Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Let the good times roll
Life, John Clewley, Published on 06/06/2023
» Last month, one of the great explorers and producers of American vernacular music, Chris Strachwitz, passed away. He was 91 years old. He was the founder and co-owner (with Tom Diamant) of Arhoolie Records which since its first release in 1960, Texas Sharecropper And Songster by Texan bluesman Mance Lipscomb, has put out an astonishing 44,000 records.
The sounds of Africa
Life, John Clewley, Published on 09/05/2023
» The Malian singer/songwriter and guitarist Fatoumata Diawara emerged in 2011 with the EP Kanou and quickly after came her debut and breakthrough release Fatou (Nonesuch, World Circuit). Fatou, which features Diawara's self-penned songs and electric guitar playing (which she claims was a first for a Malian woman) catapulted her to international fame. She has a unique sound, created out of her Southern Malian wassollou roots and Western music she learned growing up in Paris.
Summer vibes
Life, John Clewley, Published on 24/05/2022
» The Thai entertainment scene got a welcome boost this past week with news that bars, clubs and pubs will reopen from June 1, albeit with a closing time of midnight. The government also announced that the lifting of restrictions would apply to 31 provinces that have successfully controlled potential outbreaks of Covid-19, with the other 46 provinces still under Covid-based surveillance and restrictions.
The ballad of Junior Parker
Life, John Clewley, Published on 06/07/2021
» Train I ride sixteen coaches long, Train I ride sixteen coaches long, Well, that long black train carries my baby home …
Honouring a pioneer
Life, John Clewley, Published on 04/08/2020
» Sonia Pottinger was a trailblazing pioneer in Jamaica's male-dominated music industry as she played an important role in the development of popular music in the Caribbean island. She was the first female record producer in Jamaica and her pinnacle came during the 1960s, beginning with the ska era after which she made a transition to rocksteady and finally reggae.
Blurring the boundaries
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/07/2020
» The summer festival season has been cancelled as have many major sporting events. Under the current Covid-19 measures, some events like the Notting Hill Carnival in London, which is usually held at the end of August each year, have gone online. Sound systems and steel bands will still perform live but revellers will only be able to enjoy them online.
Her soul is immortal
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/08/2018
» Singer, composer, social activist and "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin died last week. She was 76 years old. I was spinning vinyl last week at a DJ night when the news filtered through. I didn't have any of her music with me but nonetheless let everyone know that one of the greats had gone; cue to clubbers quickly searching on their smart phones for news on the First Lady of Soul.
When world music was opening our ears
Life, John Clewley, Published on 29/05/2018
» The 1980s was a period when non-Anglophonic mainstream bands started to make waves at festivals and music stores in Europe. Pioneering festivals like Angouleme in France exposed bands from Africa, Asia, Middle East and the Caribbean to international audiences. This is how the first wave of the boom in so-called "world music" started; these bands then began to release albums, which were often marketed from indie record stores. This is how we found out about Salif Keita, Mory Kante, Cheb Khaled and Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens.
Sounds of the Hmong
Life, John Clewley, Published on 18/04/2017
» Chiang Mai archivist and musician Victoria Vorreiter published a book on tribal music, Songs Of Memory: Traditional Music Of The Golden Triangle, in 2009. Since then she has been busy travelling, researching and recording music from the tribal peoples of the mountains, and for the past six years her focus has been on Hmong music, mainly from tribal groups living in Thailand and Laos.
Music to move to
Life, John Clewley, Published on 26/07/2016
» The fascinating sounds of "Lollywood" (Pakistani cinema) soundtracks have been exploding from the World Beat turntable for the past week, courtesy of an excellent recent double vinyl compilation, 'Life Is Dance!' Plugged-In Sounds Of Wonder At The Pakistani Picture House (Finders Keepers, 2011). The compilation was sourced from EMI Pakistan's vast archives by Chris Menist, DJ partner of Zudrangma's Maft Sai and a member of local favourites the Paradise Bangkok Molam International band, and is a part of the series called "Sounds of Wonder".