Songlines is the definitive magazine for world music – music that has its roots in all parts of the globe, from Mali to Mexico, India to Iraq. Whether this music is defined as traditional, contemporary, folk or fusion, Songlines is the only publication to truly represent and embrace it. However, Songlines is not just about music, but about how the music fits into the landscape; it’s about politics, history and identity, and the artists who incite change through their music. Through its extensive articles and reviews, Songlines is your essential guide to an extraordinary world of music and culture, whether you are starting on your journey of discovery or are already a seasoned fan.
Songlines
Disc Jockeying
CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE INCLUDE
TOP OF THE WORLD • On this issue’s compilation – our curated selection of new music and bonus tracks from across the globe
THE SOURCE • Views, news and events from around the world
WOMAD 2026 • After taking 2025 off, WOMAD returned this summer at a new site, Neston Park. These are the sets that stopped our writers in their tracks
A Taste of Reggae Sumfest • At Jamaica’s premier reggae and dancehall festival, Patricia Meschino witnesses a powerful reunion that stands out as a moment of reconciliation in dancehall’s turbulent past, and a moment of joy in a country still picking itself up from the devastation of Hurricane Melissa
The 4 Corners and Centre of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s Universe • The Mexican acoustic-guitar duo turned thrash-metal energy into flamenco firepower. Rodrigo picks the five records that made them
Absolute Lilt • Lisa Canny and Niamh Hinchy took one of Ireland’s oldest vocal traditions, sang it in harmony and watched it go viral. Sophie Parkes meets a duo who never stop moving
Ryan Young • The Scottish fiddler tells Russ Slater Johnson how working with his hero Martin Hayes on new album In the Quiet After taught him to trust his instincts and let the tunes breathe
SOUNDCHECK • Songlines are currently listening to…
Altercat • Reflecting on his passion for global sounds and deep crate-digging, Sergi Roig speaks to Chris Wheatley about turning a personal journey into a lasting legacy
Abdelkader Haci • The Oran producer behind three decades of Bedouin flute music talks to Russ Slater Johnson about the cassette boom and keeping the gasba alive in the age of AutoTune
Lambchop • On their 17th album, Punching the Clown, Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner chases a half-heard radio song back to Scottish church singing. He tells Russ Slater Johnson how he learned to trust his collaborators, take songwriting seriously and finally write a folk song
Essaouira Gnawa & World Music Festival • For more than a quarter-century this coastal celebration has lifted Morocco’s devotional music onto the world stage, its maâlems presiding over captivating rituals while fusion sets carry it to Brazil, Ethiopia and beyond. Robin Denselow joins the crowd
SIMON SAYS… • Simon Broughton gets to grips with the sapeh, the lute at the heart of Sarawak’s Rainforest Festival
Next Issue…
A Conversation with IBEYI • The Franco-Cuban twins tell Charis McGowan how being lost was the pathway to finding a new sense of home, inspiring their resolute new album
POWER RANGER • Schooled by Ali Farka Touré, Samba Touré now trains his guitar on the water sellers and handcart men of Bamako. Daniel Brown reaches him between blackouts
The Sound of Clay • Erin Cobby travels to Hanoi to experience the GOm Show, a remarkable production that turns clay, water and fire into instruments – and Vietnamese tradition into living sound
Nduduzo Makhathini • Jane Cornwell talks to the South African jazz pianist who threads Zulu spirituality and ritual through everything he...