Dust-dry desert blues, savvy stoner rock and African polyrhythms come together rousingly on the multilingual new SONGHOY BLUES album "Optimisme".
The quartet was formed in 2012 as an act of rebellion in Mali and has since been regarded as one of the most exciting African band projects. On the new album "Optimisme" songs, the band presents themself significantly rockier, harder and punchier than on the previous two albums "Music In Exile" (2015) and "Résistance" (2017). The band consist of Aliou Touré, Garba Touré, Oumar Touré, and Drissa Kone
Today's tune "Worry" is taken from "Optimisme", released 23rd October 2020.
“The harshness of life still weighs on our societies and sinks many young people into a dead end,” says the band in a unified statement. “’Worry’ is a positive energy that Songhoy Blues want to be a ray of hope for humanity. ‘Worry’ is about not stopping fighting because at the very end you will find the light.”
LOS PIRAÑAS are an instrumental group featuring three musicians from across the country's musical landscape.
The three members of LOS PIRAÑAS can all remember when they were in high school together in Bogotá, Colombia and just beginning to play music. Back then, the joy of a riff, the heavy beat and a ripple of guitar noise were all they needed to make life worthwhile. Twenty-five years on and they’ve become internationally well-known musicians, spread across different bands, traversing multiple continents.
"Historia Natural", their third album, released October 11, 2019, recapturing the spirit that moved them as teenagers. Yet it’s a record that’s anything but basic. That youthful desire has been filtered through the prism of knowledge and time. Now it’s fuelled by a wily sophistication in the sound, and a deep, ingrained understanding of the rhythms that power their homeland. It’s innocence plus experience. And all through the album, Alvarez’s guitar is a shapeshifter, constantly mutating sound and texture. It rarely sounds straight up, but there’s never a doubt that someone is plucking the strings and bending the notes. Alvarez darts around and through the lines created by Ojeda and Galeano, leading or snapping at their heels. This is a band bristling with ideas, where the unspoken communication is so acute that all three of them can swerve together or turn on a dime.
“To me, this album is going back to where we were in high school,” says drummer Pedro Ojeda, also known for his work in ROMPERAYO. “We didn’t have so many goals back then. We wanted to play riffs, to express ourselves, to find that rough spirit.”
“We’re looking back, but with all this experience,” agrees guitarist Eblis Alvarez, who’s been part of the MERIDIAN BROTHERS for two decades. “We were too much in a comfort zone, we were getting lazy about what to do next. So we talked and came up with some concepts. The three of us have a soul bond and a long history together.”
Although they’d played music together when young, LOS PIRAÑAS only came into being as a band 10 years ago. It gave them the chance to explore the complex vitality of Colombian rhythms mixed with Alvarez’s unique blend of computer and guitar. A combination of past and future, and a power trio unlike any other.
A swirling, electric universe of music, created right in their own neighbourhood. That’s the real Historia Natural of LOS PIRAÑAS.
Eblis Alvarez: electric guitar, computer
Mario Galeano: bass
Pedro Ojeda: drums, percussion
Today's tune "Palermo’s Grunch", is a surf trip along Colombia’s Caribbean coast powered by a vallenato rhythm that suddenly dives into deep, rippling dub, enjoy!
Monday, a new week and it's time to present "Record Of The Week".
"Genesis" is the sophomore album by the mystic desert rock XIXA. Formed in the heart of the deep American Southwest, XIXA is a guitar-slinging six-piece, uniquely attuned to the desert and their Latin roots. Combining gritty guitars, the bumping grind of chicha, and desert blues into a mesmerizing stew. They're also a band whose time had come to define what they call "The New Southwest"-intense, sun-bleached music shot through with an inky gothic horror that scans like the long-lost soundtrack to a cult, macabre B-movie Western.
Their debut record, 2016 "Bloodline," saw them inject heavy fuzz guitars and Latin pulses into sandy rock and roll, a potent mix that took them all over the world for two whole years. For 2019s EP "The Code" they blended psych-rock, cumbia, goth rock, cowboy folk, and windswept desert blues into a dark, simmering occult.
On "Genesis" we find that XIXA delving deeper into their admiration for Peruvian chicha, extracting and refining their core, and giving voice to their most primal instincts. Informed by the band's rich history as songwriters and storytellers, they've carved a wider space for their psychedelic rock to swell, a place where scoundrels and coyotes roam free, and magic runs deep in the earth. It is the ultimate desert trip.
"Genesis" contains ten magical tunes with a playtime of forty-two minutes. It's a wonderfully sprawling story, Morricone feeling that lies over the album like a piece of silk, from the opening tune "Thine Is The Kingdom" that serving an atmospheric and epic landscape, soaring and summoning vocals. Throughout the album, the band has a great balance in the musical roots of the modern Americana and the Latin rhythms where they serve us a "smörgårdsbord" of liveliness, dance-friendly rhythms, with very great creativity that gives a wide and innovative result. "Land Where We Lie" gives us some singing by the Uummannaq Children’s Choir, the summer Latino inspired "Eclipse", the psychedelic rocker "Soma", the high tempo world music piece "Eve Of Agnes" featuring Imarhan (Algerian Tuareg desert rock quintet), that species of the tune with some Saharan desert vibes. "Velveteen" is a far-out psych beauty that follows up by the Latino galloping "May They Call Us Home", a spaghetti Westerns with Morricone floating in the space. The half-paced Tom Waits-sounding piece "Nights Plutonian Shore" is a real beauty of the blackened post-apocalyptic world and the vocals from Gabriel Sullivan are so deep and powerful and with Sergio Mendoza on piano. The album closes up with the country's slow-burner "Feast Of Ascension" in the best possible way. The album is a thrilling ride for those rockers and poppers with open minds. I really dig this and I have always been weak for bands that dare to take the turns a bit. So I do recommend this!
The lineup of XIXA consists of twin percussion (Winston Watson on drums and Efrén Cruz Chávez on Timbales and percussion), keyboards (Jason Urman), bass (Hikit Corbel), alongside twin guitar leads (Gabriel Sullivan and Brian Lopez who both share lead vocals).
Sum: This is the long-lost soundtrack to a cult, macabre B-movie Western.
Today's tune "May They Call Us Home", taken from "Genesis". Written and Directed by Charlie Stout - http://www.charliestout.comFeaturing Howe Gelb as The Enlightened OneMystic Bolo-Ties by Heliotrope - http://www.heliotropemetal.com, Enjoy!
Justin Adams is a guitarist and composer who works in blues and African styles. Adams co-wrote the 2005 Robert Plant album "Mighty Rearranger", and is a renowned producer. He has worked with Saharan desert blues group Tinariwen, whose first and third albums he produced, Robert Plant's Strange Sensations band, and has collaborated with Brian Eno, Juldeh Camara, Jah Wobble, Lo'Jo and musicians from African, Arabic and Irish traditions. Justin began his career in the 1980s with the band The Impossible Dreamers. Two days ago he did open up for Robert Plant. Where Justin Adams played together with Juldeh Camara.
Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara cooking up a crude and transnational Afro-Blues, who spiced up the cooperation with Robert Plant and Tinariwen. Justin Adams driving guitar match the West African Juldeh Camara's hypnotic ritti (African violin) and powerful voice perfectly.
The duo's first album, Soul Science, took quickly to the top of the charts and was nominated in the same time to not less than three World Music Awards. After that, another successful album, Tell No Lies, reached the audience. When we see them live it as a trio, percussionist Salah Dawson Miller ("a shaman at the court of Genghis Khan", Evening Standard) makes Adams and Camara joined on stage together and bring the old spirit of African juju-rock.
"I like to keep things raw and swinging so it never gets too pristine or too sweet...I like trancey, circular rhythms and voices that are in between pleasure and pain, where it's bittersweet." Says Justin Adams
Justin and Juldeh have been playing together for two years "At certain soundchecks I'd start playing something and Juldeh would rush over and say 'keep playing that! We've got to play that tonight' Juldeh would record things on his mobile phone , so that's they way we came up with a lot of material" explains Justin. Over time the two musicians have naturally fused their styles and begun to create a musical language of their own, where it becomes difficult to see if Justin is becoming more African or Juldeh more Western.
The reference points for this release are recordings from the 1950s by the likes of Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters.
Here is a bonus clip with Robert Plant in Abu Dhabi "Whole Lotta Love"
British singer-songwriter Laura Marling and London based indie folk band Mumford & Sons brand new EP of collaborative recordings with a collective of Indian musicians, the Dharohar Project. Its a nice mix of world music and folk rock.
The EP features 4 songs, including collaborative re-workings of Mumford & Sons’ song ‘To Darkness’, and Laura Marling’s ‘Devil’s Spoke’.
Todays tune "Devil's Spoke / Sneh Ko Marg" is taken from Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling and Dharohar Project EP (2010)
iTunes Festival, Roundhouse - 9th July, 2010
More info @
Official Laura Marling Website
Official Mumford & Sons Website
Mumford & Sons at MySpace
Listen to "Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling & Dharohar Project - Devil's Spoke / Sneh Ko Marg" on Spotify
Follow tuneoftheday.blogspot.com on Spotify
As I were in Berns in Stockholm at Humor Galan yesterday
and helped to build this tv show I wanted to make some noise here!
There is a universal helping organization called UNICEF
They help Children all over the world to survive and have a decent life.
They are in Haiti, Afrika, South America U name it!
And right now here in Sweden there are a TV program that collects
money for UNICEF to help all this children in need.
If U live in Sweden CALL 099-90990 U can be a world parent DO IT!!
For more info:
Go in at http://blog.unicef.se/ Its on Swedish.
Or if other countries go to: http://www.unicef.org/
Contibute DO SOME GOOD FOR THESE KIDS!!
I am a World Parent since last year!
I sorta thought this video fitted :)
Love, Thetania
Listen to "VA - We Are The World 25 For Haiti" on Spotify
Follow tuneoftheday.blogspot.com on Spotify
This is about the most beautiful songs that
have been done that I have encounter til now.
Sting is the singer of the band "The Police"
that band just didnt really get together again
after 1984, they did a reunion tour in 2007-2008
on a tour but I guess the project sort of didnt
really continued. But u never know.
His real name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner.
He must be about 61 year old now.
About the lyrics of this tune ...Wow
Im really touched of it.
A long lost love he had for thousands of years or
maybe millions of years..
Ill give u one more Video at the end that is
cool ´cos the Arabic guy that sing as well
does put a oriental touch of it all.
His name is Cheb Mami from Algeria,
he sing rai music usually.
Its called the "Desert Rose"
Eros Ramazzotti, born (October 28, 1963) in Rome but now based in Milan, is a very popular artist in Italy. A career spanning over 25 years, he has sold over 50 million records and has had great success all over Europe and in South American countries. He is also a very familiar name within Spanish speaking communities residing in the USA as he records his songs not only in his native tongue, Italian but also in Spanish.
The "Ali e Radici"(Roots & Wings) 2009/2010 tour, named after the new album kicked off 17th October 2009 in Rimini, Italy and finishes in Milan, Italy on the 10th April 2010. Stops along the way will include dates in France, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Spain and more. Yesterday it stopped in Sweden and The Ericson Globe. The tour travels with 11 trucks and a few buses, the stage was built up on containers and a big led wall (video), the containers also had inbuilt video, kinda cool effect. Sound was good and the lightning was ok as well. So the overall it was good, Eros voice was under big pressure and couldn't deliver 100%. The tour travels with mostly a Italian crew, their English ain't much to hang in a christmas three, so the work was not as efficient as it could be.
Todays tune "I Belong to You (Il Ritmo della Passione)" is a duet by Eros and the American singer Anastacia, released as the second single from both Ramazzotti's eleventh studio album, Calma apparente (2005), and Anastacia's first greatest hits album, Pieces of a Dream (2005). The song is a ballad in which Anastacia sings in English and Ramazzotti in Italian or Spanish. Enjoy!
The blind couple from Mali Amadou & Mariam is the 2:nd band from the music festival Way Out West on Tune Of The Day. This is also the 2:nd time the couple is on Tune Of The Day. This is World Music with a very high class, i really like the stuff from Mali. I hard to stand still when you hear this. Even if im more to the blues, soul part of this couple but this aint bad at all, modern beat with nice guitar playing and good vocal from them both.
Enjoy this tune and more Way Out West things tomorrow.
Vampire Weekend is an American indie rock band from New York, formed in 2006. The band gained attention via a variety of blogs, such as Stereogum. The band claims to be influenced by both African popular music and Western classical music, describing their genre of music as "Upper West Side Soweto", with such songs as "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "Oxford Comma" referencing Congolese soukous music.
Members are: Ezra Koenig – lead vocals, guitar, piano, hand drum Rostam Batmanglij – organ, chamberlin, piano, harpsichord, guitar, vocal harmonies, drum and synth program, shaker Chris Tomson – drums, guitar Chris Baio – bass guitar
"Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" was the fourth single by indie rock band, Vampire Weekend, released 18 August 2008. And this tune swings alot, i really like it. Get a little of a Paul Simon feeling when i listen to this tune. What i also notice that Peter Gabriel wanted to do a cover of this tune, well that could be very intressting to hear.
Anyway, Vampire Weekend will play at Way Out West festival this upcoming weekend so this is the first tune out of a series of artists that will perform during this festival. More WOW tunes tomorrow, Enjoy!
Chiwoniso Maraire (Born in 1976 in Olympia, Washington, U.S.). Daughter of famed Zimbabwean mbira master Dumisani Maraire, she is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and exponent of East African music.
“I am like a mirror,” declares Zimbabwe’s popular music star Chiwoniso Maraire. “I basically sing about what I see happening in the world. If someone comes up to me in the street to ask for money I’ll sing about that. If people are jumping borders because their economic situation is too difficult, I’ll sing about that. If the police are beating people up and intimidating them, I’ll sing about that.”
A song of unrequited love... with the kind participation of great dancer Alex Mhlanga from Amawumbo Dance Company.
Oumou Sangare (born February 25, 1968, in Bamako, Mali) is a Malian Wassoulou musician, sometimes referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou." Wassoulou is a historic region south of the Niger River, and the music there is descended from traditional hunting songs, and is accompanied by a calabash. Her mother was the singer Aminata Diakité. Oumou Sangaré is also involved the world of business, hotels, agriculture and the sale of cars: Oumou Sangaré has given her name to a Chinese automobile.
Seya (Joy) is the first album in six years from 'Mali's Star of Stars' and it reaffirms her position as one of Africa's great female vocalists and an African phenomenon. Since Moussoulou, her debut release, rocketed her to national superstardom in 1989 she has retained her position as one of West Africa's most admired and outspoken artists.
Amadou and Mariam are a musical duo from Mali, composed of the couple Mariam Doumbia (vocals) (born in Mali's capital Bamako 15 April 1958) and Amadou Bagayoko (guitar and vocals) (born in Bamako 24 October 1954). The pair, known as "the blind couple from Mali" met at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind, and found they shared an interest in music.
The duo produces music that mixes traditional Mali sound with rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Colombian trombones, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion. All these elements put together have been referred to as "Afro-blues".
Boubacar Traoré has gone from being the voice of Mali to obscurity, bouncing back to become an internationally respected singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He will be playing together with Madieye Niang on Calabash and Vincent Bucher on mouth organ.
Beirut is the band of 22-year-old Santa Fe native Zach Condon. The band's first official release was assisted by Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel, A Hawk and a Hacksaw) and Heather Trost (A Hawk and a Hacksaw); it combines elements of Eastern European and folk sounds. Condon plays the trumpet and the ukulele as his main instruments, having been unable to play guitar because of a wrist injury that prevented his hand from reaching fully around the neck of a guitar.[
Elephant Gun is Directed by Alma Har'el Off the EP "Lon Gisland"
Rokia Traoré (born January 24, 1974) is an award-winning Malian singer, songwriter and guitarist. Traoré was born in Mali as a member of the Bamana ethnic group. As her father was a diplomat, she travelled widely in her youth including to Algeria, Saudi Arabia, France and Belgium. As a result of this travel, she was exposed to a wide variety of influences. Her hometown is Kolokani, in the northwestern part of Mali's Koulikoro region. Todays tune is picked from her newest album Tchamantche. Enjoy!
Want to Subscribe? Sign in to YouTube now! Sign in with your Google Account! By any measure, Niyaz has come very far, very fast. ... By any measure, Niyaz has come very far, very fast. The trio's 2005 debut featured a convincing blend of Sufi mysticism and trance electronica, and quickly established them as a standout ensemble in a very crowded world music field. A worldwide tour followed. Now, Niyaz returns with Nine Heavens, which doesn't just cross cultural and stylistic boundaries, but the centuries as well. Drawing on medieval Persian poetry and 300-year old Persian folk songs, Niyaz has created a 21st century global trance tradition. This may seem like a tall order for a band that's barely three years old -- until you realize who these musicians are. Vocalist Azam Ali co-founded the best-selling world music duo Vas in 1996; her unmistakable voice has graced numerous recordings and major film scores. Loga Ramin Torkian is a multi-instrumentalist whose group Axiom of Choice brought the ancient sounds of Persian classical music to Western listeners in the 1990s. And producer Carmen Rizzo, a multiple Grammy nominee, has worked with Coldplay, Seal, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and many others. Small wonder then that the trio hit the ground running with its self-titled debut. Now, with Nine Heavens, Niyaz breaks new ground in a two-disc format: the first is an adventurous, spiritual exploration of the ties that bind Persian, Indian, Turkish, and Western dance music. The second disc showcases 8 out of the 9 songs in a purely acoustic setting.
Issa Bagayogo (b. 1961) is a Malian musician. He has released three full-length albums all under the record label Six Degrees Records. Issa lends his voice and plays the kamele n'goni (a six-stringed West African instrument similar to a banjo) while Yves Wernert is the producer and keyboardist. Bagayogo blends his native Malian traditions with western pop music.
Issa Bagayogo, Mali Music, Mali K7, Studio Bogolan, Bamako Techno, World Music
Jim Pepper (born James G. Pepper in Salem, Oregon, June 18, 1941; d. Portland, Oregon, February 10, 1992) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and singer of Native American ancestry.
Jim Pepper Witchitai-to from the 1971 Embryo records release Pepper's Pow Wow
