Rodriguez - Cold Fact

I must admit that I heard this CD in another record store but it jolted me out of the world music section towards the cashier: I had to know who this guy was... I was vaguely reminded of the first time I heard Bob Dylan. A song-writer from Detroit, socially conscious lyrics ("Rich Folks Hoax...") - though his style is hard to categorize or explain. Yes, it's an old recording but totally not dated.

Rokia Traore - Tchamantche

Rokia Traore lives in Europe and Africa, and her music reflects that. She relies on sublety and emotion, creating a fusion of traditional and contemporary elements, always more experimental than other African artists. This new album has a very lush yet delicate sound, and it was well worth the wait!

Mahmoud Ahmed - The Best of Mahmoud Ahmed

Best known from the Ethiopiques series or even that old "Ere Mela Mela" classic on Crammed (also on this CD), this fairly recent recording on a domestic Ethiopian label shows that this singer, who won the BBC world music award in 2007, has not lost it. In fact he still outdoes most younger singers in his country (check videos...); his voice is still more soulful and seductive over the loping rhythm - imagine the dancing to "Derra"....Cheaper than a ticket to Addis Ababa.

Franco & Le Tpok Jazz - Francophonic: Africa's Greatest - A Retrospective Vol. 1 (1953-80)

Franco was the most popular African artist ever - unfortunately not known in the west, except to a few world music fans. This collection may set the record straight and share with us some of his hits that were famous not just in the Congo, a country which still has a wealth of rhythms to introduce if there's ever a way. See the video "Jupiter's Dance" about more of that.

tip: www.mondomix.org = European world website

Jazkamer - Art Breaker

Reminds me of bands like Arab On Radar, early Locust, Luttenbachers, Painkiller, etc. Blown-out Blast Beats, Screaming, and Mangled Guitar, all in 20 second bites. Remember the '90s?

Ursula Bogner - Collected Recordings 1969-1988

Whimsical soundscapes and minimal electronic environments, from a true outsider. Uninfluenced by any clique or movement of creators - closest comparison might be some BBC Radiophonic stuff. Sounds from inside Space Mountain?

The Wicked Witch - Chaos 1978-1986

Totally dazzling reissue. Sounds like Suicide playing DC Go-Go. The most non-offensive slap-bass ever, slightly askew vocals that recall Gary Wilson -- an overall icy Certain Ratio brand of funk. The Death Comet Crew stuff with Rammellzee is a good point of reference.

No-Neck Blues Band - Clomeim

Less motorik & Kraut-inspired than Qvaris, this is a slight return to NNCK's more acoustic earlier clatter. Scary music box sounds that would work awesome in a Bava film, and some disorienting Master Musicians of Jajouka horns.

Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffalo - Uganda: Afurikan Rokku no Yoake

Japanese psychedelic loners experiment with African music in ’72. Prog organ, hand drums, Mbira thumb piano, and some sub-Mahavishnu guitar shredding. Pretty unique.

Karel Velebny - SHQ

Velebny & Hampel are two crucial European free improv documents from early in the "fire music" era (1964-66), reissued from the original ESP-Disk Catalog. For fans of Brotzmann, Evan Parker, and FMP/Company scenes.

Gunter Hampel Group - Music From Europe

Mother of Tears

Better than I'd imagined. Granted, the production value of the title/credits sequence looks like 1970's cable-access, this one's got tasteful CGI, a nice attempt to tie into the narrative of the 3 Mothers Trilogy, another Asia Argento shower scene directed by her Dad, and Udo Kier(!). Not as shocking as early Argento, but a great later piece of sleazy euro-horror.

Jandek - Ready For The House

If you want to explore Jandek, there's no better place to start than at birth (...or Chair Beside A Window). I've snagged some Corwood vinyl, but never the first! Too bad they didn't reproduce the original Units cover. Fascinating as all get out.

tip: Top live aktions 08: Wolf Eyes, Sunn0))), Cluster, Alan & Richard Bishop, Nervous Gender, Urinals, Earthless, Boris. Throbbing Gristle 09?!