I've wanted to do a digital "shout out" to one of my favorite music groups, the Afrocelts (previously known as "The Afro Celt Sound System"), for a long time now. This is a group of Irish and African musicians that has put out five albums on the Real World label, which was founded by Peter Gabriel, coming out of the WOMAD (World Music Arts and Dance) festivals.
The Afrocelts have achieved a wonderful balance between machine-generated beats and live instrumentation. I think of them as one of the premier "world music" bands, but that might just be because Irish music and African rhythms have become a vital part of my life, being a fan and practitioner of Celtic music and, recently, since joing the Rhythm Workers Union, learning African drumming and chanting.
Their web site is definitely worth visiting, just to see the site design (which is quite good) and the streaming videos on offer.
While you're at it, you might want to visit Real World Records to see what they have on offer (lots West Africa and India, including nine from the late, great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan). I've only bought one new version of a Real World Records disc, but have bought many more used. I have yet to be even remotely disappointed.
Posted by jeb at February 21, 2005 9:29 PM | TrackBack