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The single cover features the title Kuja Tuscheze written in bold, neon-yellow graffiti-style text over a glowing triangle. The background is dark and gritty, covered in layered graffiti art. At the bottom, in smaller block letters, is the artist name Hakuna Patata.

African Connections

The sonic similarities between Kenyan and Congolese music have long been evident, and Hakuna Patata celebrates as much with a song called “Kuja Tuscheze” and…

The album cover for Roi De L’Agbadja Moderne by Gnonnas Pedro & His Dadjes’ Band has a vintage, retro aesthetic, dominated by red and green colors. The central element is a sepia-toned photograph of the band performing live, with Gnonnas Pedro at the microphone, playing a guitar. Surrounding the image are geometric red and green shapes, with small white African continent icons on each side.

Album reviews

Agbadja King Reigns Again: Gnonnas Pedro’s Legacy Restored

Tyler Bennet April 19, 2025 No Comments Beninese music Gnonnas Pedro world fusion world music

Gnonnas Pedro & His Dadjes Band – Roi De L’Agbadja Moderne 1974-1983 (Analog Africa, 2025) Gnonnas Pedro, the Beninese icon who modernized Agbadja (a percussive…

Elana Sasson - In Between cover artwork.

Album reviews

Elana Sasson Elegantly Bridges Traditional Folk and Jazz on In Between

Angel Romero April 18, 2025 No Comments cello Elana Sasson Kaveh Sarvarian Manos Stratis Matthieu Saglio Miron Rafajlovic ney Santiago Bertel Victor Goldschmidt world fusion world jazz world music

Elana Sasson – In Between (PKMusik, 2025) With her beautifully crafted debut album In Between (PKMusik, 2025), Persian-Kurdish-American vocalist and composer Elana Sasson unveils an…

Artist Profiles

Versatile Flamenco Percussionist and Instrument Designer Nasrine Rahmani

Angel Romero April 17, 2025 No Comments Australia Flamenco Nasrine Rahmani percussion Spanish music world fusion world music

Currently based in Madrid, Spain, Nasrine Rahmani is a professional percussionist specializing in flamenco and Latin percussion. Born in Australia to a mother from Mauritius…

The album cover for Alorí by Violeta Veinte is an abstract landscape bursting with color. It features brushstrokes in shades of red, pink, orange, and turquoise, blending into a textured horizon that evokes a sunlit countryside. The title "ALORÍ." is written in white lettering at the center, while the artist's name appears just below in a handwritten script.

Album reviews

Harvesting Spanish Folk: Violeta Veinte’s Fusion of Tradition and Modernity

Angel Romero April 17, 2025 No Comments Violeta Veinte world fusion world music

Violeta Veinte – Alorí (self-release, 2024) Alorí takes its name from a childhood greeting between enchanting singer and fiddler Violeta Veinte and her grandfather, Argimiro,…

a color photo of Desiré Paredes smiling.

Artist Profiles

Multifaceted and Stirring Spanish Vocalist Desiré Paredes

Angel Romero April 16, 2025 No Comments Desiré Paredes Flamenco world fusion world music

Desiré Paredes is an eclectic singer from Madrid who is in love with music, emotional journeys, and the beauty of sounds. Her entire life has…

The single cover for “Todo Se Nubla” by El Laberinto del Coco (featuring Génesis & Jomar Santana) is a colorful illustration. It depicts a lone figure paddling a red canoe through lush, tropical waters toward a distant horizon. Towering storm clouds loom above. Rich greens, blues, and earthy tones dominate the palette. In the foreground, a compass lies near tropical foliage.

Music videos

El Laberinto del Coco Clears the Air with “Todo Se Nubla”

World Music Central News Room April 14, 2025 No Comments bomba El Laberinto del Coco Puerto Rican music world fusion world music

El Laberinto del Coco, the Puerto Rican bomba fusion ensemble led by percussionist Héctor “Coco” Barez, has released a new single titled “Todo Se Nubla.”…

The single cover for Colmeia – The Best Is Yet to Come features a pink landscape with a wide, open field and a distant line of trees silhouetted against a soft, cloud-dappled sky. The title is set in bold cream-colored retro typography, with the artist's name “Colmeia” casting a heavy brown shadow.

Music videos Single reviews

Coming On Strong

Tom Orr April 13, 2025 No Comments Colmeia Congolese music soukous world fusion world music

A Swedish band called Colmeia harnesses the charging rhythms and chiming guitars of Congolese soukous with their song “The Best is Yet to Come.” If…

The album cover for Contrast by Tupa Ruja features the band posed against grand stone columns in a sunlit, open-air setting. The barefoot musicians wear eclectic clothing and hold traditional instruments like the didjeridu, frame drum, guitar, and tambourine.

Album reviews

Contrast by Tupa Ruja Explores Italian Folk and Modern Music Intersections

Iliana Cabrera April 12, 2025 No Comments Tupa Ruja world fusion world music

Tupa Ruja – Contrast (Filibusta Records, 2025) Tupa Ruja’s latest album, Contrast, delivers ten tracks that weave diverse musical influences with deep emotional lyrics. The…

The single cover for "Xam Xam" by Cheikh Ibra Fam features the artist standing against a textured, two-toned wall—light tan on top, faded mauve below. Dressed in a geometric-patterned robe of teal, orange, black, and cream, he gazes to the side beneath a brown fedora. His left hand is slightly raised, adorned with beaded bracelets.

Music videos

Cheikh Ibra Fam Honors Wisdom in “Xam Xam”

World Music Central News Room April 10, 2025 No Comments Cheikh Ibra Fam Senegalese music world fusion world music

Cheikh Ibra Fam, the acclaimed Senegalese artist, has released “Xam Xam,” the first single from his upcoming album Adouna (Life), set for release in October…