Joanie Loves Tcha Tcho: Koffi Olomide and "Loi"

Today's random tune is by Koffi Olomide, and is called Loi. Koffi Olomide is the performing name of Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba, a Congolese soukous singer, dancer, producer and composer. After studying in Bordeaux, France and obtaining a bachelors in business economics and reportedly a masters in mathematics, Olomide returned to The Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1970s and joined Papa Wemba's band Viva la Musica where he became lead vocalist. In 1986 he formed Quartier Latin International, and performed with them and solo, along the way developing the slower type of soukous into a genre he called Tcha Tcho. He is not afraid to take on controversial topics in his music, such as current events and taboo subjects, but unfortunately, he has also been controversial and known for assault - he kicked a cameraman at a concert, assaulted his producer, and kicked a female dancer in his show which led to his temporary deportation and a prison sentence. You can find Loi on his 2014 album of the same name.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koffi_Olomide

Guitar Hero: Ali Farka Touré and "Yenna"

The great Malian guitarist and singer Ali Farka Touré brings us today's song, Yenna. Ali Farka Touré was a Malian singer, multi-instrumentalist and one of the most renowned African musicians. His music fits right into the intersection of traditional Malian music and North American blues. Known as the "African John Lee Hooker," he sang in several African languages, and was once ranked by a panel of critics for Rolling Stone magazine at number 76 of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time and was ranked by Spin Magazine in 2012 as number 37 on the 100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time. In 2004, he became mayor of a small town and spent his own money on improving infrastructure. He died in 2006 of bone cancer.  Yenna can be found on his 1992 album The Source.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Farka_Tour%C3%A9

But I Want to Samba Today: Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Ségal with "Samba Tomora"

Today's random tune is called Samba Tomora and is performed by Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Ségal. A well-regarded player of the kora, Malian Ballaké Sissoko is the son of renowned griot Djelimady Sissoko. Those born into the griot caste learn music a young age, and Sissoko is no exception - he taught himself kora by watching his father. He has collaborated with Toumani Diabaté, Taj Mahal, and Vincent Ségal with whom he has done three albums. Vincent Ségal, from France, is a cellist and bassist who is known for his interesting collaborations with artists as varied as Elvis Costello, Blackalicious, Cesaria Evora, Sting and others. He is also the co-founder of the down-tempo electronica band Bumcello, with which he won France's prestigious Victoires de la Musique and was named France's Electronic Musician of the Year in 2006. Samba Tomora can be found on Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Ségal's 2015 album Musique de Nuit.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballak%C3%A9_Sissoko; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_S%C3%A9gal

Looking for Something Sweet: The Luminescent Orchestrii and "Nasty Tasty"

Our random tune for today is performed by The Luminescent Orchestrii, an experimental group based in the United States and active from 2002 - 2012. Their oeuvre consisted of music influenced by Middle Eastern, gypsy, and traditional European music along with Appalachian fiddles, hip hop beats and an attitude often found in punk bands. They often used instruments that they had modified to create their sound. This song, Nasty Tasty, can be found on their 2009 album Neptune's Daughter.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Luminescent_Orchestrii

Oud Prodigy: Mohamed Abozekry & Heejaz with "Sérague"

Today's tune is by Mohamed Abozekry & Heejaz, a quartet of French and Egyptian musicians formed in 2010 that focuses on instrumental music. Led by oud prodigy Mohamed Abozekry, who at age 15 became the youngest professor of the oud in the Arabic world, the seeds of the band formed when he met French artist Guillaume Hogan at a concert in Cairo, where Abozekry was persuaded to continue his musical studies at the University of Lyon. It was there that Abozekry met the other musicians that would form Heejaz. This song, Sérague, can be found on their 2015 album Ring Road.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Abozekry_%26_Heejaz; http://mohamedabozekry.com/en/

World Music Pioneer: Pangea and "Mangbetu Girl"

Our random tune today, called Mangbetu Girl, is by Pangea. Pangea was a project of Dan Lacksman, a Belgian composer and sound engineer. He mixed and produced albums in a variety of genres, such as pop, rock, jazz, classic, dance and electronica. He is a co-founder and member of the avant-garde electronica group Telex, and a producer of the world music group Deep Forest. On the whole, Pangea was formed to make world music more accessible to European and American audiences and was one of the early pioneers of the genre. You can find Mangbetu Girl on the 1996 album Pangea.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Lacksman

Dark Seas: Cirque du Soleil and "Mer Noire"

From realms of fantasy and delight comes our random tune for today, by Cirque du Soleil. This song, Mer Noire, along with the entire soundtrack of Cirque du Soleil's Las Vegas (Bellagio Hotel) water and stage show O, was composed by Canadian Benoit Jutras. Jutras' eclectic music combines worldbeat, classical, rock, trip hop and electronica, and the score of O is no exception, with instrumentation that includes classical Western, erhu (Chinese violin), bagpipes, African guitar, African kora (harp), Colombian guitar, cello, ancient woodwinds and a wide variety of percussion instruments. Mer Noire can be found on the soundtrack for O, released in 1998.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_du_Soleil; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beno%C3%AEt_Jutras