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CD Review
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The Times (London), CD Review >>
Now in its fifth edition, the annual double anthology compiled by DJ Charlie Gillett of the best world music of the year is released unduly early this time around. World 2004 when we're still in the middle of June?
Never mind, for, as ever, Gillett offers an expert overview of current non-mainstream music from around the planet. It's hard to discern trends other than an ever-more breathtaking eclecticism, for the 34 tracks span 28 countries and almost as many languages.
With fewer big names than usual, the established world music old guard is represented only by Kanda Bongo Man and Khaled, the latter on a thrilling taster for his new album due out in August. This means that there is a healthy number of new names, many of them clearly influenced by the visionary pan-global beats of Manu Chao. Try Hungary's Amorf Ordogok, Russia's Markscheider Kunst, Brazil's DJ Dolores, Turkey's Wax Poetic and Aiwa -two brothers from Iraq who are now living in France. All take distinctive musical traditions and do something entirely contemporary and unexpected with them.
More traditional sounds come courtesy of the Portuguese fado of Dona Rosa and Katia Guerreiro, the Congolese rumba of Kekele, the desert blues of Mali's Tinariwen and the Venezuelan folk of Simon Diaz. You may not have heard of many of them, but Gillett has been picking winners on his radio shows for more than 30 years. *** 06/26/04
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