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lighting the way since 2007 power pop * punk * emo * indie rock * shoegazer

global hiphop and dancehall fire from around the non-western world. navigating next-level urban dance music from places like India, Cuba, Tanzania, Egypt, South Africa -- a sampling of crucial new scenes: the wickedest beats and sweetest flows. . 4 continents, 19 countries, around 105 BPM. Bongo Flava, Kizomba, Afro-Hiphop, Bhangra, Cumbia, Reggaeton, Dancehall, Rai, Arabic Pop, Balkan Beat, Genge, Kapuka, Kwaito, Jaija, Afro-House, Afro-Dub, Taraab, Gamelan

Flaming flutes! Bubbling, popping congas! Flip me the f__k out! This is GOOD!

The Roma's signifiers are still source of both reverence and derision in the West. While their cultural product, from the great Django Reinhardt to the pop chart-ready sound of the Gipsy Kings, has been happily consumed, as a people they have been held at arm's length by a Europe still fixating typecasts of the thief and the mystic. Today, the Roma remain one of the most persecuted communities in Europe.

A few fans may find Latin roots-pop pioneer Lila Downs' return to old-fashioned, romantic ranchera music to be a retrograde move, but her commanding presence and the astonishing skill and economy with which she embellishes these old-school Mexican ballads with modern rock, electronica and even a tasteful dash of hip-hop will blow your mind, if you give it a close listen. Similarly, she weaves in the rich rhythms of Cuban son and Central American cumbia, reconciling and uniting several strands of Latin American popular music. The repertoire blends striking originals with classics from Jose Alfredo Jimenez, while Downs' dark, husky vocals give more than a mild nod towards the great Mexican diva, Lola Beltran, while Tex-Mex accordionist Flaco Jimenez anchors the album in a solid border vibe. You have to be willing to get into the style (and not everyone is, including plenty of folks who listen to other kinds of Latin American music...) But if you give it a chance, this is a pretty cool album, particularly how it points the way to a canny revitalization and modernization of one of the hemisphere's liveliest and most musically conservative genres. Oh, and Downs' old fans will not be disappointed: she's as authoritative, innovative and charismatic here as on anything she's done.

His picks range from Amr Diab (Arabic Folk-Pop) to Timbalada (Afro-Bahian Percussion Ensemble) to Willie Nelson (Hippie Country)... Great tool for discovery!

Finetune's playlist for the tags "Mongo Santamaria" can be played in a pop-out media player. The list is long, and the tunes go on forever. Very nice.

Listen to his strings (vocal, dan, n'goni, guitar) with his fellow citizens (Salif Keita, Ali Farka Touré, Habib Koïté, Oumou Sangaré, Guerebou Kounkan …) as well as on Mali lovers' artists (hip hop globetrotter Kwal, fiddled pop of Toma Side...

Search for music, a playlist pops up, and a radio starts playing!

Niger is trapped between Algeria, Mali, Bukina Faso and other countries in the northern part of Africa. No ocean in sight to quench the thirst. Only the Sahara's endless desert. Front man Yacouba Moumouni & ensemble mix West & North African traditions.

Odiamore's selection: Glen Hansard/Marketa Iglova, Death Cab for Cutie, Tori Amos, Patrizia Laquidara, Buffalo Springfield, Finley Quaye/Beth Orton, Damien Rice, Ani DiFranco, Counting Crows, and more.