🔗 Share this article The 10 Top Worldwide Records of This Past Year Looking back on the musical landscape of worldwide releases that defied expectations. Here is a countdown of ten remarkable albums that characterized the year in music. Number Ten: Sarathy Korwar – There Is Beauty, There Already The concept of a 40-minute, uninterrupted piece built on insistent percussion may not appear the most accessible listening experience. Yet, south Asian percussionist and producer Sarathy Korwar transforms this driving beat into a hypnotically captivating work. Guiding an group of three drummers, Korwar crafts a complex percussive language throughout the record's ten parts. The work channels minimalist concepts from Steve Reich combined with traditional Indian musical phrasing, everything tethered in the repetition of a ongoing, thrumming figure. As the album progresses, this refrain begins to emulate the ceremonial rhythm of ceremonial music, pulling the listener deeper into Korwar's unique percussive realm. Number Nine: The Lebanese Artist Yasmine Hamdan – I Remember I Forget Following an long absence, Arab vocalist and composer Yasmine Hamdan returns with a contemplative album of songs. She expands on the Arabic-sung, dub-influenced aesthetic that cemented her status in the Arab alternative scene since the 1990s. Hamdan's vocal delivery is soft and ruminative, singing soft melodies atop the bowing strings of a track like Hon and the rumbling trip-hop groove of Vows. During more energetic moments such as Shadia and Abyss, she employs a quivering, yearning vibrato against Maghrebi-inspired synth melodies and skittering electronic percussion. The album's sound is sparse and subtle, yet this austerity creates the perfect setting for Hamdan's deeply felt songwriting to resonate. The album proves to be well worth the wait. 8. The Mexican Producer Debit – Slowed Down Mexican producer Debit has a knack for haunting reworkings of archival audio. On her most recent project, Desaceleradas, she focuses on the 90s style of cumbia rebajada – a decelerated, dubby version of the rhythmic Latin American dance music genre. Debit slows this sound down to a crawl, running its signature synths and off-beat rhythm through veils of sludge and noise to create a fresh, foreboding beat. At turns atmospheric and discomfiting, Debit transforms the exuberant party music of cumbia into a enduring, spectral afterimage. 7. The São Paulo Producer DJ K – Radio Libertadora! Sensory overload is the defining principle for the music of São Paulo producer Kaique Vieira, also known as DJ K. Coining his own genre of "bruxaria" (witchcraft), Vieira stacks a onslaught of alarms, explosive bass tones and screamed lyrics over the classic Brazilian genre of baile funk. This emulates the propulsive sound of urban celebrations. On his follow-up release, Radio Libertadora!, Vieira ramps up the energy, adding everything from driving techno rhythms to the sound of the Islamic call to prayer into his unruly bruxaria mix. The result is a particularly frenetic and punishingly loud 40-minute listening experience. Submit to the noise and Vieira's unapologetic productions become strangely exhilarating. Number Six: The Singer Mohinder Kaur Bhamra – Disco Punjabi Sikh devotional singer Mohinder Kaur Bhamra's 1982 album of disco beats and traditional Punjabi tunes is a newly appreciated masterpiece. Recorded by her son, music producer Kuljit Bhamra, Punjabi Disco's ten tracks present an remarkably engaging blend of the metallic sound of early synthesizers and programmed drums with her melismatic classical Indian vocal technique. Electronic percussion mirrors the rolling tones of the traditional drums, while synth lines parallels the traditional sound of the harmonium on tracks such as Pyar Mainu Kar. Elsewhere, Latin-inflected grooves comes to the fore on Soniya Mukh Tera, and Nainan Da Pyar De Gaya channels a driving disco bass groove. It's a party blend pioneered over a decade before the rise of Asian Underground music. 5. Enji – Resonance Mongolian singer Enji's gentle new release, Sonor, develops her jazz-influenced sound to offer some of her most diverse music yet. Departing from her training in traditional Mongolian "long song" singing, the record's selection of pieces range from the gentle jazz-pop melodies of downtempo number Ulbar to the German-language narration lyrics and twanging guitar lines of Unadag Dugui. The album also includes a lively, funk-inflected cover of the 1980s Mongolian classic Eejiinhee Hairaar. Featuring a full backing band rather than her standard setup of guitar and bass, Sonor's sound manages to stay intimate, pulling the listener into the warm soundscape of her singular voice. 4. Derya Yıldırım and Her Band – If There Is No Tomorrow Drawing on the 1960s legacy of Turkish psychedelia established by groups such as Moğollar, Turkish-born, Germany-based singer Derya Yıldırım's third record alongside her group fuses the distinctive buzz of the electrified saz with dreamy Mellotron and soulful tunes. It's a 1970s throwback sound grounded in Yıldırım's commanding high register and influenced by producer Leon Michels' analogue tape sound. However, on classic Turkish songs such as the folk tune Hop Bico and 60s classic Ceylan, the group finds vibrant new territory. They craft sinuous, downtempo grooves and lifting vocals that impart a novel, unconventional spin to the Anatolian psychedelic style. Number Three: The Colombian Artist Lido Pimienta – La Belleza Catholic requiem mass music, Czech harpsichord folksong and orchestral strings all come together on Colombian singer Lido Pimienta's extraordinary latest work. Arranging music for the sixty-member Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, Pimienta and producer Owen Pallett explore everything from the liturgical vocals of opener Overturn (Obertura de la Luz Eterna) to the dramatic counterpoint melodies of Aún Te Quiero and the syncopated dembow rhythms of the brass and woodwind-led El Dembow del Tiempo. Yet, it is Pim
Looking back on the musical landscape of worldwide releases that defied expectations. Here is a countdown of ten remarkable albums that characterized the year in music. Number Ten: Sarathy Korwar – There Is Beauty, There Already The concept of a 40-minute, uninterrupted piece built on insistent percussion may not appear the most accessible listening experience. Yet, south Asian percussionist and producer Sarathy Korwar transforms this driving beat into a hypnotically captivating work. Guiding an group of three drummers, Korwar crafts a complex percussive language throughout the record's ten parts. The work channels minimalist concepts from Steve Reich combined with traditional Indian musical phrasing, everything tethered in the repetition of a ongoing, thrumming figure. As the album progresses, this refrain begins to emulate the ceremonial rhythm of ceremonial music, pulling the listener deeper into Korwar's unique percussive realm. Number Nine: The Lebanese Artist Yasmine Hamdan – I Remember I Forget Following an long absence, Arab vocalist and composer Yasmine Hamdan returns with a contemplative album of songs. She expands on the Arabic-sung, dub-influenced aesthetic that cemented her status in the Arab alternative scene since the 1990s. Hamdan's vocal delivery is soft and ruminative, singing soft melodies atop the bowing strings of a track like Hon and the rumbling trip-hop groove of Vows. During more energetic moments such as Shadia and Abyss, she employs a quivering, yearning vibrato against Maghrebi-inspired synth melodies and skittering electronic percussion. The album's sound is sparse and subtle, yet this austerity creates the perfect setting for Hamdan's deeply felt songwriting to resonate. The album proves to be well worth the wait. 8. The Mexican Producer Debit – Slowed Down Mexican producer Debit has a knack for haunting reworkings of archival audio. On her most recent project, Desaceleradas, she focuses on the 90s style of cumbia rebajada – a decelerated, dubby version of the rhythmic Latin American dance music genre. Debit slows this sound down to a crawl, running its signature synths and off-beat rhythm through veils of sludge and noise to create a fresh, foreboding beat. At turns atmospheric and discomfiting, Debit transforms the exuberant party music of cumbia into a enduring, spectral afterimage. 7. The São Paulo Producer DJ K – Radio Libertadora! Sensory overload is the defining principle for the music of São Paulo producer Kaique Vieira, also known as DJ K. Coining his own genre of "bruxaria" (witchcraft), Vieira stacks a onslaught of alarms, explosive bass tones and screamed lyrics over the classic Brazilian genre of baile funk. This emulates the propulsive sound of urban celebrations. On his follow-up release, Radio Libertadora!, Vieira ramps up the energy, adding everything from driving techno rhythms to the sound of the Islamic call to prayer into his unruly bruxaria mix. The result is a particularly frenetic and punishingly loud 40-minute listening experience. Submit to the noise and Vieira's unapologetic productions become strangely exhilarating. Number Six: The Singer Mohinder Kaur Bhamra – Disco Punjabi Sikh devotional singer Mohinder Kaur Bhamra's 1982 album of disco beats and traditional Punjabi tunes is a newly appreciated masterpiece. Recorded by her son, music producer Kuljit Bhamra, Punjabi Disco's ten tracks present an remarkably engaging blend of the metallic sound of early synthesizers and programmed drums with her melismatic classical Indian vocal technique. Electronic percussion mirrors the rolling tones of the traditional drums, while synth lines parallels the traditional sound of the harmonium on tracks such as Pyar Mainu Kar. Elsewhere, Latin-inflected grooves comes to the fore on Soniya Mukh Tera, and Nainan Da Pyar De Gaya channels a driving disco bass groove. It's a party blend pioneered over a decade before the rise of Asian Underground music. 5. Enji – Resonance Mongolian singer Enji's gentle new release, Sonor, develops her jazz-influenced sound to offer some of her most diverse music yet. Departing from her training in traditional Mongolian "long song" singing, the record's selection of pieces range from the gentle jazz-pop melodies of downtempo number Ulbar to the German-language narration lyrics and twanging guitar lines of Unadag Dugui. The album also includes a lively, funk-inflected cover of the 1980s Mongolian classic Eejiinhee Hairaar. Featuring a full backing band rather than her standard setup of guitar and bass, Sonor's sound manages to stay intimate, pulling the listener into the warm soundscape of her singular voice. 4. Derya Yıldırım and Her Band – If There Is No Tomorrow Drawing on the 1960s legacy of Turkish psychedelia established by groups such as Moğollar, Turkish-born, Germany-based singer Derya Yıldırım's third record alongside her group fuses the distinctive buzz of the electrified saz with dreamy Mellotron and soulful tunes. It's a 1970s throwback sound grounded in Yıldırım's commanding high register and influenced by producer Leon Michels' analogue tape sound. However, on classic Turkish songs such as the folk tune Hop Bico and 60s classic Ceylan, the group finds vibrant new territory. They craft sinuous, downtempo grooves and lifting vocals that impart a novel, unconventional spin to the Anatolian psychedelic style. Number Three: The Colombian Artist Lido Pimienta – La Belleza Catholic requiem mass music, Czech harpsichord folksong and orchestral strings all come together on Colombian singer Lido Pimienta's extraordinary latest work. Arranging music for the sixty-member Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, Pimienta and producer Owen Pallett explore everything from the liturgical vocals of opener Overturn (Obertura de la Luz Eterna) to the dramatic counterpoint melodies of Aún Te Quiero and the syncopated dembow rhythms of the brass and woodwind-led El Dembow del Tiempo. Yet, it is Pim