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by World Music Network December 01, 2012

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World Music Network Advent Calendar: Free Song Each Day To Christmas!

 

Merry

Count down the days till Christmas with our World Music Network advent calendar. Each day we will be adding details of an album released by us in 2012. Keep visiting this page to recieve a free download track each day. 

Enjoy this taster of our wide-ranging catalogue and don't forget to take advantage of our bumper Christmas deals and year-round good value.

Consider a Gift Subscription, an ideal present for the world music fan! Choose 24 albums over 12 months, saving up to 65% off the regular retail price! A 12 month subscription is £71.64 plus shipping. 

Or handpick a collection of albums from our online store. Every order over £25 receives a 25% off discount and during the holiday season we are including a FREE Think Global: World Christmas CD for every physical purchase. 

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Download a free track each day!


Twenty-Fourth of December...

The Rough Guide To Undiscovered World

This excellently eccentric Rough Guide is a whistle-stop tour of wild world music. The majority of music here is previously un-released, so you won’t hear this anywhere else, and it’s not worth missing. Enjoy everything from a trio of Romanian harmonica enthusiasts to a Zimbabwean-Brazilian jazz project, and more.

Download 'Sundanese In Bali' by Saratusperse

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Twenty-Third of December...

Ramzi Aburedwan: Reflections Of Palestine

Born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp, Ramzi Aburedwan only began to play music in his late teens and is now a world-class solo musician and leader of the Palestine National Ensemble of Arabic Music. Enjoy the gentle sounds of Ramzi’s bouzouk, accompanied by oud, accordion and percussion on this evocative instrumental album. Reflections Of Palestine is a thoughtful instrumental album that showcases Ramzi’s skill and artistry, and sensitively narrates his extraordinary story through sound.

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Twenty-Second of December...

Sotho Sounds: Junk Funk

Sotho Sounds are funky shepherds from the Kingdom of Lesotho who have quite literally invented their own music, crafted their own instruments and now continue to follow their own mission – turning junk into funk. They cite the influence of Basotho traditional music and South African pop, especially the bubblegum pop stylings of Brenda Fassie. Yet ultimately the band is remarkable because of their fierce innovative streak. Junk Funk is one of the first international recordings to come from Lesotho and is set to spread the unmistakeable Sotho Sounds worldwide.

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Twenty-First of December...

The Rough Guide To Highlife

This Rough Guide is jam-packed with some of the biggest hitters in highlife history. Enjoy Victor Uwaifo’s Nigerian joromi stylings, the gentle Ghanaian palm-wine of Koo Nimo, and even an early recording of Afrobeat superstar Fela Kuti presenting a firmly highlife vibe.

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On the twentieth day of December...

Introducing Hanggai

Downtown Beijing might seem a strange place for a Mongolian folk revival. Yet Hanggai are at the forefront of a musical movement in China that is finding inspiration in native folk traditions, drawing on a repertoire of magical songs that have all but disappeared during China's recent turbulent past.

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19 On the nineteenth day of December...

Koo Nimo: Highlife Roots Revival

Koo Nimo is one of the last true veterans of highlife roots and palm-wine music, which dominated Ghana’s popular music scene throughout much of the twentieth century. Palm-wine’s stance as an early roots version of highlife is historically important and musically fascinating. By delving deep into Koo Nimo’s narrative style you can trace out the link to the melodious strains of Prince Nico Mbarga and, subsequently, the heady didactic Afrobeat of Fela Kuti, and even further to the current-day exponents of the highlife hip-hop fusion, hip-life.Recorded in his backyard at home in Accra, expect acoustic guitars and rolling percussion all topped off with his gentle story-teller singing style.

'it’s the acoustic, relaxed palm-wine vibe that makes Highlife Roots Revival a pure delight... the music is as intoxicating as the alcoholic drink it’s named after' World Music Central

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18On the eighteenth day of December...

Krar Collective: Ethiopia Super Krar

Ethiopia Super Krar is Krar Collective’s dazzling debut release. The unstoppable trio, dubbed ‘the White Stripes of Ethiopia’ for their minimalist rocky sound, are favourites on the London and increasingly on the international live circuit. They are renowned for dynamic performances of their contagious music and equally infectious dance moves. Ethiopia Super Krar was recorded to tape on an original 1960s 24-track reel to reel machine, an approach which helped to capture Krar Collective’s music as close as possible to the live experience– the sound is real and honest, not a manufactured perfection.

'one of the most rousing, reliable new African bands of the year' The Guardian

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17On the seventeenth day of December...

Introducing Amadou Diagne

Hailing from Senegal, Amadou Diagne is a griot, who played percussion with the country’s esteemed National Band for many years. His exquisite song writing is delivered with a distinctive voice, accompanied by his bluesy acoustic guitar, traditional drumming and the occasional glittering kora.

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14On the sixteenth day of December...

The Rough Guide To Charley Patton

Charley Patton’s distinctive guitar style inspired a whole tradition, the Delta Blues. The man himself was many things; a hell-raiser extraordinaire, bona fide celebrity, a wandering bluesman and a musician like no other. Enjoy a comprehensive collection of his finest works loving re-mastered to perfection on this engaging Rough Guide.

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14On the fifteenth day of December...

Alhousseini Anivolla: Anewal/The Walking Man

Recorded in Niamey, the hustling-bustling capital of Niger, Alhousseini’s sound puts his own spin on the great living tradition of the deep desert blues. His music explores the intersection between the traditional music of his homeland, and the African-American blues genre that it birthed. His guitar technique is related to the ichumar style, developed during the 1970s by Tuaregs exiled in Libya. Anewal/The Walking Man is Alhousseini’s diary of his personal journey from the desert, to the city, to the world stage and back again. Enjoy this evocative and gutsy album from Alhousseini, who is, in his own words a ‘nomad by heart’.

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14On the fourteenth day of December...

The Rough Guide to Jazz Legends: John Coltrane

Saxophonist John Coltrane was one of the most seminal saxophonists to emerge in the post-war years, and is still one of the central figures in history of jazz. More than forty years after his death his playing and composing continues to resonate throughout contemporary music. This collection concentrates on the excellent music he recorded as leader during the 1950’s, and has been carefully re-mastered, allowing you to hear Coltrane’s work in new and un-paralleled sound quality.

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13On the thirteenth day of December...

Introducing Sufi Fakirs of Bengal

Subversive and seductive, wild and abandoned, the Sufi Fakirs Of Bengal have preserved a series of esoteric spiritual teachings on breath, sex, asceticism, philosophy and mystical devotion, as well as amassing a treasury of poignant and enigmatic teaching songs about love, humanity and devotion that map out their path towards their inner vision.

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12On the twelfth day of December...

The Rough Guide to African Roots Revival

This Rough Guide spotlights the front-runners of an explosive revival of African roots music. Listen to world-class artists, such as Staff Benda Bilili and the Bedouin Jerry Can Band, mix it up by infusing traditional sounds with the ultra modern, and by using ingenious homemade instruments, many of which are built from junk-yard materials. These are the sweet sounds of a movement which has not simply preserved, but truly reinvented musical genres with outstanding results.

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11On the eleventh day of December...

Sambasunda Quintet: Java

The Sambasunda Quintet create music of ethereal beauty centred on the kacapi, a traditional boat-shaped zither. Spacious and stripped down, deeply rooted in tradition, yet highly inventive – allow the sounds of Java to transport you to the Indonesian archipelago and beyond.

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10On the tenth day of December...

The Rough Guide To Caribbean Café

The music of the Caribbean has truly transformed the world’s culture. Rhythms including Jamaican reggae, dancehall and ska, Cuban son, mambo and salsa, Trinidadian calypso, Martinican zouk, a host of sounds from Haiti, and countless other styles, have revolutionized music in virtually every corner of the globe. The music reflects stories of colonization, slavery, revolutions, dictatorships and perseverance against insurmountable odds. Soak up the history, beauty and insatiable grooves of the Caribbean with this Rough Guide.  

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9 Ninth of December...

The Rough Guide to Ethiopia

Whether it conjures up legendary marathon runners, the rock-hewn churches at Lalibela, richly brewed coffee, Rastafarian spirituality, tumbling waterfalls or steaming hot springs, Ethiopia is a country famed for diverse reasons. Home to 82 million residents, the landlocked country is also birthplace to a multiplex of brilliant musics. This Rough Guide bursts at the seams with everything from golden age Ethio-jazz to contemporary dub fusion. Classic tunes from Mahmoud Ahmed and Alemayehu Eshete appear alongside Krar Collective, Dub Colossus and more.

‘a pleasing set that will definitely work for new listeners and likely offer a few previously undiscovered gems for more seasoned Ethio-philes’ fRoots

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8Eigth of December...

The Rough Guide to Howlin' Wolf

What kind of a man gets a nickname like ‘Howlin' Wolf’? Well, a three hundred pound giant with a voice so powerful it sounds as if it could knock down buildings fits the brief! Wolf dominated the post-war Chicago blues scene in every way This Rough Guide features his best and baddest electric blues. The sound quality is premium, and each track has been carefully re-mastered to illuminate Wolf’s growling voice, hollering harmonica and gutsy guitar in never before heard definition.Enjoy some of his most ferocious and emotionally intense work on this outstanding Rough Guide.

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 7On the seventh day of December...

The Rough Guide to Scandinavia

There is a quality to the music of Scandinavia that seems born in the long winter months; it is dark and humorous, steeped in tradition yet sharply inventive. This Rough Guide showcases some of the most adventurous sounds from the region, including the techno-joiking of Wimme, Icelandic minimalism by Amiina, and explosive experimentation by Kimmo Pohjonen with the Kronos Quartet.

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6On the sixth day of December...


 The Rough Guide To Celtic Lullabies 

From the rugged shores of Ireland, to Brittany’s pine-covered hills, the Celtic world has a long tradition of lullabies. Enjoy calm fiddle and harp songs from the likes of Liz Carroll and Alan Stivell alongside gently reworked classics by Flook and Altan.

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5 On the fifth day of December...

The Rough Guide To Salsa

Bursting with raw energy, salsa is the highly addictive Latin dance craze that is perennially popular the world over. The line-up on this Rough Guide includes dance tracks by salsa superstars Joe Arroyo, Africando, Grupo Niche and Rubén Blades, and is guaranteed to get you moving in time with that unstoppable clave beat.

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 4 On the fourth day of December...


The Rough Guide To Hungary

Hungarian music, which bears the influence of folk, gypsy and Jewish tunes, is a living and breathing European tradition with its own unique instruments. Listen out for cimbalom master Kálmán Balogh, dazzling fiddler Róbert Lakatos, and traditional gypsy party band Parno Graszt.

‘…every track has the dark and wild spirit of music that is Hungarian and serves as a great introduction to both the newcomer and connoisseur’Songlines

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3 On the third day of December...


KristiStassinopoulou & StathisKalyviotis: Greekadelia

Pioneers of reinvented folk, Kristi Stassinopoulou and Stathis Kalyviotis remix traditional demotika songs to reflect their own experiences of urban life in Greece. A previous release by the acclaimed duo topped the World Music Chart for five months, and they are once again set to shake up the scene with Greekadelia: this is Greek folk as it has never been heard before.

'A highly original, compelling set'The Guardian
'Nice to find something upbeat coming out of Greece' The Independent



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2 On the second day of December...


The Rough Guide to New Orleans

Music is everywhere in New Orleans; it’s the lifeblood of the city and the people. This Rough Guide gives you a real taste of the whole New Orleans scene. Soak up the classic piano jazz of Professor Longhair, the thick horn blasts of The Hot 8 Brass Band, or the deep grooves of Dumpstaphunk, the latter of which also provide the full-length and fantastically funky bonus album included with this Rough Guide. 

‘a great showcase of funky sounds’ Newcity Music

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fafafa  On the first day of December World Music Network gave to me... 


The Rough Guide to Psychedelic Africa

Far-out psychedelic-sounding rock mixed with a thick dollop of deep funk and soul was massively popular during the 1960s and 1970s in Africa. This Rough Guide features some hand-picked gems from the archive such as Victor Uwaifo and Balla Et Ses Balladins, and includes tracks by unstoppable veterans Ebo Taylor and Orchestre Poly-Rythmo, who are still releasing top-quality mind-bending grooves today. 

'A classy compilation' The Guardian 



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