Reggae Jammin Vol. 1 (Tad Records, 2008) & The Ultimate Reggae Dancehall X-Perience 2008 (Tad Records, 2008) Reggae has grown considerably since the days of…
Reggae Evolutions
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Angelino Dub
Mezklah Bestia Sonika (independent, 2008) California-based Mezklah is one of the few bands in the area that takes Latin American music and combines it with…
Fiery Sun Stone
The early 1970s saw the rise of several Latin rock bands that incorporated Afro-Cuban and other Latin American music elements. Santana is the best known…
Portuguese Explorer
Julio Pereira Geografias (Som Livre, 2007) Mandolinist Julio Pereira is a legendary figure in Portuguese folk music. He is known for his combinations of traditional…
Breaktronics
XKollective Electric Flowers (Flexitrax, 2008) To get an idea of the sound of British trance outfit XKollective, think of a combination of South Asian fusionist…
Ladino Voices
The exploration of Sephardic music is taking musicians in new directions. US-based Gerard Edery’s latest recording is a fascinating collaboration with Lithuanian singer Maria Krupoves,…
Guitar Journeys
Quite a few guitar albums make it to World Music Central’s inbox. I need to begin with one of the most pleasant guitar surprises I’ve…
Jazzy Bala
Kakande – Dununya (Jumbie Records, 2008) Guinean musician Famoro Dioubate is one of the leading bala (also known as balafon) players in North America. Based…
Nordic Folk Explorations
Groupa Frost (Footprint Records, 2008) Groupa is a legendary group in Swedish folk music, which describes its music as Nordic folk fusion. The veteran group…
Honoring the Departed
The Music of Ammasu is a collection of field recordings featuring the Ammasu Akapoma Group. They were made in 1976 in Brong-Ahafu, Ghana. The group…