NEW WORLD

AFRICA

OLD WORLD (inc Asia, Arabia)

African Discographies

Greetings, Platterbugs!

Updated 1 June 2026

New Music

Derek Gripper on guitar with Alam Khan, son of Ali Akbar Khan, duet

Sareban, a traditional Afghan rubab maestro, excellent

América! by Orquesta Akokán (now with two new singers), comes out in July

via Tony P:
Sobra Dance by Gaoussou Sobra Kouyate, rocking Malian music

also via Tony: Bismillah by Sekouba Traoré

Kaiso Power: Sound Revolution in Trinidad 1970-1980
from Soundway; our resident expert reports: "About 6 of the 10 tracks have been reissued within the last 10 years (several on Cree Records), plus a few high priced singles (per Discogs) thrown in."

Psychedelic rock from Thailand; full album here

a rare Mauritanian cassette by Hammadi ould Nana uploaded by Matthew Lavoie; also check his Abdoulayé Cissé upload

Sixth album from Tamikrest

Video

from Ken A: where that unique Haitian guitar sound came from: Silent Strings: The Eddy Woolley story

Nidia Góngora (thanks again to Ken): Pacifico Maravilla

also via Ken: upcoming collaboration between Helena Recalde & Abou Diarra

Clicking all the boxes (jungle funk, Ethio jazz, lounge, psychedelic rock, afrobeat... did i miss anything?): Magulo a Filipino band from LA

NewDakarSound video channel on youtube has added Sam Mangwana in concert and Trio Madjesi

JazzCrazy uploaded more Congolese rarities
e.g. Brazzos & OK Jazz; and don't miss Dikume, Camerounian singer with Opika stars backing him (also, read the comments!)

R.I.P.

Steve Barrow, reggae scholar and A&R man, who curated Trojan's catalog and then ran Blood & Fire; talks here about the origins of dub

Sonny Rollins, saxophone colossus

soul singer Clarence Carter

Latest Muzikifan Podcast

Quickie:
music from Jamaica, Congo, Ghana,
Nigeria, South Africa and Bollywood

THE HANDOVER
NEW OLD MEDICINE (Sublime Frequencies SF133)

If you've ever been in a band you will know the joy of jamming with friends and getting lost in an endless riff. In music, two, three or four instruments are more than the sum of their parts: they expand the sound exponentially, each mind adding to the collective thought and direction of the flow. For those of us who never rose far above the garage band level we appreciate the Velvet Underground or Tuareg blues bands because we know innately they are striving for that collective sound where one member will drive forward with an idea and the others surfing or coasting on the moment will get swept into it. I remember one rainy day jamming with a friend on "96 Tears" (two chords: D and D minor, or G7 and Gm7); I was playing my Hohner Clavinet through a Boss Flanger and he was playing an Epiphone guitar with various pedal effects also, and we had both instruments and the vocal mikes patched through a Roland Space Echo. But we had modified this vintage unit so that the tape which creates the reverb by going over a record head then a playback head, was strung on capstans all around the room. This soon built a wall of sound that droned and increased in intensity as we played (We were into Eno & Fripp's No Pussyfooting at the time). After an hour or more we achieved some kind of sonic nirvana in that old carriage house and stopped playing to have a beer and listen to a cassette of our effort; it was then we noticed a neighbor had thrown a brick through the window. There was glass all over the floor which we simply had not seen or heard. I remembered this session (I am tempted to call an epiphany but that seems trite) when I played this album and at once knew these were good friends who loved to jam and follow the riff. The album is two long takes, and the music builds with a synth drone backing an oud and a violin. The latter two chordophones are played by Egyptians who also create rhythm through strumming and tapping on their strings. There is an element of the classical maqams of Arabia in the structure but the drone quality and the stretches into psychedelia are more evocative of a different Arabic culture: the Joujouka and their night-long trances, while an organ invokes a different classical heritage, that of Andalusia, before breaking down into Galician bagpipes. The violin too sounds like a shrill reed instrument when the mood takes him. The bandmates are Aly Eissa on oud, Ayman Asfour on the violin, and Jonas Cambien on Korg synth and organ. You can trance dance or float on an intoxicating cloud with this music; either way it seems like an old friend we forgot we hadn't seen in ages.

MSINDABA JAZZ BAND (Imetoka)

This is martial drum and brass music. There's a long tradition of it in Britain where I grew up with groups like the Boys Brigade who march about with bugles and snare drums. This ensemble has a bit more depth as it includes vocals and complex rhythms. Msindaba are six Tanzanians and according to the label this is the first time a Tanzanian brass band has been recorded, though I am sure Hugh Tracey recorded jazz bands there in the 50s, whether or not he ran across similar brass ensembles is unknown. They play as a marching band in the streets of Dar es Salaam which means they have to be versatile and portable, so in that respect it resembles similar groups in Brazil, like the frevo groups of Recife, and elsewhere. They also have the option of riding on a float. I hear one trumpet and three or four drums; the trumpeter plays simple melodies while the drums really crank it out. There is a bass drum and a snare, a player of cymbals and some small skin-covered hand drums. The whole EP has great energy and though short, will be appreciated by fans of brass music. The publisher is a collective who are into cultural experimentation and this is their fourth release in five years.

MAH DAMBA
TAABOLO KOURA (One World Records)

Mah Damba has the weight of the griot tradition on her shoulders. Daughter of Djeli Baba Sissoko, her aunt is Fanta Damba. She has performed with Mory Kante, Kasse Mady Diabaté, Damon Albarn, etc. Since moving to France in 1983 she has keep in touch with the Malian expatriates and also adapted to include accordion and violin in her backing band which otherwise is a traditional line-up of guitar, calabash, ngoni and guembri. She sings traditional Manding and Bambara epics in her warm, resonant voice. Her nephew Makan Badjé Tounkara, master of the djeli ngoni, anchors the group. Her daughters and granddaughters sing backup choruses! This is her eighth album since her debut on Syllart in 1989. On "Katakalé," they step away from the traditional for a moment as the violin, accordion drone and hand-claps set up a different vibe, with a flamenco feel on the guitar played by her son Guimba Kouyaté. The lyrics are parables related by her grandmother. The deep calabash almost sounds like a bass guitar on this. Her son also goes electric for "Koulou ya maye," a rocking number with added balafon. A well-rounded set of traditional West African music.

SPOK
RAIZES (YB Music)

This exciting new album from Brazil reminds me right away of Lenine, my favorite composer/performer from that country. While the singer and opening riff sound like him, there is a big surprise when Lenine himself shows up as a guest vocalist on the opening track "Kaô" which I think means knocked out. This high energy music has a lot of musical touch-stones, like heavy metal, afro-brazilian jazz and frevo drumming, and that's just in the opening cut. The leader is Maestro Spok who plays saxophone and also leads a big band in his home town of Recife. Well-respected there, he organizes the closing show for the annual carneval and has brought artists such as Sivuca and Dori Caymmi to the Pernambuco region to perform at this event. Thus many big names show up as guests on this album, including Chico Cesar and Zeca Baleiro. Tracing his roots back to Cameroun, Spok praises the orixás, including Xangô, the orixá of balance and strength. After the raucous opening cut, it calms down (cue the rain stick and eerie wind noises) but pretty soon ramps up again for a scorching baritone sax solo. To Spok, the title Raízes is a place shaped by faith and continual reinvention. This is a rich and rewarding album, however so far I have only found it on streaming platforms, so I will update this page when I can point you to a good link, beyond tidal, spotify or deezer, etc.

Most recent reviews

(click on maps at the top of the page to get to continent of choice)

May 2026

Dr K. Gyasi & his Noble Kings are in Ghana part two
Antoine Dougbe & Poly-Rythmo's compilation can be read about in Benin
Conjunto Angola 70's Turma da Benca is filed in Angola
La Fantástica's rare album now on Vampisoul and
Joe Acosta's Power of love are filed in Salsa

April 2026

Saly Kouyaté's Mali Kelen is filed in Mali part 6
Zanja All stars are filed in Cuba 4
Léve Léve volume two from São Tomé can be found in the Cabo Verde tab
Les Belgicains are right there in Congo Classics 2
Read about Himba Hymn from Namibia in African miscellany
Steve Hernández and his Latinoamericana orchestra are filed in salsa
Ayjay Walzaqat al Jilalia is in Morocco

March 2026

Azuka Moweta and his Anioma Brothers' Kenechukwu is found in Nigeria part 3
Tim Maia's eponymous fourth album is reviewed in Brasil part 3
Roberto y su Nuevo Montuno can be read about in Puerto Rico
Music for a Revolution vol 2 is filed in Music of Guinee
Indian Talking Machine part 2 is filed in India & Pakistan part 2
Joseph Kamaru's Heavy Combination went to Kenya part 3

February 2026

Los Rogers are filed in Peru two

January 2026

Excavated Shellac: Voices is filed under world miscellany
Lenine's Eita can be found in Brasil part 3

December 2025

Dr Nico presents African Fiesta Sukisa &
Roger Izeidi presents African Fiesta Vita Matata are both filed in Congo Classics part 2
Noura Mint Seymali is filed in Arabia part 3
Syran Mbenza's Rumba Africa is filed under Music of Congo 4
Pelengana Blo's Hunter Folk vol II is found in Mali part 6
Son Palenque's latest is filed in Colombia part 3
Africa Shangazi is filed in Kenya & Tanzania part 3

...

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A DISCOGRAPHY OF DOCTEUR NICO
By Alastair Johnston

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