Welcome to GondwanaSound's world of global roots and grooves,your starting place for your round the world music adventure.
It's also the place to find out more about the music played on the GondwanaSound radio show and world music in general. Get in touch with your world music news.
Bluegrass is the sound of the Appalachian Mountains. So connected is it, to the history and heart of its environment, that the music rings with an authentic soulful edge. Each song unfolds a story, typically told with bittersweet honesty and humour. Listen out for banjos, mandolins and violins, as well as bouncing rhythm sections, and powerfully expressive voices. This Rough Guide features some of the greatest contemporary Bluegrass artists, from Ricky Skaggs to Kathy Mattea. Read on for the full press release. 
Two Man Ting’s debut album,Legacy, brings us sparkling maringa, palm wine and highlife grooves alongside delicious guitar playing, inspired djembe rhythms, witty observations and the Mende wisdom passed on by a mum from Sierra Leone. It all adds up to remind us that it’s the simple things in life that matter.
Independent record label Kanaga System Krush (K.S.K.) releases Wassoulou Foli with drumming virtuoso Amadou ‘Taga’ Sidibe and friends featuring ‘Tu’ Sinayoko. Hot on the heels of grassroots label K.S.K.’s last release Dambe Foli this past Fall, they follow-up with another powerful album Wassoulou Foli. Featured, Sogonikun Djembe traditional Wassoulou music at its best, boasting of the talent emanating from this musically rich region. 
Malian singer, songwriter and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré will return to the UK for a 10-date tour, starting on 5 February in Glasgow (part of the Celtic Connections festival) and also including a special show at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall with British blues singer-songwriter Oli Brown's trio opening. Read on for full tour dates and the press release. 
Press Release: Excitement building as East Africa’s number one music festival draws closer. The 9th edition of the annual Sauti za Busara music festival in Zanzibar is scheduled to take place from 8 – 12 February 2012. After receiving over 600 applications to participate from artists in more than sixty countries, around 31 groups were selected to perform on the main stage in Zanzibar’s Old Fort. Previous years editions have featured renowned acts such as Samba Mapangala & Orchestra Virunga (DRC/ Kenya), Bi Kidude (Tanzania), Thandiswa (South Africa), Bassekou Kouyate (Mali) and Didier Awadi (Senegal). Read on for this year's line up. 
In advance of their album " Folila" in March 2012, Amadou & Mariam have released four advanced tracks including Dougou Badiaon a digital EP Available from the Nonesuch store. Over the course of the last several years, Amadou & Mariam’s music has become increasingly expansive, while remaining anchored by their trademark West African blues-rock. Manu Chao and Gorillaz front man Damon Albarn, in addition to their longtime producer/manager Marc-Antoine Moreau, have produced their recordings. Read on for more details and the full press release. 
Grammy winning Carolina Chocolate Drops are all set for a third full length album. "Leaving Eden" produced by Budder Miller will be released on February 27th on the Nonesuch Label. ‘Old-time music never sounded so current.’ Los Angeles Times ‘Everything old is new again for the Carolina Chocolate Drops, the dazzlingly eclectic roots-music outfit. You just don't see a lot of old-time string bands mix in hip-hop with the bones, jugs, fiddles, kazoos and banjos’. Dallas Morning News Read on for the full press release. 
The BATH ICIA season kicks off in February with the premiere of Fallen Fruit - now here, now gone a solo piece by performance-maker Katherina Radeva (Sat 11 Feb, 7.30pm). Katherina re-visits memories of growing up in her native Bulgaria before and after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and questions perceptions of freedom. Katherina also leads two workshops, one on theatre techniques including devising text and physicality (Sun 12 Feb, 11am-4.30pm), followed by a scenography - which includes set and costume design (Sat 18 Feb, 11am-4.30pm). All levels welcome. Read article for full details of the season's events. 
