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30 years of more sabor
When you think of Richmond's most famous musical exports, what comes to mind? Maybe Jimmy Dean the sausage king? Or possibly jazz legends like Lonnie Liston Smith and James "Plunky" Branch? Probably...
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Charts October 10-16, 2022
WRIR World's NACC Top Ten1 LA FEMME | Teatro Lucido | Disque Pointu/IDOL2 DUNGEN | En År För Mycket Och Tusen Aldrig Nog | Mexican Summer3 DERYA YILDIRIM AND GRUP SIMSEK | Dost 2 | Bongo Joe/Catapulte4...
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The fundamental nature of being
The Shaolin Afronauts are an 11-piece ensemble from Adelaide, Australia who describe their sound as "interstellar futurist afro-soul" influenced equally by Fela Kuti and Sun Ra. After three excellent...
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Charts October 17-30, 2022
WRIR World's NACC Top Ten1 SHAOLIN AFRONAUTS, THE | The Fundamental Nature Of Being | Freestyle2 DUNGEN | En År För Mycket Och Tusen Aldrig Nog | Mexican Summer3 MUKAMBO PRESENTS GLOBAL AFROBEAT...
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Fantasy
Israeli singer Liraz Charhi's 2018 debut album Naz, a set of pre-revolutionary Iranian songs sung in Farsi, was a sensation in her parents' birth country, and needless to say was banned there as well....
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Charts Oct 31 - Nov 6, 2022
WRIR World's NACC Top Ten1 WESLI | Tradisyon | Cumbancha2 LIRAZ | Roya | Glitterbeat3 BIO RITMO | Salsa System [EP] | Electric Cowbell4 TOUMANI DIABATE | Toumani, Family & Friends | Universal...
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Language
I'm excited to welcome the Ethiopian band Qwanqwa to WRIR's studio this week. The band, whose name means "language" in Amharic, embodies the most radical idea in music: they play traditional music in...
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Charts November 7-13, 2022
WRIR World's NACC Top Ten1 SLAVO RICAN ASSEMBLY | Intercosmic | Riverboat2 LIRAZ | Roya | Glitterbeat3 T.P. ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO | Afro-Funk | Albarika Store4 KIMI DJABATE | "Alidonke" [Single] |...
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The James Brown of Lomé
Back in the 1970s and early 80s when he was performing 5 nights a week at the beachfront Hotel Tropicana with his killer Togolese band Les As Du Bénin, Roger Damawuzan was known as "the James Brown of...
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Charts November 14-20, 2022
WRIR World's NACC Top Ten1 WAU WAU COLLECTIF | Mariage | Sahel Sounds2 ADEDEJI | Yoruba Odyssey | One World3 LUCIANA DEMINGONGO | Rando | Une Plume Une Voix Une Guitare4 IZIS LA ENFERMA DE LA SALSA |...
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Los twangüeros de la selva
Welcome to the Sunday-after-Thanksgiving edition of Global A Go-Go (Sunday November 27, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards on the wrir.org archive player, check your local listings for...
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Charts November 21-27, 2022
WRIR World's NACC Top Ten1 C.A.M.P.O.S. | The 8th Door | Peace & Rhythm2 BALKA SOUND | Balka Sound | Strut3 18TH PARALLEL, THE | Downtown Sessions | Fruits4 TINARIWEN | Kel Tinariwen | Wedge5...
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Album of the year?
Sona Jobarteh is the world's first female virtuoso of the kora, the West African harp-lute which is the characteristic instrument of the Mande musical tradition. She and her band were a highlight of...
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Charts Nov 28 - Dec 4, 2022
WRIR World's NACC Top Ten1 CABRUERA | Sol A Pino | Polen2 SONA JOBARTEH | Badinyaa Kumoo | African Guild3 FILA BASELE | La Kumba Music | Une Plume Une Voix Une Guitare4 ZINA GASRINIA | Ya Ammi El...
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Land of the honest men
December 11, 2022 is Burkina Faso's 64th Independence Day. This small (roughly the size of Colorado), densely populated (about 22 million people), landlocked West African nation formerly known as...
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Charts December 5-11, 2022
WRIR World's NACC Top Ten1 PERU SELVATICO: SONIC EXPEDITION INTO THE PERUVIAN AMAZON 1972-1986 | various artists | Analog Africa2 SUPERFONICOS | "Primera Luz" [Single] | self-released3 OLIVER NAYOKA |...
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Top 10 new albums of 2022
It's the most wonderful time of the year, the time to find out who's been naughty and nice. No, I'm not talking about the holiday season; I'm talking about when everyone's Best Of The Year lists come...
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Irie Christmas Spectacular
Breadfruit roasting on an open fire / Mongrels nipping at your toes / Dancehall songs being sung by a choir / An' we dress up in we bashment clothes Yes, nothing says "Deck the halls with lots of...
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Top 10 new singles & EPs of 2022
In the current era of home studios, direct-to-consumer distribution, mobile listening and streaming, the single is no longer just for Top 40 music. If you're not following singles and EPs in whatever...
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Top 10 compilations & reissues of 2022
This week on Global A Go-Go (Sunday January 8, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at my...
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