At times, we are the first to lose track of how many exciting music events happen in London each month, so we have decided to offer you some sort of “public musical service”, meant for all the locals and passers-by, with the aim of suggesting where to listen to some…

The most tropical weekend of the year is upon us! So, if you haven’t already, pack your tent, sunscreen and fun appetite, and head for Mount Pleasant Ecological Park. From Friday 13th to Sunday 15th July, Tropical Pressure festival will drop its cargo of Latin, Caribbean, West, East and Central African…

A big revelry for exciting Brighton-based independent label Tru Thoughts, as they celebrated their coming-of-age with a punching all-day party! Full of friends and fans, there were queues to see their newest acts that not even a wink or a press pass could sneak you through. A sign that they…

The last decade has seen a shift in the role of record labels in the music industry.  More artists are choosing to sign with independent labels to maintain creative collaborative control. Tru-Thoughts are a UK indie label based in Brighton, created in 1999.  Praised by Gilles Peterson, they have a…

The concept of an outdoor jazz festival hardly conjures images of glitter-filled Glastonbury excitement, a young hip crowd and dance-fuelled elation. However, previously exclusive jazz appears to be undergoing a fashion revolution and the grounds of Glynde Place hinted at this. Love Supreme, the UK’s only three-day greenfield jazz festival…

You simply need to look at her, her eyes and expression to understand the nature of the experiences, adventures and encounters that Aziza Brahim has gone through in her life. The Sahrawi singer/songwriter, true mouthpiece of her people’s daily fight to be recognised, has spent her entire existence as a…

They invited their fans singing “come see us play”. So we did it and enjoyed every single minute of it. Sidestepper brought their Afro-Colombian groove to WOMAD Festival and it was simply “chevere!”   A few minutes later, we witnessed the brilliant 30-year reunion of Songhai – kora king Toumani Diabate with flamenco guitarists…

Our top 5 discoveries for Womad festival’s first full day, Friday, showcase the rich and varied styles that WOMAD 2016 has on offer. In our pick there is music from Spain, Lebanon, Mali, Scotland and Colombia – you can’t get more diverse than that! La Mambanegra got us off to…

Welcomed by a packed and doting Electric Brixton, The Hot 8 Brass Band met expectations: larger than life, feel-good and undoubtedly, infectiously groovy. Before the brassy boy entered, the muso Brixton crowd were well warmed with the reggae delights of the Ragga Twins. From their straight-up Jamaican vibes, to their…

“This is NOT world music, this is OUR music! You can’t put me in a box just because I’m black! You can’t put me in a box because I’m African and I’m proud of what I am! Brighton, if you are with us, raise your finger!” With these few words,…

It was billed as one of the highlights of 2016’s La Linea Festival, but Criolo and Baloji gig at Koko went above and beyond all expectations. The event was the unequivocal proof that hip-hop has a thousand faces, and the remarkable ability to adapt and absorb different cultures to spread…

Aziza Brahim’s new album Abbar el Hamada (out now on Glitterbeat) blew us away on first listening with its haunting tales of a life spent in refugee camps. It was therefore a great pleasure to get the chance to interview this important singer. Exiled as she is from the country of…

As it’s happening since 2001, for ten days in April, London sounds and plays Latino. The responsibility rests on ¡COMO NO! which, 15 years ago, started to organise one of the most chéveres Festivals of the London music scene. La Linea has indeed brought to the British capital some of the finest,…

Back in 2009 there was a big music conference like Womex in Bogotà. There I met a guy called Bernard Batzen, who was also Mano Negra and Manu Chao’s manager – an experienced statesman in the world music sphere. He had travelled to Bogotà, participated in the conference, and then…

Loundo (Un Jour) is the coming-of-age, debut album from Guinean-born Moh! Kouyaté.  A protégé of the Mandingo tradition, Kouyaté is establishing himself as ‘one to watch’ on the international world music scene. After a cursory glance at both his image and musical style, the spectre of Kasiah Jones looms large, which…

The new album by Barcelona-based singer Aziza Brahim from Western Sahara is a masterpiece in the expression of displacement felt by the thousands of refugees from her homeland, of which she is one. Produced with sparkling clarity by Chris Eckman (who also worked with Bassekou Kouyate and Tamikrest) Abbar el…

‘La Nena’ (little girl) is the nickname that she has carried around the world since adolescence. However, even though she still has a girlish air, Dominique ‘Dom’ Pinto moves around the music scene like a seasoned actress. Her experience is enviable, and she could easily be described as a ‘musician…