May 2009 at World Village features the beautiful album Plateau by Tibet's Soname. In an astonishing tale of triumph over adversity, related in her popular autobiography "Child of Tibet - The Story of Soname's Flight to Freedom" (Piatkus Books, 2007), Soname crossed the Himalayas with a group of monks in order to escape a life of servitude. She reached Northern India and later arrived in England, where she worked cleaning houses before her incredible voice was finally discovered. Plateau is a heartfelt, absorbing collection of songs about Soname's lost homeland, with music that conjures images of the Tibetan landscape.

"something really new and exciting...an exhilarating mix of melodic invention and rhythmic drive... a delightfully innovative album from a promising singer." - Songlines



Catalonian vocalist Marina Rossell returns this May with a new live recording, Al Gran Teatre del Liceu, which she has announced will be her final album of traditional Catalan repertoire, leaving her free to explore other projects. The concert was recorded in the theatre of the same name in Barcelona, on the Catalonian holiday of la Diada, September 11 2008. The performance was complemented by guest musicians such as Kepa Junkera and Iberian Percussion Orchestra Coetus, and the album includes 23 lovely tracks.

"Rossell is a chanteuse in the grand, emotive style of Edith Piaf. " - Rootsworld

This month, World Village welcomes the Culture Musical Club of Zanzibar, with their new album Shime!. The latest from Zanzibar's most prolific and successful orchestra, Shime! is a slinky collection of taarab numbers in the group's marked Swahili style, contrasted with the rhythms of the kidumbak. The Club was first a youth organization under the name Shime Kuokoana, which means "a call to preserve something which is about to be lost"; the Zanzibar revolution in 1964 brought about the current name, under the ruling Afro-Shirazi Party. The group has since toured internationally and has established a name for themselves around the world.

"A deep and seductive mix of Arabic, African and Indian ingredients... the result is often hypnotic in the opiate sense, a slow, luxurious drift... Brilliant stuff." - fRoots



The two oud playing members of North African fusion group DuOud are Tunisia's Jean-Pierre Smadja and Algeria's Mehdi Haddab, known for their previous projects Smadj, and Evoko and Speed Caravan, respectively. The duo combine their North African roots with contemporary French music, blending break beats, heavy metal and surf rock guitar with electronic grooves. They were nominated for the Best Newcomer award in the 2003 BBC Music Awards, with their debut album Wild Serenade. Their World Village debut, Ping Kong, is an uninhibited dance of tradition and the future, featuring guest turns by Cyril Atef from Bumcello, and Malouma.

Tinariwen tour the U.S. in April 2009, featuring the group's first major U.S. festival concert on April 18 at Coachella. The tour includes stops in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Tinariwen are currently in the UK performing with folk/electronica group Tuung, and play a prominent role in the new Al Jazeera documentary Music of Resistance. The taureg group's breakthrough album Aman Iman has also been reissued on vinyl this year, along with the release of their first live concert dvd, Live in London.

Chango Spasiuk promotes his latest album Pynandí (Los Descalzos) in the U.S. this spring as well, with dates in March and April. Highlights are appearances at Carnegie Hall on March 27 and The Getty Center in Los Angeles on April 4 and 5, as well Yoshi's in San Francisco on April 9.



To see tour dates by artist, click here.