Cool in voice, cool in demeanour, Sao Paulo siren Céu belongs in a great tradition of unflappable Brazilian female singers that goes back beyond Astrid Gilberto and the iconic Girl from Ipanema. And if the fact that Céu updates this tradition with elements of drum’n’bass, r&b and left-field rock will appal some, that essential, timeless bossa nova composure remains the centre of her music. Indeed, this 29-year-old tropical ice maiden is probably incapable of singing a crude note or making an inelegant gesture.

Featuring a veritable who’s who of the Sao Paulo music scene, from cult soundtrack producer Gui Amabis to Brazil’s most in-demand rhythm section, Dengue and Pupilo, this second album is a testament to the sophistication of current Brazilian music. Nodding to Brazil’s musical past – from plinking samba guitars to Sixties-flavoured horns – the music weaves these elements into a blend of electronic and acoustic textures. Rosa Menina Rosa, with its vibes and vintage synths has a dark, dreamlike feel. And at the centre of it all is that spookily composed voice, at once other-worldly and knowing. This is wonderfully classy music, that will bring a deliciously different sense of now straight into your living room.

On their latest album, Coba Coba, Novalima expands on the critically-acclaimed formula they developed with their two previous recordings, while taking their inspiring fusion in new and exciting directions. The album’s title is derived from an Afro-Peruvian expression used to incite musicians, much like shouting “Go for it” to a musician in the midst of a great solo. Special guests include New Zealand nu-jazz keyboardist Mark de Clive-Lowe, the popular Cuban hip-hop group Obsesión and Spanish alternative rocker Gecko Turner. British producer Toni Economides, a regular collaborator of Nitin Sawhney, Da Lata, and Bugz In The Attic among others, adds his special touch on the album’s mixes.

The success of Novalima’s approach was never more evident than during their monumental concert in the main public square of Lima. Performing in front of a pulsating crowd of more than 30,000 people, Novalima presented their new vision of Afro-Peruvian music to an astounded an appreciative audience who knew they were witnessing history in the making.

Coba Coba promises to bring even wider recognition to this innovative group, while furthering their mission to inspire new generations to appreciate and respect the Afro-Peruvian contribution to the world of music. With a fresh and innovative sound that stands on a centuries-old foundation of soul and heritage, Novalima promises to keep Afro-Peruvian expression thriving long into the future.

This gem of an album proves once again that for the moment, São Paulo must be one of the world’s most fertile places for making music.

The album is a collaboration between the singer CéU and members of the groups Nação Zumbi and Instituto, the album also features a cross-section of guest stars, including Pernambuco-born Siba and new-jack producer Apollo 9.

The biggest surprise is that these are live recordings, not programmed beats. Each and every sound is a physical act, an interchange between musicians who are listening to each other, making it all up as they go.

Created by fun-loving musicians out for a good time, Sonantes lives up to its all-star potential.

This album is the downtempo side of fusion between traditional Latin forms and electronica. The mixes are surprisingly good throughout, with styles taken from everywhere from Spain to Argentina to Texas and thrown together with electronic beats and grooves. The album opens up with Alacran, an Italian outfit specializing in electronic tango à la Gotan Project. Son is taken on by Roberto Poveda with only slight modification, but enough to evoke the samba at times. There’s proper chillout from Bebe, Cuban-British dub from Sidestepper, and a mix of flamenco and more from Amparanoia. More tango fusion and then a bit of nostalgia from rising star Charange Cakewalk. Perhaps the oddest bit here is an appearance by Deepak Chopra in a full-on bout of Indian-exotica-via-Mexico with aid from Adriana Castelazo. The mix is coherent and holds a constant sway without the schizophrenic breaks that are so common with cross-cultural albums. A charming album that belongs in league with Putumayo’s other lounge-focused albums as perfect backing music to any given evening.

While DJs and pop artists the world over assimilate the sticky and sweet beat of Brazil and its samba, bossanova, and traditional carnival percussion, little attention has been given to Brazil’s young talents. Get past Veloso, Gil, and Jobim, and you’ll find a plethora of artists re-shaping the sound of Brazil into new, exciting forms. Suba, one of Brazil’s most in-demand producers, was one of them. Released in Brazil before his tragic death in a recording studio fire in November 1999, Sao Paulo Confessions is Suba’s bittersweet introduction and goodbye to the rest of the world. It’s full of churning, hot grooves driven by both live percussion and electronic beats layered with a handful of sultry female vocalists (Cibelle, Katia B., Taciana, Joana Jones). Club Med exotica it’s not, for Suba has an ear for dense, urban grooves that eschew pop hooks or melodies in favour of modern textures and space. “Think ‘Blade Runner’ in the Tropics,” Suba once said. Besides a light, radio friendly adaptation of Jobim’s “Felicidade,” Sao Paulo Confessions is postmodern tropicalia, with Suba elongating his beats into gorgeous, shimmering dreams that are club friendly, yet respectful of tradition without being nostalgic. Suba blends the synthetic analog-sounding beats so close to the live instrumentation that you’ll probably be asking yourself, “is this drum and bass, or a carnival troupe out of Rio?” Suba’s provocative, intelligent touch makes Confessions one of the most forward-thinking native-Brazilian albums to pop up across the pond in recent memory. Sadly, it was also his last.

The end of the decade is nearly upon us and we are entering the season of the list. Music magazines and newspapers have been nominating their artists and albums of the decade. A consensus seems to be forming around some well known artists (i.e. Arctic Monkeys, Amy Winehouse, Beyoncé, George Strait, Jay Z, Radiohead, The Strokes, The Streets, etc), yet there is one name missing from all these lists. His name is Nitin Sawhney.

Nitin Sawhney (born 1964) is an Indian-British musician, producer and composer. His critically-acclaimed work combines Asian and other worldwide influences with elements of jazz, flamenco, electronica and often explores themes such as multiculturalism, politics and spirituality. Sawhney is also active in the promotion of arts and cultural matters, and is a patron of numerous film festivals, venues, and educational institutions.

Read more at Wikipedia

Manu Chao is famous for blending musical styles but even for him his latest album is a departure: a collaboration with psychiatric patients who run an Argentine radio station called Radio Loony.

The Spanish-French singer recorded the album in Jose Borda, a psychiatric hospital in Buenos Aires which is home to Radio La Colifata, a name derived from slang for lunatic.

The album, Viva La Colifata!, features 20 songs about life, love, loneliness, death, sunshine, mothers and the end of the world. It mixes some old Chao tunes with mostly new material from the singer and patients, including poetry and improvisations. The idea, according to the publicity blurb, is to “laugh, cry and meditate about life”.

The album is available for free download at VivaLaColifata.org, a website launched by Chao and the radio station, but people are asked to make a donation to help the hospital’s pioneering approach to treating mental illness.

Launched in 1991 as a way to give patients a voice, the station’s eclectic amalgam of chat, jokes, music and poetry became a hit and reached 12 million people in Argentina’s capital. Chao, 48, who promotes leftist causes and sings in French, Spanish, English and Arabic, became involved in Radio La Colifata a decade ago after reading an article in a French newspaper. He visited the crumbling monolithic building, befriended patients, hosted music workshops and developed the idea of making an album.

The American country singer Johnny Cash recorded a classic live album at Folsom prison in 1968 but Chao is believed to be the first star to record at a psychiatric hospital.

One of the finest, least expected albums of the past few years was Watina, in which the late and greatly missed Andy Palacio introduced global audiences to the gently rousing, rhythmic and soulful styles of the Garifuna people of Central America. Those who were rightly delighted by Palacio’s album should check out this album, which was also produced by Ivan Duran, and features a selection of fine female singers from across the Garifina region, from Belize to Guatemala and Honduras. As with Palacio’s album, the infectious backing is mostly provided by hand drums and guitars (with Duran making an impressive contribution on many tracks), but the real stars are the 12 female singers. Aged from mid-20s to mid-50s, they provide an emotional, often thrilling, reminder of why Garifuna music is so distinctive and enthralling. Many of the songs have light, gently driving rhythms, and they range from the slinky Merua to the subtle but gloriously rhythmic Anaha Ya, which features some particularly fine stomping guitar work, or soulful, reflective laments like the sad but simple Lirun Biganute (Sad News). Palacio’s legacy lives on.

The double album Gotan Project Live is the first live recording from electro-tango pioneers Gotan Project. Recorded at London’s Kentish Town Forum and Neuchâtel, Switzerland, the album features material from their La Revancha Del Tango and Lunático world tours. Left-looking spinners Gilles Peterson, Thievery Corporation, Peter Kruder, UFO, Jazzanova, Rainer Trüby, Herbert and Mr. Scruff have all championed their fusion of tango, dub and beats since their debut single “El Capitalismo Foraneo” appeared in January 2000. Subsequently recording cover versions of the theme from Last Tango In Paris and a dubbed-out take on Frank Zappa’s “Chunga’s Revenge,” Gotan Project have consistently pushed the boundaries of traditional tango, creating willfully weird but strangely compelling music that ignores both geographical and musical borders.

For those who, ten years ago, predicted that Gotan’s success would be limited to coffee tables and catwalks, this live set comes with an ever elegant sting. The group have passed the test of the scene in proving that acoustic instrumentation and electronic programming can come together in an utter spectacle and, above all, stay faithful to the first demand of tango amateurs from the days of la Guardia Vieja: dance. Their performance plays with sight and sound to express their art’s gift: memory and anticipation interlaced. Between today and tomorrow, this performance makes no choices – because desire, just like tango, is but the regret of the future.

Known affectionately as La Negra (the Black One) due to her dark hair and skin, Sosa was dubbed “the voice of the silent majority” for championing the poor and fighting for political freedom. Her version of Violeta Parra’s “Gracias a la Vida” (”Thanks to Life”) became an anthem for leftists around the world in the 1970s and 1980s when she was forced into exile and her recordings were banned.

Her undisputed talent, her honesty and her profound convictions leave a great legacy to future generations. She was a giant of contemporary Latin American music and will be sorely missed.