Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar, Golden Horns (Piranha Musik) Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar, Golden Horns (Piranha Musik), Boban Markovic and his son, prized protégé Marko, have managed the nigh-impossible: Leaping from a deeply rooted Roma (Gypsy) scene in Serbia, they have ignited hip club dancefloors, innovating effortlessly and integrating everything from jazz to disco in brilliant, organic ways. They sound authentic, yet utterly fresh. 06/12/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Choban Elektrik, Choban Elektrik (Self-Release) Choban Elektrik, Choban Elektrik (Self-Release), If a prog rock power trio had ever sprung up in the mountains of Albania, it would have sounded like Brooklyn’s key-powered Choban Elektrik. Using the vintage grit and funk of Hammonds and Fender Rhodes to open new facets of Albanian, Macedonian, Greek, and Armenian tunes, the band makes this unlikely pairing feel organic and obvious, thanks to their intense focus and anything-goes approach. 05/16/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Christiane D, Obliquity of the Ecliptic Christiane D, Obliquity of the Ecliptic, In Obliquity of the Ecliptic (OOTE), Christiane D has produced her first solo album. This collection of songs reaches into the very fabric of human experience; struggling to survive, falling from grace, or rising to the heavens. 02/28/12 >> more

Clara Ponty, Into the Light (Harmonia Mundi) Clara Ponty, Into the Light (Harmonia Mundi), Ponty’s glowing voice transforms her signature piano style on Into the Light (Harmonia Mundi; U.S. release: April 10, 2012), a bright tribute to happiness and the authenticity it demands. On hummable tracks—“Like a Dandelion” and “Sunshine” stand out—Ponty brings a gentle energy to upbeat, jazz-inflected ballads. Her voice floats over sunny brass, lively bass, and a distinctively nimble, smart touch on the keys. 04/10/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Del Castillo, Infinitas Rapsodias (Smilin' Castle Records) Del Castillo, Infinitas Rapsodias (Smilin' Castle Records), Del Castillo, which combines elements of Rock, Latin, Blues, Flamenco and World music in their amazing palette of sound, announces a March 13 release date for their new album, Infinitas Rapsodias, a special 2-disc set that also includes a 5-track bonus DVD, all shot in HD. Infinitas Rapsodias will be distributed in North America by Sony/RED and in Europe by their label and distribution partners, The Music Agents GbR (Blue Label) / Soul Food. The band will kick-off the new release with an extensive world-wide tour, beginning with a European series of shows starting on March 3 in Zurich, and ending in Berlin on March 25 03/13/12 >> more

Elin Furubotn, Heilt Nye Vei (Ozella Music) Elin Furubotn, Heilt Nye Vei (Ozella Music), Norwegian singer-songwriter Elin Furubotn hears an entire world in the tiny, delightful details: a turn of phrase drifting from the next café table over, the deep silence of a Scandinavian mountain forest, the fleeting passage of thoughts and play of sounds. 04/10/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Genticorum, On Tour Genticorum, On Tour, Three young players with deep ties to Quebecois music sail to Borneo and Egypt. As they travel, they tell wild stories of shrinking skirts and noble cats. They sing forgotten songs of old New France, of its log drives and lost rivers. They play dance numbers with their tongues and feet, and unwind trippy reels. 02/17/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Irene Jacob & Francis Jacob, Je Sais Nager (Sunnyside Records) Irene Jacob & Francis Jacob, Je Sais Nager (Sunnyside Records), They had known each other for decades; as siblings and life-long friends, Irène and Francis Jacob had shared games, Paris apartments, and an intense engagement with jazz, film, and philosophy. But one day, in the music room where their grandmother used to practice, they began making music together 05/08/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Kmang Kmang, Drifting (Self-Release) Kmang Kmang, Drifting (Self-Release), “The most important thing is that it’s viscerally powerful,” states Barmey Ung, the classically trained guitarist and composer behind Chicago’s avant acoustic rock collective, Kmang Kmang.“I don’t like to intellectualize things too much, and don’t like to attach meanings where there doesn’t have to be meanings. I just want the music to be aesthetically powerful.” 03/30/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Kottarashky and The Rain Dogs, Demoni (Asphalt Tango) Kottarashky and The Rain Dogs, Demoni (Asphalt Tango), Now, joined by a live crew of old friends and stellar Sofia musicians, The Rain Dogs, Gruev and company bring a new, crackling energy to Kottarashky’s ethno-mashups and rough-edged romps on Demoni (Asphalt Tango; release: June 12, 2012). 06/12/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Nazarenes, Meditation (I Grade Records) Nazarenes, Meditation (I Grade Records), The reggae music on the Nazarenes new album, Meditation, was born in the African-derived culture of Jamaica's downtown black communities. The producer, Laurent 'Tippy I' Alfred is from the nearby island of St Croix in the US Virgin Islands where social consciousness - in the form of Rastafarian spiritual belief - is still a guiding factor in music making. The artists, born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to a family that worked for Emperor Haile Selassie - he who Rastas believe is a divine figure - offer an almost miraculous confirmation to reggae fans of the special bond between Africa and the diaspora. 04/24/12 >> more

No Stranger Here (EarthSync) No Stranger Here (EarthSync), She listened, felt the common thread, and co-created No Stranger Here (EarthSync; U.S. release: February 14, 2012), a polyphonic, multifaceted tribute to love, earthly and divine. With Kabir as the binding tie, Rucker, Mudgal, and the Business-Class Refugees (led by veteran cross-cultural, genre-defying producers Patrick Sebag and Yotam Agam) render in lush sonic form the shared experience of alienation and longing. 02/14/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Occidental Gypsy, U.S. Tour Occidental Gypsy, U.S. Tour, Occidental Gypsy is pioneering the sound of Gypsy Pop. Their mélange of uptempo, high-energy rhythms of Gypsy, melded with the catchy melodic hooks of Pop delivers a thrilling auditory experience to listeners. 11/11/11 >> more

Raya Brass Band, Dancing on Roses, Dancing on Cinders (rayabrassband.com) Raya Brass Band, Dancing on Roses, Dancing on Cinders (rayabrassband.com), Raya Brass Band make accordions and tubas feral and sexy. From Russian bath denizens to usually staid city officials, their serpentine grooves inspired by Greek, Macedonian, Romany, and Serbian roots get everyone leaping, gyrating and causing a ruckus. 01/10/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Sarah Aroeste, Gracia (Aroeste Music) Sarah Aroeste, Gracia (Aroeste Music), That’s right: Feminist rock in Ladino. The Judeo-Spanish language born in the Middle Ages is the perfect vehicle for articulating an utterly contemporary sensuality, defiance, wisdom, and love. It’s a living language, a lively tradition heard in a generation of new voices from New York to Jerusalem. 05/22/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

SoSaLa, Nu World Trash (DooBeeDoo Records) SoSaLa, Nu World Trash (DooBeeDoo Records), SoSaLa fuses free jazz with world music, with a particular emphasis on the Persian influences that come from Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi's native Iran. On sax, Sohrab draws from his time playing with legends like Salif Keita and Ornette Coleman (whom he currently plays with on a regular basis in master classes), and Bachir Attar of the Master Musicians of JaJouka, as well as his time spent living in Switzerland, Germany, Japan, and now New York City. 03/06/12 >> more

The Mountain Music Project The Mountain Music Project, The CD entitled “The Mountain Music Project: A Musical Odyssey from Appalachia to Himalaya“ is a collaboration of the Nepali/Himalayan traditional music of the Gandharba, or musician caste, and the Bluegrass/Old Time musics of the Appalachian mountain region of the United States. The 15 tracks on the CD beautifully balance the two musics. About half are from the Himalayan tradition and half are songs from the Appalachian tradition with members of each community adding their own cultural history and musicianship 06/05/12 >> more

Zieti, Zemelewa (Grigri Discs) Zieti, Zemelewa (Grigri Discs), Now a decade removed from Abidjan's mellow beaches, after years of political turmoil and violence, and despite the players' radically different backgrounds, Zieti has done the impossible: make roots-rich music that sounds utterly fresh and organic. Undulating bass lines, bright vocal harmonies, glittering percussion, wailing organ and accordion, and a vintage vibe winking at the best of 70s Afrofunk, they all come together on Zemelewa (Grigri Discs; March 6, 2012) for a refreshing and passionate take on Ivorian tradition and the current state of Afropop. 03/06/12 >> more  Written by FlipSwitch icon

Written by FlipSwitch icon = Written by FlipSwitch, LLC
©2012 and beyond, FlipSwitch, LLC