Oh October, three hours of Nightshop global sounds with nine albums of the month. Starting with three songs of the day by Ghorwane (Mozambique), Raul Monsalve y los Forajidos (Venezuela) and Vidock (France). Our albums of the month start with traditional spiritual gnawa music by Maalem Mahmoud Gania (Hive Mind…

Electronic music has always been a soft target for the purists. To use an ex-colleague (jazz guitarist, quelle surprise)’s metaphor, the fundamental difference between a handcrafted armchair and a cheap mass-produced imitation is the latter’s lack of the most universal characteristic known as ‘human element’. Or a human error –…

This week we have two cd’s of the week. Adventures in the Land of Breaks sounds like a hiphop/broken beat soundtrack for an imaginary Tarantino movie, orchestrated by Funky Bijou from France, out on Sterephonk. Global Control / Invisible Invasion is a trip to India and Carnatic singing through bass by Tunisian…

Known for its astonishing desertic landscapes and its rich cultural history, the Maghreb is a vast region in North Africa that was once ruled by Berber dynasties under one reign. Nowadays, this land is divided between Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania and Western Sahara, but nevertheless, their differences are strongly…

Sofyann Ben Youssef is not the kind of musician who likes having too much attention on himself. Despite being the master builder and wizard behind the sounds of some of the most exciting North African projects of recent times, you have probably never heard of him. That’s because he likes…