England, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Mali, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Sicily, Senegal, Spain, and Ukraine.
Music by: Abavuki, Amparo Sánchez, Amsterdam Klezmer Band, Daughters of Donbas, Eliza Carthy & The Restitution, Fluke, Frigg, Gordon Lightfoot, Horslips, Ichiko Aoba, Karolina Węgrzyn, Kasiva Mutua, La Bottine Souriante & Riccardo Tesi, Meybahar, Momi Maiga, Mostar Sevdah Reunion, Peixe e Limão, Peter Somuah, Roberta Gulisano, Songhoy Blues, The Bongo Hop & Moonlight Benjamin, and Thiago Amud.
The Featured Album is Making Moves by Santrofi
Santrofi performing “Gyae me How” (one of the songs on Making Moves) live in the French alps
It has been four years since Santrofi released their first album. The debut, Alewa, introduced this 8-piece Highlife band from Accra, the capital and largest city in Ghana, to the world. The collective is made up of a young generation of award winning musicians who have played backline to others in Ghana and Nigeria. But their passion isn’t local pop, it’s Highlife.
After five years on the road, Santrofi’s second release, Making Moves, is co-produced and mixed by four-time Grammy Award winner Jerry Boys who has previously worked with REM, Ali Farka Toure, Buena Vista Social Club, Orchestra Baobab, and Kronos Quartet.
Led by producer-bassist Kojo Ofori, Santrofi brings together 8 of Accra’s most gifted musicians with a passion for both vintage highlife grooves and modern-day hip hop. Members of the band have played with leading Ghanaian artists including Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Ambolley, AK Yeboah and highlife pioneer AB Crentsil with whom they recorded just before his death.
Ichiko Aoba - SONAR (Official Music Video)
As I have often said, I am not an expert in “world music”, I’m an explorer. And from time to time, I think I’ve discovered something new only to find out many people have arrived there long before me. At the beginning of February, this article in The Guardian introduced me to Ichiko Aoba. I was soon to discover that she had been releasing music since 2010, had made 17 albums both live and studio, and had a bunch of collaborations!
There is a strong chance that you are aware of this excellent Japanese musician. If you are not … we’ll here’s something you might enjoy quite a lot.
Abavuki - Nights in Langa - LIVE at Afrikafestival Hertme 2015
“Oh yes I remember it well” as the song goes. I had just moved to Bled in Slovenia having retired from 25 years in the BBC and eight or nine years as a freelance. The legendary Okarina Festival was in full swing, and I was in Festival Hall to see Abavuki. I few years before I had been working with a radio station in Cape Town but had not seen any bands when I was there. I was particularly excited to see this band.
That night in my blog reviewing the concert I wrote "The most energetic band I have ever seen...they weave traditional African rhythms and melodies into a contemporary format which is highly accessible to a wide audience".
Marimbas, brass, guitars were changing hands with every song – and dance, dance, dance. And now looking back I have found the Bled Castle (part of the organising team for Okarina) Tweet. The video above is from the same period.
And now with their new album The Right Key released while I was on holiday (in Bled!), all of those memories come back. In the 10 years that have passed since watching Abavuki, I have played many of their tracks on the show and I’m glad to be playing more.
March 2025
1 MAKING MOVES prev month: ---
Santrofi • Ghana • OutHere Records
2 GRILLI prev month: 2
L’Alba • France (Corsica) • Buda Musique
3 BAARAKELAW prev month: 43
Samba Touré • Mali • Glitterbeat
4 LUOHTENIEGUT prev month: 66
Áššu • Finland • Nordic Notes
5 BOSA MARA prev month: 3
Mostar Sevdah Reunion • Bosnia & Herzegovina • Snail Records
6 SPLOTY prev month: 1
Warsaw Village Band & Bassałyki • Poland • Karrot Kommando
7 HERITAGE prev month: 20
Songhoy Blues • Mali • Transgressive Records
8 LIVE IN BASEL prev month: ---
Baba Sissoko & Mediterranean Blues • Mali/Italy • Caligola
9 ONDA prev month: 143
Joao Selva • Brazil • Underdog
10 REELE BUMBOU prev month: ---
Kaito Winse • Burkina Faso • Zephyrus
11 DREAMSCAPES prev month: 148
Frigg • Finland • Bafe’s Factory
12 OY VESNA KRASNA prev month: 108
Karolina Wegrzyn • Poland • self released
13 JOKU RAJA RAKKAUDESAKIN prev month: 41
Pauanne • Finland • Nordic Notes
14 KAIRO prev month: 4
Momi Maiga • Senegal/Spain • Segell Microscopi
15 JORE JORE prev month: 9
Ildikó Kali • Slovakia • self released
16 ALL LIVING THINGS prev month: ---
Park Jiha • South Korea • Glitterbeat
17 LA PATA COJA prev month: 53
The Bongo Hop • France • Underdog
18 EKOYA prev month: 88
Jupiter & Okwess • DR Congo • Airfono
19 HUNTER FOLK VOL. 1: TRIBUTE TO TOUMANI KONÉ prev month: 5
Nfaly Diakité • Mali • Mieruba
20 PIKNIK prev month: 50
Uusikuu • Finland/Germany • Nordic Notes
Compiled by Milan Tesar on behalf of the World Music Workshop of the European Broadcasting Union from playlists of 44 radio producers in 25 European countries.
1. Samba Touré · Baarakelaw · Glitterbeat [2]
2. Trio Da Kali · Bagola · One World [-]
3. Al Andaluz Project · The Songs of Iman Kandoussi: Traditional Arabic Andalusian · Galileo Music Communication [1]
4. Santrofi · Making Moves · Outhere [-]
5. Rizwan Muazzam Qawwali · At the Feet of the Beloved · Real World [-]
6. Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa / Warsaw Village Band & Bassałyki · Sploty / Twines · Karrot Kommando [3]
7. Aboubakar Traoré & Balima · Sababu · Zephyrus [4]
8. Christine Zayed · Kama Kuntu · T-Rec [6]
9. Jupiter & Okwess · Ekoya · Airfono [-]
10. Mostar Sevdah Reunion · Bosa Mara · Snail [21]
11. Frigg · Dreamscapes · Bafe’s Factory [-]
12. Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna Orchestra · Tension · Batov [17]
13. L’Alba · Grilli · Buda Musique [16]
14. Park Jiha · All Living Things · Tak:til / Glitterbeat [-]
15. Sauljaljui · Vaivaik · Wind Music [7]
16. Novalima · La Danza (Deluxe Version) · Six Degrees [-]
17. Ensemble Chakâm · Les Vents Brûlants / The Blazing Winds · Ensemble Chakâm [-]
18. Arat Kilo · Danama · Accords Croisés [-]
19. Rita Donte · Ritual · Ansonia [-]
20. Ablaye Cissoko & Cyrille Brotto · Djiyo · Ma Case [-]
21. Songhoy Blues · Héritage · Transgressive [-]
22. Okwy Osadebe and Highlife SoundMakers International · Music for Igbo Masquerade · Odogwu Entertainment / Palenque [-]
23. Áššu · Luohtenlegut · Nordic Notes / CPL-Musicgroup [-]
24. Gnonnas Pedro & His Dadjes Band · Roi de l’Agbadja Moderne 1974-1983 · Analog Africa [-]
25. Toranj Quartet · Kowli Var · Liburia [19]
26. Mario Lucio · Independance · Maremusica [-]
27. Flook · Sanju · Flatfish [-]
28. Sudeshna Bhattacharya & Mosin Khan Kawa · Mohini · Motvind [-]
29. Mircan Kaya · Hudey · UCM Productions [-]
30. The Baltic Sisters · Värav / Vārti / Vartai · CPL-Music / CPL-Musicgroup [11]
31. Anne-Mari Kivimäki · Kotiin · Rockadillo [-]
32. The Bongo Hop · La Pata Coja · Underdog [10]
33. Karolina Węgrzyn · Oy Vesna Krasna · Karolina Węgrzyn [25]
34. Fanoos Ensemble · Echoes of Afghanistan · Fanoos Ensemble [-]
35. Vaudou Game · Fintou · Hot Casa [-]
36. Trancexpress · Trancexpress · Muzyka Zakorzeniona [-]
37. Cserepes · The Beginning of the Beginning: Africa Remix · Fonó [14]
38. L. Shankar · Full Moon · X DOT 25 Music [-]
39. Matachindé · Morir Cantando · Palenque [23]
40. Meybahar · Meybahar · Fonó [-]
Download the chart as a PDF file
Where and when to hear Around the World
Thursday:
LIVE DRN1 Perth Western Australia - 9:00 p.m. local time (2:00 pm CET)
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:
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
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).
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)
Armagh City Radio 10:00 pm local time (11:00 pm CET)
Monday:
SparkFlame Radio: 00:00 am GMT (01:00 CET)
Circl8 Chester: 12:00 noon
Waterwaves Radio: 9:00 pm GMT (22:00 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)
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
Stirling Community Radio 8:00 pm GMT (9:00 pm CET)
Best City Radio (Belfast) 10:00 pm
Radio Skye (Radio Garden) 10:00 pm GMT (11:00 pm CET)