Around the World – Week beginning 29 July 2023 - Preview
Featuring the 10 best albums of the year so far -WMCE
Last week
This week
Music from: Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Catalonia, Estonia, France, Ghana, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Macedonia, Middle East, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Reunion, Scotland, Türkiye, Uganda, USA, and Zimbabwe.
Music by: Altin Gün, Baklava, Brighde Chaimbeul, Carissa Nyalu, Crimi, Dimitris Mystakidis, Dudu Tassa & Jonny Greenwood, Eneida Marta, Faizal Mostrixx, FRA!, Gaye Su Akyol, Guillem Ballaz, Irma Ferreira, Kimi Djabaté, King Ayisoba, Kuné, Lucas Santtana & Flore Benguigui, Mari Kalkun, Mostar Sevdah Reunion, New Orleans Night Crawlers, Payadora Tango Ensemble, Saodaj', Skruk, Mahsa Vahdat & Ellen Bødtker, and Vołosi.
Featured Album - Mokoomba’s Tusona: Tracings in the Sand
Mokoomba - NZARA HAPANA ( Official Music Video )
“Nzara Hapana is our first single from our upcoming album Tusona. This song is a letter by a man to his wife reassuring her that he loves her and is working hard to provide for her and the entire family. He has written a will designed to protect her in the event that he passes on. He highlights that he has noticed how women are abused and dispossessed of property by the husband's family and relatives if an inheritance will is not at hand. The man hopes that if he plans well and invests well, his family will not face any hardships. Nzara Hapana means: as long as I’m there and as long as I’m alive my loved ones will never suffer as I will provide.”
For a long time, Mokoomba have ranked as one of my favourite bands. Even though they have been playing together for over 20 years, they have only released three previous albums: Kweseka (Zig Zag World), 2009 which doesn’t appear to be available anymore, Rising Tide (Zig Zag Word / Igloo Mondo), 2012 and Luyando (Outhere Records), March 2017 which I’ve played a bunch of tracks from over the years. It was around the release of that album I saw Mokoomba play. It was an extraordinary performance which I will long remember.
It is in live performances that the band’s strength lies - and the consistency of the line-up which I think has remained unchanged since their inception in Chinotimba township, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe in 2002. Since 2007, they have toured almost ceaselessly focusing their energy on Europe, Africa, and the USA. Here they are on a radio KEXP performance from about 3 years ago.
Mokoomba - Nyansola (Live on KEXP)
If you want to get an idea of their energy performing to an audience, you can see some clips of their current tour on Facebook. For example try this.
World Music Chart Europe - Top 10 for the first half of 2023
My colleague Milan Tesar of the Czech radio network Radio Proglas manages the nominations from 40 plus radio producers from around Europe to produce the monthly World Music Chart Europe.
I’ll be playing songs from each of the top 10 tracks.
World Music Charts Europe. The best albums of the first half of 2023 (January to June).
1. Gaye Su Akyol – Anadolu Ejderi (Glitterbeat Records, Turkey)
2. Altın Gün – Ask (Glitterbeat Records, the Netherlands)
3. Mostar Sevdah Reunion – Lady Sings the Balkan Blues (Snail Records, Bosnia)
4. Payadora Tango Ensemble – Silent Tears (Six Degrees Records, Canada)
5. Kimi Djabaté – Dindin (Cumbancha, Guinea-Bissau)
6. KING AYISOBA – Work Hard (Glitterbeat Records, Ghana)
7. Lucas Santtana – O Paraiso (NØ FØRMAT!, Brazil)
8. Dimitris Mystakidis / Δημήτρης Μυστακίδης – Morso (Fishbowl Music Tank, Greece)
9. Eneida Marta – Family (ALG Eventos - Produção e agenciamento, Ginea-Bissau)
10. Mahsa Vahdat & SKRUK – Braids of Innocence (Kirkelig Kulturverksted, Iran/Norway)
The WMCE jury is formed by more than 40 radio DJs from 25 European countries: https://www.wmce.de/djs-236.html
VOŁOSI - Prelude (Official Video)
Another tremendous band live are Polish string quartet VOŁOSI (I think I might have seen them the same week I saw Mokoomba - it was certainly the same venue).
VOŁOSI formed after unexpected meeting between traditional and modern classically trained musicians. They were in the heart of Polish mountains at a wedding of Krzysztof Lasoń who, with his brother Stanisław, went on to co-found the four-piece. They formally came together as a band in 2007, under the name Wałasi i Lasoniowie. By 2010 they were beginning their award-winning spree and more than 800 high energy concerts all around the world. Many performances were hosted by the most prestigious concert halls and festivals.
200 Weeks Ago was released this year and is their 6th album. The Calling (2007), May (2009), Volosi" (2011), and Nomadism (2015), were followed by a joint project in 2019 with Félix Lajkó, a Hungarian violinist, zither player and composer.
VOŁOSI are currently on tour taking in Poland, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and Hungary [dates]
I am an Artist - Carissa Nyalu
I came across an interesting single by Carissa Nyalu. She is a Yorta Yorta Dja Dja Wurrung singer/songwriter and storyteller based on Boonwurrung Country on the Mornington Peninsula. But rather than me trying to explain who she is, here she is to speak for herself. I’ll be playing her new single Ngulumbarra.
Hear the show on the web and radio
Saturdays
Essential Radio 10.00 pm local time BST (11:00 pm CET)
World FM 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am BST, 12:00 noon CET)
Sunday:
Bangor FM 107.9 (Radio Garden) 7:00 pm local time BST (8:00 pm CET)
Slice Audio 10:00 pm local time BST (11:00 pm CET)
Ferry FM 10:00 pm local time BST (11:00 pm CET)
Radio Larne 10:00 pm local time BST (11:00 pm CET)
Armagh City Radio 10:00 pm local time BST (11:00 pm CET)
Monday:
KNC Radio St Lucia 6:00 am local time (11:00 am BST 12:00 noon CET)
Akaroa World Radio 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am BST, 12:00 noon CET)
World FM 10:00 pm local New Zealand Time (11:00 am BST, 12:00 noon CET)
U Radio Sri Lanka 7:30 pm local time SLT (3:00 pm BST, 4:00 pm CET)
Tuesday:
Lisburn’s 98FM (Radio Garden) 7:00 pm local time BST (8:00 pm CET)
FM105 Down Community Radio (Radio Garden) 7:00 pm local time BST (8:00 pm CET)
Wednesday:
World FM 4:00 am local New Zealand Time (5:00 pm Tuesday BST, 6:00 pm CET)
Slice Audio 4:00 am local time BST (5:00 am CET)
Radio Skye (Radio Garden) 10:00 pm local time BST (11:00 pm CET)
Friday:
Akaroa World Radio 2:00 pm local New Zealand Time (3:00 am BST 4:00 am CET)