Promo for Sonic Latitudes #24: The Genius of Gustavo Santaolalla

Episode #23 - Global New Releases

1) Cabruera - Doce de Coco (Colors of Brazil)

Hard to classify - samba, funk, Afrobeat and rhythms from northeastern Brazil.
2) Bixiga 70 - Mil Vidas (III)
Brazilian Afrobeat. Reinterpreting the music made popular in the late 60s and 70s by the likes of Fela Kuti and Tony Allen.
3) Zebrabeat Afro-Amazonia Orquestra - Amazonia Orquestra (Amplificador)
A compilation from Amplificador - a Brazilian music blog. Writers picked 17 outstanding examples of new musical endeavors from around the country. The album is full of retro-classicist sounds that are the common foray of the Far Out label.
4) Palenke Soultribe - Tripao (Tercer Chofao) feat. Son Palenque (Versus EP)

Colombian sounds channelled through Los Angeles-based group. Psychedelic dance.
5) Groanbox - Wolfe Ridge (Groanbox)
Band that has a penchant for recording in strange locations. Their 6th album was recorded in a cabin in the Ontario wilderness.
6) Shooglenifty - Samhla Reel/Scolpaig (The Untied Knot)
25 years and running. Scottish group who continues to redefine their sound. On their 7th album, Shooglenifty keep the Celtic diaspora party going!
7) Calan - Tale of Two Dragons (Dinas)
Dragon-fighting Welsh music!
8) Raul Rodriguez - Razon De Son (Razon De Son)
Cuban tres guitar with son and flamenco.
9) Orblua - O Diabo da Velha (Retratos Cineticos)
Gorgeous vocal music from Portugal.
10) Mec Yek - Kali Som (Super Diver City)

Roma Reggae. Fronted by Roma sisters, Katia and Mielka Pohlodkova.
11) Oulhawen win Tidit - Faris (Mississippi to Sahara)
Toureg guitar music from Algeria
12) Ludovico Einaudi - Tonio Yima / Rirollala (The Taranta Project)
Features Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara (master griot from Gambia) both from Juju.
13) Khiyo - Doyal Tomaro
London-based group that interprets traditional Bengali music.
14) Cabruera - Nordeste Oculto (Colors of Brazil)
15) Iconili - O Rei de Tupanga (Amplificador)

Episode #22 - Mundo Electro

What happens when tradition collides with technology? This playlist features artists who bend their time-honored musical genres with electronics and robot beats.

Set I

Batida - Alegria (Alegria EP)

Salif Keita - Madan (Mouffou Remixes)

Mbongwana Star - Malukayi (feat. Konono N.1) - From Kinshasa

Smadj - Zakari (Spleen)

Gotan Project - El capitalismo foraneo - La Revancha Del Tango

Set II

Yothu Yindi - Gapu (The Tidal Mix) (Djapana CD Single - 1992)

Cheb Khalid - Ya Loualid - (Rough Guide To Rai)

Talvin Singh - Eclipse - (OK)

Koyate-Neerman - Requiem Por Un Con - (Skyscrapers and Dieties)

M.A.Z. - Reel De La Tentation (Chasse-Galerie)

Set III

Cornelius - Brazil - (Point)

Amon Tobin - Nightlife - (Permutation)

Balkan Beat Box - Cha Cha - (Balkan Beat Box)

Burcan Ocal and the Trakya all-Stars - Karabiber - (Trakya Dance Party)

Pernett - Primitivo - (The Caribbean Computer)

Wakal - Terraza Mantel - (Pop/Street Sound)

Episode #21 - Tales from the American Folk Festival

Part 1 - Opening Parade, Introduction & De Temps Antan Interview

Part 2 - The Dardanelles Interview

Photo Gallery from the 2015 American Folk Festival

The Dardanelles perform to a full house on Saturday night.

Episode #20 - American Folk Festival Preview

The American Folk Festival in Bangor, ME is coming up fast. Next weekend (Aug. 28th, 29th and 30th) the Queen City’s waterfront will be transformed into a cultural festival presenting music, dance and other performing arts from across America and the world. Plus there’s food... a variety of regional, ethnic and good ol’ fair food. The event is free of charge (of course donations are kindly accepted) and family friendly - providing lots to do and see for the youngsters in your life. As the host of Sonic Latitudes, I’ll be attending the festival (with my media pass) which will give me access to the artists and my goal is to bring back interviews and new sounds for a show that will air on Sunday September, 6. Today’s show is gonna be my Folk Festival preview. I’ve put together a playlist of artists who will hit the stage next weekend and standout artists who’ve appeared at the festival in years past. The next 30 minutes will spotlight some of these past artists. Then, around the top of the hour, I’ll focus on this year’s artists.

Here are some pics from Bon Debarras' performance at last year's festival. This Quebecois trio delighted the audience with their unique spin on traditional French-Canadian folk music.

Episode #19 - Colorado Rocky Mountain High

Just got back from a week in Lyons, Colorado, visiting my brother and his family. It was hard to leave those snowcapped mountains and our loved ones behind. In an effort to lift my spirits, I put together a playlist of some of my favorite hippie bluegrass and funk from the Front Range region. Here's some Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Grant Farm, Drew Emmitt, Kyle Hollingsworth and Emmitt-Nershi Band. Sure to cure any blues!

Leftover Salmon

Episode #15 - Songs of the Sea

Sailing. Was there ever a more popular theme or motif in pop and rock music of the 70s and 80s. Crosby Stills & Nash released Southern Cross in ‘82. Lionel Richie sang “Sail On” in ‘79. Who can forget Jimmy Buffet’s “Son of a Sailor” - one could say that he even pioneered sailing rock. Do you remember Loggins & Messina? They belted out the chorus to Vahevela on their album Sittin’ In… a song that romanticized the life of island hopping Caribbean pirates. Later they released an album titled “Full Sail.” The cover to this album left such an impression on me as a kid. Two suntanned dudes at the helm of a sailboat. The fully bearded Kenny Loggins holds a pipe and his bare-chested captain, Jimmy Messina, holds the wheel with his Hawaiian shirt slung over his shoulder.

These modern sea songs painted a picture of luxury and romance. As Christopher Cross sang,

“Well, it's not far down to paradise, at least it's not for me

And if the wind is right you can sail away and find tranquility

Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see Believe me”

The canvas can do miracles, that’s true Mr. Cross. But the canvas can also fill the heart with longing and cast dreams into oblivion. In fact, most sea songs and shanties preceding the cocaine and merlot-fueled yacht-sailing fantasies of the 70s and 80s, dealt with the dreams, feats and tragedies of hard-working sailors.
Today on Sonic Latitudes, I’ve put together a playlist that explores sea songs and shanties of old from around the globe. Coming up in the next 90s mins you’ll hear songs from Nova Scotia, the British Isles, Australia, Cape Verde, Portugal, Brazil and the Bahamas.