Around the World - Show Notes
25 June 2026
This week on Around the World
You can listen to Around the World on Mixcloud
Music by: Angélique Kidjo, ÃO, BALU, David Byrne, Natalia Lafourcade, Dorea GAOUSSOU ‘SOBRA’ KOUYATE, Jorge Aguilar Y Sus Embelecos, Katalena, Las Panteras, Lemoncello, Lila Downs, Mexican Institute of Sound & Meridian Brothers, NEW ERA QUARTET, Okra Playground, Pentangle, SAHAD, Saigon Soul Revival, Slavyk, Sofia Rei, The Klezmatics, Tondini, Véro La Reine, Vilma Jää, and Yerai Cortés.
This week’s Featured Album: Taabolo Koura by Mah Damba
Mah Damba is one of Mali’s most respected djelimousso—a hereditary griot singer whose role is to preserve history, genealogy, and moral instruction through song. She is a member of one of Bamako’s most renowned griot families. Her father, Djeli Baba Sissoko, was chief griot of the Bamako region, and her aunt Fanta Damba is widely regarded as one of the great voices of Malian music.
Her early career included work with Kasse Mady Diabaté’s ensemble and later the group Mandé Foli, before she established herself as a solo artist in the late 1990s. Pory (1989) was her first solo album and Taabolo Koura – this week’s featured album – is her seventh.
Mah Damba’s music is rooted in the Mandé griot tradition, performed with classic instruments such as ngoni (played for decades by her late husband Mamaye Kouyaté), kora, and balafon. Her vocal presence has made her a cultural anchor for the Malian diaspora in France, where she has lived since 1983.
Taabolo Koura (“The New Taboo”) on One World Records is a ten‑track acoustic work that reaffirms her authority as a modern griotte grounded in tradition. The album extends her long collaboration with guitarist and arranger Thierry Fournel, who shapes a subtle, spacious sound world built from guitar, djeli n’goni, accordion, calabash, and guembri. The record draws from Mandingue and Bambara epics—songs invoking Soundjata Keita, the warriors of Ségou, and the moral lessons embedded in proverbs.
Tracks such as “Anga Bara” address the youth of the Sahel directly, urging collective effort and resilience. Two pieces are sung in Soninké, honouring a community known for its strong work ethic.
Taabolo Koura is also a family creation: her nephew Badje Tounkara anchors the string arrangements; her son Guimba Kouyaté contributes guitar; and her daughters and granddaughters provide chorus vocals. The result is an album that feels both intimate and intergenerational, a continuation of a lineage that Mah Damba has carried for four decades.
Sources: Wikipedia - oneworldsmusic.com
There’s more information and details at WOMEX
Also on the show
Véro La Reine – “Bongo ya za” – Ekang Héritage
Gabonese‑Cameroonian singer Véro La Reine draws on the Ekang/Fang cultural tradition, known for its storytelling chants and polyrhythmic percussion.
The track highlights her mission to preserve Fang language and ritual forms within a contemporary acoustic setting.
Tondini – “Funky Keka” (feat. Lucija Stipanović) – Diskolo
Rijeka-based music producer Tondini has released her album, “Diskolo”, a conceptual record that merges traditional music with contemporary dance production, creating a unique hybrid between “kolo” and “disco.”
“Diskolo” was conceived as a combination of two terms that define the entire project: “kolo” as the archetypal form of communal traditional dance, and “disco” as the universal language of modern dance music. Across the album, Tondini explores what traditional melodies might sound like if translated into a contemporary disco, synth-pop,
Sofía Rei – “Marciana” – Antónima
Argentine vocalist Sofía Rei blends Andean folk, jazz improvisation and electronic textures across Antónima. The track reflects Rei’s interest in mythic female archetypes and the surreal imagery of Latin American poetry.
Katalena – “Kaj bi blo?” – Kaj bi blo? – Single
Slovenia’s Katalena are known for reworking Slovene folk songs with rock, funk and contemporary folk instrumentation. “Kaj bi blo?” (“What Would Happen?”) plays with hypothetical storytelling, a common device in regional folk humour.
Vilma Jää – “Lemmennostajaämmä” – Loitsui ja taikoi
Finnish singer Vilma Jää draws heavily on runosong and Karelian vocal traditions, often reimagined with electronic production. “Lemmennostajaämmä” (“The Love‑Raising Crone”) references ancient Finnish spell lore, especially women’s ritual knowledge.
ÃO – “Me Condena” – Malandra
ÃO is a Lisbon‑based trio blending Portuguese folk, Afro‑Atlantic rhythms and electronic minimalism, led by vocalist Margarida Falcão. “Me Condena” (“It Condemns Me”) draws on fado‑like melodic phrasing, and reflects the album’s themes of desire, guilt and emotional duality, inspired by Lusophone storytelling traditions.
Slavyk – “Apatheia” – 11 Songs of Love & Suffering
Slavyk operates as “two bands in one”. It is a Polish-Serbian quartet featuring artists Julia Lewandowska, Łukasz Malok (Silesian, Poland-based music duo CISI), Ana Vrbaški, and Marko Dinjaški (Serbain duo Alice in Wonderband). The album heavily blends Silesian and Serbian folk traditions with English-language lyrics, creating a distinctly cosmopolitan sound.
Saigon Soul Revival – “Khúc Tình Yên Vui” – Chốn Ta Về
Saigon Soul Revival specialise in reviving pre‑1975 South Vietnamese soul, bolero and psychedelic rock. “Khúc Tình Yên Vui” (“A Peaceful Love Song”) blends vintage Saigon romance with a modern, full‑band arrangement. From Chốn Ta Về, their debut album, recorded in Ho Chi Minh City with a focus on archival authenticity and analogue warmth.
Lila Downs – “La Pochota” – Cambias Mi Mundo
Mexican singer Lila Downs is known for fusing Oaxacan Indigenous traditions with cumbia, bolero and contemporary Latin pop. “La Pochota” references the sacred ceiba tree found in southern Mexico, a symbol of community and protection.
Pentangle – “Light Flight” – Basket of Light
British group Pentangle were pioneers of folk‑jazz fusion, uniting traditional ballads with modal improvisation. “Light Flight” became their signature track after featuring in the 1969 – 1971 BBC series Take Three Girls. The song showcases Bert Jansch and John Renbourn’s interlocking guitars and Jacqui McShee’s distinctive vocal clarity.
Yerai Cortés – “GAZPACHUELO” – POPULAR
Madrid‑based Yerai Cortés is one of the leading young voices in nuevo flamenco, blending cante jondo with urban and electronic textures. “GAZPACHUELO” references the Andalusian fisherman’s soup, using food imagery as a metaphor for working‑class identity and resilience.
SAHAD – “Vultures” – African West Station
Senegalese artist Sahad fuses mbalax, Afro‑folk and Sahelian desert blues with a pan‑African outlook. “Vultures” uses the scavenger bird as a metaphor for exploitation and political opportunism in the region. From African West Station, an album celebrating cross‑border musical exchange across the Francophone West African world.
Dorea – “Essa Pressa” – O Que Mais Você Quer Saber De Mim?
Brazilian singer‑songwriter Dorea blends MPB, samba‑soul and contemporary indie pop. “Essa Pressa” (“This Hurry”) critiques the culture of urgency and emotional overload in modern urban life.
BALU – “ya nzambe” – borumba
BALU is a Congolese artist drawing on soukous, rumba congolaise and modern Afro‑pop. From borumba, an album reconnecting classic Congolese rumba with contemporary production.
Okra Playground – “Valheiden vanki” – Valheiden vanki – Single
Finnish electro‑folk collective Okra Playground blend runo‑song vocals with synths, bass and driving percussion. “Valheiden vanki” (“Prisoner of Lies”) explores themes of truth, deception and personal agency. The track showcases their signature triple‑vocal frontline, drawing on Karelian and Ingrian traditions.
Gaoussou “Sobra” Kouyaté – “NIABA” – SOBRA DANCE
Griot Heritage: Born on June 30, 1984, in Bamako-Sébénikoro, Mali, Kouyaté hails from a prestigious family of hereditary griot musicians originally from the village of Sobra-Sandaman (which inspired his nickname, “Sobra”). He recorded the initial sessions with Kassé Mady Diabaté before the singer’s sudden passing in 2018. The unfinished masterpiece was later completed and released in May 2025 by One World Records. It gained massive acclaim, securing the Number 1 Best Album of 2025 on the World Music Charts.
Jorge Aguilar y Sus Embelecos – “La Momposina Que Encanta” – La Momposina Que Encanta – Single
Colombian bandleader Jorge Aguilar draws on Caribbean coastal traditions, especially cumbia and bullerengue from the Bolívar region. “La Momposina Que Encanta” pays tribute to La Mojana/Momposina folklore, celebrating the magical female figure of the Magdalena River basin.
NEW ERA QUARTET – “STO TE NEMA” – Bridge to Sevdah
NEW ERA QUARTET reinterpret Bosnian sevdah through a contemporary chamber‑jazz lens. “Sto Te Nema” (Why are you not here) is one of the most iconic sevdalinka laments, traditionally sung as a song of longing and absence. From Bridge to Sevdah, an album exploring new pathways for Balkan emotional song traditions.
Lemoncello – “At The Edge” – Perfect Place
Lemoncello is a prominent, next-generation Irish alternative folk duo comprised of singer-songwriter Laura Quirke (guitar, vocals) and cellist-arranger Claire Kinsella (cello, vocals). Raised in County Carlow and Donegal respectively and now based in Dublin, the pair have become vital voices in Ireland’s thriving contemporary folk revival.
Angélique Kidjo “Jerusalema” – HOPE!!
Angélique Kidjo’s performance of Jerusalema reimagines the massive 2020 South African pandemic-era house anthem by Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode into a sweeping, deeply emotional orchestral hymn. Kidjo’s most famous performance of the song took place on December 7, 2024, during the historic grand reopening ceremony of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Backed by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under the direction of legendary conductor Gustavo Dudamel, Kidjo sang under the newly restored vaults of the cathedral.
Mexican Institute of Sound & Meridian Brothers – “Cumbia del lobo” – Ruido Tovar
This collaboration unites Mexico City’s MIS with Colombia’s Meridian Brothers, two groups known for psychedelic, left‑field cumbia experiments. “Cumbia del lobo” (“Cumbia of the Wolf”) uses surreal humour and folkloric imagery, a hallmark of Meridian Brothers’ style. The track blends vintage organs, quirky percussion and lo‑fi tropicalismo, creating a playful retro‑future sound.
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
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Waterwaves Radio England - 9:00 pm local time
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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:
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NFRS Osaka Japan - 12:00 noon local time
973FM in Singapore - 11:00 pm local time
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DCRFM (Dover Community Radio England - 7:00pm local time
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Monday:
Armagh City Radio - 12:00 midnight local time (01:00 pm CET)
SparkFlame Radio - 00:00 am GMT (01:00 CET)
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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