hey, thanks

I don't have much to talk about this week, but I do want to thank you for sticking with the show. It's nice to know you're listening.

Thanks for all of you and have a great holiday.

George will be in the chair this week. I'll see you on the 2nd.

The link to the latest show is below. And the playlist is here.

TerraSonic - 18 November 2006

Refresher Course

Finally feeling like I'm mentally back from Spain, two weeks after my bodily return. It had been nearly a month since I last opened the big bag of TerraSonic CDs and was refreshing to rediscover some great new releases that I'd nearly forgotten about in my tapas-fueled haze.

Today's show featured more musical finds from WOMEX, as well as the mesmerizing new release from Tuareg nonet Tartit, Abacabok, and the domestic issue of David Krakauer and Socalled's Bubbemeises (a record that longtime TSonic listeners will recall hearing a lot of earlier this year when the European release was in heavy rotation). We also rolled out an advance track from the forthcoming release from Antibalas, Security.

I also finally spent some long overdue time with a recording by Dona Dumitru Siminica, who was somewhat of a musical legend in Bucharest c. 1960. His haunting voice pours a touching sense of heartbreak into this collection of drinking songs and love laments, and his eerie vocals presage his lonely passing. Though adored by his countrypeople, he was not particularly popular with the Ceausescu crowd. He died, alone, in a stairwell, of a failed heart. His death went unreported by the official Romanian press. Sounds From a Bygone Age Vol. 3 provides a loving remembrance.


One of the better recent finds from the WOMEX treasure trove is a new record from Turkish percussionist Burhan Ocal and the Trakya All Stars. Featuring Tunisian/Parisian electronics and oud specialist Smadj, this amazing release is full of grooves both deep and real. It comes courtesy of our friends at Doublemoon, the prolific and groundbreaking Turkish label home to such TSonic favorites as Mercan Dede, Aziza A and Baba Zula. Doublemoon is one of the world's best-run labels, and one of its best kept secrets as well. Incidentally, I'm eager to see the film Crossing the Bridge, a documentary offering an insiders glimpse of the Istanbul underground scene that many of Doublemoon's artists helped establish.

As always, thanks for tuning in to TerraSonic. Our holiday wish this year: a regular webstream so that we can not only reach listeners in Boulder, but also hopefully bring back many of those around the country that I know we've lost touch with since the transition from Radio 1190 to our new home at KGNU. Good people are working to make this dream a reality and I'm reasonably confident that we'll soon be available to more of you on a regular basis.

Your questions, requests, comments and criticisms are always welcome here--and here too. Please get/keep in touch. Thanks again and see you next week.

TerraSonic - 11 November 2006

PS--thanks for voting.

The 'X' in WOMEX

Hola amigas y amigos. I'm back from a very rejuvenating two weeks away in Spain, first for a week in a very comfortable villa overlooking the Meditereranean coastal town of Salobrena, on the Costa Tropical. Then to the remarkable city of Sevilla, where a week just isn't enough.

Attending WOMEX, the WOrld Music EXpo, was the ostensible motivation for the trip, but if you're going to fly all the way to Spain, you may as well tack 10 days of tapas, cervezas, monkeys and Moorish architecture on to the front end, right? (And let's not forget the jamon.)

The 12th edition of WOMEX, held at FIBES in Sevilla, while plagued by rain at the start of the conference and sound problems during the evening showcases, was the largest ever, attended by over 2500 world music industry professionals from around the globe. Meeting in lovely foreign locales to network with my colleagues and forward the mission I pursue at my day job is certainly appropriate for someone involved with international music, and when done with beer in hand, shouting over loud music, it beats the pants off IM-ing from a dark office. But just because it's fun doesn't mean it isn't work. There was a lot of ground to cover, a lot of connections to make, a lot of promos to hand out.

Of course, there were a lot of promos to pick up too, as revealed by this week's playlist, populated exclusively by music acquired at WOMEX. This year's treasure trove consists of advance releases (new Tinariwen, for example), music out already elsewhere but still seeking an outlet in the US, and the dozens of showcase artists who performed at this year's conference. Of the latter, the biggest highlight for me was Cuba's X Alfonso, whose inventive video presentation synched perfectly to their big, uptown Havana sound; deep, funky, positive and moving.

Afrobeat up-and-comers Nomo put on a great set, as did Algerian-born Manu Chao protege Akli D, Mauritius' Menwar and Israeli surf/lounge trio Boom Pam. I wasn't particuarly impressed with the accordion, percussion or programmed ocean and bird sounds put forth by Basque artist Tomas San Miguel, but the lovely twins accompanying him on the txalaparta were worthy of attention. I've never seen an instrument like that and am still hearing the lovely sounds they coaxed from it.

Finally, special mention goes to Colombia's Aterciopelados (translation: "the velvety ones"), compellingly led by Andrea Echevarri, whose presence--not to mention pants (yes, they were velvet)--was a highlight of the first night's concerts. The new record is pretty good too.

It was tough to tear myself away from the Spanish lifestyle, but it's good to be back at the TerraSonic wheel, especially with all this new music to share with you. And besides, WOMEX returns to Sevilla next year (and 2008 too). Insha'allah, I shall return.

This week's show, as I mentioned, features only music gathered at WOMEX, but it's just a small sampling of what I picked up there. We'll be hearing plenty more in future weeks--in addition to the neverending rollout of great new releases, tried-and-true classics and the rarified gems that make up the vast TerraSonic sound vault.

Thanks, as always, for listening. And thanks also to Steve Rush for doing a great job covering for me during my extended siesta.

TerraSonic - 4 November 2006

One last thing...vote!