World Network Series Vol. [1-35]

In the Western world, "World music" refers either to music that doesn't fall into the North American and British pop or folk traditions or to hybrids of various indigenous musics. Certain styles -- such as Jamaican reggae or Latin pop -- grew large enough to be classified as their own genre, but everything else, from traditional Chinese music to African folk, is classified as world music. Worldbeat is something different than world music, since it's usually the result of Western hybrids and fusions, yet it still falls under the world music umbrella because it borrows styles, sounds and instrumentation from various indigenous musics.

At the "end of the world" or, to be more exact, in the geographical center of Asia, between Siberia and Mongolia, lies the small republic of Tuva. We would still know nothing of Tuva, were it not for this strange and remarkable song, even admired by the overtone experts of the west! The phenomenal overtone or throat-singing, which the Tuvians evoke from their throats and vocal chords, is among the most astonishing vocal forms in the world. But what may appear to the listener as throat-artistry, (how can a person sing two vocal lines at the same time?), is the expression and reflection of the centuries-old nomadic life of the herders and cattle-breeders in the solitude of the steppes, the remote mountain valleys, or the Taiga forests. With digital recordings straight from Tuva and the excellent studio recordings made by the WDR (West German Radio and Television Network), this CD presents a fascinating spectrum of the Tuvinian art of the Ch??mej, in which the magical sounds of horse-head violins and the Jew’s harp, carry you away, heart and soul, into the vastness of the Tuvinian landscape. "The Tuva Ensemble is one of the most incredible vocal ensembles in the world. When they open their mouths, you hear notes that you never even knew existed. This music has an almost surreal quality." (Toronto Star) "Anyone interested in that extraordinary instrument, the human voice, can hardly get around these recordings from Tuva." (FolkRoots)

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl. Front Cover | 90 MB |

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World Network Vol. 22: Mexico: Raiz Viva

This is authentic Mexican folk music both old and new, featuring the virtuoso harp music of the Huicani trio who skilfully interweave Andalusian and African influences, Amparo Ochoa and Los Folkloristas who are the leading representatives of the nueva canci?n and guardians of the rich heritage of Indian and Black musical traditions, and Los Camperos whose violinist the German music press has hailed as "the mountain Paganini". On a wide range of guitar-like and other string instruments, percussion, flutes, violins and harps, and with exquisitely arranged vocals, the musicians on this album provide a hitherto unparalleled survey of Mexico’s vibrant music scene.

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl.Covers | 90 MB |

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World Network Vol. 23: Gambia:
Salam-New Kora Music

Tata Dindin, whose real name is Ebraima Jobarteh, is descended from the family which, for generations, has produced the greatest kora players. True mastery of the kora harp, revered in West Africa as "the instrument of kings", requires enormous technical skill. In Tata Dindin’s performance, "a microcosm of African traditions is woven on the loom of magical rhythms and meditative playing". (Journal Frankfurt) In his hands, the strings of the kora produce sounds so plaintively songlike that they really get under your skin. Tata Dindin’s breathtaking virtuosity, his gentle and emotively expressive voice and his original compositions based on ancient traditions have made him one of the country’s most popular musician and a youth idol. "Tata Dindin draws warm, clear tones from the gourd of his kora and packs his lyrics with messages to the young people of the world, uniting the audience in an experience that defies description." (Mainzer Rhein-Zeitung)

| MP3 256 kbps |

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World Network Vol.24 - The Alps :
Music from the Old World

The authenic Alpine music presented on this album has a rich tradition. No archive in the world has a collection of classic Alpine folk music to vie with that of the German broadcasting corporation WDR. Keyboards and kitsch have been eschewed on this album, which is intended to introduce listeners to the region’s wide range of styles, instruments and traditions. Alphorn players, yodellers and "Schwyzer?rgeli" (accordian) players, the most famous bands and the Appenzeller Space Sch?ttl with their rather tongue-in-cheek approach to the music of their homeland. At their Cologne gig, the Cittoller Tanzgeiger from Steiermark astonished the audience with some truly electrifying centuries-old music, while the Familie Engel from Tyrol have a distinctly Baroque chamber music sound. The sentimental songs of the Inntaler S?nger are subtly accompanied on the zither. And if you never knew a saxophone could yodel, just wait until you hear the jazzy Bavarian folk music of the Interpreten.

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | No Covers | 95 MB |

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World Network Vol. 25: Spain
Carmen Linares - Desde el alma - Cante Flamenco en vivo

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| EAC-APE - 260 MB | Full Cover Scans | MP3 320 Kbps - 120 MB |

TRACK LISTINGS

[01]. Fandangos De Huelva (Ya No VA Mi Nina)
[02]. Malaguenas Y Rondena (Ni A Trios)
[03]. Tangos (Por La Calle Vienen)
[04]. Seguiriyas (Sin Apelacion)
[05]. Romeras (De Que Te Sirve El Saber)
[06]. Martinetes (Por Que La Lunita Crece)
[07]. Tientos (Acordandome De Ti)
[08]. Cartagenera Y Taranta (Adonde Vamos Dios Mio)
[09]. Bulerias (A Mi Lucia)

Carmen Linares is widely acknowledged as the greatest living Flamenco singer. In Spain, where she has won many major competitions, including the Arte Flamenco, she is known as the Queen of Song. Her breathtakingly expressive voice vibrates with passion as she plumbs the dark depths and brilliant heights of the cante flamenco. Carmen Linares is accompanied by a percussionist and two guitarists who follow every nuance of her voice in the true Flamenco tradition, with an almost uncanny ability to anticipate each change of mood, however sudden or subtle. While Straight No Chaser, bible of the British acid jazz scene, claimed that "Linares has been the foremost exponent of Spain’s most intoxicating vocal style since 1968. There is an urgency and naked passion surrounding Carmen Linares’ work which defies all clichés"; this is how the London listings magazine Time Out put it: "She torques around the gaps of conventional diatonic tuning as a muezzin does. Her flamenco is so concentrated that you hear only music."

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World Network Vol. 26:
Russia: Road Of The Gypsies

This is Russian gypsy music performed with consummate mastery. Their sell-out Frankfurt concert, recorded on this album, prompted the leading German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to write: "Nobody wanted to let them leave the stage. Musicians through and through, they really gave everything in this concert. Virtuoso dances, gentle romances, melancholy minor keys and a capella song – Loyko know exactly how to draw out the very quintessence of musicianship. With sharp-witted irony, they interpret the musical treasures of Eastern Europe which have developed into an independent genre in Russia and have influenced Russian music. Loyko add their own special touch with some unique arrangements and skilful tempi." Another leading German daily, the Süddeutsche Zeitung, was no less enthusiastic: "With exquisite a capella singing the trio goes straight to the very soul of the audience."

| MP3 320 kbps | Incl. Covers | 120 MB |

[01]. All the Cards
[02]. Heyka
[03]. Vagabond
[04]. Telema
[05]. Korobochka
[06]. Turn and Spin
[07]. Smelka
[08]. Kumushka
[09]. Road of the Gypsies
[10]. Who Goes There
[11]. Brahms
[12]. Brothers in Law
[13]. Lautary
[14]. Gulya

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World Network Vol. 27: Syria
Hamza Shakkûr & Ensemble al-Kindî,
Takasim & Sufi Chants from Damaskus

The recordings of the Ensemble al-Kindî provide a rare opportunity of discovering authentic Arabian music. The songs and instrumental pieces combine inner tranquility with a sensuality of great beauty. Sheikh Hamza Shakkûr, leader of the Whirling Dervishes of Damascus, is a singer who draws deep upon the living tradition of the Sufi. Le Monde has hailed him as "the greatest interpreter of Syrian Sufi singing." The Ensemble al Kindî do more than accompany Shakkûr’s singing; they highlight his technical and artistic skills superbly. The brilliant flautist °bd al-Salâm Safar has profoundly influenced a whole generation of flautists. Adil Shams al-Dîn is regarded as Egypt’s leading classical percussionist. Julien Jalâl al-Dîn Weiss, from France, has made a name for himself in the Arab world and elsewhere as a virtuoso qanun (zither) player.

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps kbps | Incl.Covers | 90 MB |

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World Network Vol. 28: Afghanistan:
A Journey To An Unknown Musical World

Shortly before Afghanistan was struck by the disaster of a war which has all but extinguished the country’s traditional musical culture, a team from the German broadcasting corporation WDR travelled the length and breadth of the land, making 200 individual recordings and documenting the vast diversity of local and regional styles. As the most detailed musical documentation ever to have been conducted in Afghanistan, it has saved the country’s musical heritage from total oblivion. Afghanistan’s musical styles are as diverse and fascinating as the many different ethnic groups who inhabit this country of contrasts. Through the centuries, at the crossroads of major cultures, Afghanistan has developed not only a virtuoso singing tradition, but also a highly sophisticated string instrumental style and exciting percussion styles. From the vast collection of the WDR archives, we have selected some of the most heart-rending ballads, the most trance-like violin and percussion cycles and the most bluesy call-and-response vocals.

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | No Covers | 100 MB |

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World Network Vol. 29 Senegal,
Yandé Codou Sène & Youssou N'Dour

With this CD, Network presents a world premiere in more than one sense. Sensational recordings of two of Africa’s great voices: Youssou N’Dour, according to Peter Gabriel "the most beautiful voice in the world", and Yandé Codou Sène, the diva of the Serer people, whose music has never been documented before. It has always been Youssou N’Dour’s dream to record with his idol. So it was hardly surprising that this connoisseur and fan of the WorldNetwork series immediately grasped the opportunity of inviting her to join him at the studio in Dakar for this truly historic meeting. We hear traditional songs by the praise singer of the former Senegalese president Leopold Sedar Senghor together with her choir, accompanied by drummers and the local riti fiddle. Even Youssou N’Dour was overwhelmed by the impromptu polyphonic music of the Serer women to which he responded with a praise song to the singer he had first heard as a child on the radio and who had inspired him ever since. The highlight of the recording is their intensely beautiful and poignant duet. "There is no alternative, we must return to the sources of our culture," Youssou N’Dour told us after the recordings. He presents these sources to us not only through his own compositions in traditional style, but also through his instrumental soli, and the percussion rhythms of Dakar’s finest drummers.

| MP3 128 kbps | Incl.Covers | 55 MB |

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World Network Vol.30 - Cuba,
El Camino De La Salsa

With this CD, Network presents a world premiere in more than one sense. Sensational recordings of two of Africa’s great voices: Youssou N’Dour, according to Peter Gabriel "the most beautiful voice in the world", and Yandé Codou Sène, the diva of the Serer people, whose music has never been documented before. It has always been Youssou N’Dour’s dream to record with his idol. So it was hardly surprising that this connoisseur and fan of the WorldNetwork series immediately grasped the opportunity of inviting her to join him at the studio in Dakar for this truly historic meeting. We hear traditional songs by the praise singer of the former Senegalese president Leopold Sedar Senghor together with her choir, accompanied by drummers and the local riti fiddle. Even Youssou N’Dour was overwhelmed by the impromptu polyphonic music of the Serer women to which he responded with a praise song to the singer he had first heard as a child on the radio and who had inspired him ever since. The highlight of the recording is their intensely beautiful and poignant duet. "There is no alternative, we must return to the sources of our culture," Youssou N’Dour told us after the recordings. He presents these sources to us not only through his own compositions in traditional style, but also through his instrumental soli, and the percussion rhythms of Dakar’s finest drummers.

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl.Covers | 115 MB |

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World Network Vol. 31,
Corsica: Sardinia: The Mystery Of Polyphony

This CD presents the miracle of the unique vocal tradition and compelling choral arrangements of Corsica and Sardinia. On both these islands, a unique choral tradition has developed over the centuries. The repertoire includes religious songs, folk songs, love songs, shepherd’s songs, and madrigals from several centuries. The polyphonic singing of Sardinia and Corsica is virtually unknown in the rest of Europe. An article in the leading German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung described this music as an "infinite wonder of tonal beauty and archaic phrasing" and went on to claim that "the musical development often has something of the majestic architectural quality of a liturgical chant." The collection presents Sardinia’s five leading choirs, collected during a WDR recording tour, and the launneddas playing of Luigi Lai. The Tenores di Bitti, currently recording in Peter Gabriel’s Realworld-Studios, were greatly admired by none other than Frank Zappa. The revival of traditional culture by Canta u Populu Corsu & A Filleta has contributed towards a new Corsican self-awareness. The five singers of Donnisulana, outstanding soloists of Corsican polyphonic music, are the islands’ only female choir.

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl.Covers | 100 MB |

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World Network Vol. 32 Scotland,
Tunes from the Lowlands, Highlands & Islands

This CD takes the listener on a journey through the various musical traditions presented regularly by the Scottish Folk Festival. "A healthy blend of living tradition and lust for adventure" was how the Berliner Morgenpost described this festival whose tours of Germany get longer and longer, playing to capacity halls and recorded, of course, by WDR. We have selected some of the highlights and added a few further recordings: Hebridean songs by Catherine-Ann MacPhee whose poignant and powerful voice goes straight to the heart; the sheer genius of Phil Cunningham, one of the finest accordion players alive; Coelbeg’s contemporary interpretations of folk music, and the ethereally enigmatic sound of the harp duo Sileas. "The concentrated talent of the Poozies," enthused the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, "opens up a whole world of beauty and commitment and is bound to bring them international recognition as a major female group." The sensational duo Catriona MacDonald & Ian Lowthian have developed a strictly structured chamber music based on the fiddle music of the Shetland islands. Ishbel MacAskill presents Gaelic songs with solemn dignity. Urbn Ri really can set feet tapping to any tune. Finally, historical recordings of legendary fiddler Aly Bain and Dick Gaughan, round off this Network CD’s presentation of major highlights in Scottish music.

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | No Covers | 95 MB |

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World Network Vol. 33: Iran,
Nowruz - Traditional & Classical Music

The stunning performance presented by vocal virtuoso Sharam Nazeri for the New Year festival of "Nowruz" is widely acknowledged by connoisseurs as his finest recording. Even as a young man, he was called to meetings of the Sufi brotherhood to recite the texts of the great Sufi poets. The extraordinary beauty of his voice and the vibrant warmth of his song never fail to enchant his audience. Nazeri is one of the great masters of classical song, who also likes to perform folk songs of Kurdistan or weave elements of Kurdistani music into classical Persian compositions. Together with Nazeri, an ensemble of eight outstanding musicians took the stage at the Gürzenich concert venue in Cologne to play to a capacity audience. Headed by the virtuoso tar lute player Hossein Alizadeh, they celebrated a truly fantastic sound on stringed instruments, flutes and drums, creating an electrifying atmosphere.

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | No Covers | 105 MB |

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World Network Vol. 34 Rajasthan,
Music from the Desert Nomads

In the rugged wastes of the Thar desert, there is an extremely rich and diverse folk tradition of performing arts. Yet the music and dance of this region is virtually unknown in the western world. The members of the Kohinoor Langa Group belong to a caste of musicians that has shaped the musical landscape of Asia for centuries. The focus is on vocal soli of astonishing virtuosity, including highly professional performances by a boy of only twelve, irresistible percussion rhythms and lyrical sarangi string passages. The sheer plasticity of the musical texture brings the lyrics vividly to life in the mind’s eye, and the listener can easily imagine the magnificent beauty of an opulently ornamented camel, the deep yearning of a woman whose man is far away, or the boundless joy of a wedding celebration.

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl.Front Cover | 105 MB |

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World Network Vol. 35 Bali,
A Suite of Tropical Music and Sounds

From time to time, the WDR recording team travels to far-away countries to undertake a comprehensive documentation of musical styles which are threatened with extinction. These have included the highly lauded World Network recordings of the music of Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Tuva. Recently, the WDR team spent several months on Bali, and brought back some previously little known rarities from this beautiful island whose cultural heritage is vast and varied. The recordings include the hypnotic sounds of processional music, midnight concerts of cicadas and frogs, almost forgotten flute and jaws-harp music, the evocative vocals of the "Wayang Kulit" shadow theatre, and the famous ketchak (huge vocal ensembles who sing themselves into a trance). These are recordings of virtuoso ensembles capable of a truly incredible wealth of nuances on every instrument and in every vocal style. We hear flirt- dances, inimitable scat-song, bamboo flutes, and recordings from the fertility temple of Pejang. This CD delves deep into the endless cosmos of Balinese music, which most Europeans have hitherto associated only with gong and gamelan.

| MP3 VBR H.Q kbps | Incl.Covers | 110 MB |

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