Songlines

Launched in 1999, Songlines is the leading magazine covering traditional, contemporary, folk and fusion music from around the world. Each edition is packed with the latest album reviews, artist interviews, festival profiles and travel adventures from every corner of the globe. Music is about culture, politics, history and the environment and Songlines is your essential guide to it all.

If you’re new to Songlines, download our Aug/Sept 2014 issue (#102) for free. Features include an interview with Afrobeat pioneers Tony Allen & Orlando Julius, as they both celebrate 50-year careers with new albums.

There is also an interview with Scottish author, avid music consumer and vinyl addict Ian Rankin, who speaks to Jo Frost (Songlines editor) about how he’s always willing to take a punt on new music, especially if there’s a good story behind it.

Also featured in the trial issue: a feature on Israeli musician Idan Raichel and his collaboration with Malian musician Vieux Farka Touré; Malian jeli singer Kassé Mady Diabaté; and violinists Anna Phoebe and Jyotsna Srikanth. We also pick our Essential 10 Afrobeat albums that you must own, plus Chris Moss provides a Beginner’s Guide to salsa superstar Rubén Blades.

The May 2025 issue (#207) of Songlines is out now. Our cover star is Anoushka Shankar, who is not only completing a trilogy of stunning releases this year but is also curating Brighton Festival. We give some love to Carolina Chocolate Drops, talking to bluegrass, Americana and old-time artists who they influenced. We go in-depth on a new wave of Spanish folk artists finding inspiration in their regional traditions; we look at Polish musicians who found a home in the Brazilian hinterlands and find out how London is the place to be for live Cuban timba. We look at flute-centric folk four-piece Flook in our Beginner’s Guide, celebrate 50 years of Italy’s Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino and have a My World interview with Merlin Sheldrake to discuss mushrooms and music. Plus, we travel with Julian Belbachir’s Maroc-Aussie band, find out how the Grammys are failing global music, hear about cultural protests in Slovakia and pick out ten essential Iranian albums, as well as Sona Jobarteh, Joshua Burnside, Natalie Wildgoose, Zar Electrik, Aurelio Martínez and more. Plus, all the usual news, listings, reviews, competitions and so much more. Subscribers will also receive our accompanying compilation (CD + digital) featuring ten tracks from the best new music releases and five bonus selections to accompany the issue.