Afropop Worldwide Folgen

North African music receives very little coverage in the United States. There are no high-profile mixes of recent Tunisian underground dance music from hip DJs, and no young Algerian musicians with major distribution deals in the U.S. So we decided to explore what exactly is going on in this part of the world. We trace the origins of some of the region’s most interesting current music to the banlieues of Paris, like raï ’n’b--a new autotuned and synth-heavy offshoot of raï. We also explore the Gnawa reggae movement, which finds common ground between Sufi trance and the message of Marley. Returning to familiar traditions, we present a live recording of Kabyle mandoleplayer Hamid Ouchène from Montreal’s Nuits d’Afrique festival, backed by a group of Montreal-based musicians with origins throughout the African continent. We next turn to the North African metal scene that developed during Algeria’s civil conflict to meld Berber folk music with black metal. Finally, we check out the new chaabi revival. Produced by Jesse Brent.

Bongo Nation: Tanzania's Music Economy by Afropop Worldwide

This program tells the story of generations of creative musicians from Benin who translate traditional, largely Vodun occult music into popular and experimental music. We hear traditional music styles including tchinkoumé, agbadja, and kakagbo, and explore how, starting in the 1970s, Sagbohan Danialou (a singer, drummer, guitarist and composer known as "l'homme orchestre," the one-man-band) and Tohon Stanislas transformed these styles into popular music. We hear from Samuel "Jomion" Gnonlonfoun, one of the founders of the experimental super-group Gangbé Brass Band, who took the traditional approach further into jazz in the 1990s and 2000s, including new music from Jomion & The Uklos, Gnonlonfoun's current band. Plus an interview from superstar Angelique Kidjo, and music from her latest album "Eve." Produced by Morgan Greenstreet in 2014 APWW #680