🔗 Share this article This Ten Finest Global Records of This Past Year The past twelve months have offered a rich tapestry of worldwide sounds that expanded horizons. Presenting a selection of ten exceptional albums that defined the year in music. 10. Sarathy Korwar – There Already Is Beauty An album consisting of a single, extended movement of insistent drumming may not appear the most approachable listening experience. However, south Asian percussionist and producer Sarathy Korwar turns this persistent pulse into a strangely alluring piece. Directing an trio of three drummers, Korwar develops a intricate percussive language across the record's 10 movements. His composition channels the phasing techniques of Steve Reich as well as classical Indian rhythmic patterns, all anchored in the recurrence of a ongoing, thrumming figure. Over its duration, this refrain starts to mirror the ceremonial rhythm of ritual music, drawing the listener deeper into Korwar's distinctive percussive realm. Number Nine: Yasmine Hamdan – I Remember I Forget Following an eight-year break, Lebanese vocalist and composer Yasmine Hamdan returns with a mournful album of songs. It continues exploring the Arabic-sung, dub-influenced aesthetic that made her a staple in the region's indie music scene since the 1990s. Hamdan's vocal delivery is gentle and thoughtful, delivering soft melodies atop the bowing strings of a track like Hon and the deep trip-hop groove of Vows. On livelier tracks such as Shadia and Abyss, she adopts a wavering, yearning vocal technique over Maghrebi-inspired synth melodies and clattering electronic percussion. The production is sparse and subtle, yet this simplicity offers the perfect environment for Hamdan's emotive lyricism to resonate. The album proves to be truly deserving of the wait. Number Eight: The Mexican Producer Debit – Desaceleradas Mexican producer Debit excels at haunting reinterpretations of archival audio. On her most recent project, Desaceleradas, she focuses on the 90s style of cumbia rebajada – a slowed, dubby take of the rhythmic Latin American musical style. Debit decelerates this sound down to a crawl, filtering its characteristic synths and off-beat rhythm via veils of distortion and noise to create a fresh, menacing beat. Periodically ambient and uneasy, Debit transforms the celebratory party music of cumbia into a lasting, spectral echo. Number Seven: DJ K – Radio Libertadora! Sheer intensity is the operative word for the records of São Paulo producer Kaique Vieira, also known as DJ K. Inventing his own genre of "bruxaria" (witchcraft), Vieira piles a cacophony of alarms, explosive bass tones and shouted lyrics on top of the enduring Brazilian dance style of baile funk. This emulates the propulsive sound of favela street parties. On his new record, Radio Libertadora!, Vieira escalates the intensity, throwing in everything from four-on-the-floor techno beats to the sound of the Islamic call to prayer into his frantic bruxaria mix. The result is a especially hyperactive and deafeningly intense forty-minute sonic journey. Submit to the cacophony and Vieira's brash productions become strangely freeing. 6. Mohinder Kaur Bhamra – Punjabi Disco Sikh devotional singer Mohinder Kaur Bhamra's record from 1982 of disco music and traditional Punjabi tunes is a reissued treasure. Recorded by her son, music producer Kuljit Bhamra, Punjabi Disco's ten tracks offer an strikingly captivating fusion of the sharp sound of 1980s synthesisers and drum machines with her fluid Indian classical vocal technique. Electronic percussion mirrors the wavelike tones of the tabla, while synthesiser melody replicates the classic sound of the reed organ on tracks such as Pyar Mainu Kar. Meanwhile, bossa nova rhythm is prominent on Soniya Mukh Tera, and Nainan Da Pyar De Gaya channels a up-tempo funky bass rhythm. It's a party blend pioneered more than ten years before the rise of Asian Underground music. Number Five: Enji – Sonor Mongolian singer Enji's gentle latest record, Sonor, builds upon her jazz-inflected sound to deliver some of her broadest music yet. Moving away from her training in traditional Mongolian "long song" singing, the record's 11 tracks travel from the gentle jazz-pop melodies of slow-burning number Ulbar to the German-language narration lyrics and twanging guitar lines of Unadag Dugui. The album also includes a sprightly, funk-tinged cover of the 80s Mongolian pop hit Eejiinhee Hairaar. Featuring a full backing band rather than her standard setup of guitar and bass, Sonor's sound manages to stay intimate, drawing the listener into the gentle acoustics of her singular voice. 4. Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek – If There Is No Tomorrow Inspired by the 1960s legacy of Anatolian rock established by groups such as Moğollar, German-Turkish singer Derya Yıldırım's new album with her band Grup Şimşek blends the electric jangle of the electrified saz with dreamy keyboard and R&B-inflected lines. It's a 1970s throwback sound grounded in Yıldırım's strong falsetto and shaped by producer Leon Michels' warm, tape-saturated sound. Yet, on Turkish standards such as the folk tune Hop Bico and 60s classic Ceylan, the group finds lively new territory. They craft sinuous, slow-burning grooves and soaring vocals that impart a fresh, off-kilter spin to the Turkish psych sound. Number Three: The Colombian Artist Lido Pimienta – The Beauty Sacred music, Eastern European folk melodies and symphonic arrangements merge on Colombian-born singer Lido Pimienta's stunning fourth album. Arranging music for the 60-piece Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, Pimienta and producer Owen Pallett traverse a vast range including the liturgical vocals of opener Overturn (Obertura de la Luz Eterna) to the theatrical interweaving lines of Aún Te Quiero and the rhythmic dembow rhythms of the woodwind-heavy El Dembow del Tiempo. Ultimately, it is Pim
The past twelve months have offered a rich tapestry of worldwide sounds that expanded horizons. Presenting a selection of ten exceptional albums that defined the year in music. 10. Sarathy Korwar – There Already Is Beauty An album consisting of a single, extended movement of insistent drumming may not appear the most approachable listening experience. However, south Asian percussionist and producer Sarathy Korwar turns this persistent pulse into a strangely alluring piece. Directing an trio of three drummers, Korwar develops a intricate percussive language across the record's 10 movements. His composition channels the phasing techniques of Steve Reich as well as classical Indian rhythmic patterns, all anchored in the recurrence of a ongoing, thrumming figure. Over its duration, this refrain starts to mirror the ceremonial rhythm of ritual music, drawing the listener deeper into Korwar's distinctive percussive realm. Number Nine: Yasmine Hamdan – I Remember I Forget Following an eight-year break, Lebanese vocalist and composer Yasmine Hamdan returns with a mournful album of songs. It continues exploring the Arabic-sung, dub-influenced aesthetic that made her a staple in the region's indie music scene since the 1990s. Hamdan's vocal delivery is gentle and thoughtful, delivering soft melodies atop the bowing strings of a track like Hon and the deep trip-hop groove of Vows. On livelier tracks such as Shadia and Abyss, she adopts a wavering, yearning vocal technique over Maghrebi-inspired synth melodies and clattering electronic percussion. The production is sparse and subtle, yet this simplicity offers the perfect environment for Hamdan's emotive lyricism to resonate. The album proves to be truly deserving of the wait. Number Eight: The Mexican Producer Debit – Desaceleradas Mexican producer Debit excels at haunting reinterpretations of archival audio. On her most recent project, Desaceleradas, she focuses on the 90s style of cumbia rebajada – a slowed, dubby take of the rhythmic Latin American musical style. Debit decelerates this sound down to a crawl, filtering its characteristic synths and off-beat rhythm via veils of distortion and noise to create a fresh, menacing beat. Periodically ambient and uneasy, Debit transforms the celebratory party music of cumbia into a lasting, spectral echo. Number Seven: DJ K – Radio Libertadora! Sheer intensity is the operative word for the records of São Paulo producer Kaique Vieira, also known as DJ K. Inventing his own genre of "bruxaria" (witchcraft), Vieira piles a cacophony of alarms, explosive bass tones and shouted lyrics on top of the enduring Brazilian dance style of baile funk. This emulates the propulsive sound of favela street parties. On his new record, Radio Libertadora!, Vieira escalates the intensity, throwing in everything from four-on-the-floor techno beats to the sound of the Islamic call to prayer into his frantic bruxaria mix. The result is a especially hyperactive and deafeningly intense forty-minute sonic journey. Submit to the cacophony and Vieira's brash productions become strangely freeing. 6. Mohinder Kaur Bhamra – Punjabi Disco Sikh devotional singer Mohinder Kaur Bhamra's record from 1982 of disco music and traditional Punjabi tunes is a reissued treasure. Recorded by her son, music producer Kuljit Bhamra, Punjabi Disco's ten tracks offer an strikingly captivating fusion of the sharp sound of 1980s synthesisers and drum machines with her fluid Indian classical vocal technique. Electronic percussion mirrors the wavelike tones of the tabla, while synthesiser melody replicates the classic sound of the reed organ on tracks such as Pyar Mainu Kar. Meanwhile, bossa nova rhythm is prominent on Soniya Mukh Tera, and Nainan Da Pyar De Gaya channels a up-tempo funky bass rhythm. It's a party blend pioneered more than ten years before the rise of Asian Underground music. Number Five: Enji – Sonor Mongolian singer Enji's gentle latest record, Sonor, builds upon her jazz-inflected sound to deliver some of her broadest music yet. Moving away from her training in traditional Mongolian "long song" singing, the record's 11 tracks travel from the gentle jazz-pop melodies of slow-burning number Ulbar to the German-language narration lyrics and twanging guitar lines of Unadag Dugui. The album also includes a sprightly, funk-tinged cover of the 80s Mongolian pop hit Eejiinhee Hairaar. Featuring a full backing band rather than her standard setup of guitar and bass, Sonor's sound manages to stay intimate, drawing the listener into the gentle acoustics of her singular voice. 4. Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek – If There Is No Tomorrow Inspired by the 1960s legacy of Anatolian rock established by groups such as Moğollar, German-Turkish singer Derya Yıldırım's new album with her band Grup Şimşek blends the electric jangle of the electrified saz with dreamy keyboard and R&B-inflected lines. It's a 1970s throwback sound grounded in Yıldırım's strong falsetto and shaped by producer Leon Michels' warm, tape-saturated sound. Yet, on Turkish standards such as the folk tune Hop Bico and 60s classic Ceylan, the group finds lively new territory. They craft sinuous, slow-burning grooves and soaring vocals that impart a fresh, off-kilter spin to the Turkish psych sound. Number Three: The Colombian Artist Lido Pimienta – The Beauty Sacred music, Eastern European folk melodies and symphonic arrangements merge on Colombian-born singer Lido Pimienta's stunning fourth album. Arranging music for the 60-piece Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, Pimienta and producer Owen Pallett traverse a vast range including the liturgical vocals of opener Overturn (Obertura de la Luz Eterna) to the theatrical interweaving lines of Aún Te Quiero and the rhythmic dembow rhythms of the woodwind-heavy El Dembow del Tiempo. Ultimately, it is Pim