Enjoy Latest World Music Releases

By Abdi Ali
Published September 6, 2020

Do you, like us, ever look forward to sampling some of the latest world music on the market?

ARC Music, a label that specialises in world music, has released two new albums that you, like us, are likely to like.

“We have ragas with a twist by Kuljit Bhamra, performed on multiple instruments with unexpected combinations; and Senegalese singer Modou Touré’s very personal album about his life’s journey,” says Amelia Zimmatore of ARC Music of Britain.

The first album, Touré’s TOUKI (A Journey), was released on August 28, 2020.

“This is my life story; learning from mistakes has given me the strength and courage to follow my own path,” says Mamadou Touré’, whose voice strikingly echoes that of his father, Ousmane Touré, the inspiration for his choice of career, of the album.

Modou, who has crafted his music around West African traditional music, sings in Wolof, Soninke, French and English, his songs drawing on topics of love, destiny, identity, family life, relationships, and street encounters in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.

Touki, the opening track, is a driven, funky auto-biographical story of the journey of a young African man travelling to find a better life. The journey is full of ups and downs and doesn’t always work out as planned.

Natou, the fourth track, features gorgeous vocals over rhythmic guitar; an empathetic tribute to those in places of Africa that are extremely poor or going through extended periods of famine.

Dembeu Wone, the fifth track, shares African ancestral teachings; cultural values that have been passed down through the generations. A strong melody carries colourful yet relaxing instrumentation, reminiscent of a cozy moonlit garden performance for close friends. Embarking on a self-made career as a musician takes courage and perseverance, especially when faced with certain opposition and cynicisms. The track Noone talks about the negative people who will smile to your face, but not hesitate to undermine you behind your back.

Modou Touré has collaborated with Melokaan and Elendo in Senegal, as well as blues guitarist Ramon Goose in the 2015 ARC Music release, The West African Blues Project; “fusion that has actually, genuinely fused” – The Independent. He has performed at Africa Oye Festival in Liverpool as well as numerous gigs in London, among them LIVE at MOMO.

“Human nature tends to focus on what tomorrow will bring. Instead we should give thanks and praise for what we have today. Thank you to all the musicians involved in this album, for giving your time, energy and love. Thank you to everyone who has supported the project. I hope you all enjoy it,” Modou Touré says of the album comprising 11 tracks.

Kuljit Bhamra’s Essence of Raga Tala that, like Mamadou Touré’s Touki has 11 tracks and was released on the same day, is a unique and compelling take on Indian musical tradition; nine Indian ragas and selected talas are re-imagined for both traditional and western instruments in new and exciting directions.

Kuljit Bhamra MBE is a prolific composer, musician and record producer whose main instrument is the tabla. He is best known as one of the record producers who pioneered the British Bhangra sound and for collaborations with musicians of many different genres.

Kuljit has worked on numerous film scores, including Bend it Like Beckham, Bhaji on the Beach, A Winter of Love, and he appears on soundtracks for The Guru, The Four Feathers and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.

When Andrew Lloyd Webber launched his hit musical Bombay Dreams, Kuljit performed as on-stage percussionist. Kuljit went on to write the Indian music for the West End musical The Far Pavilions and more recently, he co-orchestrated the music for the musical adaptation of Bend it Like Beckham, in which he also performed on stage.

He is the recipient of many awards including a platinum disc for outstanding record sales presented by the much-loved BBC Radio DJ John Peel, who was a big fan of his music. His cutting-edge projects and ground-breaking educational work earned him the prestigious honor of MBE in the Her Majesty The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2009.

In his ongoing mission to Demystify Indian Music, Kuljit recently created a new universal Indian Drum Notation System which he is currently disseminating with his company, Keda Music.

This album features a star-studded cast of London-based performers and musicians, including sitarist and composer Jonathan Mayer (son of the Kolkata composer John Mayer – creator of the well-known Indo-Jazz Fusions) and M. Yogeswaran, whose voice is featured in numerous stage productions and film soundtracks including Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.

Essence of Raga Tala is a special collection of new recordings captured at Bhamra’s own Redfort Studios. The pieces, performed by prominent UK-based artists, feature traditional instruments such as sitar, violin and bansuri flute in addition to western instruments such as electric guitar, cello, acoustic guitar, synthesizer and an unusual multi-tabla set consisting of up to six tabla drums – each tuned to the prominent notes of the particular raga scale – which Kuljit himself plays.