![Album Review: BélO – Dizan [BelO Music, 15th April 2016]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/5705ad6d0eb62tz_portfolio_1459989869-77_l-335x335.jpg)
In 1986, when Haitians overthrew dictator Jean Claude Duvalier and the culturally conservative authoritarian regime that he had put into place, the end of the dictatorship brought with it a freer aesthetic in Haitian music – an aesthetic that is often left unrecorded because the country’s economy does not support...
Album Review
Articles![Album review: Damir Imamovic Sevdah Takht – Dvojka [Glitterbeat Records, 29th April 2016]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/artworks-000150474487-pt5s7o-t500x500-335x335.jpg)
Damir Imamovic’s Sevdah Takht continue with their stated mission to pursue innovations in modern sevdah music, on their second album Dvojka released at the end of this month. Fronted by Sarajevo born Imamovic, this pan-Balkan band with members from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia bring a range of musical...
![Album review: Awalom Gebremariam – Desdes [Awesome Tapes from Africa, 15th April 2016]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/desdes-335x335.jpg)
On listening to Desdes, the title track of Eritrean exile Awalom Gebremariam‘s new album there is an immediate appeal. An acoustic instrument (a one-stringed fiddle) plays beautiful riffs, and the sweet, gentle quality of his voice draws you in. The relentless beat gives the music a hypnotic quality – at...
![Album Review: Mexrrissey – No Manchester [Cooking Vinyl, 4th March 2016]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/mexrrissey_large-335x335.jpg)
Crossing a cultural border can be an exciting journey, especially when the lines that have been drawn are so fine that emotions, feelings, and dreams can be shared effortlessly between people in different lands. For the band Mexrrissey (Mexico plus Morrissey), drama has been the key to constructing a bridge towards countless...
![Album Review: Fela Ransome Kuti and His Koola Lobitos – Highlife Jazz and Afro-Soul (1963-1969) [Knitting Factory Records, 8th April 2016]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/fela_1_b82b016f-3a39-4e47-9861-0dea82cd5baa_grande-335x335.jpg)
To sum up these three albums in a few words, would be to say that Highlife, Jazz and Afro-Soul is a journey to discover the origins of afrobeat and the Fela Kuti myth. In fact, there was a time when the Black President was ‘simply’ a music student at the Royal Trinity College of...
![Album Review: Luzmila Carpio – Luzmila Carpio Meets ZZK [ZZK Records, 23 February 2015]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/a2787331170_16-335x335.jpg)
Luzmila Carpio meets ZZK Records in this 2015 EP and the result is enthralling. Hailed as the most influential indigenous singer in South America, Carpio’s music has become a key instrument in her ongoing activism for the Quechua community. While it’s natural to be wary of remixes of traditional music, the seven remixed tracks in...
![Album Review: Idan Raichel – At The Edge Of The Beginning [Cumbancha, 22nd January 2016]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/a3353932976_10-335x335.jpg)
Idan Raichel is an Israeli singer/songwriter who’s latest venture, At the Edge of the Beginning, marks his ninth studio album, continuing what has so far been a prolific and celebrated career. Described as “coming full circle”, this album is Raichel’s attempt at simplifying his previous studio efforts. Despite this, the album...
![Album Review: Daniel Haaksman – African Fabrics [Man Recordings, February 2016]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/man_092_small_res-335x335.jpg)
Daniel Haaksman is a superstar DJ in the making. His unique take on global rhythms has seen him receive many accolades, even filling in for Diplo on BBC Radio 1. With his distinctive, baile funk sound, this German selector and label boss has consistently been at the forefront of the global...
![Album Review: Oumou Sangaré – Moussolou [World Circuit, 16th April 2016]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/oumou-moussolou-packshot-rgb-1440x1440-335x335.jpg)
It’s a real joy to see the re-release of this classic album Moussolou (Women), one that has been in my current playlist since it was first released internationally in 1991. It brought to the world’s attention the voice of singer Oumou Sangaré – a voice not only powerful in its own...
![Album Review: Lakou Mizik – Wa Di Yo [Cumbancha, 1st April 2016]](http://www.rhythmpassport.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/image001-335x271.jpg)
“Lakou Mizik takes in what other people throw away, and makes it sound beautiful for everyone.” This is how Woulele, the youngest member of Lakou Mizik, defines the band: a multigenerational collective of Haitian musicians put together with the support of American producer Zach Niles in the aftermath of the 2010...