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
Singing the Song of the Nubian Diaspora
Many of the sons, daughters and grandchildren of the displaced Nubian generation are scattered around the world. Recently, some told their cultural story at a Nubian arts revival in the US.
Hüsnü Şenlendirici: Turkish Clarinetist Crosses Musicial Borders
Clarinetist Hüsnü Şenlendirici is famous in his native Turkey for connecting different musical styles. Recently, he’s been exploring the connection between Turkish and Arabic music.
Elephant9: Progressive Jazz-Rock from Norway
Our DJ pick today comes courtesy of Marius Asp of NRK in Oslo, Norway. He tells us about the latest release from Norwegian jazz-rock band Elephant9. Their album is called “Atlantis.”
Electronic Pow Wow with ‘A Tribe Called Red’
A Tribe Called Red is a Native American DJ collective and they host one of the hottest club nights in Ottawa. They mix electronic dubstep beats with traditional pow wow singing and drumming with a dose of politics.
Spain’s Serrat & Sabina: A Music Appreciation by Betto Arcos
Betto Arcos tells us about two Spanish singers he’s been a fan of for a long time: Joan Manuel Serrat and Joaquin Sabina. Their latest record together is called “La Orquesta del Titanic.”
Della Mae Bluegrass in Pakistan
The Bluegrass group Della Mae brings American down-home music to Pakistan and Central Asia.
Ahmed Gallab’s Sinkane: Searching for Sudanese Roots
Ahmed Gallab was born in Sudan and raised in the US. In his early 20s he gained a measure of indie-rock fame playing with groups such as Of Montreal and Yeasayer. But it’s his solo project Sinkane that seems to be drawing him back to his African roots.
Optimism and Female Power from Kenya Trumpeter Christine Kamau
Guest DJ Mannasseh Phiri tells us about an exciting new trumpet player from Kenya named Christine Kamau. Her debut album is called “This is For You”.
The Amazing: Sweden’s Supergroup from Stockholm
The Amazing have been dubbed by the Swedish press as a Swedish supergroup. Band members think otherwise, but they admit they’re all good musicians and great friends too.
Soosan Firooz: Afghanistan’s First Female Rapper
Soosan Firooz is a female rapper in Afghanistan whose life has been threatened by extremists. Despite these threats she has the support of her family and says she will keep on singing. Anchor Aaron Schachter tells us more.
Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto Play to a Traditional Cumbia Beat
Reporter Betto Arcos tells us about the “gaita”, an indigenous wooden flute played along Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and the popular band called Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto.
Nelly Furtado’s ‘The Spirit Indestructible’ Draws Inspiration from Africa, the Arab Spring and More
Canadian singer Nelly Furtado has a new album out called “The Spirit Indestructible.” Furtado tells anchor Lisa Mullins that the songs on the album were inspired by a trip to Africa, the Arab Spring and more.
Terakaft: The Next Generation of Mali’s Desert Bluesmen
Mali has been split into two for the past few months, ever since rebels took over the northern part of the country. One casualty has been Mali’s previously vibrant music scene. Reporter Mirissa Neff spoke about the situation with members of Terakaft, a music group that hails from Mali’s north.
Heavy Metal in Post-Mubarak Egypt
Heavy metal musicians and fans have it rough in Egypt. They’re viewed with suspicion and skepticism by many Egyptians. Now Egypt’s metal heads wonder where they stand in the new Egypt, as Noel King reports from Cairo.
Electropop from Sweden’s Niki and the Dove
Norwegian DJ Marius Asp spins a few tracks from the debut album Swedish band “Niki and the Dove.” The group from Stockholm plays “electropop”, or indie electronic music.
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