Born out of the very first World Conference on Music and censorship back in 1998, Freemuse, "an independent international membership organisation advocating and defending freedom of expression" in music across the globe, continues to play a major role in exposing worldwide inequalities. Their regular newsletter keeps subscribers up to date on current affairs, namely transgressions or encroachments on artistic freedom and basic human rights.  

Early in July, [...]

Who would have thought that we'd venture into the club circuit, but Dutch DJ/producer Young Marco's latest full-length on Island Of The Gods Records left us no choice and you'll be quick to understand why. Some five years ago, the Bali-based imprint invited Marco Sterk alias Young Marco to visit the islands of Indonesia, including Bali, and immerse himself in the indigenous culture that is still present there to this day. Marco, whose late grandfather happened [...]

After latching on to Radio Martiko's latest "Java Surf" 7" release a few weeks back, we were overjoyed to stumble upon influential Peruvian garage rock / proto-punk band Los Saicos. Widely and arguably considered to be the global pioneers of punk, the band is definitely one of the most original and influential Latin American band of the 1960's. 

Formed in 1964 in their native Lima, Peru, Erwin Flores, César “Papi” Castrillón, Rolando “El Chino” [...]

Originally released in an extremely limited run of 50 cassettes on Chinabot in 2018, Singaporean experimental hiphop and freeform producer Fauxe's album "Ikhlas" popped onto our radar just recently. In June The Analog Vault readied the album's first vinyl pressing and we felt this record needed to be heard by a wider audience.   

Why's that? Well, for starters, Fauxe has a knack for pushing supposed boundaries, combining different styles and experimenting with [...]

We doubt you'd disagree, when we say that Betsayda Machado is quite literally the life of the party or Parrando, a traditional Venezuelan genre. In fact, she is widely considered "the voice of Venezuela." Hailing from the small town of El Clavo in the Barlovento province, Betsayda was practically raised by the local percussion and voice ensemble La Parranda El Clavo, whom she still plays with to this day.

"For nearly 30 years they've performed at town [...]

On July 20th, 1985, sometime 'round midnight, the late and legendary Pakistani vocalist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his party took to the stage at WOMAD Festival in Mersea Island, Essex and delivered a performance for the ages. Now, 34 years later, Real World Records (a record label founded by WOMAD and Peter Gabriel in 1989) has released the carefully restored and digitised original recordings to celebrate its very own 30th anniversary. And what a release this [...]

While somehow, if you think about it, 1971 doesn't seem that far back, we're sorry to break it to you, but we're talking almost 50 years ago. Yes, time keeps on ticking away, but luckily some things, including music, prevail. 1971 was the year enigmatic Brazilian vocal sensation Dila recorded her first and only album. That same year, shortly after the album was released, she allegedly died in a car crash and so, the woman behind that powerful voice remains a [...]

One year after his ethereal album "Don't Hold Onto the Clouds", Israeli songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, orchestra leader, digital mixologist, and filmmaker Ophir Kutiel, aka Kutiman, is back with a new five-track EP. Drawing from multiple musical points of reference, Kutiman embarks on another series of "intergalactic explorations of the lesser travelled spaces existing between all things funky, jazzy and psychedelic." 

"Lines From Different [...]

En route to their forthcoming third album "Catastrophic Life", our very own Jewish Monkeys are back in Germany for a short but sweet weekend layover and two live shows. 

Boasting a new look as well as their recently released current single "All the Great Things", ze boyz will take to the stage today, July 20th, at the 100% organic and possibly also quite kosher "Bio erleben" festival in the northern Bavarian city of Nuremberg. And, what's more, you will be able [...]

This summer, Ghent-based Belgian record label, soundsystem and digging collective Radio Martiko returns with a host of highly collectible 7” reissues that will make like-minded seekers of “global eclectic supersounds” go, oh yeah!

Our favourite release of the batch is a green 45rpm gem containing two rare stunners, one from the Indonesian island of Java and one from Morocco’s Casablanca. Both tracks were dug up by Radio Martiko’s Fred Kramer, who [...]

One could call this a timely meeting of Istanbul's avant-garde: "Prolific crate digger, sampling whiz and producer extraordinaire" Grup Ses joins forces with Cologne-based electric saz phenom Elektro Hafız for a mind-bending potpourri of styles. Recently released on Debora Ipekel's Zel Zele Records, "Varyete" is the title to their collaborative new full-length and a dazzling display of variety is just what the two deliver, "from deep Anatolian psychedelic [...]

Sitting in Istanbul on a sweltering Tuesday morning, we can't help wishing we were on a tropical island, lying in a hammock, sipping something cold, anything cold, before walking over to the clear blue ocean and simply diving in. This is pretty much the daydream we just had, when listening to the latest 12" release on Swiss imprint Rocafort Records. 

Presenting two sun-drenched tracks by Barcelona trio Kokoro Disco-San (aka Lalo López, Miguelito Superstar and [...]