The heir to Brazilian tropicalism, Santtana marks 25 years of his career with Brasiliano, a true collective celebration that brings together prestigious collaborators: Gilberto Gil, Oxmo Puccino, Flavia Coelho, Piers Faccini, Chico Cesar, Paralamas do Sucesso, Cocanha, Dimartino, Karyna Gomes, Tainara Takua, Rachel Reis and Maria Lado. Sung in eight different languages, Brasiliano is both an ode to linguistic diversity and a testament to it's symbolic power. Carried by luminous and layered arrangements where voices intertwine like a polyphonic conversation, the album treats language as a musical instrument in it's own right, but also as a political tool. Santtana questions cultural heritage, identity, colonial memory, and the possibility of a shared language. With his singular approach-blending popular rhythms, contemporary soundscapes and vibrant melodies-he celebrates the love and exchange embodied in Romance languages, where music becomes fertile ground for encounters and reinvention.
Malian balafon player Neba Solo and donso n'goni player Benego Diakite's A Djinn and a Hunter Went Walking-the first in a series of new releases in collaboration with longtime Nonesuch partner Nick Gold, former head of World Circuit Records-features the leading players of their traditional instruments: the marimba-like balafon, or bala, and donso n'goni, a hunter's harp. On the album, co-produced by Gold, Ousmane Haidara, and Sonny Johns, the acoustic instrumentals are complemented by vocals and percussion as well as touches of mellotron, guitar, and strings. The CD version includes a second disc of their original duo performances, unadorned, recorded in a Bamako garden under a mango tree. They started after the sun went down, and crickets can be heard chirping during the quiet moments.
After My Voyage I, Live in Guyana, the Afro-Amazonian, Valerie Tribord presents: My Voyage #2, recorded between Paris, Macon, Abidjan, Kinshasa, and New York... Renowned musicians from diverse backgrounds and musical cultures: France, the Caribbean, Guyana, and Haiti: Thierry Fanfant, Jay Brixxx, Mike Clinton, Julien Lacharme, Christophe Cravero, Lister Haussman, (Kinshasa) Master Kebs, Marie Paule Tribord, Georges Granville, Kristof Negrit, Alex Poignet, Dabo Carlos, Djanuno, (New York / Haiti) Noldy Cadet, Jp and the Beat, (Dominique) Ibis Lawrence, Bublaz (Jamaica)... 13 tracks, including various works from the solar universe, by Valerie Tribord. From Creole to French, Portuguese, and English, to Reggae, Afrobeat, Zouk/Kompa, and Brazilian ballads, what a musical journey, without borders, through My Journey II. Featured artists: Julien Lacharme (Solaar System), Lyricson, the very talented Guinean artist, and Afro Zouk diva, Ivorian singer Monique Seka, STREAMS HITS. In concert, Valerie must send you everything... On tour, starting in September 2025
Next up in our Cuban Classics series, one of the jewels of record label Areito's extensive and sought-after catalogue. Ricardo Eddy Martinez's Expreso Ritmico from 1978 is a prized album fusing funk, disco, and orchestrated influences with Afro-Cuban percussion, Latin breaks, and lush vocal harmonies. Whilst maintaining it's distinctive Cuban identity, Expreso Ritmico is one of the more American / Western-influenced Cuban titles of the time drawing inspiration from jazz funk, disco, and library music. The album was directed, written, and orchestrated by keyboardist and drummer Ricardo Eddy Martinez, who was also the mastermind behind the orchestration of the Los Reyes 73 album (that was recently reissued by Mr Bongo). Martinez would later go on to work with international musicians and singers such as Gloria Estefan, Jose Feliciano, Chick Corea, and many more, whilst also working as a sound engineer in the US. Produced by Adolfo Pichardo, who worked on much of Areito's output, Expreso Ritmico is packed with gold. The opening title track carries a loose, breezy Latin-disco-funk vibe that breaks into a brilliant Afro-Cuban workout. 'Que La Tristeza Se Fue' was expertly sampled and looped by Jazzanova on their 2008 song 'Look What You Are Doing To Me, featuring Phonte from the hip hop group Little Brother. Elsewhere, 'Tambo Iya' has an Afro-funk, Soul Makossa-esque groove, while tracks such as 'Te Quedas', 'Mi Conga Es La Que Es' and 'La 132' run with a heavy pulsating Latin-funk sound. Head to the sultry psych funk of 'Este Tumbao' for a spacey journey that blends and morphs through genres. A record that was ahead of it's time, Expreso Ritmico is a superb and unique album that merges western influence with Cuban flair. It comes housed in a replica of it's original Cuban sleeve design.
Tinariwen evolve once again on their brand new album, connecting with a younger generation of Tuareg musicians to produce a vibrant album of undulating grooves rooted in their nomadic community. Also featuring guest appearances from Jose Gonzalez & Sulafa Elyas. Fierce advocates for their people's nomadic culture that exists in the desert borderlands between Mali and Algeria, Tinariwen's bluesy, guitar-driven music has found global acclaim over the past two decades for it's lively blend of Tamasheq-language politicism, syncopated rhythms and soaring melody. While previous records like 2023's Amatssou saw the group collaborate with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson producer Daniel Lanois, on Hoggar the band look closer to home, and stake their claim as elders of this Tuareg musical tradition. Going back to their early years of songwriting with acoustic guitars and communal singing around the desert campfire, while also passing the torch onto a younger generation of featured musicians who can continue to keep the flame of rebellion and defiance alive.
IL MITO brings together eleven landmark songs from across five decades of CGS history, newly arranged and recorded by the current line up - the ensemble that has brought Pizzica onto the global stage over the last twenty years. This formation earned international acclaim, including "Songlines Music Award for Best Group" and the overall #1 position on the World Music Chart Europe annual chart with the album "Meridiana" (2021). With this new project, "IL MITO" also reached the #1 position on the TransGlobal World Music Chart Europe!
Shye Ben Tzur/Jonny Greenwood/The Rajasthan Express -"Ranjha" / Ranjha is the collaboration between award-winning composer and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, celebrated composer/musician Shye Ben-Tzur, and the Indian ensemble, the Rajasthan Express. The album is a follow-up to their acclaimed 2015 debut, Junun. While Junun was recorded in a makeshift studio within the 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan, India, Ranjha was created in a more intimate setting - Jonny Greenwood's studio in Oxford, England. The album features 11 new tracks, blending the group's signature cross-cultural sound with a contemporary edge. CD in 4-panel Digisleeve with photo/lyric booklet included.
The artists in Chimera - violinist Iva Bittova, bassist-composer Michael Bisio, flutist Steve Gorn, and singer-guitarist-composer Timothy Hill are all master musicians, innovators, and improvisors. They have deeply immersed themselves in multiple traditions and genres: streams of avant-garde jazz, Indian raga, Moravian folk music, overtone singing, as well as early and modern European classical and American folk music. Individually they have performed with a stunning array of influential creative artists, such as Fred Frith, Bang-on-a-Can All-Stars, ETHEL, Paul Winter, Jack DeJohnette, Paul Simon, David Hykes, Pauline Oliveros, Bill Frisell, Matthew Shipp, Tani Tabbal and Joe McPhee, to name a few. All this they leave at the door as they enter the shared space to meet in the moment, sharing a deep respect of each other's experience and perspective, anticipating fresh expressions of deep feeling, awestruck beauty and sheer delight. Together they explore new territory to create music that defies description.
A Frauta de Pa, released in 1975 when Carlos Walker was only 19, stands as a cult masterpiece of 1970s Brazilian music. An album where MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) sophistication meets jazz-fusion virtuosity and psychedelic imagination. Featuring an all-star cast of musicians including Joao Bosco, Helio Delmiro, Jose Roberto Bertrami (Azymuth), Gilson Peranzetta, and Roberto Quartin, the record delivers a rich, orchestral sound that continues to captivate collectors and DJs worldwide.
Celebrating Francoise Hardy's indelible mark on the history of modern music. • Comprehensive collection of Francois Hardy's English-language studio recordings. Francoise Hardy's Vogue years have left a mark on the history of French and international music. Even today, the 5 years between 1962-67 remain an exceptional moment in her career, the ones when she exploded in the eyes of a generation that was born during or just after the World War II, the generation that would be part of the May 1968 Paris protests. Hardy exploded not only in France alongside her fellow "Yeyes," but also internationally, where she became the symbol of French elegance, talent and charm. The United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain-no one could resist Francoise, who recorded most of her hits in English, Italian, and German. In English collects her English-language studio recordings. All tracks have been fully remastered.
