Rolling Outernational Non-West Non-English (Some Exceptions) 2014 Thread Formerly Known as World

They have their own ilx thread too

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26654516

Cool. I need to check out some of the found vinyl that guy got reissed:

from album Pax Nicholas and the Nettey Family by artist Pax Nicholas, Daptone Records 2009

3. "Gbe Keke Wo Taoo" from album Psycho African Beat by artist Psychedelic Aliens, Academy LPs 2010

Noura Mint Seymali's drummer emailed me that he is using my interview with her as part of the presentation to get her a visa to again come tour the US this summer. She has been here before, but I guess each time someone coming to work here must prove why they should be allowed to visit and tour.

some name-dropping by the right cool gatekeepers

When Tabu Ley Rocheraeu passed on, New York Magazine pop critic Jody Rosen tweeted about it, but he never seems to write about either African club beat music or the kind of African guitar music we cover here. Sasha Frere-Jones and Ann Powers also never do. I think its too bad Pitchfork doesn't seem to have J. Tangari writing up any kinds of African sounds these days, because I think even token coverage there could encourage a little of their huge readership to open their ears to African sounds (kinda the way Christgau did in part for me in the Voice ).

I listened to/watched a handful of the many videos on the Afrobeats 2014 thread. But not closely enough to comment over there. Am liking Nigerian Davido's autotuned vocals. He's gonna be in Maryland this coming weekend.

I also listened to some of Habib Koite's new one. I think he has a new band on it. Interesting mix of upbeat and quiet acoustic tunes.

Ibibio Sound Machine - Let's Dance (Yak Inek Unek)

Thanks, will give 'em a listen . Just googled their bio from Soundways

A unique sound born out of the mixed up nature of London today, Ibibio Sound Machine was started by producers Max Grunhard, Leon Brichard and Benji Bouton. After first tracking all the bass and drum tracks they joined up with Ghanaian guitar legend Alfred 'Kari' Bannerman (from fellow Soundway signing Konkoma), before adding Brazilian Anselmo Netto on percussion and synth/horn men Tony Hayden & Scott Baylis to Eno Williams' lyrics. A dose of electronica with a forward-looking, refreshingly un-retro approach that's influenced by London as much as by West Africa,

Still need to get to that plus more afrobeats youtubes and another listen to Habib Koite's newest one

A couple of Forced Exposure's (many) National Record Store Day special editions on vinly. I still don't have a working turntable, but would like to get these prev. unknown-to-me releases in other formats; Sublime Frequencies outernational comps are always worth checking:

DESCRIPTION
Omar Souleyman: Jazeera Nights: Folk and Pop Sounds of Syria

RSD 2014 release. First time on vinyl. Brand-new limited edition LP version in a heavy tip-on jacket with liner-notes by compiler Mark Gergis. Sublime Frequencies is honored to present Omar Souleyman's third Western collection of tracks. This retrospective features live recordings spanning 15 years of Omar's tireless repertoire, and is rife with frenzied Syrian Dabke (a regional folkloric dance and party music), Iraqi Choubi and a host of Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish styles, among others -- an amalgamation that exemplifies the musical essence of Northeastern Syria. Culled from cassettes recorded between 1995 and 2009, this collection offers a further rare glimpse into Syrian street-level Dabke folk-pop -- a phenomena seldom heard in the West, not previously deemed serious enough for export by the Syrians and rarely, if ever, included on the import agenda of worldwide academic musical committees. Over the years, Souleyman's popularity has risen steadily and the group tirelessly performs concerts throughout Syria and has accepted invitations to perform abroad in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. In 2006, Sublime Frequencies partnered with Omar to release Highway to Hassake, the first compilation of his works to be issued in the West. The success of this release and the video for the song "Leh Jani" helped see Souleyman and his group invited for their first Western tour in 2009 alongside label-mates Group Doueh from the Western Sahara. This successful tour quickly elevated Souleyman to the status of an international legend -- and deservedly so. The original CD release of this album coincided with the beginning of Omar's 2010 international tour.

TRACKLISTING

Disc 1

Side A

01. Hafer Gabrak Bidi (I Will Dig Your Grave With My Hands)2:00
02. Ala Il Hanash Madgouga (The Bedouin Tattoo)2:00
03. Hot Il Khanjar Bi Gleibi (Stab My Heart) 2:00
04. Labji Wa Bajji Il Hajar (My Tears Will Make the Stones Cry)2:00
05. Dazeitlak Dezzelli (I Signal, You Deny)2:00
06. Li Raja Behawakom (I Beg You, Baby) 2:00
07. Kell Il Banat Inkhatban (All the Girls Are Engaged) 2:00
08. Mandal (I Don't Know) 2:00
09. Eih Min Elemkom (From the Day That I Told You) 2:00

HIGHLIGHTS:
- The classic party sound of the Jazeera region in Northeast Syria.
- A magic combination of Syrian Dabke, Iraqi Choubi, and Turkish and Kurdish rhythms.
- Compiled from Omar Souleyman's super-rare cassettes by Mark Gergis.
-"Jazeera Nights: Folk and Pop Sounds of Syria is probably the most dynamic collection of Omar Souleyman's work that Sublime Frequencies has yet released." Pitchfork (7.8)

VA: Pop Yeh Yeh - Psychedelic Rock from Singapore and Malaysia 1964-1970: Vol. 1 2LP
SUBLIME FREQUENCIES (United States) / SF 079LP
release date: 4/19/2014

DESCRIPTION
2014 RSD release. Until now, for some unknown reason, the psychedelic rock movement in Singapore and Malaysia, aka Pop Yeh Yeh, has never been given the worldwide attention it deserves. This compilation is the first of its kind to focus solely on the Malay rock groups of this region. The Pop Yeh Yeh era, which took place roughly between the years of 1964 to 1970, coincided with the rapid modernization happening at the time in Singapore and Malaysia. Sublime Frequencies has already released many incredible compilations from neighboring Indonesia, so it's about time that the Malaysian groups got some attention! Pop Yeh Yeh artists instinctively cross-pollinated electric sounds of the West with Malay melodies, and added their own local poetic voice to the lyrics they wrote -- sung in Malay (and sometimes Bawean). The Pop Yeh Yeh musicians started out playing in styles inspired by Western groups like the Beatles and Cliff Richard, but they eventually succeeded in creating a sound all their own -- a sound that is not only accessible to the Western ear, but also retains an undeniable Malay personality. Nearly eight years in the making, this compilation was exhaustively researched and compiled by Carl Hamm and features 26 classic tracks of the very best bands and singers from Singapore and Malaysia's Pop Yeh Yeh era, including M. Osman, Orkes Nirwana, Adnan Othman, A. Halim, Roziah Latiff, and the Jayhawkers, J. Sham, Hasnah Haron, Zaleha Hamid, and many more. This 2LP deluxe edition comes in a gorgeous heavy-duty gatefold jacket with a full-size 12-page full-color booklet packed with insanely extensive liner-notes including band/artist bios, an overview of the era, translated lyrics, and plenty of rare photos taken from vintage magazines, album covers, and the artists' own personal collections.

TRACKLISTING

Disc 1

Side A

01. Adnan Othman & The Rythmn Boys--"Budi Bahasa" 2:51
02. M. Osman & Orkes Nirwana--"Kisah Disampang" 2:01
03. Roziah Latiff and The Jayhawkers--"Aku Kechewa" 3:18

04. Fatimah Amin & The Clans--"Oh Teruna" 2:57
05. Afida Es & The Siglap Boys--"Jangan Goda" 1:30
06. Raja Ahmad & Dendang Irama--"Oh Ya Ya" 2:46
07. M. Said & Les Remaja--"Temasha Ria" 2:03

Side B
08. Fabians Boys (feat. Halipah)--"Bersiar Siar" 3:01
09. M. Osman & Les Fentones--"Dara" 2:48
10. Azizah Mohamed & Orkes Nirwana--"Syurga Idaman" 2:55
11. Halim "Janda-Ku" Yatim & The Sangam Boys--"Jauh Pandangan" 3:29
12. Zaleha Hamid & the Black Cats--"Nelayan Bersampan" 2:22
13. A Ramlie & the Rythmn Boys--"Kasih Tak Sudah" 3:28

Disc 2

Side C

01. Salim I & The Wisma--"Bersiar di Taman Hiboran" 2:59
02. A. Rahman Hassan & Orkes Nirwana--"Bimbang" 3:04
03. M Rahmat & The Teruna--"Mula Bertemu" 1:50
04. Adnan Othman & the Wanderers--"Revolusi" 2:39
05. Nur Azilah & Desa Bersaudara--"Ayah? Kini ku Bercinta" 2:35
06. A. Halim & De'Fictions--"Kembali Lagi" 2:50
07. Siti Zaiton & The Twilite--"Rindu" 1:55

Side D

08. Zaleha Hamid & Orkes Zindegi--"Bertemasha" 3:24
09. Noor Hamza & Band Mesra--"Sidia Siapa" 3:08
10. J. Sham & The Wanderers--"Surat Ku Untuk Mu" 3:19
11. A. Halim & De'Fictions--"Kan Hilang Nanti" 2:27
12. A. Rahman Hassan & Orkes Nirwana--"Tak Mengapa" 2:53
13. Hasnah Haron & The Spiritual 70s--"Bintang Pujaan" 2:38

HIGHLIGHTS- Malaysian beat, pop, & psychedelic classics from 1964-1970.
- Features 1960s Malaysian music legends Adnan Othman, M. Osman, Zaleha Hamid, and many more.
- 2LP heavy gatefold jacket with gorgeous and informative full-size 12-page full-color booklet.
- Compiled & researched over an 8-year period by Carl Hamm.
- Featured in Spin Magazine's list of Best Box Sets and Expanded Editions of 2013!
- "The overall sound is light and breezy, as was the production of that time, ideal for transistor radios and a far cry from the bass-heavy sounds of today. Let me again stress that the magnificent booklets are full of great detail about the artists, history of the scene, wider economic context, record cover art, and photographs of the groups. They could easily form the basis of a lovely book." --PopMatters (7/10)

Didn't Sublime F's Gergis have a falling out with Souleyman after he signed with a bigger label and the Four Tet guy signed on to produce? So now they want to honor Souleyman with a limited release record collector geek vinyl issuance.

MG: I have heard Omar’s new record, and it’s not so compelling to me. Though some of the performances are decent, it’s missing a lot of the urgency and edge, in my opinion. I found this to be true of many of Omar’s previous studio recordings in Syria as well. He’s made dozens of studio albums back home, and in my opinion, with a few exceptions, he is best outside of the studio. It boils down to aesthetics and the choices made by the producer or management in the end. I haven’t managed or produced Omar and his group since 2011, and I’m not a spokesperson for his new direction.

http://thequietus.com/articles/13623-mark-gergis-interview-sublime-frequencies-dabke-syria

It's also available on CD and download, the former incl. translations of lyrics. MG compiled it from cassettes and wrote the notes. Cool cover:

http://www.sublimefrequencies.com/images/SF055.jpg

But the Asian psych-pop-rock comp is what I'll get first; that's the kind of SF release I've so often found revelatory, or at least refreshing(hope young bands hear some of this stuff).

So much to listen too. Was just reading an Afropop.org email about Somalian music. Oh, afropop.org is trying to raise 10 grand to go to Madagascar and do lots of radio/online audio programming from there

this song, about to be reissued on a soul-jazz compilation disc, is such a blast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp_KZxizSPw

He likes Rachid Taha too, which I need to listen to.

― curmudgeon, Friday, January 24, 2014

i can see why. this song from a few years ago, for instance, just burns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWM0V9fcolg

an old standard, i think, updated by taha.

That Haiti Direct comp mentioned upthread is fun,I'm hearing influences fela picked up plus even some garage rock in the organ sounds on some cuts

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, February 18, 2014

i got this from itunes and i think i did myself a big disservice by not getting the disc, since that had the accompanying booklet. that's kind of true with a lot of these reissues. half the enjoyment is learning something about the bands, the various local sounds that distinguish them, their impact at the time, and so forth.

Yep

*shame-faced*

I've got a new monthly playlist column starting on the Guardian today, picking out non-mainstream tracks, albums and mixes from MENA countries.

Middle Eastern & North African playlist for April

It features Black Metal from Saudi, Electro Chaabi from Egypt, Harsh Noise from The Lebanon, Ishumar from Niger and Ambient from Iran.

Congrats! Lots of cool stuff to check out. Had been reading about Koudede,the Tuareg/Tamashek musician who passed away in late 2012 but I haven't yet checked out his songs on on Guitars From Agadez Vol. 7 EP, from Sublime Frequencies

This sounds potentialy awesome:

In Agadez, Niger, the amazing Sahel Sounds Blog have been involved in a very unique kickstarter project: to shoot an homage to the Prince film Purple Rain, starring Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar. Filming on the world’s first Tuareg language fiction film Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai (which translates as Rain the Color of Blue with a little Red in it) has wrapped so hopefully there will be more news soon.

I love some of the youtubes of Mdou Moctar I've seen. He's on that Music From Saharan Cellphones series that Sahell Music/Mississippi put out as well.

There's also this: http://www.discogs.com/Mdou-Moctar-Afelan/release/4733166
It's awesome. Love the cover photo as well.

xpost. I saw the kickstarter trailer. Looks awesome. (apparently there's no word for purple in Tuareg?)

Made In Medina was my first xpost Taha. Songlines Magazine's reviewer said when he heard it, he understood what Page and Plant were trying to do when they recorded with North African musicians, that this is the realization of that. Coming from the other side of the map, that is; it's not just Arabic Zep. Amazing also the assimilation of New Orleans jazz-funk-rock jam circuiteers Galactic, times producer-guitarist Steve Hillage of Gong. "Just call me Rai Cooder," sez Rachid. Later albums take it further, at times, but this is quite a vision.

robertchristgau.com provides a pretty good run-down of Taha's albums.

Taha's Diwan 2 is a fantastic album

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival free event in Washington DC this summer will be featuring music and crafts people from Kenya and China. The Fest folks have posted links with music.

http://www.festival.si.edu/2014/Kenya/music_playlist.aspx

Taha's Diwan 2 is a fantastic album

― willem, Wednesday, April 16, 2014

it is! doran, your article is great. i dig this mumdance's mahraganat mixtape.

Lots of stuff linked in this thread I still need to check out

saw baloji for the third time in the past year
catch him if he plays near you; dude is a helluva showman and an intellectual

Will keep my eye out for that Congolese guy.

Relatives visiting plus too much going on, means I'm missing these gigs this weekend:

Fri. 4-25-Willie Colon at the Palace (salsa)

Sat. 4-26- Mavado (reggae) at The Loft Ballroom

Jacky Gosee (Ethiopian) at Echostage

had never heard of Gosee till I saw a poster up for his gig, and found a postcard for it in my grocery store parking lot! A young up and coming Ethiopian. He's playing at a big 1500 person hall

There's a ton of SummerStage free shows that meet the description but I'm busy grinding on them now. Will post a list soon.
http://summerstage.donyc.com/Music

XXXP: Thanks Daniel! Just so you know, I've asked my friends Cairo Liberation Front to do a new chaabi mix for the next column mid May.

This bangs hard imo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIyIqo4qGXY

The whole Ana Tijoux album is a treat

And Karol Conka's Batuk Freak is streaming over here: http://www.rookiemag.com/2014/04/karol-conka-batuk-freak/

The lead single goes back to 2011, but it still sounds fresh; has the hunger of early Angel Haze: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU3soPwOLDI

Ana's on a cut on the new Jorge Drexler album too. She's the go-to rapper for the pop/rock en Espanol crowd it seems

Saw her do a few cuts live recently on a bill with all English-language rappers and funksters. Impressive flow (even if I don't understand it)

Tijoux is dope and a good live show.

Mordy,

Do you know anything about Zvuloon Dub System, a Jewish Ethiopian Israeli reggae band?

A pr guy was just recommending them to me, but I haven't listened to 'em yet

Ha, that probably reads like some sort of parody/satire post, but its not

yeah, they're okay. i first heard about them when i did this interview:
http://blogs.forward.com/the-arty-semite/161916/reggaes-jewish-connection/

i checked them out at the time but haven't looked them up since. do they have a new album?

Their website says they're finishing a new album and that it will include guests like singer Mahmoud Ahmed. They're doing some gigs in Jamaica and in the US this summer

Life is getting in the way of me listening to various international releases and seeing acts live. Behind on watching Afrobeatz videos too, though I did see and like that Davido (from Nigeria) together with Mafikizola (South Africa) one.

Listened to a DC based Kenyan taraab music singer Anna M last night plus reggae crooner Tarrius Riley. Good stuff

Tarrus is the correct spelling. Listened to older cuts mostly, not his new album (that I have not heard yet)

What's new and exciting that you like (or old and exciting), folks?

Sidiki Diabaté & Toumani Diabaté - Sidiki & Toumani -- Toumani is always sublime on the kora, here, he and his son perform a nice set of duets. The interplay between the two is wonderful, even if not as fine as Toumani has done with Ali Farka.

can't stop listening to haiti direct comp

i've got this! i need to spend more time with it. are there any particularly interesting tracks, that i can use to find a way into the disc (they all seem v good, but i've kind of let it wash over me when i've listened to it so far).

If you're talking about Haiti Direct, try the track i linked above.