Reviews

At the start of the new school year, in France called "la rentrée", the Makasound label introduces new African promise Lëk Sèn.

After their African trip for 'Afrikya', multicultural band Dub Incorporation returns to its roots with 'Hors Controle'.

The fact Barcelona is about more than musica mestiza is proven by Catalan band Txilum (a Catalan pun on chillum, chalice or bong).

Although officially a Chinese band, all the members of Hanggai hail from the Autonomous Region of Inner-Mongolia and their music is strongly rooted in Mongolian tradition.

Ethiopian music has been growing in popularity in the past few years, but from Eritrea only deafening silence emerged.

After 'Watch This Sound' (Pressure Sounds 21) the Pressure Sounds label again brings tribute to the work of The Uniques, this time putting lead vocalist Slim Smith in the spotlight.

Pablo Moses is one of those Jamaican artists who in recent years have fought hard to gain back control of their catalogue (see also Burning Spear or Ijahman Levi) and it's only logical he's now trying to reap some of the benefits from getting back what was his to begin with.

Before ska, rocksteady and reggae there was mento; simply put, Jamaica's answer to the calypso from Trinidad (where for calypso music the steel drum, a modified oil barrel, is used, mento bands used the rumba box, a big version of the African thumb piano, and the banjo).

Midnite's output, until further notice still the most important exponent of so-called Virgin Islands roots (see also Dezarie, Iba or Bambu Station), is so vast that a new album will probably be ready by the time yours truly has finished writing this review.

'Indifrica' is the 7 track debut of Rotterdam based Guyanese singjay Indifrica.