Rebeldía y twist

Global A Go-Go welcomes Romperayo to Richmond -- they're playing at Révéler Experiences on Saturday August 23.  Here's how bandleader Pedro Ojeda describes them: "As if Colombian tropical music from decades past traveled to the city on an acid discharge."

 

Ojeda is no more than one degree of separation from every cool project that's coming out of Bogotá Colombia right now.  If you saw Frente Cumbiero in May, that was Ojeda behind the drum kit.  You can also find him there with Los Pirañas, his cooperative trio with Mario Galeano (who leads Frente Cumbiero) and Eblis Alvarez (who leads Meridian Brothers).

 

All of those other bands have toured the USA multiple times, and all but Los Pirañas have played here in Richmond.  But this is Romperayo's first American tour, and it is long overdue.  Check out a whole set of Romperayo music this week on Global A Go-Go, if you're thinking about checking them out at Révéler next weekend.

 

Also this week (Sunday August 17, 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): Moroccan gnawa meets jazz via Saha Gnawa; three distinctive takes on Afrobeat from Trio Mokili, Bejuco and Ousmane Kouyaté; the blistering Mande rock of Orchestra Gold; new cumbia variants by Terror/Cactus, Minyo Crusaders, La Banda Chuska and Quitapenas; and music from Chicha Libre and its offshoots, since Chicha Libre will be back in Richmond, also at Révéler, on Sunday September 7.

Charts Jul 21 - Aug 10, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MULATU ASTATKE | Mulatu Plays Mulatu | Strut

2 STORY OF NACIONAL RECORDS, THE, VOL. UNO Y DOS | various artists | Nacional

3 MIRAMAR | Entre Tus Flores | Ansonia

4 SORCERERS, THE | Other Worlds and Habitats | ATA

5 HABIBI FUNK 031: A SELECTION OF MUSIC FROM LIBYAN TAPES | various artists | Habibi Funk

6 TAKESHI TERAUCHI AND BLUE JEANS | Let's Go Eleki Bushi | 180g

7 NANA BENZ DU TOGO | Sé Nam | Komos

8 EDNA MARTINEZ PRESENTS PICO: SOUND SYSTEM CULTURE FROM THE COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN | various artists | Strut

9 NEBA SOLO | Tuma Duma | Blanc Manioc

10 BIO RITMO | "Largos Caminos" [Single] | Locutor

The Big BW & the Sun of Latin Music

I've never wanted Global A Go-Go to be "that show that's always talking about musicians who died," but sometimes you just have to stop and pay your tribute.  Tribute is certainly due in the case of Eddie Palmieri, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 88.

 

By any reasonable reckoning one of the most important musicians of the 20th century, Palmieri is responsible for many of the innovations that have made Latin music such a dynamic cultural force.  When you listen to salsa today, or Latin jazz, or Latin soul, almost everything you're hearing builds on his ideas, compositions and recordings.  The whole second hour this week will be devoted to Palmieri's music of the 1960s and 70s.

 

Also this week (Sunday August 10, 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), I'll resume the tribute I started three weeks ago to Chris "Mu" Faiumu of the pioneering New Zealand band Fat Freddy's Drop with selections from their four most recent albums.

 

Plus you'll hear from Mulatu Astatke, who's blessedly still with us at age 81 and will soon release Mulatu Plays Mulatu, a valedictory statement that Mulatu calls "the culmination of my work bringing [Ethio-jazz] to the world," and more new Ethio-jazz from The Sorcerers.

Charts July 14-20, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 ADRIAN QUESADA | Boleros Psicodélicos II | ATO

2 T.P. ORCHESTRE POLY RHYTMO DE COTONOU-BENIN | Tidiani Kone et le T.P. Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou-Benin | Acid Jazz

3 ORUA | "Deus-Dara" [Single] | K

4 SABABA 5 | Nadir | Batov

5 ORCHESTRE TOUT PUISSANT MARCEL DUCHAMP | "Revenant du Nord b/w Siilent" [Single] | Bongo Joe

6 DOM SALVADOR, ADRIAN YOUNGE AND ALI SHAHEED MUHAMMAD | Dom Salvador JID024 | Jazz Is Dead

7 KOKOROKO | Tuff Times Never Last | Brownswood

8 HABIBI FUNK 031: A SELECTION OF MUSIC FROM LIBYAN TAPES | various artists | Habibi Funk

9 BIO RITMO | "Largos Caminos" [Single] | Locutor

10 FRANCK BIYONG | "Struggle 4 Money" [Single] | Tangential

Dr. Boondigga

I was stunned to hear that Chris (Mu) Faiumu, the founder and bandleader of Fat Freddy's Drop, passed away in his sleep on Wednesday at home in Wellington, New Zealand.  Fat Freddy's is one of the most popular bands New Zealand has ever produced: their first four albums all went to #1 in their home country, and they did that as a fully independent act, managing themselves and running their own record label.

 

The albums and their amazing live shows have earned them a strong following in Europe, but they've never toured the USA so they remain relatively unknown here.  If you can imagine a cross between the Wailers, Parliament, Phish and J Dilla, that's kind of what they sound like.  If you want to know exactly what they sound like, tune in to the second hour of Global A Go-Go this week for my tribute to Mu: a full hour of Fat Freddy's music.

 

Also this week (Sunday July 20, 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 singles from Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp and Oruã, the Malawian banjo music of Gasper Nali and Madalitso Band, and Afrobeat by Tidiani Kone and Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou.

Charts Jun 30 - Jul 13, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 BRIVELE | Khaveyrim Zayt Greyt | Borscht Beat

2 BRIGHDE CHAIMBEUL | Sunwise | Tak:til

3 KOKOROKO | Tuff Times Never Last | Brownswood

4 HABIBI FUNK 031: A SELECTION OF MUSIC FROM LIBYAN TAPES | various artists | Habibi Funk

5 MUSIC FOR A REVOLUTION, VOL. 1: GUINEA'S SYLIPHONE RECORDING LABEL (1967-1973) | various artists | Radio Martiko

6 HAWA AND KASSE MADY DIABATE | Toumaro | One World

7 GIO CHAMBA | "La Danza de los Mirlos" [Single] | Mixto

8 EDNA MARTINEZ PRESENTS PICO: SOUND SYSTEM CULTURE FROM THE COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN | various artists | Strut

9 TRIO KAZANCHIS PLUS 1 | Sheger | 121234

10 TRIO MOKILI | Trio Mokili | self-released

Cause & Effect: Chicha Libre

Bill from Global A Go-Go here, bringing you a special edition of WRIR's Cause & Effect program this week (Saturday July 12, 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).  What's so special about it, you ask?

 

Well, first of all, Chicha Libre is performing on Saturday night at the Get Tight Lounge, with the Balkan psychedelic twang of Richmond's Zarove opening for them.  So this radio show should be an ideal pre-game situation for a Get Tight tailgate party.  And for those of you who are considering whether to spend your evening at Get Tight, tune in and get the whole Chicha Libre story while you decide.

 

Secondly, Chicha Libre founder and bandleader Olivier Conan will join me live in the studio for this show.  As you might already know, Cause & Effect is WRIR's weekly program that focuses on a single band (or sometimes a genre or a time and place) and digs into their origin, development, influences, peers and the artists they've influenced, with a healthy dose of the band's own music of course.

 

Rarely do we have the actual subject with us in person for a Cause & Effect episode.  So tune in and hear the Chicha Libre story straight from the horse's mouth.  It's a unique opportunity and should be a lot of fun.

Once tejones

Hot Secret Planet Richmond Summer continues in mid-July in two quite different flavors.  On Saturday July 12, Chicha Libre, the Brooklyn band that brought Peruvian-style psychedelic cumbia to worldwide recognition, returns to Richmond for the first time in 12 years to play at the Get Tight Lounge.

 

And on Tuesday July 15, Larry & Joe bring their unique mix of Venezuelan joropo and Appalachian bluegrass to Révéler Experiences.  To help you decide if you'd like to spend an evening with either or both of them, you'll hear several selections from both Chicha Libre and Larry & Joe this week on Global A Go-Go.

 

Also this week (Sunday July 6, 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 music from Mali by Habib Koite's Mandé Sila and Hawa & Kasse Mady Diabaté; vintage African sounds from two excellent new compilations: Music For a Revolution Vol. 1 and Edna Martinez Presents Picó; Trio Kazanchis + 1 and Trio Mokili expand the boundaries of Ethiopian music; and a rediscovered recording of the classic Ethio 70's Ibex Band.

Charts June 23-29, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 TSAPIKY! MODERN MUSIC FROM SOUTHWEST MADAGASCAR | various artists | Sublime Frequencies

2 NOURA MINT SEYMALI | "Guereh" [Single] | Glitterbeat

3 TRIO MOKILI | Trio Mokili | self-released

4 BIO RITMO | "Largos Caminos" [Single] | Locutor

5 CHEIKH IBRA FAM | "Sali" [Single] | Cumbancha

6 AFRODREAM | "Afrotrip" [Single] | Rubik

7 GYEDU-BLAY AMBOLLEY | Wake Up Afrika | Agogo

8 ZULU GUITAR BLUES: COWBOYS, TROUBADOURS AND JILTED LOVERS 1950-1965 | various artists | Matsuli

9 FEMI KUTI | Journey Through Life | Partisan

10 SALIF KEITA | So Kono | No Format

Cumbia sin fronteras

Yeison Landero, grandson of the legendary Andrés Landero and keeper of the flame for Colombian cumbia campesina, played here in Richmond in January.  If you saw him and his conjunto then, you know they are a peak musical experience, maybe the best cumbia band in the world right now.

 

And if you didn't see them then, you're getting a second chance.   Yeison Landero y su Conjunto bring their Cumbia Sin Fronteras tour to the Get Tight Lounge on Thursday July 3, the first night of the Independence Day holiday weekend.  This week on Global A Go-Go, I'll get you acquainted (or re-acquainted, as the case may be) with Yeison's music, including spinning his brand new single.

 

Also this week (Sunday June 29, 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): Some Afropop, including the latest from from Cheikh Ibra Fam and Amadou & Mariam; new highlife and Afrobeat by Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, Femi Kuti and Afrodream; the Malian sounds of Salif Keita and Trio Mokili; the first new music in nine years from Mauritania's Noura Mint Seymali; and tsapiky, the blistering dance music of southwest Madagascar.

Charts June 16-22, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 MINYO CRUSADERS | Tour of Japan | 180g

2 HAWA AND KASSE MADY DIABATE | Toumaro | One World

3 WITCH | SOGOLO | Partisan

4 SUPER DJATA BAND | Authentique Vol 2 Feu Vert 81-82 | Numero Group

5 QUITAPENAS | ¡Retumba! [EP] | Nepantla

6 ELJURI | "La Vida" [Single] | Manovill

7 SOUL SUGAR MEETS DUB SHEPHERDS | "Give Me Your Love" [Single] | Gee

8 QUANTIC | DJ-Kicks: Quantic | !K7

9 SYSTEMA SOLAR | Futurx Primitivx 2025 | Sambumbia

10 MOSKITO | Idolar | Awesome Tapes From Africa

Best Richmond radio show 2025, per Style Weekly readers

I'm pleased to announce that Global A Go-Go has been selected by readers of Style Weekly, Richmond's alternative voice since 1982, as Richmond's best radio show of 2025.  Thank you for the honor, and I'm looking forward to decolonizing your ears with music from around the world in the universal language of groove for many years to come.

 

And how about WRIR almost winning a Pick 4 in this category?  Global A Go-Go and Open Source RVA and What The Fontaine, broken up only by former WRIR DJ Todd Ranson's Loblolly Pine Show on WDCE.  Your community radio station, indeed! 

So many things to feel guilty about

Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp (OTPMD for short) is a hard band to describe, an easy one to love.  Based in Geneva, Switzerland, it is truly an orchestra: 12 players on viola, cello, bass violin, trombone and bugle plus guitars, marimbas (two of them, somehow) and drums.  In their music you'll hear post-punk, krautrock, African rhythms, brass bands, 20th century minimalism, free jazz and more, sometimes all in the same song.

 

OTPMD is touring the USA right now, and they will squeeze all dozen band members onto (or at least near to) the stage at the Get Tight Lounge on Wednesday June 25.  You'll hear their music this week on Global A Go-Go, and I will give away a pair of tickets to the concert as well.  Opening for OTPMD will be the new Richmond folk-jazz-world supergroup Amminal, a band nearly as eclectic as the headliner.  You'll hear Amminal on this week's program as well, from a session they recorded on Global A Go-Go in the spring.

 

Also this week (Sunday June 22, 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 Latin sounds from Alfa & Manu Chao, Eljuri, Quitapenas and Systema Solar; the fabulous second studio album by Japan's Minyo Crusaders; Soul Sugar and Dub Shepherds give Curtis Mayfield the reggae version treatment; two very welcome Malian reissues: Super Djata Band's Authentique 81 and Wagadu Grooves Vol. 2; and classic South Africa kwaito by Moskito.

Charts June 9-15, 2025

WRIR World's NACC Top Ten

1 LAIZ AND THE NEW LOVE EXPERIENCE | "Se Segura" [Single] | Agogo

2 HAWA AND KASSE MADY DIABATE | Toumaro | One World

3 BIO RITMO | "Largos Caminos" [Single] | Locutor

4 MADALITSO BAND | Ma Gitala | Bongo Joe

5 LA BANDA CHUSKA | Basic Bichos | self-released

6 FRANCIS BEBEY | Trésor Magnétique | Africa Seven

7 GYEDU-BLAY AMBOLLEY | Wake Up Afrika | Agogo

8 SYSTEMA SOLAR | Futurx Primitivx 2025 | Sambumbia

9 SEMBLANZAS DEL RIO GUAPI | Lindo E | Llorona

10 ZULU GUITAR BLUES: COWBOYS, TROUBADOURS AND JILTED LOVERS 1950-1965 | various artists | Matsuli

He fell for chicken feet

Malawi's Madalitso Band have gone in eight years from busking for survival on the dusty streets of Lilongwe to playing international music festivals like Sauti Za Busara in Zanzibar, Roskilde in Denmark and WOMAD and Glastonbury in England.

 

Their music, made with nothing but their voices, guitar, kick drum and the homemade one-stringed long-necked slide bass called babatone, is one of the most life-affirming sounds you'll ever hear.  Madalitso's new album Ma Gitala was just released on Friday, and you'll hear a track from it this week on Global A Go-Go, alongside more acoustic guitar music from southern Africa.

 

Also this week (Sunday June 15, 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): Rockin' cumbia from XIXA and La Banda Chuska, Bio Ritmo's brand new single as they prepare for their first visit to Colombia, Brazilian samba-funk by Laiz & the New Love Experience and Seu Jorge, beautiful late-career statements from Mali's Salif Keita and Kasse Mady Diabaté, and Trinidadian soca remixed by Luke Una.