African Music Podcast

Egypt's revolution has brought much to light, including a lot of music that's been percolating in hidden corners there, largely ignored by nearly all broadcast and print media. It turns out a musical revolution has been going on in Egypt well before the political uprisings of 2011. On this program, guided by historian and musician Mark LeVine, we hear music that either was or still is "underground." We meet Cairo rock musicians from the band Wust Al Balad, and also from widely stigmatized heavy metal musicians who appeal to a small, passionate, and surprisingly wholesome audience. We also hear experimental music by composers out to break the orthodoxy of the Egyptian past, and sample new forms of sha'bi pop and Sufi music, bubbling up from poor urban neighborhoods where street weddings may offer a glimpse of Egyptian pop music to come.

It is carnival time all across the Caribbean and South America (and do not forget New Orleans.) We will jump around to some of our favorite carnival scenes in Curacao, Haiti, Brazil and Martinique. The language might be Dutch, Creole, Portuguese or French but the message is the same: time to party! Armchair Travelers--do not let Ash Wednesday come and go without enjoying this proven antidote to the winter blues.

Every year in the dead of winter, the much anticipated world music extravaganza globalFEST lights up New York City. This year the line-up was especially tantalizing. We'll hear the samba sensation João Nogueira from Rio, conscious rapper Bandeacute;lO from Haiti, Afro-rappers SMOD featuring Sam, son of Mali's Amadou and Mariam, the M.A.K.U. Soundsystem of Colombia, the brassy Debo Band channeling 1970's Addis Ababa, and others.

Two favorite Afropop destinations are Mali and Senegal. We have enjoyed the active club scene in Senegal and marveled at the powerhouse singing of Thione Seck and other local stars. We have ventured to Timbuktu in northern Mali for the internationally renowned Festival in the Desert. And in the capital, Bamako, we've hung out with the internationally celebrated pioneers of roots pop such as Habib Koite and Oumou Sangare. On today's program, armchair travelers, come with us to some of our favorite scenes.

As Egyptians struggle to forge a new, post-revolution identity, some will look to traditions. The country is rich in indigenous culture from the amorous odes of desert Bedouins to the keening boom and blare of a Zeffa wedding procession. New Cairo venues now present Nubian music, ancient sounds from the Delta and Suez regions, and even the music of the zar healing ritual--elevating these forms above touristic fare found on Nile Cruises and in old Cairo. This Hip Deep edition, rich with recordings made in the field, offers a sonic map of Egypt's traditional life, culminating in the ecstasy of a Sufi saint celebration--a moulid.

A vast, new world of DJs, record collectors and producers are going to far reaches of the Earth to find forgotten records and new styles of music. Their discoveries are then brought back home, remixed, repackaged and re-released to be heard by an entirely new audience. We speak to some globetrotting DJ and producers Chief Boima and Geko Jones to hear about their experiences, the music they've discovered and how they go about remixing some of these styles in order to create a new and updated sound.

Attention all frequent flyers, we are heading to some of our favorite festivals! We will hit up the Ebony Festival in Dakar, the Sacred World Music Festival in Fes Morocco, and the Festival in the Desert in Timbuktu to hear highlights from these inspired extravaganzas.

Time to shake it up to kuduro from Angola, soukous from Congo, Retro- chicha from Peru, techno brega from Brazil, retro-funk from Nigeria, and lots of genre bending sounds. Featured artist include Titica, Black Bazar, Bonga, Chicha Libre, Josandeacute; Conde, Amadou and Mariam, the Funkees.