Music Wire: News for the global urban generation

Ivory Coast’s Manou Gallo is one of the most in-demand bassists in Europe. After playing with Zap Mama for six years and appearing in a play, she released her first album, “Dida” on the IglooMondo label in 2003. A documentary now traces her worldwide tour and the release of the second album…

Created in 1998 by two Iraqi brothers brought up in France, Aiwa is one of the most exciting fusion/electronic outfits. Musically, they mix Classical Arabic sounds with heavy dub/electronic grooves and ultra-suave rap. They have released two albums “Aiwa” and “El Nar” (photo), with an album of remixes of “Aiwa” in the pipeline - more […]

The people over at Calabash Music have had a neat idea. Despite what many people think, the US spends less than 1% of its federal budget on foreign aid. As Calabash points out, “If everyone in the United States gave up one soft drink a month we could double our current aid to Africa. If […]

There is something decidedly cool about the vibraphone even though it’s not the type of instrument you hang out with or stick under your arm like Chet Baker or Lester Bowie. Yet over two albums, Pascal Schumacher and his Quartet have given the vibe a new burst of interest. They combine cool school competency with […]

You’ll have to move fast on this one. Damon Alban of Blur has visited Mali on several occasions, and is determined to spread the good news about its music. He is hosting an exclusive event on December 13 in South London that will bring together Amadou and Mariam, Rachid Taha, K’naan, Souad Massi and Ba […]

Prog rock never really goes away. On 1st December the European band Univers Zero will play at the “Alternativa Festival” in Prague. On 22 March 2007, they will appear at the “Baja Prog Festival” in Mexicali (Mexico).
Univers Zero’s roots come from the rock and jazz scene in 70s Belgium. Extensive touring was supported by albums […]

Dancehall legend Sizzla has announced US tour dates to coincide with his new album, The Overstanding, scheduled to be released onNovember 21st, 2006.
Sizzla emerged during the latter half of the ‘90s, and quickly became one of the leaders of the modern dancehall movement. Along with Buju Banton and Capelton, he helped lead dancehall back to […]

Just about everybody knows about the Montreux Jazz festival. But not many people know who is behind it. So take a bow Claude Nobs, a former accountant at the Montreux Tourist Office who now runs a festival that welcomes 250,000 people a year. The Midem trade fair has decided to honour him with a “Personality […]