An ordinary exercise in unity

Right now, a Philophon record sounds only like a Philophon record, and like nothing else in the world.  German producer and musician Max Weissenfeldt has been based full-time at Joy Sound Studio in Kumasi since 2019, where he's working with Ghanaian musicians to forge a sound based on highlife and local traditions while also incorporating Max's background in funk, soul, jazz and electronica.

 

The albums Max produced for Guy One (#1 in 2018) and Alogte Oho (O Yinne! in 2023) are superb examples of the unique Philophon sound.  On February 28 Max and singer Florence Adooni and her band added another brilliant title to that catalogue: it's called A.O.E.I.U. (An Ordinary Exercise In Unity) and it's certain to be one of my top albums of 2025.  This week on Global A Go-Go, you'll hear three tracks from this outstanding new African album.

 

Also this week (Sunday March 23, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Sufi devotional music from Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali; a tribute to Garifuna superstar Aurelio Martínez, who died in a plane crash in Honduras on Monday; South African soul and boogie by The Anchors and others; the music of Cheikh Ibra Fam, Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba who perform at Révéler on March 29; and Congolese soukous meets electronica in Ale Hop & Titi Bakorta.

Charts March 10-16, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MIRAMAR | Entre Tus Flores | Ansonia

2 MIZIK MALADI: DISQUES DEBS INTERNATIONAL VOL. 3 | various artists | Disques Debs International/Strut

3 DERYA YILDIRIM AND GRUP SIMSEK | Yarin Yoksa | Big Crown

4 FLORENCE ADOONI | A.O.E.I.U. (An Ordinary Exercise In Unity) | Philophon

5 LUCIBELA | Moda Antiga | Lusafrica

6 COLLIGNON | Bicicleta | Gris Gris

7 BONGO HOP, THE | La Pata Coja | Underdog

8 LA SONORA MAZUREN | Magnetismo Animal | Barbes

9 ALSARAH AND THE NUBATONES | Seasons Of The Road | self-released

10 ORIGINAL SOUND OF MALI 2, THE | various artists | Mr Bongo

History of Ukraine in 5 minutes

I'm joined in Studio A this week (Sunday March 16, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site) by my old friend Vlad Cuiujuclu, who's been contributing to Global A Go-Go since 2012.  Vlad and I did a show of Ukrainian music back in August of 2014, the month when Russia first sent troops, tanks and artillery into Ukraine's Donbas region.

 

Needless to say, a few things have changed since then, so we thought now would be a good time to update that 2014 show with new songs, new artists (and a few of the same ones we played in 2014) and new thoughts.  Here's what Vlad has to say about this week's program:

 

"After more than 3 years of full-scale invasion by Russia, Ukraine continues to stand strong.  The world has come to recognize the Ukrainian people for their resilience and bravery.   But with the war dominating headlines, Ukrainian culture hasn't had a chance to truly shine in the spotlight.

 

"In today's show we will dive into Ukrainian music, spanning from the 1960s to today and covering a variety of genres, from folk to rap and everything in between.  We will highlight well-known Ukrainian artists, as well as underground musicians from a vibrant array of genres and influences."

Charts Feb 24 - Mar 9, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 FLORENCE ADOONI | A.O.E.I.U. (An Ordinary Exercise In Unity) | Philophon

2 SATELLITES | Aylar | Batov

3 NATTALI RIZE | Liberate | Rize Nation

4 ROLANDO BRUNO Y EL GRUPO AREVALO/OF TROPIQUE | "Sabadabada" b/w "Fatman" [Single] | Electric Cowbell/Pepei

5 RED BARAAT | "Bhangra Rangeela” feat. SMK, Bakshi Brothers [Single] | Sinj

6 ULI COSTA E SANDALIA DE PRATA | Uli Costa E Sandalia De Prata | Brasuca

7 NUSANTARA BEAT | "Sifat Manusia" [Single] | Bongo Joe

8 EL DUSTY | "Aye Papi" [Single] | self-released

9 CELIA CRUZ | Centennial | UMG

10 SUSANA BACA | Conjuros | Pregon

Human nature

Nusantara Beat is one of my favorite pre-debut-album bands of the moment.  They're from Amsterdam and all six members are Dutch Indonesian, either first, second or third generation.

 

Their music most definitely sounds Indonesian, with roots in both folk traditions and in Indonesia's pop music of the last 50 years.  At the same time, there's no doubt that it's made by young, hip Europeans who love global grooves, psych-rock and surf rock.  Nusantara Beat has four singles out now, and you'll hear the most recent one this week on Global A Go-Go.

 

Also this week (Sunday March 9, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Top shelf música popular brasileira from Uli Costa e Sandália de Prata, a tribute to Ángel Pedraza of Grupo Kual? who passed away two weeks ago, new technocumbia from Corpus Christi's El Dusty, the forthcoming single by Rolando Bruno y el Grupo Arévalo from Buenos Aires, Anatolian rock hot off the presses by Şatellites and Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek, and Red Baraat mash up qawwali with Hava Nagila.

Cornershop across the border

This week (Sunday March 2, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site), it's a special edition of Global A Go-Go: two hours of sounds recorded, selected and mixed by Serge Bulat.

 

Serge is a multimedia artist who was born and grew up in Moldova, right near that country’s border with Ukraine.  He immigrated to the USA in 2009, and he’s frequently here in the Central Virginia area.

 

However, “frequently” is a relative term with Serge.  He’s truly peripatetic, and his wanderings have taken him recently to Malta and Greece, to the French Pyrenees to make field recordings, and to Meredith Monk’s Garrison Institute for Voice As Practice.  And Serge’s work has traveled recently to Oxford University in England and to Burning Man.

 

I aired two hours of Serge’s Cornershop Mixes on Global A Go-Go last fall, not long after his latest album Omorphita Cornershop was released, an album that was inspired by the time Serge spent in the divided capital city of Nicosia, Cyprus.  The Cornershop Mixes were built around some of the global music that he’s been listening to in his travels.

 

Serge has now made a second set of mixes for Global A Go-Go listeners.  These focus on the music of Moldova, Ukraine, Romania and on Roma or gypsy music in general, and they also have a healthy selection of his own field recordings.  Serge calls these the Cornershop Across The Border mixes, and that’s what we’ll be listening to this week.

Charts February 17-23, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 GNONNAS PEDRO AND HIS DADJES BAND | Roi De L'Agbadja Moderne 1974-1983 | Analog Africa

2 LUCIBELA | Moda Antiga | Lusafrica

3 EL LEON PARDO | "Cumbia Espacial" b/w "La Perica" [Single] | AYA

4 ALSARAH AND THE NUBATONES | Seasons Of The Road | self-released

5 ALTONS, THE | Heartache In Room 14 | Daptone

6 NOVALIMA | La Danza (Deluxe Version) | Six Degrees

7 MANDINGA BEAT | "Crianca Rica" [Single] | YB

8 SAMBA TOURE | Baarakelaw | Glitterbeat

9 SONGHOY BLUES | Héritage | Studio Mali/Transgressive

10 VAUDOU GAME | Fintou | Hot Casa

The band that speaks all African languages

They called Benin's Gnonnas Pedro Et Ses Dadjes "the band of Africa" and "the band that speaks all African languages" because of their ability to sing in dozens of tongues and perform styles of music from all over the continent, not to mention Europe and the Americas.

 

Analog Africa Records' long-planned Gnonnas Pedro compilation, Roi De L'Agbadja Moderne 1974-1983 has finally been released, and it's the retrospective this unique artist has long deserved.  You'll hear three tracks from it this week on Global A Go-Go, all sung in different languages of course.

 

Also this week (Sunday February 23, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Music by Senegal's Cheikh Ibra Fam and Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba, who will performing together at Révéler Experiences on March 29, new cumbia from El León Pardo and Pambelé, Alsarah & The Nubatones play the deep sounds of Sudan, lovely new lusophone songs by Mandinga Beat and Lucibela, and the scorching desert blues of Mali's DJAM!

Charts February 10-16, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SANTROFI |  Making Moves | Outhere

2 ANTHONY JOSEPH | Rowing Up River To Get Our Names Back | Heavenly Sweetness

3 ROBERTA CAMPOS | Coisas De Viver | self-released

4 LA BOA AND TONY ALLEN | La BOA Meets Tony Allen | Comet

5 BEST OF CONGO | various artists | World Congolese

6 KANKOU KOUYATE | N'Darila | One World

7 DENNIS MPALE FEAT. KIPPIE MOKETSI | Our Boys Are Doing It | We Are Busy Bodies

8 LADIES W.C. | Ladies W.C. | Munster

9 JORDAN WAX | Taytsh (The Heart Deciphers) | Borscht Beat

10 TRIO DA KALI | Bagola | One World

A conjure man with seven hands swirling

Tony Allen was "perhaps the greatest drummer who ever lived" (Brian Eno), and "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat" (Fela Kuti).  Allen, who passed away five years ago this April, is the subject of two recorded tributes this month, one a posthumous collaboration with La BOA, the Bogotá Afrobeat Orchestra, and the other a poem by Anthony Joseph set to the music of Dave Okumu.  You'll hear both of them this week on Global A Go-Go.

 

Also this week (Sunday February 16, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): New Brazilian sounds from Roberta Campos and Rogê, Jordan Wax's New Mexico indie-klezmer in Yiddish, two new albums from Mali's Kouyaté family tree, Santrofi celebrates their roots and leaps into the future of Ghanaian highlife, and a stellar jazz-meets-bump-jive reissue from South Africa's Dennis Mpale.

Charts February 3-9, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 ALSARAH AND THE NUBATONES | Mawasim Altariq : Seasons Of The Road | self-released

2 MERIDIAN BROTHERS | Mi Latinoamerica Sufre | Ansonia/Bongo Joe

3 GNONNAS PEDRO AND HIS DADJES BAND | Roi De L'Agbadja Moderne 1974-1983 | Analog Africa

4 ORIGINAL SOUND OF MALI 2, THE | various artists | Mr Bongo

5 FEMI KUTI | "After 24 Years" [Single] | Partisan

6 KANKOU KOUYATE | N'Darila | One World

7 ESTRELLAS DE BUENA VISTA | Live In Havana | One World

8 GERSON KING COMBO | Gerson King Combo | Vampisoul

9 DUBMARTA | "Watch Me Grow" [Single] | Conscious Sounds

10 KIN'GONGOLO KINIATA | "Kingongolo" [Single] | Helico

Plus de café

It's a fully caffeinated, new music focused edition of Global A Go-Go this time, headlined by funk from around the world including new tracks from Vaudou Game and Cheo, and a new reissue of Brazil's Gerson King Combo.

 

Also this week (Sunday February 9, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site): Estrellas De Buena Vista bring back that old Cuban son; The Bongo Hop and Rancho Aparte represent Colombia's Pacific coast; rock from three continents by Tek Roc, Kin'Gongolo Kiniata and Leenalchi; new roots reggae by Italian-English singer DubMarta; and the East African sounds of Dexter Story and Alsarah & The Nubatones.

Charts Jan 27 - Feb 2, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 SONGHOY BLUES | Héritage | Studio Mali/Transgressive

2 SAHRA HALGAN | Hiddo Dhawr | Danaya

3 KANKOU KOUYATE | N'Darila | One World

4 ESTRELLAS DE BUENA VISTA | Live In Havana | One World

5 BROOKLYN SOUNDS | Libre-Free | Vampisoul

6 SAMBA TOURE | Baarakelaw | Glitterbeat

7 TRIO DA KALI | Bagola | One World

8 BONGO HOP, THE | La Pata Coja | Underdog

9 KIT SEBASTIAN | New Internationale | Brainfeeder

10 OLAMINA AND AWARENESS | Chant Down Babylon | Love City

Certeza y incertidumbre

"Incertidumbre" (uncertainty or doubt) is the first track on the exquisite new album by Miramar, Entre Tus Flores.  There are a few certezas (certainties) that come along with the album:

• You haven't heard anything quite like it before
• Fans of bolero, Latin America's long-lived, popular style of romantic song, will be thrilled
  
• It's going to give this Richmond band a new level of prominence here at home, across the USA, and in Europe and Latin America

Another certainty: Miramar will be joining me and live sound engineer Richard Schellenberg in WRIR's Studio C for a live performance and an interview this week on Global A Go-Go (Sunday February 2, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my podcast site).

 

It's only been eleven years since their last appearance on Global A Go-Go!  So you're overdue for an update on their story and sound, and what better time to get one than a couple of weeks before their hometown record release gig on Valentine's Day at Révéler Experiences.

What's uncertain is what I'll be playing on the program.  I'm going to start with some fabulous new music from Mali by Samba Touré, Trio Da Kali and Songhoy Blues.  I'll give Miramar as much time as they want in Studio C, and everything after that is a big TBD.  Tune in for this celebration of some of the best Richmond has to offer to the world.

Charts January 20-26, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MIRAMAR | Entre Tus Flores | Ansonia

2 SAMBA TOURE | Baarakelaw | Glitterbeat

3 NOVALIMA | La Danza (Deluxe Version) | Six Degrees

4 SONGHOY BLUES | Héritage | Studio Mali/Transgressive

5 SANTROFI | Making Moves | Outhere

6 VAUDOU GAME | Fintou | Hot Casa

7 SATELLITES | "Tisladi Mehmet Emmi" [Single] | Batov

8 JUPITER AND OKWESS, FLAVIA COELHO | "Les Bons Comptes" [Single] | Airfono

9 NAHAWA DOUMBIA | Vol. 2 | Awesome Tapes From Africa

10 AL-QASAR | Uncovered | Wewantsounds