The past twelve months have offered a rich tapestry of worldwide releases that defied expectations. Presenting a selection of ten exceptional albums that defined the year in music.
The concept of a 40-minute, uninterrupted piece built on insistent percussion may not appear the most approachable musical proposition. But, south Asian drummer and composer Sarathy Korwar converts this persistent pulse into a strangely alluring work. Leading an group of three drummers, Korwar creates a dense percussive language across the record's 10 movements. The work references minimalist concepts from Steve Reich as well as traditional Indian musical phrasing, each grounded in the repetition of a continual, driving refrain. The longer one listens, this refrain begins to emulate the trance-inducing cycles of devotional music, drawing the listener deeper into Korwar's singular percussive realm.
Following an long absence, Arab vocalist and composer Yasmine Hamdan makes a comeback with a melancholy album of songs. The work builds upon the Arabic-sung, dub-influenced aesthetic that established her as a fixture in the region's indie music scene since the 1990s. Hamdan's vocal delivery is soft and ruminative, singing soft melodies over the string arrangements of a track like Hon and the rumbling trip-hop beat of Vows. For more upbeat numbers such as Shadia and Abyss, she uses a trembling, yearning vibrato over electronic lines with North African flavors and rattling electronic percussion. The production is minimal and understated, yet this austerity provides the ideal environment for Hamdan's expressive compositions to shine through. The album proves to be well worth the long anticipation.
From Mexico producer Debit specializes in haunting reworkings of historical sounds. On her new album, Desaceleradas, she turns her attention to the 90s style of cumbia rebajada – a slowed, dub-inflected interpretation of the rhythmic Latin American dance genre. Debit slows this sound even further, processing its characteristic synths and syncopated rhythm via sheets of murk and hiss to produce a novel, menacing rhythm. Sometimes atmospheric and discomfiting, Debit morphs the exuberant dancefloor sound of cumbia into a enduring, ethereal echo.
Sheer intensity is the key term for the music of São Paulo producer Kaique Vieira, also known as DJ K. Coining his own genre of "bruxaria" (witchcraft), Vieira piles a onslaught of alarms, explosive bass tones and shouted lyrics over the classic Brazilian genre of baile funk. This recreates the driving sound of urban celebrations. On his follow-up release, Radio Libertadora!, Vieira ramps up the ferocity, incorporating everything from techno kick drums to the sound of the Islamic call to prayer into his chaotic bruxaria mix. The result is a notably frenetic and punishingly loud forty-minute listening experience. Surrender to the assault and Vieira's unapologetic productions become unexpectedly liberating.
Religious vocalist Mohinder Kaur Bhamra's early-80s release of disco beats and Punjabi folk melodies is a rediscovered gem. Recorded by her son, music producer Kuljit Bhamra, Punjabi Disco's ten tracks present an remarkably captivating blend of the sharp sound of electronic keyboards and drum machines with her ornate classical Indian vocal technique. Drum machine patterns mirrors the rolling tones of the traditional drums, while synthesiser melody doubles the traditional sound of the harmonium on tracks such as Pyar Mainu Kar. At other times, Latin-inflected grooves is prominent on Soniya Mukh Tera, and Nainan Da Pyar De Gaya boasts a driving funky bass rhythm. It's a dancefloor fusion pioneered more than ten years before the global breakthrough of South Asian electronic music.
From Mongolia singer Enji's delicate new release, Sonor, develops her jazz-influenced sound to deliver some of her broadest music so far. Departing from her training in traditional Mongolian "long song" singing, the record's eleven songs range from the soft Norah Jones-esque melodies of slow-burning number Ulbar to the German spoken-word lyrics and trilling guitar lines of Unadag Dugui. The album also includes a energetic, funk-tinged cover of the 1980s Mongolian classic Eejiinhee Hairaar. Featuring a ensemble rather than her usual setup of guitar and bass, Sonor's sound manages to stay intimate, drawing the listener into the warm acoustics of her distinctive voice.
Drawing on the psychedelic tradition of Anatolian rock pioneered by groups such as Moğollar, German-Turkish singer Derya Yıldırım's third record alongside her group merges the metallic twang of the electrified saz with drifting keyboard and classic soul melodies. It's a nostalgic vibe anchored in Yıldırım's strong high register and influenced by producer Leon Michels' warm, tape-saturated aesthetic. But, on Turkish standards such as the folk tune Hop Bico and 1960s song Ceylan, the group reaches dynamic new territory. They craft sinuous, slow-burning grooves and powerful vocals that give a fresh, off-kilter spin to the Anatolian psychedelic style.
Catholic requiem mass music, Eastern European folk melodies and symphonic arrangements merge on Colombian-born singer Lido Pimienta's stunning latest work. Orchestrating music for the sixty-member MedellÃn Philharmonic Orchestra, Pimienta and producer Owen Pallett journey through everything from the liturgical vocals of opener Overturn (Obertura de la Luz Eterna) to the theatrical interweaving lines of Aún Te Quiero and the syncopated reggaeton-inspired beats of the brass and woodwind-led El Dembow del Tiempo. It is Pim
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