It's Strong: Pangea and "Sanza's Spirit"

Our random tune today, called Sanza's Spirit, 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 Sanza's Spirit 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

Buy Local: Baloji and L'Orchestre de la Katuba with Kuku and "Buy Africa"

Baloji, along with L'Orchestre de la Katuba and Kuku, brings us the random tune for today called Buy Africa off of the Red Hot + Fela album from 2013. Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Baloji is a Belgian rapper, MC and hip hop artist who got his start as a founder of the hip hop band Starflam in the early 1990s where he was known as MC Balo. The band's second album went platinum, but differences with the other members led Baloji to leave the group and quit music in 2004. However, after discovering a letter from his estranged Congolese mother, and after winning a poetry contest in Paris, he took up music again in 2006 and released an autobiographical solo debut album which included a response to his mother - the album went gold and won numerous awards. L'Orchestre de la Katuba appears to be an orchestra that he put together, and features Congolese guitarist Dizzy Mandkeku. Kuku is a Nigerian-American singer-songwriter living in Paris. Buy Africa was originally released by Fela Ransome Kuti and his Africa 70 in 1971, and is an exhortation to Africans to buy African-made goods rather than foreign goods. The album Red Hot + Fela is a tribute to Fela Kuti's musical work, the second such tribute by the Red Hot organization in a series of albums meant to raise money and awareness of global HIV/AIDS (Fela Kuti died of AIDS related complications in 1997).

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/Baloji_(rapper); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fela_Kuti;

Slightly Off: Zap Mama and "Miss QN"

Today's song is by Belgian artist Zap Mama, and is called Miss QN. Zap Mama is the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Daulne sings in polyphonic and Afro-pop styles, infusing harmony with African vocal techniques, as well as throwing in some hip hop. Much of her musical inspiration comes from her roots in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where her Belgian father was killed during the Congo Crisis. Her Congolese mother and all the children were airlifted to Belgium, where she grew up in a household infused with Congolese culture but also in a society where there were few black people. Her first musical influences were African songs her mother sang, European music, especially French, and later blues, reggae and hip hop. In 1984, she returned to the Congo to learn about her heritage and trained in pygmy onomatopoetic techniques. First conceived of as an a capella quintet, Zap Mama has evolved to just Daulne's voice and instrumentation. Miss QN can be found on Zap Mama's 2004 CD Ancestry in Progress.

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.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zap_Mama

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

From Life to Death: Zap Mama and "De la Vie a la Mort"

Today's tune is by Zap Mama, the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Daulne sings in polyphonic and Afro-pop styles, infusing harmony with African vocal techniques, as well as throwing in some hip hop. Much of her musical inspiration comes from her roots in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where her Belgian father was killed during the Congo Crisis. Her Congolese mother and all the children were airlifted to Belgium, where she grew up in a household infused with Congolese culture but also in a society where there were few black people. Her first musical influences were African songs her mother sang, European music, especially French, and later blues, reggae and hip hop. In 1984, she returned to the Congo to learn about her heritage and trained in pygmy onomatopoetic techniques. First conceived of as an a capella quintet, Zap Mama has evolved to just Daulne's voice and instrumentation. This song, De la Vie a la Mort, can be found on Zap Mama's 2005 CD Sabsylma.

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.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zap_Mama; http://www.zapmama.com/

Something I Never Carry: Karim Baggili and "Pay Cash"

Today's random tune is by Belgian-Jordanian artist Karim Baggili. A composer and oud player, Baggili started with electric guitar at 16 but acquired an oud at the age of 20 after a visit to Jordan. He won first prize at the Open Strings festival in Germany in 2000. He is a regular performer in Belgium and abroad, and has released five albums. This song, Pay Cash, can be found on his 2010 album Léa & Kash.

Dreamworld: Aurélia and "Le Rêve de Hulluhuk"

Today's random tune is called Le Rêve de Hulluhuk (The Dream of Hulluhuk) and is performed by an eclectic folk band from Belgium called Aurélia. Aurélia is a trio that uses primarily violin, guitar and percussion but often you will hear other, more exotic instrumentation as a supplement in songs. Le Rêve de Hulluhuk can be found on their 2010 album The Hour of the Wolf.

Better than Barbie Girl: Pangea and "Mangbetu Girl"

Pangea brings us our random tune today, called Mangbetu Girl. 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.

Jackamo Fee Na Nay: Zap Mama and "Iko Iko"

Zap Mama re-imagines a New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian tune for today's random song. Zap Mama is the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Daulne sings in polyphonic and Afro-pop styles, infusing harmony with African vocal techniques, as well as throwing in some hip hop. Much of her musical inspiration comes from her roots in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where her Belgian father was killed during the Congo Crisis. Her Congolese mother and all the children were airlifted to Belgium, where she grew up in a household infused with Congolese culture but also in a society where there were few black people. Her first musical influences were African songs her mother sang, European music, especially French, and later blues, reggae and hip hop. In 1984, she returned to the Congo to learn about her heritage and trained in pygmy onomatopoetic techniques. First conceived of as an a capella quintet, Zap Mama has evolved to just Daulne's voice and instrumentation. This song, Iko Iko, can be found on Zap Mama's 1999 CD A Ma Zone.

Mortal Enemies: Pangea with "Water and Fire"

Our random tune today is called Water and Fire and is by Pangea. Pangea is a project of Dan Lacksman, a Belgian composer and sound engineer. He has 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. You can find Water and Fire on the 1996 album Pangea.

Not a Miscue: Zap Mama and "Miss QN"

Today's song is by Belgian artist Zap Mama, and is called Miss QN. Zap Mama is the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Daulne sings in polyphonic and Afro-pop styles, infusing harmony with African vocal techniques, as well as throwing in some hip hop. Much of her musical inspiration comes from her roots in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where her Belgian father was killed during the Congo Crisis. Her Congolese mother and all the children were airlifted to Belgium, where she grew up in a household infused with Congolese culture but also in a society where there were few black people. Her first musical influences were African songs her mother sang, European music, especially French, and later blues, reggae and hip hop. In 1984, she returned to the Congo to learn about her heritage and trained in pygmy onomatopoetic techniques. First conceived of as an a capella quintet, Zap Mama has evolved to just Daulne's voice and instrumentation. Miss QN can be found on Zap Mama's 2004 CD Ancestry in Progress.

Who Remembers Gondwanaland and Laurasia: Pangea and "Memories of Pangea"

Pangea brings us the random tune for today, titled Memories of Pangea. Pangea is a project of Dan Lacksman, a Belgian composer and sound engineer. He has 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. In fact, this video mixes those two projects- the music of Pangea combined with a video of Deep Forest. On the whole, Pangea was formed to make world music more accessible to European and American audiences. You can find Memories of Pangea on the 1996 album Pangea.

Yo Mama: Zap Mama and "Hello to Mama"

Yo mama is here. At least, the random tune for today is by Zap Mama, the music act of Belgian artist Marie Daulne. Daulne sings in polyphonic and Afro-pop styles, infusing harmony with African vocal techniques, as well as throwing in some hip hop. Much of her musical inspiration comes from her roots in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where her Belgian father was killed during the Congo Crisis. Her Congolese mother and all the children were airlifted to Belgium, where she grew up in a household infused with Congolese culture but also in a society where there were few black people. Her first musical influences were African songs her mother sang, European music, especially French, and later blues, reggae and hip hop. In 1984, she returned to Congo to learn about her heritage and trained in pygmy onomatopoetic techniques. First conceived of as an a capella quintet, Zap Mama has evolved to just Daulne's voice and instrumentation. This song Hello to Mama, can be found on Zap Mama's 2009 CD ReCreation.

Beware of the Dog: Cave Canem ! and "Le Renard"

When I first heard this band I was looking for world music with a theme - specifically, Megan wanted to do a global show with a theme of tricksters. Tricksters are common in many mythologies, and are often gods who have a wealth of knowledge and who use it to play tricks, wreak havoc and upset the normal balance of things. Examples of tricksters are legion, including coyote and raven in Native American mythologies, Eshu and Anansi in African mythologies, Saci in Brazil, Papa Legba in Haiti, Koshares among the Pueblo peoples, Loki among the Norse mythologies, and a myriad of others. Most of us of a certain age in the United States know of the African American stories of Br'er Rabbit, or his cousin Bugs Bunny, literary and popular culture tricksters.

In French folklore (and Dutch), the trickster figure Le Reynard is a popular figure - a peasant-hero archetype that continually butts heads and gets the better of the more noble animals such as the lion and the bear. In most cultures, we tend to admire the trickster who pulls down the pants of the high and mighty and gets away with it. We identify with these characters just as we can identify with a real-life character such as Banksy, who defy authority for years and never seem to get caught.

Today's song is about that sly fox. Le Renard is performed by Cave Canem !, a group from Brussels, Belgium that plays traditional folk with jazz and rock mixed in, with a hint of Swedish and mazourka and a bit of improvisation. I couldn't find a lot more about them. The name means "Beware of the Dog" but is also, according to the Urban Dictionary, a set of five or so sexual positions performed in order. (I bet that has spiced up your evening and sent you running to find out more!) Cave Canem !'s first album, Cave Canem !, was released in 2010. Le Renard is from their second album Kaïseki, released in 2013.