PRI’s The World presents the Global Hit, a daily spotlight on international musical artists or trends. Created by The World’s Marco Werman, the Global Hit features interviews with musicians, critics and deejays around the globe. He is also one of the curators of the South By Southwest Musical Festival (SXSW) – “All Music Is World Music.” Subscribe and follow:
Global Hit
Top DJ Music Picks of 2011
The World’s guest DJs from around the globe for their favorite music picks of 2011.
Home of the Calypso King
The birthplace of calypso music is our focus for the Geo Quiz: The island we’re looking for is the fifth largest in the West Indies.
Serbian Band Repetitor Performs in Kosovo
It may have been the first time a Serbian band performed in Pristina since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999.
A Russian Protest Song
An alternative newspaper asked protesters to say a word that best describes the day. It recorded those responses and set it to music by a Russian’s 80s band Kino.
A Turkish Song About Visa Hurdles
A Turkish musician decided to tackle the matter with humor and wrote a song about the visa hurdles.
Chinese Band Haya
The band “Haya” sings songs about nature and the Mongolian grasslands in its new album “Migration.”
Vintage Recordings of Colombian Cumbia
The recordings come from 78s, 45s and LPs that record collector Will Holland found while scouring bins in Colombia.
Soul Singer Michael Kiwanuka
Kiwanuka’s music is steeped in the earnest soul ballads that dominated radio airwaves in the 1970s.
‘The Gugulethu Tenors’ Are South Africa’s Latest Musical Sensation
Four young men from a small township have become South Africa’s newest musical sensations.
Concert Raises Money to Support Music Project for Children in Japan
A benefit concert held recently in Los Angeles helped raise money for students in Japan whose instruments were lost or destroyed in the earthquake and tsunami in March.
‘Opika Pende’ – Weaving the 78-RPM Magic Again
The Dust-to-Digital label is at the forefront of a new school of record labels that scours the world’s music bins to discover, polish and bring to light forgotten music.
Locos por Juana, from Colombia, via Miami
Miami, catch-basin of creativity from the Americas: The World’s Marco Werman profiles the band Locos por Juana, from Colombia, via Miami.
Burma’s Pop Music Industry
Pop music is alive and well in Burma. Ethnomusicologist Heather MacLachlan spent a couple of years studying and speaking to many of the people working the Burmese music industry. She’s written about it in her new book, “Burma’s Pop Music Industry” and speaks to host Lisa Mullins.
Ivorian Reggae Singer Tiken Jah Fakoly
The former president of Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo has gone to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. One of his biggest critics, Ivorian reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly, has a new album out with several choice songs for this moment.
Tuareg Guitarist Omara Bombino Moctar and ‘Agadez’
Zambian DJ Mannasseh Phiri tells us about a recent CD by Tuareg guitarist Omara Bombino Moctar. Bombino is from Agadez, Niger and his latest release is called “Agadez.”
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