Global Music Pulse

This week, in a one-off departure from our normal format, we present a roundup from Womex, the annual worldwide music expo, which was held Oct. 28-31 in Berlin at the House of World Cultures. The event was attended by more than 1,000 delegates from more than 50 territories.
South Africa's Gallo Records made its first appearance at Womex to lay the groundwork for a major international campaign around the label's 75th anniversary in 2001. Antos Stella, international director, disclosed plans for major touring activity by leading Gallo artists, an anniversary compilation album, and a documentary film. Stella also announced the imminent release of "Umuntu" (Respect To You) from Mahlathini & the Mahotella Queens. During the sessions earlier this year, Simon "Mahlathini" Nkabinde felt ill and was taken to the hospital. He died July 28 from diabetes-related causes. Meanwhile, the Mahotella Queens will travel to Paris next May to record a new album, possibly with Manu Dibango.
Tarika, Madagascar's most successful musical export, has signed a four-album deal with Wicklow, the label set up within the BMG group by Paddy Maloney of the Chieftains. The band's last three albums appeared in Europe and the U.S. on Xenophile/Green Linnet. After years of touring abroad, the band returned for a triumphant visit to Madagascar in 1998 and scored a No. 1 single with "Raitra" from its last album, "D." Recording for its first album on Wicklow began early this month. The record will explore the ancestral links between Madagascar and Indonesia. Scheduled for release in summer 2000, it will be supported by festival dates in Europe and a U.S. tour.
The Croatian Musician's Union (CMU), which took exhibition space for the first time, claims 10,000 members, yet Croatia's musical heritage is little-known even in the rest of Europe. Mojmir Novakovic of the CMU reported strong interest from delegates in "Ethno Ambient Live-Salona '98" (Kopito Records). Recorded at the annual festival held in Gradina, Croatia, it showcases Croatian performers who specialize in contemporary versions of traditional repertoire, including leading rock band Legen. "We are trying to make contact with other musicians and to start a musical dialogue with the rest of the world," Novakovic says.
The German label Network Medien will release "Love's Deep Ocean" by Alim Qasimov to coincide with the awarding of the International Music Council-UNESCO Music Prize to Qasimov, a 42-year-old classically trained singer from Azerbaijan. The award was inaugurated in 1975 and is often seen as the musical equivalent of the Nobel Prize. Previous recipients include Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Yehudi Menuhin, and Daniel Barenboim. The prize will be awarded Nov. 19 in Aachen, Germany, and the album will be released the same day. Qasimov specializes in the Arabic style known as mugham, which is native to Azerbaijan but also has strong Turkish and Persian influences.
Delegates eagerly snapped up the first copies off the presses of volume one of the new "Rough Guide To World Music" (Rough Guides/Penguin). Vastly expanded from the 1994 edition, the work, at 1,500 pages, has had to be split into two volumes. The first covers Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. The second, covering the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific, will appear next May. "As the world music scene has grown, so has the book," says Simon Broughton, one of the editors. "Last time we didn't really cover west Europe, and we have added sections on France, Germany, Italy, and other territories." With more than 80 contributors (including the editor of this column), it is the most comprehensive guide of its kind. It includes discographies that will be regularly updated on the Web site www.roughguides.com. The first volume will be published Nov. 21 in the U.K. for 17.99 pounds and in February in the U.S. for $26.95.
Of the 30-plus showcased artists in Berlin, among the most impressive was U-Cef. The Moroccan-born dance producer's self-titled debut album is full of Arabic breakbeats and hip-hop rhythms. The album is the second release on the new Apartment 22 label, based in Bristol, England.