Music Wire: News for the global urban generation

Checkpoint 303 - the Palestinian/Tunisian/French outfit that bills itself as “free tunes from occupied territories” - will perform a DJ set at the legendary Tacheles alternative art-house in the center of Berlin on Thursday 7th of February, 2008. The gig will take place at the opening of a photography exhibition organized in collaboration […]

Macedonia’s incredible Koçani Orkestar have just announced a series of dates in France. YouTube has a video of them playing “Siki Siki Baba” with Zach Condon. It’s chaotic, but fun. Check it here.

We’ve mentioned him before, but there’s no harm in mentioning him again as the project is an interesting one. Last year Cameroon singer Kristo Numpuby recorded a homage to the master of chanson, George Brassens. The unlikely combination, however, struck a chord at home in France, where Numpuby tours regularly and has appeared on prime […]

Balkan Beat Box are a nutty band that mixes rock with strong Balkan/Greek/Mediterranean influences, making them sure-fire favourites at festivals. Their second album, “Nu Med”, has been out since April in Europe (late May in the UK). So the band is taking to the roads again, criss-crossing the continent between now and mid-August. We really […]

I have to admit that the Congolese outfit Konono N°1 is not my favourite band. In fact, their saturated sound drive me nuts. But they are unique, which is probably reason enough for Bjork to invite them to record on her new album alongside Timbaland and Antony. They have a new release out (”Live in […]

The Arabo-Fusion singer Natacha Atlas is currently touring Europe to follow up on the release of “Mish Maoul”. The dates include shows in France, Belgium, Poland, Italy, England and Scotland. Transglobal Underground will appear with her on at least one date.
Atlas is one of the few performers that easily broaches the divide between the […]

Anyone interested in the African scene might already know the BBC’s Africa Beyond, which celebrates African arts in the UK. The site covers the entire continent, illustrating the extraordinary diversity of the 54 African nations.
More specifically, the new site wil incorporate “Africa on Your Street” that covers everything from Afrobeat to M’balax plus gig listing […]

The music of the Balkans must be some of the most incendiary being played today. Outfits such as Taraf de Haidouks, Koçani Orkestar and Mahala Raï Banda play with a trademark brass sound that reaches fever pitch pretty quickly - and never comes down (think of a film by Kusturica and you won’t be far […]

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 […]