World Music

BLACKPINK’s debut album on pink vinyl set to release on January 29, 2021.  The album includes features from Selena Gomez & Cardi B!

1 CD, 1 photo book, 1 making book, 1 lyric poster, 8 photo cards, 1 polaroid photo card, 1 photo frame, 7 postcards, 1 poster. All sales count towards Soundscan and the US Billboard Charts, as well as the Korean Hanteo and Gaon charts.

2020 release includes 120pg photobook, sticker + photocard.

Still Dreaming is the first Japanese album from TXT. The 10 tracks include Japanese versions of 6 of the group's Korean hits, plus 2 new instrumental tracks, a brand new Japanese original song, "Force", and their Japanese hit "Everlasting Shine:" The album is now available as a limited-edition CD/DVD. The DVD includes the music video for "Blue Hour," the making of the video, and photoshoot videos. Also includes a 12-page booklet filled with daytime and sunset-time photos unique to this package.

EXO's 6th Album 'OBSESSION' (EXO & X-EXO Ver.) will be released on November 27th. The album features total 10 songs in various colors & genre, including powerful and catchy title song, 'Obsession', which will be out in both Korean and Chinese version. One of two covers (EXO & X-EXO Ver.) will be supplied at random. The album includes 6 photo books, 1 folded poster (random 1 out of 6), 1 initial-only poster (folded, random 1 out of 7), 1 photo slide (random 1 out of 6), and 1 photo card (random 1 out of 12). All are different per version. This is an official release from SM Entertainment and will count towards Billboard and Gaon charts.

K-Pop's new diva, found in the jewelry box called `Querencia'.

Divas have a very special presence in the history of Korean popular music.

Kim Choo-ja, the most famous singer of the "Team Shin Jung-hyeon" that opened a new paradigm for psychedelic rock and soul in the late 1960s, presented radical and sensual charisma like Janis Joplin and Betty Davis. Kim Wan-sun led the age of the new wave K-Pop in the 80s and brought new wave rock and synthpop into the mainstream, opening a new era of never-before-seen dance music. The emergence of Uhm Jung Hwa led to even more trendy visuals and sensual music in the 90s, Lee Hyori brought authentic hip-hop and R&B into the mainstream, and BoA changed the paradigm for K-Pop by taking a leap as a global pop star. All divas deserve to be remembered as historical events that created turning points of the ages.

So who is the diva that will carry on this legacy in the current K-Pop scene? Seldomly occurring in the idol market that has been reestablished in group units over the past few years, CHUNG HA rose as a performer to capture the public's heart with her explosive energy, while making a name for herself as a solo vocalist with a captivating voice, proving her own potential with her career. Through collaborations with artists that belong to various music scenes and genres, from idols to R&B/hip-hop artists, and 88rising's Rich Brian, CHUNG HA has broadened her horizon and evolved. Her first official full-length album "Querencia" shows even bolder directionality and richer details in her musical endeavor.

Her official 21-track album encompasses various contemporary pop and dance music styles that cross the boundaries of house, Latin, afrobeat, and bass. "Querencia" is divided into four chapters based on the jump-off points of conceptual tracks in the themes of Noble, Savage, Unknown, and Pleasures. While the contrast of opposing and intense concepts that each of the chapters symbolize are grossing genres, they constitute CHUNG HA's artistic identity as she completes her own universe through complex and diverse narratives of emotion.

PACKAGE CONTENTS:

• Box w/ Sticker
• Magazine (Photo + Lyric Book / 240 pages)
• Envelope + CD (21 Tracks)
• Invoice Paper (Album Review) - Liner Notes
• Mini Poster - 1 of 2 available posters random
• Photo Cards - 4 of 8 available cards random

QUERENCIA

X100PRE thrives as Bad Bunny's debut body of work, served with a modern sensibility of what Latin Urban can overcome and how influential it can be. X100PRE presents itself as a compilation of personal desires that are often nostalgic, celebratory, youthful and even introspective without losing relation to it's listeners own experiences. Because of this, X100PRE has become a monumental masterpiece to the current Latino generations, capturing their very essence through words, sounds and colors.

On Puentes Sonoros (Sonic Bridges), the Grammy-winning East L.A. band Quetzal crosses physical and stylistic borders to create an album of songs imbued with inventiveness. It's musicians stand at the center of transnational and transformative son jarocho practice, bridging rural life of Veracruz, Mexico, with contemporary Chicano sensibilities of urban struggle for freedom and self-determination. The strumming of traditional strings and percussive zapateado blend purposefully with Afro-diasporic R&B and batá, drawing from cultural roots to craft echoes of the future. Interweaving original compositions with sonic glimpses of inspirational figures from Veracruz, this recording embodies a collective vision of positive change.

Fresh off their 30th Anniversary & World Tour in 2019, the genre-bending, multi-platinum selling Mavericks are changing the game once again with the release of their first-ever Latin format album En Español. Produced by the band's longtime creative partner Niko Bolas (Neil Young, Prince, Sheryl Crow) and Mavericks lead singer & principal songwriter Raul Malo, En Español features a compelling mix of standards and Spanish-language originals in signature Mavericks style.

Putumayo invites you to turn down the lights and relax to the tranquil melodies of gorgeous lullabies and soothing songs from Africa, Europe, North and South American and Asia. Featuring tracks by Agelque Kdjo w/ Carlos Santana, Fortuna, Sibongile Khumalo and more!

2013 two CD collection from the late Nigerian musician and political rights activist who was one of the foremost pioneers of the Afrobeat movement. This second volume includes more of his finest recordings spanning his entire career.

Producer, arranger and musician Jake Savona (pka Mista Savona) brought together a stellar assortment of Cuban and Jamaican musicians to create this collection of re-interpreted classics and original songs as a soundtrack to an upcoming documentary of the same title. Havana Meets Kingston is a tour through these two historic island nations highlighting the common ground between the two, through rhythm and culture.

Double vinyl LP pressing. 2017 release. Kiss, Cuddle & Torture Volume 1 is the debut album from London outfit The Hempolics. If variety is the spice of life then this album embodies it, taking a heavy reggae roots influence and mashing it with hip hop, electro, soul, rock and pop to provide an antidote to the attention-deficit generation. Some bands talk an 'all killer no filler' album, The Hempolics walk it. Over years of recording top international talent The Hempolics enigmatic leader, Grippa Laybourne, has been carefully honing his own masterpiece and selecting a gang armed and dangerous enough to execute it. Alongside mainstay vocalists Nubiya, Dandelion and Harry come other top talent including Maxi Jazz and Paolo Nutini. Singles off the album have already picked up massive support on BBC Radio. With a unique modern yet vintage sound and a serious punk DIY ethic this working class band is destined to have the rich kids and performance school drones dominating the industry quaking in their wake. This is the sound of the underdog coming to bite.

Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley will be releasing Stony Hill from Republic Records. The album features new singles 'Medication,' 'R.O.A.R' & 'Speak Life.' Marley's previous album GRAMMY-Award winning Welcome To Jamrock is certified RIAA Gold, and won Best Reggae Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance at the 2006 GRAMMYS.

Bob Marley & the Wailers' classic Exodus album, the ninth studio album of the band, was released on June 3, 1977, featuring a new backing band including brothers Carlton and Aston 'Family Man' Barrett on drums and bass, Tyrone Downie on keyboards, Alvin 'Seeco' Patterson on percussion, and the I Threes, Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths and Rita Marley on backing vocals, and newest member Julian 'Junior Marvin' on guitar. The album was released on June 3, 1977, just six months after an assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley's life in Jamaica in December, forcing him to flee to London, where Exodus was recorded. This June marks the 40th anniversary of Exodus named the 'Best Album of the 20th Century' by Time magazine in 1999 with a series of four separate reissues, three of which will feature Exodus 40 - The Movement Continues, son Ziggy Marley's newly curated 'restatement' of the original album. As part of the celebration, Ziggy Marley has intimately revisited the original session recordings, uncovering unused and never-before-heard vocals, lyric phrasing and instrumentation, incorporating and transforming these various elements into brand-new session takes. The 2CD softpack edition contains the original album and the Ziggy Marley 'restatement.'

Grammy Award nominated Mali Music's highly-anticipated new album The Transition of Mali is his sophomore release following his major label debut, Mali Is. The lead single "Gonna Be Alright" is already being met with praise by many critics and the track truly gives fans a glimpse into Mali's mind.

Snarky Puppy's Michael League leads Bokante on their debut album ''Strange Circles,'' out June 9th on GroundUP Music. For the newly-formed international music ensemble Bokante, connection is the foundation upon which all things are built. Rich in the sounds of both delta and desert, the unusual but evocative instrumentation on their debut album, ''Strange Circles,'' blends musical worlds to convey an urgent message of social awareness against the rising tide of exclusion and human indifference. The album goes from Zeppelin-esque blues stomp to folkloric Carribbean kaladja over the course of its ten tracks, blending the extensive and varied knowledge of the individual players with a strong, yet empathetic, lyrical approach. The band features 8 world-class musicians from 4 continents, each one accomplished in their own right and well versed in music far beyond that of their point of origin. Bokante (which means ''exchange'' in Creole comes together to create a diverse ensemble rich in groove, melody, and soul. ''Unity is paramount in the formation of this group,'' observed League. ''Though the ensemble is multi-lingual, mult-cultural, and mult-generation, we all feel connected as musicians and people. And in combining our different accents I feel that there is a strangely common and poignant sound, one that can reach and relate to listeners around the world.''

Syrian musician Omar Souleyman's new album, To Syria, With Love, is set for release June 2 via Mad Decent. The follow up to 2015's Bahdeni Nami marks Souleyman's third full-length studio record. In support of the new release, Souleyman will tour the U.S. in May, playing select dates including New York, Los Angeles, Detroit and Salt Lake City as well as festival performances at Form Arcosanti in Arizona and MoogFest in North Carolina. To Syria, With Love is a departure musically and lyrically from his previous material, with focus on more elaborate keyboard and techno elements. Completely setting politics aside, Souleyman consciously shares this personal ode to his native country with an emphasis on his emotional connection to the land and people but not without heartache in view of the nation's current state. "It's been six years I've been away, and I'm tired of looking for home and asking about my loved ones. My soul is wounded and it's like having dust in my eyes," Souleyman says.

With her debut solo album Ya Nass (2013), Yasmine Hamdan introduced her personal, modern take on Arabic pop. In Al Jamilat ('The Beautiful Ones'), she pursues her musical exploration, while taking a look at the mutations at work within the Arab world.

2017 release. West Africa's most iconic dance-band is back. A decade on from their last album and almost half a century since their formation, Senegal's Orchestra Baobab return with a timeless set of classic, swaying tunes fusing Afro-Cuban rhythms and African tradition in the group's trademark style. Recorded locally in Moussa X's Dakar studio, the new recordings sound fresh and yet reassuringly familiar, retaining the ripeness of the sound that made Orchestra Baobab a legend but interpreted with a vigor and vibrancy, and with a few twists, that are vital and captivating. As enduring as the mighty African Baobab tree from which the group derives it's name, the veteran core of the band remains as strong and sturdy as ever. Vocalists Balla Sidibe and Rudy Gomis, saxophonists Issa Sissoko and Thierno Koite and the long-serving, rock steady rhythm section of Balla Sidibe, timbales, Charlie Ndiaye bass and Mountaga Koite on congas. Tribute To Ndiouga Dieng is dedicated to one of the bands original vocalists who sadly died in November 2016. His songs will continue to be sung with the band by his son Alpha. It represents the latest chapter in a long and storied career that started in 1970 when the newly-formed Orchestra Baobab helped forge Dakar into one of the world's most vital musical cities. Over the next decade the group dominated the local scene and produced countless hits before disbanding in the early '80s.

Peru is as varied and diverse in its regions, climates, and natural flora and fauna as it is in its people, history and culture. In terms of national popular dance music since the 1950s this compelling variety is equally evident. Several imported and subsequently customized strains of popular music tended to dominate the public’s taste: on the one hand genres with Caribbean origins from Cuba and Puerto Rico (as well as variants from New York and the Dominican Republic) such as mambo (massively popular since Pérez Prado’s debut there in 1951), son, bolero, merengue, salsa, descarga, and boogaloo, plus the equally influential cumbia, porro, pompo, and paseo from Colombia, and on the other, North American and European rock and soul, and to a lesser extent jazz, as well as later developments like funk and disco. Though a lot of press has been given in recent years to chicha and other domestic forms of cumbia in Peru, featuring certain popular groups of the type over and over, there has not been as much of a buzz on the country’s ‘other’ tropical music, the above-mentioned mostly Cuban-derived forms, or the rarer, more obscure tracks yet to be touted, and this collection aims to change this imbalance by featuring more of the former and digging deeper into the latter. In the golden era of Peru’s record and radio industry, musicians, composers and producers created their own variants of these foreign-born genres, most frequently to satisfy and attract their dancing public (often defined by race/class divisions) with something they could recognize and call their own, using these imported styles as building blocks to put their personal spin on what was generally termed (in the case of Latin dance music) música tropical bailable. Home-grown ingredients in the form of dances, melodies, and instrumentation from the panoply of Peru’s indigenous peoples (such as the huayno) as well as African and Spanish-influenced música criolla, Spanish flamenco and Brazilian carimbó, samba and baião all swirled together in the melting pot with imported tropical Afro-Caribbean or North American/European pop sounds to create an ambiance as competitive, creative, sophisticated and diverse as anywhere else at the time. As far as tropical music in Peru, visiting artists from Cuba, Colombia, Puerto Rico, New York, Venezuela, Brazil and Mexico were extremely popular as were their recordings. Everyone from Celia Cruz to Carlos Santana had their moment in Lima and elsewhere, oftentimes touching a cultural nerve that ran deep, sharing music that many peruanos felt a kinship with due to a similar colonial past and racial makeup. Interestingly, unlike the music of Cuba, Mexico or Colombia, it is not until recently that Peru’s rich tropical golden grooves have been mined properly for wider global audiences to enjoy. The amazing thing is this historical treasure trove seems to be a nearly inexhaustible resource, as this collection showcases a lot of music not on other recent samplers. Though Peruvian musicians have made almost exact copies of popular foreign tunes, several “standards” of tropical music originally come from Peruvian authors and performers, though a foreign cover version may be the most well known. From ‘Todos Vuelven’ and ‘Toro Mata’ (made famous by Rubén Blades and Celia Cruz respectively) to ‘Macondo’ (inspired by García Márquez’s 100 Years of Solitude and covered countless times internationally) and ‘Colegiala’ (a mega-smash for Colombia’s Rodolfo y su Típica but originally by Walter León’s Los Ilusionistas), Peru has supplied hits for the world of salsa and cumbia time and time again. Several recent collections have featured the originals, and here for example we present the song that launched a hundred iterations, Johnny Arce’s ‘Macondo’.

NCT 127’s 2nd full-length album has been repackaged for ‘Neo Zone: The Final Round’, available on June 12th. Features 17 songs, with the 13 tracks from the original album plus four brand-new tracks. ‘The Final Round’ delivers NCT 127’s ambitious message and music color while bringing high expectations. Both repackaged versions include unique components – one photobook, one folded poster, a postcard (random 1 of 9), a circle card (random 1 of 9) and a photocard (random 1 of 9).

When the Country blues was first recorded in the mid-1920s, it was not only played and appreciated by African-Americans but also by white performers and audiences alike. During this time, it was common practice for record companies to separate the music of the American South into two categories: the ‘race’ series, aimed at a black audience; and the ‘hillbilly’ series, aimed at white audiences. This division along racial lines was in fact superficial, as black and white musicians shared much with respect to genre and repertoire and the separation of the two on commercial recordings grew out of the prejudices of record companies. Often overlooked is the fact that there was a huge amount of musical exchange and interaction between white and black musicians at this time. For many early country musicians the blues was liberating, as it freed them from the clichés of the sentimental songs and saccharine harmonies of mainstream radio singers of the day. In the same way that black sharecroppers found solace in the blues, the white working class – such as miners and mill workers ¬¬– were drawn to the blues as a way of expressing the hardships of daily life. One such performer was Frank Hutchison who came from a rough and isolated mountain community in West Virginia where both black and white miners worked side by side. Hutchison’s style was heavily influenced by local black performers and here he gives a classic rendition of the American folk song ‘Stackalee’. Dick Justice was also from West Virginia, and his version of ‘Cocaine’ is undoubtedly modelled on Luke Jordan’s 1927 race recording. Likewise, the enormous influence of the great Blind Lemon Jefferson is very much in evidence in mountain musician Larry Hensley’s stellar cover of Lemon’s ‘Match Box Blues’ as well as Clarence Greene’s nimble playing on ‘Johnson City Blues’. Known as the ‘Father Of Country Music’, Jimmie Rodgers was heavily influenced by the blues which became a prominent element of his music. In turn, black musicians listened to his records and were inspired by his famous ‘blue yodels’ which can be heard in the vocal delivery of two Delta legends Howlin' Wolf and Tommy Johnson. Cliff Carlisle was another who fell under the spell of Jimmie Rodgers’, and accompanied his yodelling with a Hawaiian-influenced slide guitar style to great effect. Among others who were inspired by the Hawaiian guitar craze popular in American mainstream culture were the Dixon Brothers as well as another country duo Darby And Tarleton, who had a large number of blues songs in their repertoire. Other featured early country music pioneers such as Charlie Poole and Doc Boggs were less directly influenced by black musicians and merely embellished their overall repertoires with blues derived songs. Often the word ‘blues’ was attached to a song even if it wasn’t a blues song in the strictest sense of the word. An area often overlooked and least understood in the development of the blues is the parlour guitar tradition which derives from Europe during the late 1700s when the middle class would play light classical pieces on the guitar. When the settlers and immigrants carried this tradition to America, it gradually filtered down to the lower classes. Many of these compositions required the guitar strings to be tuned to an open chord, and this along with the picking technique where the thumb was used to create a steady or alternating bass were absorbed into the blues tradition. Two classic examples of this at work are ‘Spanish Fandango’ and the opening ‘Guitar Rag’, both of which give further evidence of the incredible musical exchange between black and white musical cultures in the development of the blues.

For the last five years, Tinariwen have been busy criss-crossing the globe bringing their triumpant tours to all five continents and expanding their audience. During this time their beloved homeland in the Adrar des Ifoghas, a Saharan mountain range that straddles the border between north-eastern Mali and southern Algeria has, in effect, been transformed into a conflict zone, a place where nobody can venture without putting themselves in danger. These conflicts have forced the band into exile to record their 8th album, Elwan. Elwan means ‘the elephants ‘ - an animal metaphor to describe those ‘beasts’, whether militias or multinational consortiums, who have trampled everything in their path: in the desert, where both the human and ecological equilibriums are extremely fragile. Tinariwen chose to record this album is several locations around the world, including for 4 days at the desert hideaway of Rancho De La Luna studio in Joshua Tree, CA, the studio known as a favored refuge for many an eclectic artist from Queens of the Stone Age to Daniel Lanios to Arctic Monkeys to Iggy Pop and more. For Tinariwen, the geographical location of the studio proved to be particularly propitious in terms of creativity. And the human climate was just as favorable. A few friends dropped in during the sessions to add some magic to a few tracks including, Kurt Vile (electric guitar), Mark Lanegan ( Vocals on ‘Nànnuflày’), Matt Sweeney (electric guitar) and producer/guitarist, Alain Johannes (Cigarbox guitar). Sessions were also recorded in Morocco, where the band were accompanied by local musicians, in a land where they are considered musical legends. Lovers of those sensual yet abrasive riffs that are Tinariwen’s signature won’t be disappointed. But neither will those who love their funky, danceable side, which comes through loud and clear. All that potential has been wonderfully honed by the album’s mixing engineer Andrew Schepps, known well for his work with the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Johnny Cash, and Jay Z.

Bob Marley and the Wailers were at the peak of their artistic powers when they arrived at the Lyceum London for two shows on July 17 and 18, 1975, having just released Natty Dread the year before and about to unleash Rastaman Vibration on the world. The Rolling Stones mobile studio was on hand to record both shows, with seven songs from the second released as Live!, in December of that same year. Live! will now be released on vinyl and digital including the two full shows for the first time.

Celtic Woman has a remarkable twelve-year legacy of introducing the most talented singers and musicians from Ireland onto the world stage. Voices Of Angels showcases the angelic voices of Susan McFadden, Mairead Carlin, Eabha McMahon and introduces the breathtaking new Celtic violinist Tara McNeill. The Voices Of Angels (Manhattan/Caroline) album contains some of the most popular songs from the Celtic Woman repertoire along with several previously unrecorded tracks, all with stunning new orchestral arrangements recorded with the 72-piece Orchestra of Ireland.

Follow-up release to the Grammy-nominated album "I Have No Everything Here" by the Zomba Prison Project, once again produced by Grammy winner Ian Brennan (TV on the Radio). Album recordings of inmates at a dilapidated prison in Milawi, Africa. Their recordings have brought international attention to prison injustices.

Dub reggae legend Lee Scratch Perry returns to the studio with a wide-ranging narrative, in collaboration with Spacewave. This Grammy-winning artist, songwriter, and producer doesn't hesitate with his unexpurgated commentary on his spirituality, good and evil, the human condition, and aliens. Featured are reggae, dub, dubstep, acid jazz, and electronic music and music influences. Special guests include Subatomic Sound System, The Groovematist, and Phloboi.

Fans call him ''The African Sting,'' critics call him a pro. Originally from Cameroon, Richard Bona remains true to his roots on Heritage , his 8th album as a leader and the first one with his Afro-Cuban band ''Mandekan Cubano.'' An energetic, life affirming and truly fantastic album, it explores the alchemy of African rhythms in Cuba. Richard Bona is a rare African artist to have established an unscalable reputation on an international platform, which has led to a host of awards along with his fruitful collaborations with colleagues Bobby McFerrin, Pat Metheny, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, John Legend and Stevie Wonder.

Fruit of Life is the second installment of Stephen Ragga Marley's two part series, following Revelation Part I: The Root of Life (2011). Whereas The Root of Life is more a traditional roots reggae album, The Fruit of Life will utilize a diversified sonic palette to express the far-reaching impact Jamaican music has had on various genres, especially hip hop. Produced by Marley, Fruit of Life boasts 18 new tracks and features a variety of guest collaborations with Rick Ross, Pit Bull, Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley, Iggy Azalea, Waka Flocka Flame, Dead Prez, Rakim, DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy, Black Thought (of The Roots), Bounty Killer, Sizzla, Capleton, Ky-Mani Marley, Jo Mersa and more.