STACK NZ Mar #71

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Songhoy Blues (Mali) If you love Saharan desert

a cracker: tracks like Soubour , Nick and Sekou Oumarou wouldn’t sound out of place on an early Black Keys album, yet the closing numbers Desert Melodie and Mali show that they have not forgotten their country’s musical traditions either. Let’s hope they find

(1995) – a cool blend of jazz, electronica and house – became a global smash. The follow-up Tourist was an even bigger hit with more than three million copies sold worldwide, but his latest album has found him stepping outside his comfort zone and exploring African music. RECOMMENDED LISTENING: St Germain (2015) While he’s not beats, St Germain brings his usual cool class to his first studio set in 15 years. Featuring traditional Malian instrumentation, standouts include the spiky desert blues of How Dare You and the sparkling kora-infused trip hop of Forget Me Not . the first person to blend African music with Western dance

blues artists such as Tinariwen and Etran Finatawa, then this Mali four-piece will be an essential WOMAD act. They’ve only released one record to date, Music In Exile (2015), but it’s

room in their live set for a few of their celebrated covers: as well as The Clash’s Should I Stay Or Should I Go , they also do an excellent version of the Led Zep classic Kashmir . St Germain (France) Ludovic Navarre has been a fixture of chill-out compilations since his St Germain debut Boulevard

CLOSERTO HOME… As usual, this year’sWOMAD boasts a sterling local line-up of artists. Here’s three shouldn’t miss.

Tiny Ruins and Bic Runga

even country skeptics should enjoy themsleves RECOMMENDED LISTENING: Don’t Be Afraid Pass The Gat Comprising of acclaimed singer-songwriters Warren Baker and Thomas Oliver, this is another local music summit that is likely to draw on both original material and unexpected covers. Baker and Oliver will also be playing solo at WOMAD, so try and find room in your schedule for those slots, too. RECOMMENDED LISTENING: Trinity Roots, Citizen ; The Thomas Oliver Band, Baby I’ll Play ; Louis Baker, Louie Baker EP Maxwell (Trinity Roots, Little Bushman), Louis

Both will be playing individual sets at the festival and neither will disappoint – it will be particularly interesting to see whether Runga will be previewing much from her upcoming new album. However, the two acts will also be doing a set together and if it’s anything like their shows last year, then you won’t want to miss it. As well as duetting on each other’s materials, expect covers of songs from artists such as Francoise Hardy, Fleetwood Mac and Simon & Garfunkel. RECOMMENDED LISTENING: Tiny Ruins, Brightly Painted One ; Bic Runga, Belle

Tami Neilson

With a well-drilled new band in tow, the cool retro sounds of our favourite country singer is just the ticket for WOMAD. Her raw but uplifting fourth studio album Don’t Be Afraid has lost none of its power to bring both a tear to the eye and a smile to the face, and with blues and gospel very much at the fore this time,

For more information visit www.womad.co.nz

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