This Week's Picks (#15)

For this week, we're keeping to an "Asian" theme. I don't feature much from the Middle East or East Asia often so please enjoy this week's picks!

"Kidda" by Natasha Atlas


Natasha Atlas is a Belgian singer known for her fusions using largely Arabic genres. Some of her music features hip-hop, drum and bass, and reggae. This track is a beautiful example of this fusion.

"Yi Zu Wu Qu" by Lingling Yu


I first heard this Chinese instrument, the pipa, this week played by a friend and thought it had the most amazing sound. Lingling Yu is a virtuoso on the pipa and is internationally known. She has recently released a new album, Xu Lai and I highly recommend picking it up.

"Rast Taqsim" by Naseer Shamma


Naseer Shamma is an Iraqi musician who follows the Baghdadi School of oud playing. He is the only musician to construct the eight string oud following 9th century texts by the music theorist, al-Farabi.

Searching for the next fix...

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Wednesday's Reader Picks

Have you recently heard a great track that you would like to share? We love to hear about what our readers are listening to, and if you have a great track to share, send us an email with your review for our weekly "Wednesday's Reader Picks." Here, we want to know what you listen to.

• Don't forget to include a YouTube or (similar video/audio link) with your submission, so that our other readers can enjoy the music too!
• We generally keep our reviews less than 100 words— short and sweet and all about the music. If you really love the track and feel inclined to write more, please feel free to do so!
• Please avoid swearing. We love the fact that you are passionate about the music, but try to keep it clean.
• If you submitted a track review and it did not appear in the next "Wednesday's Reader Picks" series, please do not resubmit it. We are restricted to the number of readers picks we can post each week and will hold on to yours for another week.

Click Here for more details on submitting material to Nomad's Playlist.

Something Different

I'm finally finished with my masters dissertation! I know my blog has suffered as of late due to the last minute deadline craze, but it's all over. I thought that rather than post another "This Week's Picks", I should do something completely different. (This could also be because I'm lazy and this requires less work than a This Week's Picks entry.)

I thought I'd post my dissertation abstract, just in case anyone is interested in the topic. If you would like to read the dissertation, please send me an email and I'd be happy for forward you a copy. Please enjoy!

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Sound Systems and Spirits: Music and Spirit Possession in Zanzibar

This paper is the result of preliminary field research on music and spirit possession in Stone Town, Zanzibar. The ceremonies I attended during my research revealed concepts of perception, the sacred, modernity, and identity existent within the phenomenon of spirit possession. I offer a critical review of the literature concerning spirit possession on the Swahili coast and music in spirit possession, demonstrating their ineffectiveness in discussing the concepts I encountered. By identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the literature and methodologies, this paper aims at developing a methodology suitable for further research of music and spirit possession in Zanzibar. The new methodology presented here provides further research with the means of investigating the sensitivity of the sacred, music technology, and musical geography. Offering a new approach, this paper then poses questions the new methodology should investigate.

Wednesday's Reader Picks

Today's reader pick comes from Julia. Enjoy!

"Number 1 Bus" by Nuru Kane


I have to admit that I have also been a bit obbessed with this song recently as well. It's so catchy! Kane is a Senegalese songwriter who plays guitar and guimbri, a Moroccan three-stringed lute.

Nomad's Calendar: This Weekend

Prepare yourself for a crazy weekend! There are more concerts coming up than you'll know what to do with. If you don't make it to at least one...shame on you. :)

• *September 10th, Friday 5:00pm: DJ Edu Radio 1 Extra@ The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) FREE A new DJ on the airwaves, DJ Edu of Radio 1 Extra brings his DestiNation Africa to a live audience with a mix of the hottest underground sounds out of Africa - from hip-hop and RnB to dancehall, garage and D&B. 
• September 10th, Friday 6:00pm: La Paranza Del Geco @ Inn on the Green (3-5 Thorpe Close Ladbrok Grove W10 5XL) £6-8 They played an AMAZING show in May and this time they are back in London with 10 FABULOUS FEMALE DANCERS all the way from Italy and ready to inspire you with their incredible music and moves. Pizzica and Tarantella are traditional Italian music and dance. These days they are very popular again with big festivals all over southern Italy. The most famous is La Notte de la Taranta. Experience the amazing energy for yourself.
• *September 10th, Friday 6:00pm: Amira Khier @ The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) FREE Sudanese singer Amira Kheir creates something new with a fusion of jazz styles and East African melodies. (Book tickets online)
• September 10th, Friday 8:30pm: MC Solaar @ Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) £20/£10 One of the greatest names in modern French music, MC Solaar arrives with his distinctive mix of powerful lyrics and inventive rhymes that have taken him from the French underground to international acclaim. MC Solaar is an intensely charismatic performer whose thrilling live show is dominated by his signature smooth flow and linguistic fluidity, backed by throbbing funky beats that mix traditional African rhythms with urban techno. MC Solaar breaks the rules again with this freestyle touchdown, where he is joined by vocalists and a DJ to create an extravagant live show.
• *September 10th, Friday 10:30pm: Sarah Ndagire @ The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) FREE  Uganda 's diva Sarah Ndagire has for a long time been a famous voice on several radio stations in Uganda. She makes her London debut, introduced by DJ Edu. (Book tickets online)
• September 11th, Saturday 3:00pm: Alemu Aga @ Purcell Room (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) £15/7.50 The Ethiopian King David's harp master Alemu Aga brings his spiritual and meditative songs to the festival for the first time. Alemu Aga plays an ancient instrument with ten strings called a beganna, a rare musical instrument of that has survived for nearly 6,000 years and is considered by Ethiopians to be the harp of King David of Israel. This is magical roots music of the ancient world and the closest we will get to hearing music referred to in the Bible.
• September 11th, Saturday 6:00pm: Rafiki Jazz @ Purcell Room (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) £15/7.50 World music's hottest big band brings their exciting mix of global rhythms to the big smoke. Featuring the combined talent of musicians from Zanzibar, Mauritius, Senegal, Colombia, Gambia, Zimbabwe, Brazil and the UK, who effortlessly blend to create big, vibrant, dancing sounds for today's multicultural world. The result is music of astounding power.
• September 11th, Saturday 8:00pm: Asheber and the Afrikan Revolution @ Rich Mix (35-47 Bethnal Green Rd E1 6LA) £5 adv/£7 door Brand new super group Asheber and The Afrikan Revolution are taking London by storm. Led by multi-talented musician and educator Niles ‘Asheber’ Hailstones and featuring many of the most innovative grassroots musicians in the UK, they bring to the stage a seamless mixture of continent-wide Afrikan musical styles with elements of Reggae, Jazz, Soul, Blues, Hip-Hop, Funk and Spoken Word from the Diaspora. They are joined by DJ Duke Etienne.
• September 11th, Saturday 8:30pm: The Master Drummers of Africa @ Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) £20/10 The world's greatest drum orchestra in full flow is one of the most thrilling and unforgettable spectacles in world music today. The Master Drummers of Africa features ten drummers from ten African nations and draws from 5000 years of tribal rhythms to create ecstatic and freewheeling music straight from the heart of African cultures in a dynamic stage show. They bring us their new show Lighting and Thunder in their first London concert in five years. The Lighting and Thunder suite draws from the rhythms of over 300 tribes of Africa . Using over 100 ethnic drums, the orchestra creates uplifting and infectious rhythms that are mysterious, spiritual, celebratory and utterly compelling.
• September 12th, Sunday 1:00pm: Khyam Allami and Nicoletta Demetriou @ The Green Note (106 Parkway NW1 7AN) £10 An exciting and exclusive series of collaborations by London based Iraqi ‘Ūd player Khyam Allami focusing on music from the Middle East, the Mediterranean and elsewhere. After a hectic year of travels and major performances at WOMAD and the Royal Albert Hall as part of the Proms, Khyam will kick off this series of collaborations with a set of solo ‘Ūd followed by a set with Cypriot singer Nicoletta Demetriou. Following their beautiful session for BBC R3's World Routes earlier this year, this is their first proper live performance. They will also be appearing live on BBC London 94.9 (Radio) on Saturday 11 Sep with DJ Ritu between 8 - 10pm.
• September 12th, Sunday 7:00pm: Kristi Stassinopoulou and Stathis Kalyviotis @  The Green Note (106 Parkway NW1 7AN) £10 Kristi Stassinopoulou in singing and story telling, on ac. guitar, Indian harmonium, frame drums and small percussions and Stathis Kalyviotis on laouto, electronic looper, electric guitar, groove sampler and baglamas create a soundscape ranging from purely acoustic to purely electronic, visiting all the in-betweens, with arrangements of Greek traditional folk songs and creations from their own albums.
• *September 12th, Sunday 2:00pm: 4Seasons Band and Temitope Ajayi@ The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) FREE Gospel jazz funk group 4Seasons Band joins forces with new Afro soul vocal discovery Temitope Ajayi to play music from their debut CD, Sound of Light.
• *September 12th, Sunday 4:00pm: Sona Jobarteh@ The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) FREE Sensational new kora player Sona Jobarteh brings freshness to the sound of the kora with modern music.
• *September 12th, Sunday 6:00pm: Mauricio Velasierra Quintet @ Rich Mix Bar  (35-47 Bethnal Green Rd E1 6LA) FREE Velasierra is a pioneering player of traditional Andean flutes.  Reinventing the kena Flute as a fully chromatic instrument, has allowed him to develop a truly original musical language. With influences ranging from African music to jazz, his compositions are a rich mixture of largely unexplored Andean rhythms combined with contemporary melodies and harmonies. 
• *September 12th, Sunday 6:00pm: Laye Sow @ The Front Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) FREE Singer and guitarist Laye Sow is one of the most exciting new musicians from West Africa, who is not afraid to mix mbalax and hi-life with funk, soul and hip-hop.
• *September 12th, Sunday 7:00pm: Boujemaa Boujoul @ Hootananny Brixton (95 Effra Rd Brixton SW1 1DF) FREE Rootmaster presents BOUJEMAA BOUJOUL: Master musician of the Gnawa tradition Boujemaa Bouboul hails from the ancient southern Moroccan town of Tarroudant. Gnawa is the music of slavery and tells of their history. The Gnawa are the descendants of Sudanese slaves who were imported into Morocco around the 12th century by Arab traders to help build up the Arab empire. Gnawa mystical brotherhoods exist to pass on this history. It is also the music of trance and healing and the Gnawi use their powers to cure sickness and exorcise bad spirits.
• September 12th, Sunday 8:30pm: London Community Gospel Choir@ Queen Elizabeth Hall (Southbank Centre Belvedere Road SE1 8XX) £20/10 For years the mighty London Community Gospel Choir, founded by the legendary Bazil Meade, has produced some of the finest gospel singers in the country, as well as lending their heavenly voices in live shows and recordings from Sir Paul McCartney to Elton John, George Michael and Mariah Carey. With some of the finest singers in London raising the roof and a funky band providing the pulse, the choir performs a show to lift your spirits and soothe your soul. 

Are we missing a concert happening this weekend? Let us know and we'll correct our mistake asap! 

Wednesday's Reader Picks

Today's recommendation comes from our reader, Muhummad. Please enjoy!

"Candela" by Buena Vista Social Club

 I know,  I'm surprised too! I can't believe we haven't featured these guys yet. This all-time favorite Cuban band is internationally famous, and for good reason! Formed in the 1990s, the group named after a members dance and music club in Havana have found their success by playing Cuban and Latin American grooves.

Do you have a track you'd like to post for our "Wednesday's Reader Pick" series? We'd love to hear it! Click here for more information on submitting material to NP.

This Week's Picks (#14): My Favorites (continued)

Last week, I realized I had not yet featured some of my all time favorite music. This week I'm showcasing a few more of my all-time favorite tracks. Please enjoy!

"La Bush Resistance" by Balkan Beat Box


I know I've already featured these guys in my very first "This Week's Picks" but I just love these guys so much. This track, from their self-titled album, is not only a great one for their ability to update Balkan sounds, but for the lyrics. "Bring the dance and leave the guns." It's a great philosophy.


"Ja Fun Mi" by King Sunny Ade


I blame my obsession with world music on this man. When I was seven I came across his album, E Dide, and asked my mom to buy it. I got it and could not stop listening to it. How many seven year olds jam out to Nigerian pop music? While I couldn't find E Dide on YouTube, here's another great track from a great artist.


"Tabla Toy" by Beats Antique


Picking just one song from this trio was difficult. Like most of the other artists feature this week and last, I love just about every song they've ever made. One of the trio is a dancer, dancing during their live shows, therefore, every song has a great beat or deliciously slow melody to snake along to. While this video does not feature any dancing, I highly recommend checking out some other videos that do, like this one.

Wednesday's Reader Picks

This week's pick comes as a suggestion from the reader Rafi. Enjoy!

"Quelqu'un m'a dit" by Carla Bruni


Bruni is an Italian-born French singer. She is also married to the president of France, Sarkozy and is the first lady of France.