A world of cool sounds, from Congo to Mississippi, comes to Webster Hall in Globalfest Check out acts like the Como Mamas, Brushy One String, Baloji, DakhaBrakha, Yasmine Hamdan, Noura Mint Seymali and more

Want cheap international travel? Attend Sunday’s Globalfest. In one night, this hugely popular annual music event brings listeners a brilliantly curated mix of traditional, and forward-looking, sounds from around the world. For the event’s 11th year, it returns to a familiar venue, Webster Hall, a space with three stages on as many levels. That setup allows fans to wander between floors and sample sounds from 12 bands, over a five-hour period beginning at 7 p.m. From the start, Globalfest has served two functions. First, the event allows curious fans to sate their sonic wanderlust. Second: Globalfest coincides with the huge Association of Performing Arts Presenters confab, whose members can book bands to play culturally starved places from Birmingham to Butte. That enables some of the musicians who appear at Globalfest to launch viable American careers. This year’s edition will stamp passports to places from India to Ukraine to the Netherlands to Mississippi. Here’s a look at 2014’s musical smorgasbord: Baloji Deep-voiced rapper Baloji straddles two worlds: Congo, where he was born, and Belgium, where he grew up. Baloji raps in French, but his music draws from African rumba and traditional Congolese sounds. He also works in refined international folk and charging psychedelic rock. But it’s the baritone resonance of Baloji’s vocals that gives his music its pull. The Bombay Royale Two continents of camp collide in the music of The Bombay Royale. The group marries the skinny guitars and animated organ of American surf-rock to the florid kitsch of Bollywood soundtracks. The zany, 11-piece act formed in Melbourne, Australia, rallying around singer Parvyn Kaur Singh, a Bollywood dance teacher. Bombay’s shows feature dense choreography and wild costumes, providing comic relief you can dance to. Brushy One String Who needs all six strings of a guitar? With a lone, spindly stretch of nylon, the aptly-named Jamaican star Brushy One String creates a melodic and full sound. He both sings and raps in a wry style — over music that combines reggae rhythms with pure American soul. Como Mamas Last year, Brooklyn’s Daptone Records did the world a service by releasing the riveting national debut by this trio of gospel singers from Como, Miss. Titled “Get an Understanding,” the Como Mamas CD features all a cappella performances, throwing the focus on these uncommonly earthy women. Think: Mavis Staples, to the third power. DakhaBrakha What spooky music DakhaBrakha makes. The four-piece band from Kiev mines traditional Ukrainian songs that waft on wintery harmonies. They float them over stern cellos and harsh percussion, creating a sound that’s by turns glorious and grim. Fanfare Ciocarlia Balkan horn music has become a staple in our city. But even appearing amid a crowded local field of talent, Romania’s Fanfare Ciocarlia stands out. The group’s manic horns sputter at dizzying speeds. Hassan Hakmoun The woody sound of Morocco’s gnawa music resonates through the songs of this Marrakesh-born star. While Hakmoun has lived in the States since 1987, and collaborated with stars from Peter Gabriel to the Kronos Quartet, this musician retains the dry, mysterious sound of the North African desert. Kuenta i Tambu The Afro-Caribbean inflections of Curaçao mix it up with Euro dance beats in the music of Kuenta i Tambu. By combining modern electronic samples with traditional tambu drums, they connect not just hemispheres but centuries. Noura Mint Seymali From Mauritania (in North Africa) comes Seymali, one of that region’s most popular artists. Her long, quavering phrases meld Islamic prayer chants to the fitful rhythms of her native land. Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkesta

Mexican mambo and cumbia come together in the music of this big band. Surprisingly, they hail from north of the border — Tucson, specifically. The Wu-Force featuring Abigail Washburn Tennessee banjo player Abigail Washburn has long drawn a surprising line between Appalachian music and Chinese folk music. With the help of Wu Fei — a young woman who plays a stringed instrument known as the guzheng — she’ll give the U.S./China connection a fresh twist. Yasmine Hamdan Beirut-born, Parisian native Yasmine Hamdan braids Arabic music with electro-folk. Together, they make a perfectly understated complement for a voice so full of deadpan mystery, it suggests Hamdan as the Lorde of the East.