These are recordings prematurely aged, but their grit belies fresh sounds that speak to Djibouti's history as a port region connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to the Horn of Africa.
The 10 best world music albums of 2020 remind us that we are all part of the same global system, an understanding that we can imbue with endless possible meanings as, like the musicians named here, we find new ways to build connections.
As Orchestra Baobab turn 50, their comeback album Specialist in All Styles gets a vinyl reissue.
Dancer, healer, musician Devi Mambouka shares the trippy "Sundown Forest", which takes listeners deep into the subconscious and onto a healing path.
A new Phelimuncasi anthology from Nyege Nyege Tapes introduces listeners to gqom and the dancefloors of Durban, South Africa.
Addis Ababa-based quintet Qwanqwa reinterpret everything from pastoral folk to Somali funk on Volume Three.
Malian singer-songwriter, Afel Bocoum's Lindé is a well-polished triumph of musicianship and craft.
What sets Ghetto Kumbé apart is their ability to mix the traditional and modern so seamlessly in their music. One minute you're on a Colombian dance floor, and the next you're singing along with the tribes of West Africa.
Palestinian/Jordanian electronic ensemble 47SOUL have just released a timely song in "Border Ctrl." that compares the Israeli and US border walls that cruelly separate people, underpinned with infectious shamstep beats.
South African folk master Vusi Mahlasela pays tribute to his home and family with township music on live album, Shebeen Queen.
