world fusion – World Music Central

Events

Essaouira Prepares for Gnaoua Festival 2026 With Carlinhos Brown, Richard Bona and Yasmine Hamdan

From June 25 to 27, 2026, the 27th edition of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival will bring 460 artists from Morocco and abroad to…

Seu Jorge sits alone on a weathered green dumpster beneath a mural of athletes and boxers, while a vintage black car drifts through the sunlit background.

Charts

Seu Jorge’s The Other Side Reaches No. 1 on June 2026 Transglobal World Music Chart

World Music Central News Room June 1, 2026 No Comments Brazilian music Seu Jorge Transglobal World Music Chart world fusion world music

Brazilian artist Seu Jorge has claimed the top spot on the Transglobal World Music Chart for June 2026 with The Other Side, an orchestral album…

CAMiNOS - CAMiNOS cover artwork. A watercolor-style cover combines yellows, oranges, and greens with flowing contour-like lines. A black mountain outline arches above the large title “CAMiNOS.”

Album reviews

CAMiNOS Introduces Mediterranean-Focused Debut EP

Angel Romero May 30, 2026 No Comments CAMiNOS Flamenco French music Mediterranean music world fusion world music

CAMiNOS – CAMiNOS (Piment Rouge Production / ACEL WORLD WIDE / InOuïe Distribution, 2026) Marseille-based group CAMiNOS recently released its self-titled EP titled CAMiNOS (paths…

Badenya les Freres Coulibaly - Photo by Atelier Images. A row of jembe drummers.

Articles

The Jembe: West Africa’s Famed Goblet Drum

Angel Romero May 29, 2026 No Comments Adama Dramé Amazones: The Women Master Drummers of Guinea Babara Bangoura Badenya Les Frères Coulibaly Ballet Djoliba Ballet National du Burkina Ballet National du Mali Bolokada Conde Burkinan music Désiré Ouattara djembe Djiguiya drumming Ensemble Instrumental National du Mali Famoudou Konaté Farafina Fodéba Keïta Guinean music jembe Les Ballets Africains Les Percussions de Guinée Malian music Mamady Keïta Mohamed Bangoura Moussa Traore Nansady Keita Nimbaya Papa Ladji Camara Salimata Diabaté Seydou Dao Soungalo Coulibaly West African music world fusion world music

(headline image: Badenya les Freres Coulibaly – Photo by Atelier images) The jembe is a rope-tuned, skin-headed goblet drum associated above all with Mandé cultural…

Sound and Meridian Brothers - Ritmo Babilonia cover artwork. A cartoon style illustration of three men over a yellow background.

Music videos

Beck, Mexican Institute of Sound and Meridian Brothers Join on “Ritmo Babilonia”

World Music Central News Room May 25, 2026 No Comments Beck Meridian Brothers Mexican Institute of Sound world fusion world music

Mexican Institute of Sound and Meridian Brothers have released “Ritmo Babilonia,” the final single from their collaborative album Ruido Tovar. The track features Beck and…

Ancient Future — Purple Spirits cover artwork. A purple cover with three images inside circles. One of the images is a photo of Zakir Hussain.

Album reviews

Ancient Future Honors Musical Lineage on Purple Spirits

Angel Romero May 23, 2026 No Comments Abbos Kosimov Aditya Kalyanpur Ancient Future Benjy Wertheimer Bui Huu Nhut flamenco guitar fretless bass George Brooks Glissentar 11-string fretless guitar Kai Eckhardt Mariah Parker Matthew Montfort Paul McCandless santur scalloped fretboard guitar tabla Uzbek percussion Vietnamese music world fusion world music

Ancient Future — Purple Spirits (Tributes to Musical Giants) (Ancient-Future.Com Records, 2026) On Purple Spirits, Ancient Future has gathered multifaceted and imaginative tributes to artists…

Events

Oki Kano Brings Ainu Music and Dub Fusion Back To Japan Society

World Music Central News Room May 22, 2026 No Comments Ainu Dub Japanese music Oki Kano Reggae tonkori world fusion world music

Ainu musician Oki Kano will return to Japan Society for a one-night concert with Oki Dub Ainu Band. The group is known for a fusion…

Gipsy Kings Featuring Tonino Baliardo - Historia cover artwork. A color photo of the musicians outdoors, holding their musical instruments.

Album reviews

Gipsy Kings Featuring Tonino Baliardo Launch Exuberant New Album Historia

Iliana Cabrera May 22, 2026 No Comments Benji Baliardo Ciryl Cable Cyril Cablat Cyril Seguy Fausto Cuevas Frederic Marchal Gipsy Kings Jean Claude Bila Jean Claude Vila Jean Michel Kerwich Jean Samuel Rey Jose Fernandez Mikael Baliardo Rey rumba flamenca Samuel Debout Thomas James Potrel Tonino Baliardo world fusion world music

Gipsy Kings Featuring Tonino Baliardo – Historia (Cooking Vinyl, 2026) Gipsy Kings Featuring Tonino Baliardo will release Historia on May 29, 2026. Led by the…

The cover for Medzotermina by Mimika Orchestra presents a weathered landscape split into two contrasting zones. A large gray, skull-like rock formation dominates the upper half against a barren horizon, while the lower half glows in warm pink and orange tones around an eroded canyon or sinkhole. An inset detail box highlights textured terrain patterns. At the bottom right, two small silhouetted children stand beside a dog.

Album reviews

Mimika Orchestra Completes Album Trilogy With Medzotermina

JGurski May 18, 2026 No Comments Croatian music world fusion world jazz world music

Mimika Orchestra – Medzotermina (Menart, 2025) Mimika Orchestra has released Medzotermina, its fifth studio album. The 20-piece ensemble, conducted by composer Mak Murtić, recorded most…

Suntou Susso indoor shot holding a kora.

Awards

Suntou Susso Earns Top Honor in ISC World Category

World Music Central News Room May 15, 2026 No Comments Daniel Prophete Fakahany Gambian music Kenny Paul kora Reginald Desravines Suntou Susso world fusion world music

(headline image: Suntou Susso, courtesy of Suntou Susso) Suntou Susso won first place in the World category at the International Songwriting Competition for “Yirolu Bala,”…