world fusion | World Music Central

La Cumbia Chicharra - Quinto Mundo © Clémentine Candela -Guillaume Parent. A neon-bright figure with a stylized human form sits against a dark, swirling backdrop, its hair exploding upward in electric blue flames.

Album reviews

Cumbia Chicharra Blasts Off With Quinto Mundo

La Cumbia Chicharra – Quinto Mundo (Music Box Publishing / L’Autre Distribution, 2025 La Cumbia Chicharra, a France-based band deeply influenced by Colombian cumbia, recently…

Raphaël Pannier - Live In Saint Louis, Senegal cover artwork. A color saturated photo of Pannier playing drums in red and orange.

Album reviews

Drums Across Senegal: Raphaël Pannier’s Jazz Meets Sabar On Live In Saint Louis, Senegal

Tyler Bennet December 27, 2025 No Comments Jazz Raphaël Pannier world fusion world jazz

Raphaël Pannier – Live In Saint Louis, Senegal (Miel Music, 2025) French drummer-composer Raphaël Pannier released Live In Saint Louis, Senegal on November 7, 2025…

The cover uses vintage collage graphics. A bright red triangle frames a pair of watchful eyes with a central emergency phone. A mirrored disco-sphere topped with an insect hovers above, surrounded by cut-out portraits, skeleton fragments, a tooth, a coiled creature, and a tape deck with a plant sprouting from it. Blue background.

Album reviews

Yalla Miku Bend Borders On 2

Sonia Keller December 26, 2025 No Comments world fusion Yalla Miku

Yalla Miku – 2 (Bongo Joe Records, 2025) Geneva-based collective Yalla Miku released their second album, aptly titled 2 on Bongo Joe Records. They continue…

An orange sky hangs over a sweeping, black-ink landscape where a lone figure sits facing a rippled expanse. Hand-drawn lettering spells “Spove” at the top.

Album reviews

From Hallingdal To Homs: Spove’s Folk Flight

Tyler Bennet December 20, 2025 No Comments Adrian Myhr Inger Hannisdal Nawara Alnaddaf Norwegian music Silje Risdal Liahagen Spove Syrian music world fusion world music

Spove, Nawara Alnaddaf, Silje Risdal Liahagen, Inger Hannisdal, Adrian Myhr – Spove (Fiol, 2025) Norwegian-Syrian quartet Spove has released its debut album, Spove. The exquisite…

Mari Boine; Elena Ledda; Wu Man; Gao Hong; and Hariprasad Chaurasia

Awards

Transglobal World Music Hall of Fame Reveals 2025 Inductees

World Music Central News Room December 16, 2025 No Comments Alan Lomax Archive Amitava Bhattacharya Aurelio Martinez Banglanatak Benjamin Escoriza Eddie Palmieri Elena Ledda Flaco Jiménez Gao Hong globalFEST Hariprasad Chaurasia Mari Boine The Association for Cultural Equity Transglobal World Music Hall of Fame world fusion world music Wu Man Zulya Kamalova

Transglobal World Music Hall of Fame has announced the 2025 inductees in its three categories: Artists, In Memoriam and Professional Excellence. Artists The inductees in…

Collage. Photo credits: Ángeles Toledano: © Marina Rodriguez; Brian Prunka: Aidan Grant; Hamza Akram Qawwal: Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi; Vasilis Kostas: Yannis Psathas; Amir Nojan & Pejman Hadadi: Mehdi Rostami

Events

Spring 2026 World Music Picks: Flamenco, Qawwali, And More In NYC

World Music Central News Room December 15, 2025 No Comments Flamenco Robert Browning Associates world fusion world music

Robert Browning Associates has announced its March–May 2026 preview at Roulette, marking 49 years of presenting world music and dance events in New York City.…

Events Showcases

Babel Music XP 2026 Reveals Official Selection

World Music Central News Room December 12, 2025 No Comments Ahmed Eid & Ilyf Article15 Babel Music XP Babel Music XP 2026 Bandua Broua By The Sket Quintet Celia Wa Cocanha Djazia Satour Ducasse Etenesh Wassié Etyen & Salwa Jaradat Grand Ensemble Filos Gregory Dargent Groove&Inner Spaces Isam Elias Jawhar L'Antidote La Litanie Des Cimes & Mah Damba Lavinia Mancusi Lindigo Meryem Koufi & Mehdi Haddab Miksi Ondéla Re#Encounter Rebecca Roger Cruz Sonoras Mil Sskyron & Dj Dan Super Parquet Tengerton Vitu Valera world fusion world music

World music showcase and conference Babel Music XP has revealed the lineup for the 2026 edition. The event will take place from March 19 to…

Matt B standing in the middle of a rural path.

Music videos

Matt B’s Remarkable Intercontinental collaboration on New Single “They Know”

World Music Central News Room December 12, 2025 No Comments Matt B world fusion world music

Grammy Award winner Matt B recently appeared in a cross-continental collaboration titled “They Know”. This new single brings together Rocky Dawuni (Ghana), Wouter Kellerman (South…

The cover presents a woman with pale skin, dramatic eye makeup, and glossy black gloves against a black background. She holds an ornate circular frame that glows with warm light around the title The Ring. The band name Ashavahishta appears below.

Album reviews

Ashavahishta Channels Rumi On Trance-Driven The Ring

Angel Romero December 12, 2025 No Comments Ashavahishta Balochi music trance music world fusion world music

Ashavahishta – The Ring (X Dot 25 Music, 2025) World fusion trance group Ashavahishta released its new album The Ring on October 31, 2025. The…

Wesli - Makaya cover artwork. A photo of Wesli smiling.

Album reviews

Wesli’s Impressive ‘Makaya’ and The Echo Of Revolt

Angel Romero December 10, 2025 No Comments Afrotronix André Desilets Caribbean music David Charbonneau David Mobio Donald Dogbo Emmanuella Michel Etienne Lebel Gaya Sanya Michel Elie Guy Khé Haitian music Jean François Ouellet Joaquin Diaz Karl Henry Bréseaux Kattam Laraki Cote Kokou Damawou Lasso Sanou Marilyn Felix Martin Lizote Martine Labbe Mathieu Van Vliet Maxime Saint Pierre Michel Medrano Brindis Moïse Matey Yawo Namouri Cissé Nicolas M’Tima Nicolas Therrien Noel Mpiaza Balu Pascal Laraque Rachel Therrien Ronald Nazaire Sara Renelik Sika Valmé Sylphir Charest Ti Fane Stéphanie Séjour Watson Joseph Wesli world fusion world music

Wesli – Makaya (WUP, 2025) Makaya, the expansive and awe-inspiring 24-track double album from Haitian-Canadian singer, guitarist, and folklorist Wesli stretches to nearly one hour…