Speed Caravan - Kalashnik Love (Real World Records)
Live (yours truly saw them play at the most recent edition of Festival Mundial) the coffee Speed Caravan served was just a little too strong for our taste, but on CD their Arabic-inspired punk rock, topped up with a hint of electro, did captivate our attention.
Adama Yalomba - Kassa (Makasound)
"Collaborer par si, par la.
Branko Galoic & Skakavac Orkestar - Skakavac (Self-published)
Branko Galoic is a Croatian singer-songwriter from Zagreb who, in the aftermath of the conflict in former Yugoslavia, relocated to Amsterdam.
Mulatu Astatke - New York + Addis + London, The Story Of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975 (Strut Records)
When Jim Jarmusch decided to use the music of Mulatu Astatke for his film 'Broken Flowers' back in 2005, he inadvertently reignited the career of this veteran Ethiopian musician.
!Deladap - Sara La Kali (Chat Chapeau)
In Belgium !Deladap isn't a household name yet, but in Germany, Austria and Hungary they are regarded as the absolute top in their genre.
Various Artists - Gilles Peterson presents Havana Cultura, New Cuba Sound (Brownswood Recordings)
In the wake of Ry Cooder, Gilles Peterson also travelled to Cuba and, with the help of pianist Roberto Fonseca (ex-Buena Vista), gathered a number of talented rookies around him.
Rupa & The April Fishes - Este Mundo (Cumbancha)
Yours truly wasn't exactly over the moon with 'Extraordinary Rendition', the debut effort by Rupa & The April Fishes.
Mitsoura - Dura Dura Dura (Hangveto)
Among Gypsy musicians Hungarian Monika 'Mitsou' Miczura has already acquired quite a reputation as she is regarded as one of the best Gypsy voices in the world.
Mikea - Taholy (Contre Jour)
With Mikea, Contre Jour finally signed a musician from Madagascar.
Don Tomasino & Tutti Quanti - L'Assodicori (Via Lactea Records)
For your convenience, we are going to call Don Tomasino & Tutti Quanti, a ragtag bunch from Lille, the French answer to Roy Paci & Aretuska, and we definitely don't mean that in a condescending way.
Kottarashky - Opa Hey! (Asphalt Tango Records)
The debut album of Bulgarian techie Kottarashky (born Nikola Gruev) is vaguely reminiscent of the music Deep Forest did for their second album 'Boheme' for which Michel Sanchez and Eric Mouquet found their inspiration in the Balkans.
Various Artists - Tumbélé: Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds From The French Caribbean, 1963-74 (Soundway Records)
'Tumbélé: Biguine, Afro & Latin Sounds From The French Caribbean, 1963-74' takes the listener to the French West Indies (Guadeloupe and Martinique), where in the sixties and early seventies of the last century, tumbélé reigned supreme.
Zeep - People & Things (Crammed Discs)
Zeep is a joint effort of Nina Miranda, who previously sang for English band Smoke City, and Chris Frank, known from Da Lata and that same Smoke City.
Los Impagaos - No Lo Intenten En Casa (Ventilador Music)
Nice album cover, but, as yet another offering from the ever expanding musica mestiza family, Los Impagaos ("the unpaid") remain somewhat in the shadow of their bigger brothers and sisters.
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba - I Speak Fula (Out Here Records)
If you know the ngoni was traditionally only used in a seated position, you can imagine the reactions of the Malian crowd when Bassekou Kouyate decided to play his solo standing up one day, hereby taking a central position on stage.
Mahala Raï Banda - Ghetto Blasters (Asphalt Tango Records)
When Mahala Raï Banda presented its eponymous debut album, a musical experiment for which violinist Aurel Ionita united the instruments of the taraf with that of the brass bands, to the world back in 2004, it became an instant hit.
Katzenjammer - Le Pop (Nettwerk)
The award for the most original band name this month goes to the Norwegian girls quartet Katzenjammer (German for "cat's wail").
Kimi Djabate - Karam (Cumbancha)
Yours truly is constantly on the lookout for fun novelties in world music and the Cumbancha label now lends us a hand with their sub-label Cumbancha Discovery meant to offer a platform to "exceptional emerging talents in international music".
Kasba - Darna (LC Music) + Marockin' Brass & Luc Mishalle - Zazzat (Met-X)
This month two Maghrebi-inspired albums landed in our mailbox almost simultaneously and remarkably enough both are efforts by Benelux-based bands.
Lariba - Como Lo Ves (Ventilador Music)
Lariba is a seven-man band operating out of Zürich in Switzerland and describing their music as "fresh urban Latin music" with each band member adding his own elements to the mix.