Around the World - Show Notes
3 July 2026
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This week on Around the World
You can listen to Around the World on Mixcloud
Music by: Farnaz Ohadi, Folk&Bass Orchestra, GAOUSSOU ‘SOBRA’ KOUYATE, Hannah Peel & Beibei Wang, Kuljit Bhamra & Pappi Singh Kenya, Mah Damba, Maryam Saleh, Minyo Crusaders, Monsieur Doumani, Naked & Lakatos Mónika FolkTrió, Orquesta Akokán, Piers Faccini & Ballaké Sissoko, Sababa 5, Sauljaljui, Seu Jorge, Slavyk, Sly & Robbie, The Beach Boys, Tondini, Yerai Cortés, Yin Yin.
This Week’s Featured Album: Officina Zoè - “Mari e marenne”
Officina Zoè are one of the great pillars of Salento’s pizzica tradition. They have been performing since 1993 and have become a driving force behind the revival of Salento’s traditional music. Their first studio album in more than ten years – “Mari e marenne” (The Sea and Other Stories) – is featured this week on Around the World.
Their sound is instantly recognisable: deep tamburello pulse, trance‑like repetition, raw voices, and the modal swirl of accordion, violin and mandola. Formed in 1993 by Lamberto Probo, Donatello Pisanello and Cinzia Marzo, they have taken pizzica from local village festivals to major international stages including WOMEX, Womad, Premio Tenco, Villa Ada, and tours across the US, Japan and South Korea.
“Officina Zoè isn’t just a musical group; it’s a living laboratory that has been preserving, transforming, and reviving the ancestral pulse of the pizzica for over thirty years. Founded in 1993, the band was born with a clear mission: to restore dignity and vigour to Salento’s song and rhythm, taking them beyond the region’s borders to become a universal language.” The band tell their story and explain their musical philosophy in their newly launched website.
“The beating heart of Officina Zoè was born from the meeting of three people who made ethnomusical research their raison d’être.” They say. “The group’s current founders— Cinzia Marzo, Donatello Pisanello, and Lamberto Probo —have transformed their passion for tradition into a true sound workshop.
“Through rigorous study of the elder masters, the gestures of the tambourine, and the cadence of the dialect, they have created a unique sound, capable of blending philological rigor with a creative drive that has never stopped evolving.”
A FEW NOTES ABOUT SOME OF THE REST OF THE MUSIC
Minyo Crusaders – Hokkai Bon Uta (From Japan With Love)
From the new album From Japan With Love, released 26 June 2026, reimagining Japanese folk songs through global rhythms.
The band’s approach treats min’yō as both heritage and reinvention, aiming to carry these songs beyond language and borders.
Sauljaljui – Dazzling Beyond Compare (VAIVAIK)
From Sauljaljui’s album VAIVAIK, a world‑fusion project rooted in Paiwan Indigenous traditions.
The track “sinisanparavac (Dazzling Beyond Compare)” is dedicated to her sisters, celebrating individuality and mutual inspiration.
Piers Faccini & Ballaké Sissoko – Borne on the Wind (Our Calling)
From Our Calling, released February 2025 — a fully acoustic collaboration recorded live in Paris.
“Borne on the Wind” is inspired by the nightingale, symbolising migration and the movement of seasons. Features an ensemble including Vincent Segal (cello), Badjé Tounkara (ngoni) and Malik Ziad (guembri).
Mah Damba – Simbo (Taabolo Koura)
“Simbo” draws on Mandingue and Bambara epics, invoking stories of Soundjata Keita and the warriors of Ségou.
A multigenerational family project involving her son Guimba Kouyaté, nephew Badjé Tounkara, and daughters on backing vocals.
Slavyk – Speak to Me (11 Songs of Love & Suffering)
Slavyk is a collaboration between two duos – Ana and Marco, body percussionists from Serbia – they usually perform as Alice in Wonderband – and the other two are From Poland: Łukasz and Julia who perform as CISI.
11 Songs of Love & Suffering is their debut album as a quartet..
Sababa 5 – Ça Va, Ça Va (Ça Va Ça Va)
From Ça Va Ça Va, released 20 February 2026, recorded in Paris and rooted in Middle Eastern wedding‑party “hafla” traditions.
Sababa 5 blend Mediterranean celebration music with psych‑soaked guitars, cosmic synths and heavy grooves.
Seu Jorge – Luz Na Escuridão (The Other Side)
From Seu Jorge’s orchestral album The Other Side, released 8 May 2026, a project 16 years in the making.
The album marks a departure from his soul/samba roots, moving into jazz‑inflected orchestral Brazilian music. Produced by Mario Caldato Jr., with arrangements by Miguel Atwood‑Ferguson, recorded across multiple sessions between 2009 and 2018.
Gaoussou ‘Sobra’ Kouyaté – Nadian Cono (Sobra Dance)
Gaoussou “Sobra” Kouyaté is a guitarist from a renowned griot family, trained by masters including Djelimady Tounkara and the family of Ali Farka Touré.
The album features Mariam Kouyaté (vocals), Abilaye Diabate (balafon), N’to Thomas B. Sissoko (keys/flute), David Dembele (bass) and Jean Diarra (drums).
Monsieur Doumani – Alavrostishiotis (Pissourin)
From Pissourin (2021), the Cypriot trio’s breakthrough album on Glitterbeat Records, pushing their sound into a more psychedelic direction.
Monsieur Doumani represent Cyprus’s under‑heard traditions, blending Greek, Turkish and Balkan influences with contemporary acoustic innovation.
Sly & Robbie – Boops (Here to Go) [feat. Shinehead] (Make ’Em Move / Taxi Style – An Introduction To)
Originally released in 1987, “Boops (Here to Go)” became one of Sly & Robbie’s biggest crossover hits, blending dancehall with electro‑funk.
Features Jamaican‑American MC Shinehead, whose rapid‑fire delivery helped push the track into the US and UK club scenes.
Orquesta Akokán – Mami Qué Qué (feat. Kiko Ruiz) (América!)
Orquesta Akokán record live to tape in Havana, using vintage microphones and analog techniques to recreate the golden era of Cuban mambo.
“Mami Qué Qué” features guitarist Kiko Ruiz, adding a flamenco‑inflected edge to the band’s horn‑driven arrangements.
Farnaz Ohadi – Erev (Jewish Folk Song) (Breath)
From Breath (2024), an album exploring migration, identity and the shared musical roots of Persian and Jewish traditions. “Erev” is Ohadi’s interpretation of a traditional Jewish folk song, arranged with Persian percussion and modal vocal phrasing.
Farnaz Ohadi is an Iranian‑Canadian vocalist known for blending flamenco, Persian classical music and Sephardic repertoire.
Tamikrest – Tapsakin (Assikel)
“Tapsakin” showcases Tamikrest’s signature Tuareg desert‑rock sound: interlocking guitars, rolling rhythms and reflective, poetic lyrics.
The album title means “the roots” in Tamasheq, signalling a return to traditional themes of land, identity and resistance.
Hannah Peel & Beibei Wang – Thunder Begins to Soften (The Endless Dance)
The album explores the cyclical rhythms of nature, inspired by classical Chinese philosophy and contemporary minimalism.
Beibei Wang is an acclaimed Chinese composer and virtuoso percussionist and the Northern Irish composer Hannah Peel is a nominee of both Emmy and Mercury prizes.
Since 2018 Hannah has been a vital collaborator with Paul Weller scoring several of his albums. And – on top of that she presents a night time programme on BBC radio 3 called Night Tracks.
Maryam Saleh – Alb (Syrr)
From Syrr, the collaborative project between Egyptian singer Maryam Saleh, producer Maurice Louca and Palestinian multi‑instrumentalist Tamer Abu Ghazaleh.
The album blends experimental rock, electronica and contemporary Arabic songwriting, built on distorted textures and spoken‑sung vocal delivery.
Yerai Cortés – Ni en los puertos italianos (POPULAR)
Cortés is known for his hybrid style — traditional compás mixed with jazz harmony, pop phrasing and percussive guitar technique.
The album features collaborations with leading voices in Spain’s new flamenco wave, positioning Cortés as a key innovator in the genre.
Kuljit Bhamra & Pappi Singh Kenya – Nach Nach Ke Dharti Hila (Desi: The Soul of Punjab)
From Desi: The Soul of Punjab, a project celebrating Punjabi folk and bhangra through contemporary UK production.
Kuljit Bhamra is one of the architects of British Asian music, known for pioneering modern bhangra and Bollywood‑influenced fusion.
“Nach Nach Ke Dharti Hila” features Kenyan‑Punjabi vocalist Pappi Singh, bringing East African Punjabi diaspora influences into the mix.
Tondini – Srce moje (feat. Divojke) (Diskolo)
From Diskolo, the debut album by Slovenian‑Croatian collective Tondini, blending Balkan folk, alt‑pop and electronic textures.
“Srce moje” features vocal Divojke, known for their close‑harmony singing rooted in Dalmatian and Istrian traditions.
Diskolo positions Tondini as part of the new wave of Balkan alternative artists exploring identity through hybrid folk‑electronic forms.
Folk&Bass Orchestra – Mám ja lúčku (feat. Spojené huky Slovenska)
A collaboration between Folk&Bass Orchestra and Spojené huky Slovenska, a collective dedicated to preserving Slovak vocal traditions.
The track reworks a traditional Slovak folk song with bass‑driven production and layered choral vocals.
Folk&Bass Orchestra are known for blending folklore with contemporary electronic and bass music, creating high‑energy reinterpretations.
Where and when to hear Around the World
Friday:
Akaroa World Radio New Zealand - 2:00 pm local time
NAR-GROUP Germany – 2:00 pm local time
Mosel Radio Germany – 2:00 pm local time
NAR-Alf Germany – 2:00 pm local time
Waterwaves Radio England - 9:00 pm local time
Essential Radio Scotland - 10:00 midnight
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
World FM New Zealand - 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time
Sunday:
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
DCRFM (Dover Community Radio England - 7:00pm local time
Prodigal Sun Radio - 8:00 pm 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
World FM New Zealand - 10:00 am local time
Akaroa World Radio New Zealand - 10:00 pm local time
Tuesday:
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
Pender Radio Pender Island BC, Canada - 3:00 Pacific 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