Re-upping and expanding our 2020 sufi-flamenco grail on LP and tape format, adding 4 newly unearthed tracks to those previously thought to be Aziz Balouch's only recordings.



Aziz Balouch moved to the Iberian Peninsula from modern-day Pakistan in 1932 in search of work and music. After a childhood spent studying Islamic mysticism and devotional songs in the Sufi shrines of his native Sindh he soon fell in love with the 'deep song' of flamenco and was taken in as an apprentice to the great heterodox cantaor Pepe Marchena after a chance encounter. He dedicated the rest of his life to flamenco and developed an elaborate theory of the South Asian and Sufi origins of the art which he propagated through live performances and publications in London, Spain and Pakistan.



Decades before the arrival of the academic discipline of ethnomusicology or the invention of 'fusion' Aziz Balouch painstakingly immersed himself into a completely different musical tradition seeking connections and drawing inspiration to create a unique performance style which has tragically remained hidden and ignored. These 8 tracks are taken from Aziz Balouch's only surviving recordings, two 7" EPs released in Spain in 1962. On each track Balouch draws on his polyglottism to seamlessly merge Sufi poetry in Persian, Sindhi, Hindi and Arabic with various forms of Andalusian song in Spanish. Accompanied by a single guitar his voice pushes through into the profound depths of human experience to excavate the shared past of flamenco which had been submerged beneath the surface.



Many thanks to Stefan Williamson Fa.

A compilation gathering a cross-section of early gospel choirs and vocal harmony groups recorded between late 1920s and the mid-1950s - a period when spirituals & jubilee traditions merged with blues, jazz and early rhythm and blues, providing the musical routes for the coalescence of the civil rights movement born out of the black church. In the modern world these perennially vital recordings provide a fitting note of resistance for the near-dystopia we find ourselves living through.



Happy new year.

Tuareg guitar from Northern Mali by Kidal's hometown band. A different side of desert blues with high energy gritty guitar sessions that are popular favorites. Recorded at a local studio in 2008 during the last uprising, the music is very poignant as the North has again fallen into rebellion and the band is scattered in exile. The title translates as "Peace". Includes detailed liner notes in Tifinagh.

Andrew Wegman Bird is a Grammy nominated indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 15 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing music, indie rock, and folk music.

Double vinyl LP pressing. 2009 release from the quirky but melodic singer/songwriter. Swiftly picking up popularity with his fifth album The Mysterious Production of Eggs, Andrew Bird then signed with Fat Possum Records for his 2007 highly anticipated follow-up record Armchair Apocrypha. Now he stands poised with this new record, which he spent most of 2008 working on. 14 tracks.

The first solo album released by the former frontman of Mano Negra, 'Clandestino' (released in 1998) is an enchanting trip through Latin-flavored world-beat rock, reliant on a potpourri of musical styles from traditional Latin & salsa to dub to rock & roll to French pop to experimental rock to techno. 16 tracks. Virgin.

2008 reissue of the sophomore solo album from Manu Chao, the former leader of French Alt rockers Mano Negra. Though Mano Negra experienced some success while together, Manu Chao's solo career has earned him an international audience of music lovers and critics. Originally released in 2001, Chao extends his musical reach and adds a heavier Caribbean flavor than his debut album, Clandestino. 17 tracks including 'Merry Blues', 'Eldorado 1997', 'Me Gustas Tu' and more. Because.

Japanese pressing includes a bonus track & comes packaged in a miniture LP sleeve. Produced in 1970 by the legendary Joe Boyd, Just Another Diamond Day has long been considered a holy grail for Brit-folk record collectors, with original copies of the album fetching over $1,000 at auction. It shouldn't take many listens to realize why it's so highly regarded; Just Another Diamond Day is, in its own humble way, nearly a thing of perfection. Ind. 2006.

Our survey of folk music traditions in Northeastern Brazil, originally broadcast on NTS Radio in 2019, becomes the latest to be committed to cassette as part of our 10th anniversary series. It specifically focuses in on the spur-of-the-moment improvised "duelling" poetry of the repente, embolada & aboio styles that are unique to the Nordeste region.

Canto Da Boca

Campolide