Xango Music local music from all over the world

Office: Singelstraat 1, 3513 BL Utrecht, NL www.xmd.nl - [email protected] - +31 6 50 999 123

Warehouse: Berenkoog 53 C, 1822 BN, Alkmaar (NL) e: [email protected] t: +31 (0)72 - 567 3030

NEW RELEASES NR. 5 – 2016

Now available: Aziza Brahim: Abbar el Hamada GBCD 31 / 4030433603123 / label: Glitterbeat / format: CD / Western Sahara – Popular

Aziza Brahim: Abbar el Hamada GBLP 31 / 4030433603116 / label: Glitterbeat / format: LP / Western Sahara - Popular Western Saharan musician/activist Aziza Brahim’s new album Abbar el Hamada (Across the Hamada), is a commanding and compassionate musical statement about, and for, the tumultuous age in which we live. Raised in a Saharawi refugee camp in the Algerian desert, and living in exile for more than two decades (first in Cuba and currently in Barcelona), Brahim’s life and music embodies both the tragedies and hopes of the present-day migrant and refugee experience. Recorded with Soutak producer Chris Eckman (Bassekou Kouyate, Tamikrest), Abbar el Hamada, is a wholly persuasive example of Brahim’s pan- musical vision and is her most compelling and varied album to date. Listen to a track.

Deltas: Ligerian Blues BUDA 860290 / 3341348602905 / label: Buda / format: CD / Mali/France - Popular Richard Bourreau (violonist of Lo’Jo, on this album on violin and kora) and Vincent Erdeven (guitar & keyboards in Zenzile, on this album guitar) have invited singer and n’goni player Andra Kouyaté (brother of Bassekou Kouyaté) to form the trio Deltas. Deltas doesn’t really seek their own version of Mandingo blues or even the Mississippi blues, but invented music for patient people, blues of the River Loire, blues that brings us together. Listen to ‘Bamako Angers’.

Willy Fuego: Acontracorriente WF 201501 / 5425021010152 / label: Via Lactea / format: CD / Spain - Mestizo Willy Fuego, alter-ego of Jose Luis Ferrer Sanchez, guitarist and bassist for Jaleo Real, La Kinky Beat and Amparo Sanchez, now presents his first solo album, made in the mestizo scene in Barcelona. Eleven contagious tracks that move between authentic rumba catalana, nostaligic son, and some bizarre winks to texmex and cumbia. The not-so-easy youth of Fuego has its place in the lyrics and the melancholic sound of some songs. On other, he celebrates life like no other. Not ‘just another mestizo album’, this one is diverse in sound and lyrics and very well performed. Listen to ‘Lo Que Ocupas Tu’.

Muerdo: Viento Sur KM 1215 / 8429085271068 / label: Kasba / format: CD / Spain – Popular Here’s the third album by Muerdo, the band from Murcia, who has outgrown its home audience and is reaching to a bigger part of the world with reggae, funk, son, hiphop, ska and chacarera. In spite of these up- beat styles, Muerdo performs in a very relaxed way. So this is not purely party music, but merely lazy Sunday afternoon music, with the pleasant voice of Paskual Kantero. With collaborations by DJ Panko, Pascuala Ilabaca and more. Listen to ‘Claridad’.

Fermin Muguruza: Nola? Irun meets New Orleans TALKA 3334 / / 9788490274491 / label: Talka / format: CD+DVD / Basque Country - Popular Ten years after Katrina Fermin Muguruza went to New Orleans to get together with local musicians and give his Basque songs a “New Orleans flavour”. The protagonists of the project take us to their reality of the post- Katrina years, of how the community rebuild the city. This can be heard on the CD in the songs, but even more in the documentary directed by Fermin himself. New Orleans is the place where musical styles come together as well as stories. Listen to ‘Kolore Bizia (Negu Gorriak) - New Orleans’.

Xango Music Distribution Release #5 – 2016 Pagina | 1

Paco el Lobo: Flamenco BUDA 4771365 / 0602547713650 / label: Buda / format: CD / Spain – Flamenco Paco el Lobo is atypical as a singer, expressing rage and hardship in his singing. As a lover of flamenco from a very young age, Paco started taking part in parties and tablaos where he met many important flamenco traditional singers. Paco was initiated into cante jondo by the well-known artists Pepe El de la Matrona, Rafael Romero as well as Juan Varea. Over the years, he also specialized in singing for the dance, which gave him a great skill in compas and palmas. During these years, Paco also studied flamenco guitar and took part in several ballets and flamenco troupes rounding out his overall training and helping him grow as an artist. Listen to ‘Ay Mi Paco’.

Joanne McIver & Christophe Saunière: Musiques d’Ecosse – Les Essentiels 2 pour 1 BUDA 4763129 / 0602547631299 / label: Buda / format: 2-CD / Scotland – Folk Joanne McIver hails from the Isle of Arran, also known as “Scotland in miniature”, in the south-west of Scotland. The well-respected and virtuoso harp player, Christophe Saunière, has performed with most of the principal French and European symphony orchestras. This 2-CD: Les Essentiels (2 CDs for the price of 1), is a re-release of two of their cd’s on Buda Musique, including the original booklet on both CDs: “Musiques des Iles” and “De Glenfinnan à Glasgow & The Three Sisters”. Listen to ‘Parting on the Shore’.

Filidh Ruadh: A Trip to Glenfinnan VDECD 1471 / 7619918147122 / label: VDE Gallo / format: CD / Scotland – Folk Filidh Ruadh, Gaelic for red-haird bard, is an homage to the bards and poets, who, throughout the ages, have written the most beautiful ballads, whether in Gaelic or English, inspired by the sublime Scottish landscape and its powerful, emotional history. These musicians’ passion is to steep themselves in these fabulous traditions and render them with respect and originality. They recorded this CD in July 2015 at the wonderful Old Loundry Studio in Glenfinnan, in the heart of the Highlands. Listen to ‘The Posie’.

Zatar: Terra Aria VDECD 1470 / 7619918147023 / label: VDE Gallo / format: CD / Switzerland - Fusion Zatar, a quartet based in Geneva, is a concentrated mix of influences: from Mediterranean sounds and classical souvenirs to jazz improvisations and oriental moods. The four outstanding musicians (Soraya Berent: vocals, Francesco Bartoletti: cello, Joel Musy: Sax, serpent, tuba, Nicolas Lambert: guitar) are not afraid of subtely, of improvisation and delicate compositions. Take your time to enjoy this album. Listen to ‘Dido’s Death’.

Miriam Ariana & Lene Host: Vingefang GO 215 / 5705934002865 / label: Go Danish / format: CD / Denmark/Various – Folk Lene Høst Mees and Miriam Ariana are two folk musicians with roots in Scandinavia. They have travelled and lived in France, Brazil, Sweden and Tanzania, where they have absorbed the different styles of music and cultures of these countries. With two voices, a violin, piano, and guitar, Lene and Miriam have created a repertoire consisting of cool Scandinavian tones, evocative French ballads and Brazilian rhythms. Listen to ‘Sanfona Sentida’.

Makam: Napenek ZPCD 15 / 5999548113400 / label: Folk Europa / format: CD / Hungary - Folk The Hungarian ensemble Makám performs newly-composed, traditionally-inspired music strongly tied to "Oriental" music cultures, based on the scales of Eastern (ragas), Bulgarian-Turkish scale variations (makams) and even the half-tone scales frequently used Bartók, songs sounding like Hungarian folk ballads and arrangements by musicians with contemporary and jazz skills. This album was released to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band. Listen to ‘Napenek’.

Various: Across Russia SA 141278 / 3700089412783 / label: Air Mail Music / format: CD / Russia – Traditional This CD takes us on a journey of some 9000 kilometers through Russia, from St. Petersburg to Anadyr. Russian music is rooted in the distant past, with sources in the ancient Slavic religion and its ritual chants.

Xango Music Distribution Release #5 – 2016 Pagina | 2

EXPECTED

Expected 1 April: Various: Every Song Has Its End: Sonic Dispatches from Traditional Mali (Hidden Musics 2) GBCD 29 / 4030433602928 / label: Glitterbeat / format: CD+DVD / Mali – Traditional

Various: Every Song Has Its End: Sonic Dispatches from Traditional Mali (Hidden Musics 2) GBLP 29 / 4030433602911 / label: Glitterbeat / format: 2-LP+DVD / Mali – Traditional Bamako-based producer/educator Paul Chandler has been documenting the sonic and cultural complexities of Malian traditional music for more than a decade and “Every Song Has Its End” is an out-of-time, visceral collection of sounds from Chandler’s unparalleled archive. Echoes of these sounds can of course be heard in the urbanized Malian music that has been embraced throughout the world, but the songs, ritual soundscapes and accompanying images found here are undoubtedly more raw, foundational and filled with surprise than the Malian music we are accustomed to. Listen to ‘Le Souvenir’ by Group Ekanzam.

Expected 29 April: Damir Imamovic’s Sevdah Takht: Dvojka GBCD 33 / 4030433603321 / label: Glitterbeat / format: CD / Bosnia-Herzegovina – Sevdah

Damir Imamovic’s Sevdah Takht: Dvojka GBLP 33 / 4030433603314 / label: Glitterbeat / format: LP / Bosnia-Herzegovina - Sevdah The Huffington Post recently called Damir Imamovič : “The King of Sevdah.” Sevdah is Bosnia’s gorgeous and centuries old popular song form. While Damir and his pan-Balkan band Sevdah Takht are certainly the most important young proponents of sevdah, their approach is fueled by a fearless commitment to push this passionate music into contemporary, unknown territory. They are more revolutionaries than kings. Watch this impressive (in both sound and image) video clip of the song ‘Sarajevo’.

REVIEWS

Songlines #116 Mar 2016 Lust for Life March 2016 Joan Soriano: Me Decidi IASCD 13 Mamadou Kelly: Djamila CLECD 12 / CLELP 12 Traditional Folk Music in Moravia 6 MAM 5602 Orchestre International du Vetex: Fifavela VLR 12 Traditional Folk Music in Moravia 7 MAM 5612 Sahra Halgan Trio: Faransiskyo Somalia BUDA 4758652 Transglobal World Music Chart March 2016 Aziza Brahim: Abbar el Hamada GBCD 31/GBLP 31 Aziza Brahim: Abbar el Hamada GBCD 31/GBLP 31 Bixga 70: III GBCD 26/GBLP 26 fRoots #393 Mar 2016 Dizu Plaatjies & Friends: Ubuntu MOU 4554 Elof & Wamberg: Byen Sover GO 1315 Jitka Suranska, Iren Lovasz, a.o.:Three Voices MAM 5562 World Music Charts Europe March 2016 Oratnitza: Folktron MK 57084 NRC 7 Mar 2016 Orchestre International du Vetex: Fifavela VLR 12 LIVE

Kalio Gayo 17 April – (NL) 17 March OCCII – Amsterdam (NL) 18 March ACU – Utrecht (NL) Vardan Hovanissian & Emre Gültekin 23 April Chapelle de Verre - Ronquières (BE) Che Sudaka 21 May Handelsbeurs – Gent (BE) 25 March Paaspop – Schijndel (NL) 12 June Eupen (BE) 3 April 2016 Ancienne Belgique – Brussels (BE) Imam Baildi Lakha Khan 11 mei Paradiso Noord /Tolhuistuin – Amsterdam (NL) 1 April 2016 Senghor – Brussels (BE) 12 mei Melusina – Luxemburg (LUX) 13 mei Vooruit – Gent (BE) Monsieur Doumani 14 mei Grounds – Rotterdam (NL) 14 April Art Base – Brussels (BE) 15 April ‘t Ey – Borsele (BE) Zakouska 16 April Korzo – The Hague (NL) 21 May Kokopelli Festival – Gullegem (BE)

Xango Music Distribution Release #5 – 2016 Pagina | 3