Young musician Sho Madjozi, who entered the local music scene, is a breath of fresh air. She gained notoriety for her appearances on the most recent album by rapper Okmalumkoolkat. She is also recognized for her role as rebel Tsakani Mboweni in the hit teen opera Isithembiso on Mzansi Magic. She astounded audiences with her bold lyrics, self-assurance and vibrant flair,... read full bio
Amaliah, the founder of Borne Fruits and a regular on Rinse FM, is one of London's most intriguing DJs who fuses contemporary house and techno music with international club beats that are inspired by soundsystem culture. Amaliah has transcended these proud influences to establish her own unique claim within her own city's ever-crowded nightlife environment. She comes from a lineage of... read full bio
Alysha Brilla is a three-time Juno Award nominee whose therapeutic music medicine transports listeners to her trademark place nestled between the ground and the stars by fusing worldwide roots sounds. Brilla is the musical love child of an Indo-Tanzanian musician and a Canadian storyteller. Her music is a vibrant blend of folk music from throughout the world. Joyous upbeat rhythms and... read full bio
Hinako Omori's "a journey..." mixes inner healing and natural landscapes into an immersive mapping of the mind in ambient electronics by fusing therapeutic frequencies, woodland bathing and binaural sound. The album moves along not track by track but rather as a continuous journey; a stream of consciousness that follows hills and valleys while retaining the coziness of analogue synthesis and Omori's... read full bio
She launched "Kamisori Otome" as her first album, and since then has released 6 further solo albums. She has traveled extensively, playing all across Japan and the world with her voice and classical guitar. She hasn't just limited herself to the music industry; she has also developed her skills further by taking on narrating, commercial, theater and installation art jobs. Her... read full bio
Under the direction of multi-instrumentalist and producer Tom Excell, a combination of virtuoso players, talented producers and creative composers come together. A 10-piece big band with influences from jazz, hip-hop, afrobeat, Latin, soul, reggae and dance music may be expected to play with razor-sharp skill. Special guests on the new album "Freedom Fables" include Ego Ella May, K.O.G., Pat Thomas, Cherise, Ria Moran and... read full bio
Santrofi is a group of renowned young artists well-known in Ghana's music circles. They are quite famous of the new vintage-inspired Highlife, Highlife Funk and Afrobeat. Lead by bassist/producer Emmanuel Ofori, who emerged from the unchangeable Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas and Kwashibu Area Band to establish his own collective that is deeply influenced by vintage Ghanaian highlife music in all of its... read full bio
The Scorpios, a Sudanese band, successfully destroys cultural barriers in search of a unifying rhythmic happiness by fusing Arabic rhythms, guitar skills and a type of swooning cyclical ecstasy with a raw Eastern funk sound. In order to produce a sound that has as much in common with Detroit as it does with Khartoum, heavy bass, synthesizers, horns and percussions are driven... read full bio
United Freedom Collective has signed to Ninja Tune subsidiary label Dama Dama, run by Maribou State. With radio backing from people like Gilles Petersen, Jamz Supernova, Tom Ravenscroft and Don Letts as well as two sold-out live performances in their hometowns of Margate and London, their first EP "Am Ta" made waves. Musicians Mathieu Seynaeve and WaiFung Tsang met with yoga instructor... read full bio
Wayne Snow's music, which mixes neo-soul, alternative pop, soultronica and jazz with a modern take on the sun-kissed, soulful feelings of his native country, has an irresistible warmth. His passion and appreciation for Afrofuturism, as well as his musical background and childhood in Nigeria listening to singers like Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Sade and Marvin Gaye, all evident. It's an essential... read full bio
Junior Brother, a stalwart of alternative folk, bravely breaks new territory with his daring new tune, "The Men Who Eat Ring Forts." The mammoth "Junior Brother's Favorite" EP from June and the critically praised double LP The Great Irish Famine precede this brand-new offering, which is known for its "Wry songs of anxiety and frustration" (The Guardian) and "Truly unforgettable"... read full bio
The Fanna-Fi-Allah Sufi Qawwali group has been the leading torchbearer of authentic Sufi Qawwali music worldwide for more than two decades. Fanna-Fi-Allah maintains the art form in its most genuine and storied lineage, acting as a crucial cultural bridge between the East and the West and promoting a message of global tolerance that is essential for our day. The group has... read full bio
Doolin', the top Celtic band in France, takes its name from a small Irish hamlet famous for its music in the southwest. Six talented musicians came together to form Doolin', which has since honed a variety of avant-garde musical styles. While some members of the band were deeply involved in traditional Irish music, others were engaged in jazz or the pop... read full bio
Les Amazones d'Afrique is a creative force that welcomes diverse viewpoints, powerful harmonies that call attention to the rights of women and girls, and a collision of old-school talent and up-and-coming artists. Mamani Keta, Oumou Sangaré and Mariam Doumbia, three well-known Malian musicians and social activists, founded the collective in Bamako, Mali. Since then, the collective has grown to include several female... read full bio
The Zawose Queens' music exudes fire and enthusiasm. The sound of the ancestors' vibrations may be heard in the soaring chizeze fiddle, the buzzing illimba thumb piano, the chattering and thunderous ngoma drums and the deep, high and ethereal vocals. Their synthesis of organic, harmonic and contemporary electronic elements, influenced by dance, embodies a relationship to nature, ceremony and tradition. There are lyrics that... read full bio
Long before she was able to comprehend the meaning behind the words and the poetry they contained, vocalist Widad Mjama had an intense interest with the Chikhates—these formidable and powerful women who sang "rebel" songs and preserved a tradition that dates back to the 12th century. This passion gave rise to the project centered around the art of AITA. Aita is... read full bio
With their abilities of literary imagination and musical intellect, Ablaye Cissoko and Cyrille Brotto present us with a work of art that is incredibly beautiful and generous. The delicate music is at times rippling like a waterfall and is so harmonious that it sounds as though it has been touched by grace. Ablaye Cissoko's gentle velvet voice lends a unique... read full bio
Ali is a three-piece musical project with Indonesian roots that started in Jakarta. John Paul Patton and Arswandaru Cahyo started the project, which aims to infuse Middle Eastern culture with elements of cinematic soul, afro beat, funk, and disco, as well as aspects of 70s Indonesian rock, to produce a new groove and sound for the dynamic and modern Indonesian music... read full bio
Currently residing in Brussels, Alex Figueira is a musician, producer, DJ, record collector, and Venezuelan-Portuguese citizen. He is the originator of Afro-Caribbean psychedelic sensation Conjunto Papa Upa and the widely renowned, sadly deceased tropical psych punk band Fumaça Preta. He plays every instrument on his solo debut album Mentallogenic and handles all technical aspects of the recording process. The album has... read full bio
Asmaa Hamzaoui is the foremost female representative of Gnawa music, and she offers a contagious kind of evangelistic 'desert blues' with her group Bnat Timbouktou. Gnawa are the ancestors of black slaves in Morocco, where they have established their own Sufi order, with Essaouira as its hub. Their music is hypnotic, stirring, and profoundly steeped in the history of this... read full bio
