Hello, I hope all is well in your world and that you've had a good week.
Its record store day on 16th April and to celebrate our album of the week comes from Sahel Sounds. Usually Christopher Kirkley is happy recording what he stumbles upon with his zoom h2, marantz pmd, and a few microphones as he explores the sounds of the sahel regions of mauritania, senegal and mali. He swaps songs with fellow music lovers revealing what their laptops and cellphones have tucked away...the rich breadth of music in the region, where everynight guitar bands entertain on street corners, in houses, anywhere they find an audience. He produces one of the most interesting blogs I've been following and now he's launched into vinyl. Transferring some of his favourite recordings onto a limited 2,000 vinyl run.
To celebrate record store day we're playing three cuts from the album and you can find out more and download the digital version via his blog.
http://sahelsounds.com/?p=356&cpage=1#comment-2009
We're playing the nominees in the Songlines Music awards best group category, we've got new releases from La Cherga and A Hawk and A Hacksaw plus a bit of Damien O'Kae who plays Sheffield Live at 215 this week.
Don't forget Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 kick off their African Soul Rebels tour with support from Donso and they'll be touching down at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall
He's got a new album out From Africa with Fury on the Because label.
http://www.gondwanasound.co.uk/node/1438
Hopefully we'll also be in Manchester next week for the press event ahead of this year's Cultural Collage's world music festival. Stay tuned and we'll bring you the news and updates.
Since the last newsletter we've published news on the WOMAD lineup, on new releases from Bombino, La Cherga and Dengue Fever.
Also we've heard from Freemuse that Cameroonian artist Laprio de Mbanga has been freed from jail. On World Music freedom Day we played his track Constitution Constipe that lost him his freedom check the past broadcast or find out more here.
http://www.gondwanasound.co.uk/node/1464
For more news don't forget to check http://www.worldmusiccentral.org I haven't got the same amount of time and we've been a bit slack at publishing their news content - but do keep visiting them there's always fresh news on their site.
There'll be no broadcast next Friday on account of it being Good Friday and if Olivia Gray doesn't get side tracked listening to too much music in her research, we'll be back on the 29th with wedding music from around the world....oh yes an alternative to the Royal Wedding. Olivia made a superb radio programme on vocal traditions around the world, so I'm really looking forward to hearing what her creative talents will produce.
Hope you can join me live on Friday 9:00 BST on Sheffield Live! 93.2FM and around the world on http://www.sheffieldlive.org
