Episode 38

Episode 38 was originally released on February 25, 2019.

Tracklisting:

01) “Extreme” by Ayub Ogada.

From the 2015 album “Kodhi.”

Mombasa, Kenya.

The official website says:

“Ayub Ogada is a musician who draws inspiration from his life experiences and from the nature that surrounds him in his home in Kisumu, Kenya. He plays the traditional nyatiti, an eight-stringed lyre favoured by the Luo people of Western Kenya.”

• Visit Ayub Ogada’s official website.

• Follow Ayub Ogada on Facebook.

• Follow Ayub Ogada on Twitter.

• Purchase Ayub Ogada music at Amazon.

02) “NC Ven 5” by Carlos Maria Trindade / Nuno Canavarro.

From the 1991 album “Mr. Wollogallu.”

Portugal.

Pitchfork says: “A cult-favorite Portuguese electronic album from the early ’90s with a pleasantly disorienting blend of instruments and textures.”

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03) “Până Când Nu Te Iubeam” by Balkan Taksim.

From the 2018 live “Vagabond Session.”

Bucharest, Romania.

The group’s facebook page says: “Balkan psych meets bass, breaks and synth electronica with a touch of groove.”

• Follow Balkan Takism on Facebook.

• Read PopMatters’ profile.

04) “N'Dyaba” by Kora Jazz Trio.

From the 2003 live “Kora Jazz Trio”

Senegal, Guinea.

Wikipedia says: “Kora Jazz Trio was a three piece African musical group, founded in 2002 by Djeli Moussa Diawara, Guinean Korafola, with Abdoulaye Diabate and Moussa Sissokho, best known for producing a music that is a mix of American jazz with traditional African music".”

• Visit the official Kora Jazz Trio website.

• Follow Kora Jazz Trio on Facebook.

• Purchase Kora Jazz Trio music at Amazon.

05) “Barra Barra” by Rachid Taha.

From the 2000 album“Made in Medina.”

Sig, Algeria.

Wikipedia says that Rachid Taha: “was an Algerian singer and activist based in France described as "sonically adventurous". His music was influenced by many different styles including rock, electronic, punk and raï.”

• Visit Rachid Taha’s official website.

• Follow Rachid Taha on Facebook

• Follow Rachid Taha on Twitter.

• Purchase Rachid Taha music at Amazon.

06) “Slides Redux” by Dave Harrington Group.

From the 2019 album“Pure Imagination, No Country.”

New York, USA.

Pitchfork says: “With a group behind him that recalls the electronic jazz splatter of ’90s New York, Dave Harrington’s guitar work becomes a psychedelic, soft-hued quest for transcendence.”

• Follow Dave Harrington on Facebook.

• Follow Dave Harrington on Twitter.

• Purchase the Dave Harrington Group music on Amazon.

07) “Krom Phleng Pinpeat” by Phleng Khmer & Pinpeat Ensembles.

From the 1978 album“Cambodia, Traditional Music Volume 1.”

Cambodia.

According to Wikipedia: “The pinpeat (Khmer: ពិណពាទ្យ) orchestra or musical ensemble performs the ceremonial music of the royal courts and temples of Cambodia. The orchestra consists of approximately nine or ten instruments, mainly wind and percussion (including several varieties of xylophone and drums). It accompanies court dances, masked plays, shadow plays, and religious ceremonies. The pinpeat is analogous to the piphat ensemble of Thailand.”

08) “Gongoini” by Bugotak.

From the 2005 album“Siberian Tales.”

Khakassia, Russia.

According to Last.fm:

“Bugotak (Cyrillic: Буготак) is an ethnic project found in 2004 in Novosibirsk, Russia, by Sayan Andriyanov, a multi-instrument player and throat singing performer.

Bugotak plays Siberian music in a traditional folk basis, but their musical references are too diverse to be classified by genre (let's call it Siberian Contemporary music). They even dare to perform covers of rock classics, in their traditional Siberian instruments. The main idea of Bugotak’s art is that it is only traditions that develop with time stay alive; static traditions quickly lose their interest and relevance. Therefore, the group play in many styles and genres, thereby keeping native Siberian spirit alive, relevant and thriving.”

• Follow Bugotak on Facebook.

• Purchase Bugotak music at Amazon.

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As always, we invite you to browse the interactive map to see where each artists is from. google Maps only lets us display 10 episodes at a time so to see all of the other episodes, click here. This week’s artists are represented by dark grey map-points.

Episodes 31-40

Episode 37

Episode 37 was originally posted on February 18, 2019.

Tracklisting:

01) “少年” by Mariah.

From the 1983 album “うたかたの日々 (Utakata no Hibi).”

Shimada, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

Utakata no Hibi was the last album recorded by Yasuaki Shimizu (清水靖晃 Shimizu Yasuaki) under the Mariah name. According to Wikipedia, Yasuaki Shimizu:

“is a Japanese composer, saxophonist and producer. He is known for his interpretations of the music of J.S. Bach, in particular the "Cello Suites 1-6" re-arranged for and performed on tenor saxophone. Since 1981 he has composed, produced or arranged for artists as diverse as jazz vocalist Helen Merrill, composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, and DJ Towa Tei. During this time he has lived in London, Paris and Tokyo.”

Pitchfork says of this album: “With mesh of Japanese and Armenian sounds, Mariah's unforgettable melodies walk the fine line they all but invented between its authors’ musical heritages.”

• Visit Yasuaki Shimizu’s official website.

• Follow Yasuaki Shimizu on Facebook.

• Follow Yasuaki Shimizu on Twitter.

• Purchase Yasuaki Shimizu music on Amazon.

• Purchase this album on Amazon.

02) “Five On It” by Spielbergs.

From the 2019 album “This is Not the End.”

Oslo, Norway.

Spielbergs (originally known as “We Are All Going to Die” (which, according to Pitchfork, is also the name of the first song they wrote together) is a Norwegian power pop band who really likes Sugar and the Replacements almost as much as we do.

• Follow Spielbergs on Facebook.

• Follow the group on Twitter.

• Purchase the album at Bandcamp.

• Purchase the album at Amazon.

03) “Afous Dafous” by Tartit.

From the 2019 album “Amankor / The Exile”.

Tombouctou, Mali /Burkina Faso.

According to Last.fm: “The Ensemble Tartit are Malian Tamashek (Tuareg), comprising five women and four men. Tartit means 'union' in their language. They met in a refugee camp in Burkina Faso, where their music was a means of survival against the social and political mayhem in the Sahara Desert.”

• Follow Tartit on Facebook.

• Purchase the album on Amazon.

04) “Robins Ride” by Ted Lucas.

From the 1975 album “Ted Lucas”.

Detroit, Michigan, USA.

The Numero Group website says:

“In 1968, Ted Lucas returned to Detroit following a stint in Los Angeles that saw the release of Reprise singles with his psych-rock acts Spike Drivers and Misty Wizards. Then a new father, he paid his bills by working as Motown's in-house Indian instruments specialist, playing sitar on tracks by the Temptations and the Supremes.”

Allmusic says:

“Detroit musician Ted Lucas spent decades quietly pursuing musical greatness in and around his hometown. Throughout the '60s and '70s, Lucas' name was attached to several regional rock bands, session work for Motown before they left Detroit for Los Angeles, and even time spent studying the art of raga with Ravi Shankar.”

One Chord.net says:

“Ted Lucas still remains as the great unknown, but many have heard him play, because he was “exotic instrument specialist” for Motown and played on several late 60s records by groups such as The Temptations, The Supremes and Stevie Wonder.”

If those quotes don’t intrigue you, you might be at the wrong podcast website.

• Purchase the album at Amazon.

05) “Miri” by Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba.

From the 2019 album “Miri”.

Garana, Barouéli Cercle / Bamako, Mali.

Bassekou Kouyate was born in Garana, Barouéli Cercle, 60 kilometres from Ségou in 1966 and at the age of 12, he started playing the Ngoni. His band is called Ngoni ba. In the late 1980s he moved to the Bamako. His Facebook page says:

“Bassekou Kouyate’s extraordinary musical journey shows that he is unquestionably the most innovative and exciting Malian musician to have emerged in recent years. Having defied tradition he continues to push the boundaries of his ancient musical heritage, bringing his music to audiences around the world with his phenomenal live band Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni ba and three internationally acclaimed albums. Bassekou has become a major star amongst the new generation of African musicians.”

His website says: “Bassekou Kouyate is one of the true masters of the ngoni, an ancient traditional lute found throughout West Africa. He is a virtuoso, innovator, stronghold of tradition all at the same time.”

• Visit the official Bassekou Kouyaté website.

• Follow Bassekou Kouyaté on Facebook.

• Follow Bassekou Kouyaté on Twitter.

06) “Mission l'Afriquei” by Aiff.

From the 2019 album “Afro Soul System”.

Dordrecht, Netherlands.

The group’s Facebook page says: “AIFF are in long terms Afro Influenced Funk Federation. The Dutch musicians around DJ and producer Phil Martin and musician Ton van der Kolk play an enormous groove establishing their own version of afro-funk.”

• Follow AIFF on Facebook.

• Purchase the album at Bandcamp.

• Purchase the album at Amazon.

07) “Bubamara” by Bubamara Brass Band.

From the 2018 album “Bubamarija / Kashtanizma EP”.

Moscow, Russia.

Bubamara Brass Band, out of Moscow, Russia is the project of bandleader Aleksandar Kashtanov. The Free Music Archive page says:

“The new wave of interest to the Balkan music in world scales has been provoked by launch of the well-known Yugoslavian director of Emir Kusturica. Hasn't avoided its influences and Russia where among the other structures which have addressed to a musical heritage of the Balkans, the Moscow orchestra «Bubamara Brass Band» maestro Alexander Kashtanova is brightly allocated.”

• Visit the official website.

• Visit the Bubamara Brass Band Facebook page.

• Download the EP from Free Music Archive.

08) “Bukom Mashie” by Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band.

From the 2002 compilation “Ghana Soundz - A Collection Of Ultra-Rare And Previously Unreleased Afro-Beat, Funk And Fusion From 70's Ghana”.

Ghana.

We’ve made no secret of our love for good music compilations to help discover new artists. It’s really a beautiful thing when you come across something you can trust. And such is the case with We really couldn’t find out much regarding Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band other than the Quantic remix. The album’s Bandcamp page says:

“Ghana Soundz was the first ever Soundway compilation and became recognised worldwide due to the licensing of the Oscar Sulley track, ‘Bukom Mashie’ to the soundtrack of Hollywood blockbuster, ‘Last King of Scotland’.

Pounding rhythms, blaring horns and pumping vocals – the music is a document of a time forgotten when flares and Cuban heels strutted the streets and night-spots of Accra, the sizzlingly hot and humid capital of Ghana. Influenced as much by traditional rhythms and local highlife as by the music of Fela Kuti, James Brown and Santana, these tunes had almost become extinct – until now!

Ghana Soundz was the first of three collections of rare afro-beat, afro-funk and afro-fusion that Miles Cleret painstakingly travelled the length and breadth of Ghana to assemble, the third compilation to be released late 2009.”

• Purchase the album at Bandcamp.

• Purchase the album at Amazon.

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As always, we invite you to browse the interactive map displaying where each artist is from. This week’s artists are represented by light-green map-points. Since Google Maps will only let us display 10 episodes at a time, browse the other episodes here.

Episodes 31-40

Episode 36

Episode 36 was originally posted on February 11, 2019.

Tracklisting:

01) “Spokey Dokey” by the Seatbelts.

From the 1998 Original Soundtrack Cowboy Bebop.

Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

The Seatbelts (シートベルツ Shītoberutsu), sometimes also known as “Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts,” is most famous for their soundtrack to the incredible anime series Cowboy Bebop. Yoko Kanno has composed for Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, The Vision of Escaflowne, and Wolf’s Rain, but Cowboy Bebop is perhaps the standout of them all. As Noisey says: “Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts gave 'Cowboy Bebop' the key ingredient to make it one of the best anime series of all time.” The Noisey essay sums it up well:

You come to Cowboy Bebop for a compelling and complex narrative, and stay for the bangers: blues bangers, bossa nova bangers, heavy metal bangers, jazz bangers and J-pop bangers. The eclectic collection of music complemented the show so well.

• Purchase the soundtrack at Amazon.

02) “知道不知道” by 邓丽君 (Teresa Teng).

From the 1967 album 凤阳花鼓.

Baozhong, Yunlin, Taiwan.

According to Wikipedia: “邓丽君 (Teresa Teng) “was a Taiwanese singer, one of the most famous and successful singers to originate from the Mandarin-speaking world. She is known to the Chinese community worldwide (especially in South East Asian countries), even in groups who may not speak Mandarin as their primary Chinese dialect.”

• Like the 鄧麗君 Teresa Teng page on Facebook.

• Purchase 邓丽君 (Teresa Teng)’s music on Amazon.

03) “El Pajaro” by Lhasa.

From the 1997 album La Llorona.

Big Indian, New York.

Lhasa de Sela was a Mexican-American singer and songwriter. According Wikipedia:

“Lhasa was born in Big Indian, New York, of a Mexican father, language instructor Alejandro "Alex" Sela, and an American mother, photographer and actress Alexandra Karam. According to Lhasa, her hippie parents did not give her a name until the age of five months; her mother was reading a book about Tibet and the word Lhasa "just grabbed her" as the right name for the baby girl.”

• Visit the official Lhasa de Sela website.

• Follow the Lhasa de Sela Facebook page.

• Purchase Lhasa de Sela’s music on Amazon.

04) “Aesop's Fables” by Guy Warren.

From the 1962 album African Rhythms - The Exciting Soundz Of Guy Warren And His Talking Drums.

Accra, Ghana.

Wikipedia tells us:

“Guy Warren of Ghana, also known as Kofi Ghanaba (4 May 1923 – 22 December 2008), was a Ghanaian musician, best known as the inventor of Afro-jazz — "the reuniting of African-American jazz with its African roots"[1] — and as a member of The Tempos, alongside E. T. Mensah. He also inspired musicians such as Fela Kuti. Warren's virtuosity on the African drums earned him the appellation "The Divine Drummer".[2] At different stages of his life, he also worked as a journalist, DJ and broadcaster.”

Night Of The Living Vinyl says:

“Guy Warren, in the late 1950s, was on a mission in the US to show the jazz world, and the rest of the musical community, the importance of drumming. Not only that but he was determined to show people that the drums of Africa were as expressive and versatile as any other instrument in America. For Warren, drums were not just for providing a steady background beat while other instruments took the lead. For him the drums were the centre stage instrument.”

• Purchase the album at Amazon.

05) “Creation” by Burning Spear.

From the 1973 album Studio One Presents Burning Spear.

Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica.

Allmusic says:

“Though he is better known for his releases on Island during the mid-'70s, Winston Rodney (aka Burning Spear) wrote an equally important chapter in reggae music during the first half of that decade. The singer began his professional career on a series of recordings for the legendary Studio One label during the years 1969-1974. Aided by singer/producer Larry Marshall and singer Rupert Willington, the resulting music was some of the most innovative of the style eventually categorized as roots reggae.”

• Visit the Burning Spear website.

• Purchase Burning Spear music at Amazon.

06) “Taty Taty” by Ramy Essam.

From the 2012 album Manshourat.

Mansoura, Egypt.


The official website tells us: “Ramy Essam is an Egyptian musician best known for his appearances in Tahrir Square in Cairo during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. Ramy was born in 1987 in Mansoura, Egypt. Ramy is one of the few singers in Middle East to sing hard rock.”

• Visit the official Ramy Essam website.

• Follow Ramy Essam on Facebook.

• Purchase Ramy Essam music at Amazon.

07) “Gele Beyi” by Ketema Makkonen.

From the 1972 album Ketema Makkonen.

Ethiopia.

The My Passion For Ethiopian Music blog tells us that Ketema Makkonen (also spelled : Ketema Makonnen) was “an incredibly skilled player of the Kirar, or the 6-string bowled lyre” and that his music was: “deeply sorrowful and forlorn,” saying: “these strings kick up a dusty trail of longing, intuitively navigated by his warm, rustic voice.”

Honestly, that’s about all we can find on this one. Anyone have any further information or links?

08) “Angels of Death” by Jennifer Castle.

From the 2018 album Angels of Death.

Toronto, Ontario.

Pitchfork says: “The Toronto singer’s album is a country and gospel-infused meditation on death and mourning that flickers between the broadly universal and the devastatingly personal.”

Not sure what else there is to say.

• Visit Jennifer Castle’s official website.

• Visit Jennifer Castle on Facebook.

• Purchase the album on Bandcamp.

• Purchase the album on Amazon.

09) “Goza Mi Trompeta” by Cachao y Su Ritmo Caliente.

From the 1996 album Descargas - Cuban Jam Sessions.

Cuba.

Well . . . sometimes all you have is some sort of weird bootleg CDR that you found at the thrift store because you heard a story on the radio. It has this cover and not much other information or links. You?

10) “Sor Kendine” by Tim Ersen.

From the 2001 compilation Hava Narghile: Turkish Rock Music 1966-1975.

Turkey.

We try to avoid repeats here on the Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow. And, for the most part, we feel like we’ve avoided playing any particular artist more than once. However, we have made no secret of the fact that we love compilation albums to discover lots of new artists from all around the world. We featured "Berkay Oyun Havasi" by Moğollar from the the Hava Narghile: Turkish Rock Music 1966-1975 on Episode 16 and we return to that compilation here on Episode 36 with Tim Ersen, which we honestly can’t find much information about. Can you help?

• Purchase the album on Amazon.

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As always, browse our interactive map to see where each artist is from. This week’s artists are represented by purple map-points. To highlight a specific episode, use the little window/toggle thingy in the upper-left corner. Since we can only show 10 episodes at a time, see all of the other episodes here.

Episodes 31-40

Episode 35

Episode 35 was originally posted on February 4, 2019.

Tracklisting:

01) “Svatba (A Wedding)” by the Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir.

From the 1987 album Le Mystère Des Voix Bulgares, Vol. 1.

Bulgaria.

According to Wikipedia:

Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares (translated as "The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices") is a compilation album of modern arrangements of Bulgarian folk songs featuring, among others, the Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir, with soloists Yanka Rupkina, Kalinka Valcheva and Stefka Sabotinova; and the Filip Kutev Ensemble.

The album was the result of fifteen years of work by Swiss ethnomusicologist and producer Marcel Cellier and was released in 1975 on his small Disques Cellier label. Some of the recordings he made himself; others were taken from the archives of Radio Sofia.

In the 1980s, Ivo Watts-Russell (founder of the British 4AD label) was introduced to the choir from a third or fourth generation audio cassette lent to him by Peter Murphy, singer from the band Bauhaus. He became thoroughly entranced by the music, and tracked down and licensed the recordings from Cellier. So in 1986, it was re-released on 4AD in the UK, in 1987 the Nonesuch label in the US and on the Philips label in other territories.

• Purchase the album at Amazon.

02) “어떤 꿈” by Say Sue Me.

From the 2018 album Where We Were Together.

Busan, South Korea.

“Say Sue Me are a surf-inspired indie rock quartet from Busan, South Korea.” Pitchfork says: “These South Korean devotees of the ’90s indie-rock canon make delicate, bruising music about indecision and loneliness (and lots of drinking).”

• Follow Say Sue Me on Facebook.

• Follow Say Sue Me on Twitter.

• Follow the group on Instagram.

• Purchase the album on Bandcamp.

• Purchase the album on Amazon.

03) “Falling Babylon / Tony Tuff” by Yabby You.

From the 1977 album Deliver Me From My Enemies.

Kingston, Jamaica.

Vivian Jackson, better known as Yabby You (or sometimes Yabby U), was a dub and reggae vocalist and producer, who came to prominence in the early 1970s. Jamaica Observer says:

“When Yabby You died in 2010 not many outside the close-knit roots-reggae fraternity knew about him or the impressive cache of spiritual music he left behind. The songs and albums he recorded are recognised by purists as being among the best in reggae.

Yabby You (real name Vivian Jackson) overcame severe malnutrition in his teens and began recording in the early 1970s with legendary engineer/producer Osbourne “King Tubby” Ruddock. Backed by musicians named The Prophets (core members being bassist Aston “Familyman” Barrett, guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith and drummer Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace)”

• Purchase Yabby You’s music at Amazon.

04) “Lo que más quiero” by Inti-Illimani 2.

From the 1974 album La nueva canción chilena.

Santiago, Chile.

Wikipedia says:

“Inti-Illimani (Spanish pronunciation: [in.ti.ji.ˈma.ni]; from Quechuan inti and / Aymara illimani) are an instrumental and vocal Latin American folk music ensemble from Chile. The group was formed in 1967 by a group of university students and it acquired widespread popularity in Chile for their song Venceremos (We shall win!) which became the anthem of the Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende.”

“La Nueva Canción Chilena was the second album recorded in exile in Italy by Inti-Illimani in 1974. It's their first album known also with a progressive numeration linked with the band name.”

• Purchase the album at Amazon.

05) “Sol de Maria” by Gilberto Gil.

From the 2018 album OK OK OK.

Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

According to Brittanica:

“Gilberto Gil, in full Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira, (born June 26, 1942, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil), Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the leading names in Brazilian music and an originator of the movement known as Tropicália (or Tropicalismo).”

Gil’s official website says:

“His career began in the accordion, still in the 50's. Inspired by Luiz Gonzaga, by the sound of the radio, by the processions at the door of the house. In the interior of the Northeast the sonority that explored was the one of the sertão, until joao Gilberto, the bossa nova, and also Dorival Caymmi, with its prairie songs and the littoral world, so different from the world of the sertão.”

• Visit Gilberto Gil’s official website.

• Follow Gilberto Gil at Facebook.

• Follow Gilberto Gil on Instagram.

• Purchase Gilberto Gil’s music on Amazon.

06) “Kal Timasniwen” by Timasniwen.

From the 2018 album Tikmawen.

Niamey, Niger.

The group’s Facebook page says:

“The story of the group began to build in 2016, in Niamey, when two Tuareg childhood artists, Ibrahim Ahmed and Goumar Abdul Jamil, decided to merge their musical careers, already rich in experience, into a new band: Timasniwen. Surrounded by their own families and friends, Ibrahim and Goumar begin arranging their old songs and creating new titles, and in 2018 they start recording their first album.

Timasniwen in the Tamasheq language means transhumance to the north (Tamesna), being a very important framework for Tuareg relations and exchanges. In a wider design it means the nomadic way of life.

The group is currently composed of eight artists born in Niger and from Mali, being one of the few existing bands of Tuareg music that counts with women among its members. In their songs the traditional sounds of the djembe and the tense mix with the modern rhythms of the guitar and the bass giving a musical style of their own. Their first album, Tikmawen, was recorded at the Studio of Radio Fidélité in Niamey in 2018.”

• Visit the group’s official website.

• Follow Timasniwen on Facebook.

• Purchase Timasniwen music on Bandcamp.

• Purchase the music at Amazon.

07) “Mamutora” by Oliver Mtukudzi.

From the 2016 album God Bless You The Gospel Collection.

Highfield, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Wikipedia says: “Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi was a Zimbabwean musician, businessman, philanthropist, human rights activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Southern Africa Region. Tuku was considered to have been Zimbabwe's most renowned and internationally recognised cultural icon of all time.”

With Mtukudzi’s recent passing, it seems only fitting to draw a selection from his “Gospel Collection.”

• Visit the official Facebook page.

• Purchase Oliver Mtukudzi’s music at Amazon.

08) “Chan Chan” by Buena Vista Social Club.

From the 1997 album Buena Vista Social Club.

Havana, Cuba.

In 2017, NPR wrote:

“Twenty years ago this month, Americans were introduced to the romantic sounds of the Buena Vista Social Club. It was an unlikely group of stars: mostly elderly musicians from Cuba playing very old-fashioned music. But when the group's debut album was released in 1997, it wound up selling millions of records around the world.

Buena Vista Social Club started out as a very different album from the one you know. The previous year, British record producer Nick Gold and American guitarist Ry Cooder had the idea to show the connections between Cuban and West African music. They arranged for a group of musicians from Mali to record in Havana with musicians from the island. But Gold says that, as often happens, bureaucracy got in the way.

"The Africans couldn't make the trip because [their] passports were sent to Burkina Faso to get visas — and they didn't come back," he recalls. "So the Africans couldn't come." (Gold did eventually manage to realize that Cuba-Mali project; AfroCubismwas released in 2010.)

Studio time had been booked at Cuba's national recording label, EGREM, whose main studio was built by RCA Victor in the 1940s. Before the revolution in 1959, everyone — from Cuban stars to Nat King Cole — recorded there. Gold raves, "The actual room has got the nicest sound I've ever heard in any studio. It has this beautiful natural reverb."

The rest, as they say, is history.

• Visit the official website.

• Visit the Facebook page.

• Purchase the music at Amazon.

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As always, please browse the map of where each artist is from. This week’s artists are marked by yellow map points. To highlight a different episode, use the little window/toggle thingy in the upper-left corner. To see previous episodes, click here.

Episodes 31-40

Episode 34

Episode 34 was first posted on January 28, 2019.

Tracklisting:

01) “Punk’s Not Dead” by The Exploited.

From the 1981 album Punk’s Not Dead.

Edinburgh, Scotland.

Wikipedia says: “The Exploited are a Scottish Oi! punk band from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed in 1979 by Stevie Ross and Terry Buchan and later by Wattie Buchan. They signed to Secret Records in March 1981, and their debut EP Army Life and debut album Punks Not Dead were both released that year.”

• Visit the group’s official website.

• Follow the group on Facebook.

• Purchase the group’s music at Amazon.

02) “Stone In” by Guru Guru.

From the 1970 album UFO.

Heidelberg, Germany.

According to Last.fm: '“Guru Guru is one of the most notable German Krautrock bands, existing from the late 1960s to the present. The band has had many incarnations over nearly 4 decades. Drummer Mani Neumeier has remained as the only original member.”

• Visit Guru Guru’s website.

• Follow Guru Guru on Facebook.

• Purchase Guru Guru’s music at Amazon.

03) “Nyein Chan Boan Le (Surrounded by Peace)” by U Ba Than.

From the 1970 album Basic Method in Music Volume 1.

Myanmar.

Asianclassicalmp3 says: “The late U Ba Than was one of the greatest musicians of Burma (now Myanmar) of the last 50 years. His playing has influenced most musicians since. He is now best known for his efforts at documenting the canon of traditional music and establishing ways to pass this music on.” Most of the music is played on the traditional Burmese Saunggauk harp accompanied by some xylophone and percussion 

• Download the album from asianclassicalmp3.org.

04) “La couleur et l'air” by Byzance Nord.

From the 2017 album Bien à l'ouest.

Paris, France.

Their Facebook page says: “Ils sortent de sous Paris pour vous faire danser” (Google Translate tells us this means: “They come out from under Paris to make you dance” while their website adds: “The fruit of a strange encounter, BYZANCE NORD was born underground. Indeed, musicians of various influences met at random galleries in the old quarries of Paris , commonly called the catacombs. Some jams began, first spontaneous, then others, more and more regular, in these dark places full of mystery.”

• Visit Byzance Nord’s official website.

• Follow the group on Facebook.

• Download the album for free from Free Music Archive.

• Purchase Byzance Nord’s music at Amazon.

05) “Chuchok Song Kuman” by Namphueng Phet-Uthai.

From the 2017 album Tham Khwan Nak 2.

Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand.

monrakplengthai.blogspot.com explains: “as namphueng's stage-surname suggests, our artists are based out of uthai thani province in thailand's central plain and specialize in music for any number of events where sacred sounds are required (at the time of writing, you can still book them to perform at your own event!). we've heard from these folks once before here, way back in 2010, when they provided a soundtrack to the thot kathin & thot phapamerit-making festivals. today, we join them at a tham khwan nak, or ordination ceremony for a novice monk. the group includes fellow singers la-iat luk-uthai and suwan kaeonam, performing poetry by sangwian miluenam. while the first side finds them backed by the "78 sound" piphat ensemble as in part 1, the second side finds accompaniment paired down to a more drum-and-fiddle-based group.”

• Download the album from monrakplengthai.blogspot.com.

06) “Mamãe Querida” by Margareth Menezes.

From the 2004 compilation The Rough Guide to Brazil: Bahia.

Salvador, Bahia.

We featured “Take Saravá” by Silvia Torres from this same compilation back on Episode 19. Back then, we said:

“As you may know from previous episodes, we here at the Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow love to discover new music from all around the world. One good way to do this is to find compilations. It’s even better if you can find a series of compilations which you can trust to provide gems like this one. We have previously featured tracks featured on the Rough Guides to Australia: Aboriginal Music (Episode 04, Episode 05, China, (Episode 10 and Episode 12) and now Brazil: Bahia.

Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is also a particular dialect of Brazilian music. Allmusic says:

“Given the well-known music of Rio's Carnaval and its massive samba affairs, Bahia is the next logical step for music producers to take for a compilation of Brazilian music. Bahia is widely (and rightly) regarded as a focal point for Brazilian music, spawning much of the Tropicalia movement, MPB, and the Afro-Brazilian traditions, as well as much of modern samba.”

According to the Wikipeida: “Margareth Menezes is a Brazilian singer from Salvador, Bahia. Her style is considered axé but her music also steers into samba and MPB territory, at times drawing on African rhythms and reggae.”

• Visit Margareth Menezes’ official website.

• Follow Margareth Menezes on Facebook.

• Follow Margareth Menezes on Twitter.

07) “Um Min Al Yaman (Live)” by Yemen Blues.

From the 2018 album Live in Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv; New York; Yemen.

The group’s Facebook page describes them by saying:

“Conceived from vocalist Ravid Kahalani’s vision, Yemen Blues’ original music mixes of Yemen and West Africa influences with contemporary grooves from funk to mambo and the deep soul of old chants. Conjuring up a rich and diverse aural palette with the use of percussion, oud, horns, and strings, Yemen Blues coexists in both the past and present, at once timeless and modern.”

• Visit the official Yemen blues website.

• Follow Yemen Blues on Facebook.

• Follow Yemen Blues on Twitter.

• Purchase the group’s music at Bandcamp.

• Purchase Yemen Blues music on Amazon.

08) “The Rebel” by The Mighty Sparrow.

From the 2018 compilation The Calypso Genius.

Grenada.

Often known as "The Might Sparrow, Calypso King of the World,” Slinger Francisco is as Grenada-born Trinidadian vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist. The Guardian describes the Mighty Sparrow this way: “He inspired Bob Marley’s political awakening, survived a coma, and has sung about everything from sex workers to Khrushchev.”

• Visit the Mighty Sparrow Calypso Foundation website.

• Purchase The Mighty Sparow’s music at Amazon.

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Browse our interactive map to see where each artist is from. This week’s artists are represented by orange map-points. To highlight a specific episode, use the little window/toggle thingy in the upper-left corner. Since we can only show 10 episodes at a time, see all of the other episodes here.

Episodes 31-40