globalFEST Selector

Ostensibly a sampler of the live programming presented at an annual one-night festival GlobalFEST held in New York City as well as other satellite events, this 12-track musical omnibus is as wide-ranging as the event itself. Thus in the first three tracks we get the Moroccan groove of sintir player and singer Hassan Hakmoun followed by the futuristic Latin funk of M.A.K.U. Soundsystem and the aptly named Brooklyn Qawwali Party. From there, things jump off to the genre-bending music of France’s Lo’ Jo to the Mauritanian desert soul of Noura Mint Seymali to the modern Mongolian folk of Namgar to the New Orleans funk of Stooges Brass Band. The agenda is simple: promote great music by lesser-known (outside of their homeland) artists who come from all points on the globe. Regardless of the point of origin, you’ll hear beautiful melodies and/or rich harmonies, driving beats and/or grooves, inspiring voices and/or dazzling musicianship. The real bonus, however, is that everything here is unavailable elsewhere, making it treat for music fans both knowledgeable and neophyte.