The Rough Guide to World Party (2007)

«The Rough Guide to World Party is the perfect soundtrack to some of the world’s most spectacular festivals and celebrations. From the swinging jazz of New Orleans Mardi Gras to the African blues of the Festival in the Desert, and from the driving samba rhythms of Brazil ‘s Rio Carnival, to Pushkar’s amazing camel fair, this release features a stunning selection of tracks from the critically acclaimed Rough Guide series.

Artists include - Conjunto Imagen, Chichi Peralta Y Son Familia, Moises Santana, Canal, Lopez Walker, Tinariwen, Mohammed Issa Matona, E.T. Mensah, Musafir Diego Carrasco, Deaf Shepherd, Ringsgwandl, The Prodigals and Dr. Michael White.» (Amazon)

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Movers! A collection of greasy soul, sleaze funk, psychedelic cumbia, fuzzy jazz and more... (2006)

«Greasy soul takes on a rather visual meaning with Andre Williams demanding his “chicken thighs” (“I’d give my right eye for a thigh, ‘coz I’m a greedy greedy man”) in Vampisoul’s Movers. And the food theme continues in “Soul Butter” and there are other rarities here some people would chew their right arm off for.

This is real dirty soul: some of the production is appalling, raw, untouched, and it’s precisely this which gives the finishing touch to the energy, the raw soul energy.

You’ll hear horn lines lifted straight from James Brown (Nathaniel Mayer’s “I Want Love and Affection” in all its fuzzy gloriousness), Lucho Macedo’s version of Tito Puente’s “Guayaba” has a Santanaesque solo of epic proportions and The Soul Survivors version of Otis Redding’s “Respect” is glorious (apart from the ridiculous and highly annoying whistle noises).

The fuzziness reaches levels you rarely come across and the whole collection demands massive respect for Vampisoul for yet again pulling some classics out of the vaults. Twenty-three Spanish and American filthy soul tracks to get you going.» (Fly)

Vampisoul’s website: http://www.vampisoul.com/

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Putumayo Presents: Nuevo Latino (2004)

«This is the perfect chill disc to throw in your musical rotation. A mix and match grab bag of musical styles with one common thread; it's in a Latin groove. The artists span the globe which is what one comes to expect from Putumayo. The styles of music run the gamut of Latin exotica but with an edge of electronica that results in world beats with a modern attitude. It is very exciting to hear traditional music getting a musical makeover; it is music steeped in tradition with wings for the future. There are long established artists like Jarabe de Palo, Aterciopelados, Los de Abajo and Sergent Garcia but there is much more. Lesser known but not necessarily less talented artists abound for your discovery. Hey! That is what Putumayo is all about, discovery of cool music from elsewhere. Speaking of cool, all these tracks are way cool, especially "Mi Negra" which has that Manu Chao Clandestino multi-layered, percussive lush sound, punctuated by horns and quirkiness, the reggae-Cuban flavored "Original" by Kana and "El Indio" by Los de Abajo, which has a modern tropical feel to it and the ever-lovely voice of Andrea Echeverri from Aterciopelados on "Manana," where she invokes an electronica-driven sambaesque beat that has a retro-futuristic vibe that is pure nirvana. This is good music for relaxing late night and finishing off a good night, or anytime, for that matter. Highly recommended for world music aficionados.» (Amazon)

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Radu's Summer Songs - Vol. 3

...and here's the third (and last). Have a nice summer!

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Radu's Summer Songs - Vol. 2

Here's the second volume of my summer collection. Enjoy!

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Radu's Summer Songs - Vol. 1

Hello everybody!

As I’m about to leave for a holiday, this site won’t be updated the next few weeks. All Babe(b)logue archives are open, so I warmly invite you to browse’em and see if you overlooked something interesting. But I have a final “gift” for you all: a 3-volume-3 collection of my favourite summer songs, featuring artists like Peter Hammill, Tarika, Leningrad Cowboys, Radu (yeah, that’s me!!!), Erkin Koray, Gladys Moreno, Sambasunda, Ginkobiloba, Osibisa, Roy Paci & Aretuska, Govi, In Gowan Ring, Celtas Cortos, Ali Hassan Kuban, Malicorne, Idir, Albion Country Band, Mojave 3, Thin White Rope, AltaiKai, Alpha Blondy, Tinariwen, Marc Ribot, Men at Work, Fenua, Oroonies, 24 Grana, and many more…

Here’s the first volume, the other two will follow soon. Enjoy!

Radu

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Putumayo Presents: World Reggae (2004)

Reggae's infectious and adaptable one-drop shuffle rhythm, coupled with the music's tendency to deal with social and political issues, has made it a popular genre for musicians worldwide, and when combined with pop and hip-hop elements, has made for some fascinating hybrids. This Putumayo collection reflects both the diversity and the unified cohesiveness of these reggae-based forms, and makes a fascinating introduction to reggae in the 21st century. The disc opens with the bright-sounding "Pas de Problemes" by the French group Kana, which features some solid and efficient Jamaican-inspired horn work. Nigeria's Majek Fashek drops bits of highlife into the reggae stew with the Bob Marley-like "African Unity," while the French group Gnawa Diffusion fuses rap, rai, reggae, jazz, and funk into a patchwork quilt version of "Ya Laymi." The Welsh/Spanish conglomeration known as Mas y Mas adds a dose of Celtic fiddles to the mix on "Agua." French Guiana's Chris Combette (who sings "it's a rastaphobe world" in his selection, "Babylone Buildings") draws on East Indian elements, including an impressive sitar break, played here by Mungel Patasar. Perhaps the biggest name on this compilation, the Ivory Coast's Alpha Blondy, sings "Lalogo" in the Bambara language, a track that was recorded at the legendary Tuff Gong studio in Jamaica. As a sampler of the ever evolving international reggae community, World Reggae opens a wide window into some fascinating new music. (AMG)

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Buona Pasqua!

Surprise, surprise...!

A mega compilation in two volumes to celebrate the first three months of Babe(b)logue!

A chance for all newcomers to discover which kind of music you may find on this blog, and for all veterans to find out something interesting you might have overlooked.

This is not a personal "Best of", nor an exhaustive survey. It's rather like a city map with many road names missing, but nevertheless useful (I hope) to find out where the railway station is, and where the nearest toilets...

Well, here's the tracklist:

1. *"&%&£/"/ - HF))£)£)£) (£UJdh
2. G&£Y)O)IOJSi993 - ^^??PKI""
3. Hey, it's a surprise! :)

This giant Ukrainian Easter Egg (pysanka) was built in 1975 in Vegreville, Canada by (then) Univ. Utah Computer Science Professor Ronald Resch. The Vegreville Pysanka was the first physical structure completely designed with computer-aided geometric modeling software.

Children attending the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, Washington, D.C., 1958.

Lego Easter Egg, Italy

Carl Gustavovich Fabergé, Moscow Kremlin Egg, 1906

Nice holidays to you all!
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