A bonkers, irrepressible amalgam of highlife, Twi rap, funk and disco, put over with the passion of a Prince record and the lo-fi charm of early Chicago house music.
The original cassette — self-released in Ghana and Canada in 1994 — was the inaugural post on the ATFA blog.

Yarghul player Atef Swaitat and singer Abu Ali are popular Bedouin wedding musicians extending long family traditions in Jenin and the north of historic Palestine. This stomping, swirling, surging, precious music was recorded at ceremonies across the Galilee throughout the 1970s.
It’s exhilarating, giddying, and immersive.
Tiny run.

Lovely traditional Cuban music — bolero, guaracha, merengue, cha cha cha — recorded last year in Havana.

Terrific, rootsy, soulful SA and post-bop jazz by drummer Sikade leading Nduduzo Makhathini on piano, young Simon Manana on alto sax and Nhlanhla Radebe on bass; recorded last year in Johannesburg. Warmly recommended.

Driving, rawly soulful kologo music from northern Ghana, propelled by double-stringed lute.
African Head Charge front man Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah guests.
Putoo Katare Yire, Wickedness Has No Home.
Terrific.

Intense, virtuosic singing in this ancient tradition, accompanied by Qasimov himself playing the daf frame drum and the brothers Mansurov on the tar lute and kamancha fiddle.
‘Simply one of the greatest singers alive, with a searing spontaneity that conjures passion and devotion, contemplation and incantation’ (New York Times).

Algerian chaabi pop.

‘On every track the frenetic energy in the studio is palpable, giving the recordings a beautifully personal feel and a sense of the phenomenally creative vision Bertrami, Malheiros and Conti were realising at the time. Fifty years on, Azymuth’s earliest recorded music retains an ineffable, futuristic quality, standing amongst their most captivating and moving work.’

‘After the afro-beat fury of Juguya, this second album combines a potent mix of traditional roots and modern Burkinabe funk with a reverent revival of the iconic Mandingue guitar music of the 1970s.’
Searing Sahelian dance music, recorded in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in February 2018.

‘From mutant drum machine beats to irresistible synthesizer hooks, fans of the fringes of the 80s will find songs to stir their cold, dark hearts. But Back Up Dos does more than mine retro kitsch: it documents the development of a rich DIY music scene that is still under-explored. As affordable samplers and digital synths spread throughout the decade, post-punk and new wave gave way to more aggressive EBM and cyberpunk sounds. The scene also developed in opposition to the political climate of the times: the rise of the drug cartels and a reactionary turn in national politics. Using home recording techniques, these bands took cues from the electronic wizardry of the Human League and Wax Trax Records while reflecting the vibrant and chaotic Mexican cultural landscape of the era. On Back Up Dos, impeccable pop anthems from Casino Shanghai and Los Agentes Secretos sit alongside gnarled obscurities from Ford Proco and María Bonita, showcasing a decade of sly deviance and enthusiastic experimentation. This album comes housed in an 80s-inflected neon sleeve designed by Gwenael Rattke and includes a 12-page booklet with photographs, lyrics, and notes. Back Up Dos compiles synthetic music produced in Mexico at the crossroads from Tecno Pop to Post-Industrial, nourished by culture shock and stories of dystopian worlds.’

Featuring the Gamelan Semar Pagulingan — the ‘Gamelan of Love in the Bedchamber’ —playing instruments that no longer exist, in repertoire originally performed just outside the private residence of a raja during meals and quiet times… and when he was up to no good with one of his wives.

Kebyar with sung poetry, gambuh dance-drama, ancient ritual angklung, and solo flute.
Full English translations in the booklet.